Warrosquyoake Shire

Warrosquoake Shire (with numerous variant spellings, including Warrascoyack,[1] Warrascocke and "Warwick Squeak") was officially formed in 1634 in the Virginia colony, but had already been known as "Warascoyack County" before this.

Shortly after the establishment of Jamestown in 1607, English settlers explored and began settling areas adjacent to Hampton Roads.

The shoreline region of the Warrascoyack River was occupied by the Warraskoyak tribe of the Powhatan Confederacy, under their weroance, Tackinekintaco.

In December 1608, Captain John Smith left his page Samuel Collier with Tackinekintaco to learn the language.

Edward Bennett, an English merchant and a free member of the London Company, was among those who got a land patent and founded his plantation in 1621.

The surviving English retreated to a small number of plantations near Jamestown until an expedition was mounted against the Warraskoyak and Nansemond peoples.

During the three years when it was officially Warrosquoake Shire, Richard Bennett led the small Puritan community to neighboring Nansemond.