James City County extending on both sides of James River, on the south side from Lawne's Creek to Upper Chippokes Creek and on the north side from Skiffe's Creek to above Sandy Point.
Charles City County also extending on both sides of James River, on the south side from Upper Chippokes Creek to Appomattox River and on the north side from Sandy Point to Turkey Island Creek.
Henrico County extending from Charles City County on both sides of James River indefinitely westward.
Charles River County, later York, lay to the north of Warwick County and adjoined Elizabeth City County on the east. Its north and west boundaries were indefinite. The colonists soon crossed the York River to establish plantations along its northern bank and settled as far west as the Pamunkey River.
Accomack, the eighth shire, like York County, showed the vitality of the colonists in pushing settlements away from the vicinity of Jamestown into uncharted wilds.
The Potomac River was the dividing line between Virginia and Maryland, and on the Eastern Shore the division was approximately in line with the mouth of this river. Settling on the Shore in 1616, the colonists moved slowly northward. The Indians were friendly, transportation easy, climate mild, and soil fertile. There was no impediment to growth.
The population of the colony is estimated to have been around 5,000 persons in 1634 as has been noted. Six years later it had increased about 50%, being 7,466 persons. One factor in this growth was the unrest in England at this time which culminated a few years later in bitter civil war.
The Colonial Courts
We have mentioned that the creation of counties with their courts had in view to render justice more accessible to all. There were by 1642, in the colony six kinds of courts for the administration of justice.
The first of these was the magistrate's court. In 1642, an Act of the Assembly empowered a magistrate or justice to try a case involving not over twenty shillings in currency or 200 pounds of tobacco in value. In 1657/58, the amount could be as much as 1,000 pounds of tobacco if two magistrates were present but only 350 pounds if but one magistrate tried the case. The appeal from the magistrate's court was to the monthly court.