New Kent County was established in 1654, as the Virginia General Assembly with the governor's consent split
York County. The county's name originated because several prominent inhabitants, including
William Claiborne, recently had been forced from their settlement at
Kent Island, Maryland, by
Lord Baltimore upon the formation of
Maryland. Claiborne had named the island for his birthplace in
Kent, England.
Chickahominy and
Pamunkey Native Americans frequented this area, as well as nearby
Charles City County and
King William County, and both tribes remain well-established in this area. The county had two parishes in the colonial era, initially called Blisland (which also included the older
James City County as well as York County) and
St. Peter's. Among the earliest settlers was Nicholas Gentry, who settled in New Kent in 1684. Parish registers of St. Peter's Parish show that Nicholas Gentry's daughter was baptized in the church in 1687. In 1719 the Virginia General Assembly split New Kent County, and what had been established St. Paul's Parish became
Hanover County. New Kent county's first brick courthouse was built by 1695, but it and two successors were destroyed in 1753 and 1775. Another fire in 1783 destroyed the clerk's office and jail, so few colonial era non-religious records remain. However, a manual entitled "The Office and Authority of a Justice of Peace" published in 1736 by county court justice George Webb, the son of London merchant Conrad Webb and whose son Lewis Webb would briefly represent New Kent county in the House of Burgesses and later in the House of Delegates during the American Revolutionary War. Perhaps the county's most noteworthy patriot during the conflict was
James, an enslaved man who became a double agent, and whose reports to the Marquis de Lafayette helped secure victory during the
Siege of Yorktown months after British troops led by Lt. Gen. Charles Cornwallis passed through the county seat (and raided local plantations) in June 1781. In addition to men who enlisted in the army, New Kent county also established an American military hospital during the conflict. As the result of arson confessed to by John Price Posey and Thomas Green, and allegedly involving "a negro boy belonging to W. Chamberlayne", many later county records were burned, making identifying relationships between family members difficult. Two
first ladies –
Martha Washington and
Letitia Christian Tyler – were born in New Kent County. The church where George and Martha Washington are believed to have been wed,
St. Peter's, still holds services today. Confederate and Union troops fought in as well as passed through New Kent County during the Peninsula Campaign of 1862. The
Battle of New Market Heights in September 1864 proved a crucial victory as Federal forces pushed toward the capitol in the
Richmond-Petersburg Campaign. A later courthouse, damaged during the Civil War, was replaced in 1909. During the state's
Massive Resistance crisis in the 1960s, the United States Supreme Court decision in
Green v. County School Board of New Kent County (1968) limited the use of
freedom of choice plans at publicly funded schools, where the actual operation of such plans delayed racial desegregation. The historical ties to Hampton Roads stem from its location and the shared history of Virginia's colonial past. The region, known for its military bases, shipyards, and as a commercial and cultural hub, influences the surrounding counties, including New Kent. The proximity to Hampton Roads has led to economic and demographic growth in the county, with residents often commuting to the larger cities such as Newport News and Norfolk for work while enjoying the quieter, rural life that New Kent offers. ==Geography==