Background
His father, John Bird (c 1620-1677) was a London goldsmith with ancestral roots in Cheshire, England.
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William William Byrd I
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Byrd was elected to the House of Burgesses in 1677. In 1676, Byrd was a sympathizer of Nathaniel Bacon in Bacon"s Rebellion, and took an active part in the rebellion, first by helping persuade Bacon to take unlawful command of a militia and lead it against the Indians. He also rode with Bacon after the rebellion began and was involved in the sack of Warner Hall, confiscating goods amounting to £845, or the equivalent of what 40 slaves or servants would produce in a year.
(Rice, 2012, p 98) He later allied himself with the Governor and became a prominent citizen.
Also in 1676, Byrd established the James River Fort on the south bank of the James River in what is now known as the Manchester District of Richmond. He was active in Virginia politics, serving many years on the Virginia Governor"s Council.
Byrd"s grandson built a Georgian mansion there in the 1750s. Byrd died on 4 December 1704, at his plantation home of Westover, in Charles City County, Virginia.
He is buried near the original site of the Westover Church.
