Near Toano in James City County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Doncastle's Ordinary

Photographed by Bradley Owen, October 18, 2021

1. Doncastle's Ordinary Marker

Inscription. Here, on the road from Williamsburg to New Kent, Stephen Forneau operated a popular tavern by 1715. Col. John Chiswell had acquired the property by 1755, and George Washington visited several times. On 3 May 1775, Patrick Henry and Hanover County militiamen camped at the ordinary, then owned by Thomas Doncastle. Henry and his men, marching on Williamsburg after royal governor Lord Dunmore removed gunpowder from the public magazine, turned back here after extracting compensation for the powder. The armies of Lt. Gen. Charles Cornwallis, the Marquis de Lafayette, and the Comte de Rochambeau camped at the ordinary, then owned by Adam Byrd, in 1781. The tavern survived until the early 1860s.

Erected 2017 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number W-167.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Industry & Commerce • War, US Revolutionary. In addition, it is included in the The Washington-Rochambeau Route, and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is May 3, 1775.

Location. 37° 25.807′ N, 76° 49.833′ W.

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

Marker is near Toano, Virginia, in James City County. It is on Old Stage Road (Virginia Route 30) west of Fieldstone Parkway, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Toano VA 23168, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Virginia’s Peninsula,

in Coastal Virginia,

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Tidewater.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: New Kent Road (approx. 1.1 miles away); Old Stage Road (approx. 1.1 miles away); New Kent County / James City County (approx. 1.4 miles away); Hickory Neck Church (approx. 2.9 miles away); North Transept (approx.

Photographed by Bradley Owen, October 18, 2021

2. Doncastle's Ordinary Marker

2.9 miles away); Liberty Baptist Church (approx. 3½ miles away); Diascund Bridge (approx. 3½ miles away); Cooper's Mill (approx. 3½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Toano.

Other markers no longer nearby. White Hall Tavern (was approx. 2.4 miles away but has been confirmed missing); New Kent County (was approx. 3½ miles away but has been permanently removed).

Credits. This page was last revised on March 5, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 18, 2021, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,798 times since then and 187 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 18, 2021, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.