Just 313 years ago today, February 8, 1693 —
King William III and Queen Mary II granted a charter to establish The College of William and Mary in Virginia. The King provided £1,985 14s l0d from quitrents in Virginia, a penny tax on every pound of tobacco exported from Maryland and Virginia to countries other than England, the “Profits” from the surveyor-general’s office and 10,000 acres each in the Pamunkey Neck and on Blackwater Swamp. The Reverend James Blair was named president of the College and served until his death in 1743.
