Ramshaw Lane is named after Mathews’ own blacksmith brought over from England and Flax Mill Road reflects the influence on the plantation’s weaving endeavors.Īfter his final return to England, the land was bought by the Diggs family in 1720. Mathews’ son became Governor of Virginia from 1656-1660 and a pamphlet promoting the richness of colonial living once described his father as one of the “wealthiest men in the colony.”The affluence of the estate can also be attributed to the many business ventures that seem to have been present on the property they included shoemaking, weaving, blacksmithing and the distilling of turpentine, tar and pitch. These treasures remain in the possession of Colonial Williamsburg in hopes of future public display. Important colonial artifacts uncovered during the excavation include a copper watering can the lower portion, or cheek plate of an enclosed helmet a guard and pommel for a sword and the firing mechanism of an early musket. ![]() The upstairs was probably utilized for sleeping and two later additions were clearly evident. Living quarters occupied the front of the house with a kitchen in the back. The footprint of a two-story structure with a central bank of fireplaces in the middle was uncovered. The site was studied in the mid 1960s by the famed colonial archaeologist Ivor Noël Hume at the insistence of the original developer, Mr. The English/Elizabethan house was located at the intersection of what is now Blacksmythe Lane and Manor Place. ![]() Sometime around 1626, he built Mathews Manor. By royal grant, Captain Samuel Mathews was the first to permanently settle on this beautiful tract of land where the Warwick River converges with the James River. Denbigh Plantation is a neighborhood full of rich history and purpose.
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