Charles River Shire

[1] During the 17th century, shortly after establishment of Jamestown, Virginia in 1607, English settlers explored and began settling the areas adjacent to Hampton Roads.

By 1634, the English colony of Virginia consisted of eight shires or counties with a total population of approximately 5,000 inhabitants.

It was located on the Virginia Peninsula on the Charles River (also named for the younger son of King James I.

The river, county, and town of Yorktown are believed to have been was named for York, a city in Northern England.

The Chiskiack Tribe of Native Americans lived on the south side of the York River on the grounds of the present-day Naval Weapons Station Yorktown near Yorktown until the 1630s, when conflicts with the English colonists caused them to move.