Former Chiswick councillor Paul Lynch venerated as a ‘wise man’ in campaign to save Pocahontas’ ancestral lands

Tree Hill in Richmond, Virginia

Campaign to save the birthplace of Chief Powhatan, the father of Pocahontas

By Julia Langdon

People in Brentford and Chiswick are being asked to lend their support to an environmental campaign in Richmond, Virginia, to protect the sacred historic landscape of rolling hills and valleys in the James River region, the birthplace of the father of Pocahontas.

Chief Powhatan was one of the most significant figures in American history. He was born Wahunsenacawh sometime in the middle of the 16th century and died in 1618. He led a group of indigenous people, uniting at least six tribes in Virginia and creating an empire of up to 34,000 people.

The local link is because his daughter, Pocahontas, married an English colonial planter, John Rolfe, in April 1614 and came to live with her husband in Brentford for the last years of her tragically short life.

(L) A 19th century depiction of Pocahontas by an unknown author; (R) the Disney version (1995)

She died at Gravesend in Kent in 1617, in transit with her family on what was intended to be a return journey across the Atlantic and is buried at St George’s Church, Gravesend.

Known also as Rebecca Rolfe, having been baptized in Virginia with that name, she was only about 20 when she died of unknown causes. She was the mother of one son, Thomas Rolfe, born in 1615.

The distinguished former Hounslow councillor, Paul Lynch – now an honorary alderman of the borough – marked the 400th anniversary of the death of Pocahontas with the establishment of a memorial in her honour near the site in Brentford where she once lived.

The publicity he secured at the time, both in the UK and in her native Virginia was of considerable advantage to her modern-day descendants, in particular because it later led to the official legal recognition of the Powhatan people in current US bureaucracy.

Pocahontas memorial plaque in Brentford designed by Claire Ireland

Somewhat to his surprise, Paul Lynch has acquired the status of a “wise old man” among members of what is now the Pocahontas Project, an organization to enhance the status of Indigenous, Native and First Nation communities around the world.

What is more he is regarded as an influencer and has been approached to try to whip up support to defend the ancestral lands of Powhatan. Paul Lynch’s successors on Hounslow Council have also been asked for help, as has the Thames Landscape Strategy – which was involved with the original campaign to erect a memorial to Pocahontas.

Claire Ireland, the sculptor of the memorial, which sits in the wall of the grounds of Syon Park, on London Road, Brentford, (between the junctions of Beech Avenue and Rowan Road) is also to be included in the campaign.

The aim is to secure 1 million signatures before the end of November on a petition to object to the development of the area for housing and offices.

Photographs of Tree Hill Farm from www.powhatanbirthplace.org

The land in question is called Tree Hill Farm and lies in the County of Henrico, Virginia.

Planning permission was approved in 2007 for nearly 3,000 houses and 1.1 million square feet of offices. A strong response from the UK would help send a powerful message to the would-be developers.

“They want them to know that the world is watching,” says Paul Lynch.

The organisers of the petition want the land preserved as an open air museum to celebrate 13,000 years of indigenous culture. More details can be found on the website “Protect Powhatan’s Birthplace”

www.powhatanbirthplace.org

The petition is here: Save the birthplace of Chief Powhatan

Photographs of Tree Hill Farm from www.powhatanbirthplace.org