Middlesex County

Middlesex County, highlighted in map of Virginia

Middlesex County in 1755
Middlesex County in 1755
Source: Library of Congress, A map of the most inhabited part of Virginia containing the whole province of Maryland with part of Pensilvania, New Jersey and North Carolina (by Joshua Fry and Peter Jefferson, 1755)

Middlesex County was created in 1669.1

It is named after the Middlesex region in England north of London. That land was occupied by Saxons after the Romans abandoned England in 410 CE. Different groups of Saxons occupyied lands to the east and south. Land occupied by the "East Saxons" ended up being "Essex," land occupied by the "South Saxons" ended up being "Sussex," land occupied by the "West Saxons" ended up being Wessex," and the land occupied by the Saxons in the middle became known as "Middlesex."2

Dragon Run: Virginia's Most Pristine Water Body

Existing Virginia Counties

Rappahannock River

Jackson Creek before World War II
Jackson Creek before World War II
Jackson Creek before World War II
Source: National Archives, Virginia - Jackson Creek and Virginia - Jackson Creek

Links

References

1. :County History," Middlesex County, https://www.co.middlesex.va.us/283/County-History (last checked May 26, 2024)
2. "Middel Seaxe (Middle Saxons / Middlesex)," The histoy Files, https://www.historyfiles.co.uk/KingListsBritain/EnglandMiddlesex.htm (last checked May 26, 2024)


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