Our History
History of Newport News
The name New Port News became official in 1851 when the first post office was built and was officially changed in 1866 to what we know today, but the name is much older than that. The earliest written record of Newport News was in 1619 when it was mentioned in records from the Virginia Company of London, making it one of the oldest place names in the new world. Historians agree that “Newport” was chosen in honor of Capt. Christopher Newport who commanded the Flagship of the English fleet Susan Constant which brought supplies, settlers and News. The most accepted reason for the word “News” comes from the news that Capt. Newport would bring to the colonies “Newport’s News”. Another interesting fact, is that there is only one Newport News in the entire USA.
In 1619 Newport News was one of the 4 large corporations of the Virginia Company of London that came to be called Elizabeth Cittie. In 1634 this colony was redivided into the eight Shires (Counties) of Virginia. The area called Newport News became part of Warwick River Shire which became Warwick County in 1637 and was largely undeveloped for 250 years. In 1881 Collis Huntington lead 15 years of massive development including the extension of the railway from Richmond to the Peninsula and the Shipyard. In 1896 Newport News became an independent city separating itself from Warwick County with an estimate population of 19,000 by 1900. In 1958 Warwick County and Newport News consolidated making it the third largest population at that time. The more widely known name of Newport News was chosen to represent the area.
The History of the Sheriff
The first of two important characteristics that distinguish the Office of Sheriff from other law enforcement units is its historical roots. In England, the sheriff came into existence around the 9th century. This makes the sheriff the oldest continuing, non-military, law enforcement entity in history. In early England the land was divided into geographic areas between a few individual kings – these geographic areas were called shires. Within each shire there was an individual called a reeve, which meant guardian. This individual was originally selected by the serfs to be their informal social and governmental leader. The kings observed how influential this individual was within the serf community and soon incorporated that position into the governmental structure. The reeve soon became the King’s appointed representative to protect the King’s interest and act as mediator with people of his particular shire, being called the “Reeve of the Shire”. Through time and usage the words came together to be shire-reeve, guardian of the shire and eventually the word sheriff, as we know it today.
When England colonized America, the office of Sheriff came with it. For nearly 400 years now, the title “Sheriff” and the five or six pointed star worn by these brave men throughout history are instantly recognizable symbols of law and order. As long as bad-men seek to victimize the innocent, the Sheriff, will be there to protect them and bring the criminals to justice.
“There is no honorable law enforcement authority in Anglo-American law so ancient as that of the Sheriff whose role as a peace officer goes back at least to the time of Alfred the Great.”
– Thomas Jefferson (The Value of the Constitution)