Mission
Why we exist
Hanover County Historical Society preserves and shares local history through programs, community events, publications and exhibits.
Hanover County History
Hanover County was officially formed by the Virginia General Assembly on November 26, 1720, through an act dividing New Kent County. It was named in honor of King George I of England, who, at the time of his coronation, was Elector of Hannover in Germany.
The local growth pattern of the area was governed by the church. All of Virginia plus the present states of Kentucky and West Virginia were under the Diocese of London. As new settlements quickly spread they were contained by the accessibility of the church sites. Once the church site became too distant for families to attend services, a new parish with a church was formed. The parish boundaries were the geographic district markers, many times coinciding with the county lines.
What is now Hanover County was part of St. Peter’s Parish, New Kent County. St. Peter’s was divided, with the western portion designated as St. Paul’s Parish.
On November 26, 1720, Hanover was designated a county. During a council meeting on the 6th of May, 1721, a sheriff and county clerk were appointed. The actual beginning of the county governments often occurred in the year following the passage of the Act of the Assembly creating the county.
Ordered that the Court House for the County of Hanover be held at the plantation of Robert Jennings; that the Court House be erected there and that the sheriff of the County be directed to attend the justices at that place.
John Perkins was the first to hold the position of sheriff. The first two representatives of Hanover to the Virginia House of Burgesses were Nicholas Meriwether and John Syme. James William Clayton held the first office of court clerk, and the day set for court day was the first Friday in each month. Hanover was now an established county.