William Beverley

William Beverley
Member of the House of Burgesses
from Orange County
In office
1736–1738
Serving with Robert Green
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byRobert Green
Member of the House of Burgesses
from Essex County
In office
1742–1749
Serving with James Garnett (1742–1747)
William Daingerfield (1748–1749)
Preceded bySalvator Muscoe
Thomas Waring
Succeeded byFrancis Smith
Thomas Waring
Clerk of Court for Essex County
In office
1716–1745
Preceded byNone
Succeeded byJohn Lee
Personal details
Born1696
Virginia
Died1756 (aged 59–60)
Virginia
NationalityAmerican
Spouse
  • Elizabeth Bland
Relations
Children
John Beverley b. 1727 d. 1743 in England
  • Robert Beverley
  • Elizabeth Beverley Mills
  • Ursula Beverley Fitzhugh
  • Anna Beverley
Residence(s)Blandfield, Essex County, Virginia
Occupation
  • Legislator
  • civil servant
  • planter
  • landowner

William Beverley (1696–1756) was an 18th-century legislator, civil servant, planter and landowner in the Colony of Virginia. Born in Virginia, Beverley—the son of planter and historian Robert Beverley, Jr. (c. 1667–1722) and his wife, Ursula Byrd Beverley (1681–1698)—was the scion of two prominent Virginia families. He was the nephew of Peter Beverley (1668–1728), Speaker of the Virginia House of Burgesses, and the grandson of wealthy Virginia planter William Byrd I (1652–1704) of Westover Plantation. Beverley's mother died shortly before her 17th birthday (when he was a toddler), and he was sent to England.

After his education in England he began a career in public service as the Clerk of Court for Essex County (1716–1745) and in the Virginia House of Burgesses, representing Orange (1736–1738) and Essex Counties (1742–1749). Beverley also served on the Virginia Governor's Council in 1750.

He inherited a large estate after his father's death in 1722, amassing significant landholdings throughout Virginia from which he received revenue from tobacco production and rent from 119 tenants. His development of the 118,941-acre (481.34 km2) Beverley Manor tract in present-day Augusta County encouraged further settlement west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Beverley was commissioned by Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, for an expedition with Peter Jefferson to establish the Fairfax Line of the Northern Neck Proprietary.