Thomas Dale

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Sir Thomas Dale was a British naval commander and colonial deputy-governor of Virginia.

From about 1588 to 1609 he was in the service of the Low Countries (Netherlands, England, Ireland, and France) with the English army originally under Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Because of his ability and ambition, he became friends with many people in positions of authority. In 1599 Thomas Dale was recruited by the Earl of Essex for England's army. After many years of training he was knighted by King James to become "Sir Thomas Dale of Surry" on June 16, 1606.

Five years later, the London Company sent Sir Thomas Dale to act as deputy-governor or as high marshall for the Virginia Colony. Sent with three ships, he arrived at Jamestown (named after King James) with men, cattle, and provisions. The conditions were unhealthy and greatly in need of improvement. Dale is best remembered for the energy and the extreme rigour of his administration there, which established order and in various ways seems to have benefited the colony. Sir Thomas Dale immediately called for a meeting of the Jamestown Council, and established crews to rebuild Jamestown.

Later, Sir Thomas Dale sailed up the James River (also named after King James) to the area now known as Chesterfield County. He began the construction of Henricus in 1611, and established Dutch Gap. He was known to be a strict law enforcer and a severe punisher.

It was during his administration that the first code of laws of Virginia, nominally in force from 1610 to 1619, was effectively tested. This code, entitled Articles, Lawes, and Orders Divine, Politique, and Martiall, but popularly known as Dale's Code, was notable for its pitiless severity, and seems to have been prepared in large part by Dale himself.

After creating the new settlements of Henrico (on and about what was later known as Farrars Island), Bermuda Hundred, and Dutch Gap, Sir Thomas Dale left Virginia in 1616, having brought new stability to the Commonwealth. On August 19, 1619, Sir Thomas Dale died of a fever.

Thomas Dale High School in Chesterfield County, Virginia is named after him.

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This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

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Preceded by: George Percy	Colonial Governor of Virginia 1611	Succeeded by: Thomas Gates
Preceded by: Thomas Gates	Colonial Governor of Virginia 1611-1614	Succeeded by: George Yeardley