This oil portrait is on display at the Botetourt Museum of History & Culture in Fincastle in the VA250 “Give Me Liberty “ exhibit. It is of Norborne Berkeley (c1717-1770), Baron de Botetourt, Governor-in-Chief of Virginia from 1768 until his death in 1770. Even though he only ruled the colony for two years, he was the most popular governor. Previously, the King’s appointed governors lived in England and sent a lieutenant governor to America.
Lord Botetourt lived in Williamsburg and was treated with the utmost respect. He was known for his charm, generosity and sympathy toward the colonists. He had an academic interest in The College of William & Mary and worked with the House of Burgesses until his sudden death. After an elaborate funeral his body was encased in three coffins and placed under the floor of the Chapel at The College of William & Mary. During the Civil War members of the Federal Army opened the vault and stole all the valuables inside the coffins. In 1890 the silver plate with Lord Botetourt’s name and date of death was returned and placed back in the Chapel to honor him. He was one of the most admired royal governors in Virginia’s history.
When Augusta County was divided the Virginia Assembly named the new county after Lord Botetourt. The original boundaries of Botetourt County included parts of West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Kentucky. It also included Alleghany, Bath, Craig, Roanoke, and part of Rockbridge Counties in Virginia.
This portrait of Lord Botetourt was painted by Sandro Bodo and unveiled on July 1, 1994, in the Botetourt Circuit Courtroom of the courthouse. It is currently on loan at the museum while the courthouse is being rebuilt.
~ Botetourt County Museum of History & Culture
