Barbara Lovelace is bringing to life Sarah Wormeley Robinson, the wife of Christopher Robinson III at the 8th annual Arts in the Middle Festival held at Hewick Plantation. Barbara is a historian who has brought history to life in many settings during the last twenty years in Urbanna and at other places in Middlesex county through living history interpretations, plays, and performances. She recently returned to Urbanna after a two-year hiatus and is overwhelmingly happy to be back home to share our wonderful history.
She will interpret the year 1765 when the present Hewick was 25 years old. Sarah was the daughter of Elizabeth and John Wormeley, and John was the brother of Ralph Wormeley III -- all well-known Urbanna founders. Sarah lived from 1717 to 1772 and was Christopher Robinson III's second wife. She was stepmother to his two daughters by his first wife and bore Christopher III two children -- Christopher Robinson IV and Elizabeth.
Because the year is 1765, Barbara will be conversing with visitors about all the things that are on her mind in these times: obviously family, but also the great taxes caused by the debt our colony and other colonies faced after Britain invested so heavily in winning the French and Indian War -- and keeping Virginia British, not French. The Stamp Act, enacted this year (March 1765), was a direct tax on Virginians, which was a major cause of the Revolution: taxation without representation. And we knew at that time that other trade laws were coming. Also, there was a standing army in Virginia at the time, never a good thing for Virginians. In addition, planters like the Robinsons were angry that Britain had forbidden settlement beyond the Allegheny mountains, another overreach of power.
Make sure you stop and speak to Barbara while walking our beautiful tree lined art show.
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