The County Line
In 1663, Northampton was divided just below present-day Nassawadox creating Accomack County once again, in the north and Northampton County in the south (Turman 1964: 43; 64). At this time, the settled area of Accomack County had not yet reached the modern town of Accomac. Land patents for large tracts of agricultural land increased dramatically in the northern portion of the county between 1664 and 1670. In October of 1670, the General Assembly, displeased with the management of the new county, adopted a resolution that united Accomack and Northampton County. The new Northampton County would have separate Upper and Lower courts (Turman1964: 70). Four years later, the Eastern Shore was once again divided into two counties, although an exact boundary line was not immediately established. Bacon’s Rebellion against Governor Berkeley in 1676 halted governmental affairs across the colony and tabled concerns about the boundary line. Bacon’s forces traveled to the Eastern Shore in order to capture Governor Berkeley; the shore militia provided protection and Governor Berkeley made his way to Jamestown. Bacon’s Rebellion was ultimately unsuccessful; however Governor Berkeley was eventually called back to England. The Accomack/Northampton boundary division was still unsettled over a decade after the rebellion ended, but was finally resolved in 1688 by an act of the General Assembly. (Turman 1964: 76-80; 85).
Source: Historic Architectural Survey of Eastern Shore