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Hugh Gwyn (c. 1590 - c. 1654) was a British colonist who owned the first legally-sanctioned slave in the Colony of Virginia, John Punch. Gwyn served several terms in the Virginia House of Burgesses and was a justice.

Biography

Sir Hugh Gwyn (sometimes spelled "Wynne", "Wing", or "Gwinne") either immigrated to Jamestown with the 1608 second supply, or arrived c. 1620 on the George as a servant to Captain William Peirce.

Gwyn claimed to discover Gwynn's Island in c. 1611. According to legend, Gwynn saved Pocahontas from a sinking canoe near the island.

At a January 1624 muster, Hugh Wing [sic] was listed as aged 30 years. In 1635, Gwyn petitioned King Charles I for ownership of the island and in 1640 was given 1,000 acres (4.0 km). Gwyn built a log cabin and named the area "Gwynnville" [sic].

He was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses representing Charles River County in 1639 and York County in 1646. He also served as a judicial officer in 1641. Gywn died around 1654. Elizabeth Gwynn and Hugh Gwynn (likely a son) carried on the name in Virginia. A relation, Hugh Gwynn, was the son of Sir Owen Wynn, 3rd Baronet and represented Gloucester in the House of Burgesses from 1652 to 1690.

First slave in Virginia

In 1640, indentured servants John Punch ("a negro"), Victor ("a Dutchman"), and James Gregory ("a Scotchman") fled their master Gwyn. The three were captured and returned to Gwyn. The General Court of Virginia ruled that all three be whipped, but Punch would be Gwyn's slave for life as punishment for escaping.

See also

• Robert Wynne (Virginia politician)

References

1. "Second Supply". packrat-pro.com.
2. ^ Stevens, Sharry Anne. ""Packrat Productions: Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's -- George"". Packrat Productions: Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
3. Gwathmey, John Hastings (1937). Twelve Virginia Counties: Where the Western Migration Began. p. 10. ISBN 9780806308616.
4. ^ "TIMELINE: Virginia, Mathews County & Gwynn's Island History". www.gwynnsislandproject.com.
5. McCartney, Martha W. (2007). Virginia Immigrants and Adventurers, 1607-1635: A Biographical Dictionary. p. 770. ISBN 9780806317748.
6. ^ "Gwynn's Island | The Gwynn's Island Museum". Gwynn's Island Museum.
7. https://www.qsl.net/w4rzb/gwin.html
8. "Mathews Memorial Library - Timeline". www.mathewslibrary.org.
9. "A History of Gwynn's Island". gwynnsislandmuseum.org. The Gwynn's Island Museum. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
10. http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/schools/wmmary/notes0014.txt
11. du Bellet, Louise Pecquet; Jaquelin, Edward; Jacquelin, Martha Cary (1907). Some Prominent Virginia Families, Volume 4. p. 13.
12. Bly, Antonio T. (July 13, 2023). "Indentured Servant and Slave Patrols in Virginia". encyclopediavirginia.org. Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
13. General Court of Virginia (July 9, 1640). "General Court Responds to Runaway Servants and Slaves (1640)". Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved 8 June 2024.

• 16th-century births
• 1650s deaths
• House of Burgesses members