Historian Rick Britton joins Les Sinclair to tell us about Today in Virginia history. On November 4, 1737, Willian Anne Keppel, second earl of Albemarle, was named governor of Virginia by King George II of England. Born in 1702, Keppel succeeded to his father’s titles and estates in 1718 (at the age of 16). He had a distinguished military career, rising to the rank of lieutenant general. Prior to becoming governor of Virginia, Keppel served as ambassador to France and as member of the king’s Privy Council. The earl of Albemarle never crossed the pond to actually visit Virginia, and his relationships with the lieutenant governors who actually governed the Old Dominion from Williamsburg were increasingly strained. This meant that Keppel was often inclined to outmaneuvered them in making colonial appointments; and this weakened imperial ties between England and Virginia, thus leading directly to revolution. Keppel did in Paris in 1754.

Interestingly, the word “Albemarle” is an anglicized version of “Aumale,” a place name in Normandy.