Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

As discussed with you this morning, I believe the weight of the historical evidence would favor the development of this lot as if it were a typical statute lot, one-half acre in area, having a frontage of five poles, or 82-½ feet, on the Duke of Gloucester Street.

The vexing problem of the foundations in the north part of the lot which overlap the line might be solved perhaps when we are able to excavate the buildings under the site of the present Annex. I should urge, in the absence of more substantial documentary or archaeological evidence, that we keep all buildings within the bounds of an 82-1/2-foot lot. At the same time, it would be perfectly proper to leave the fence at 100 feet rather than the 82-½-foot line until further archaeological excavations can be made.

COLONIAL LOT #44 — BLOCK 18
Lot west of Ludwell-Paradise House
June 6, 1938

^Obsolete

The lot west of the Paradise house was numbered 44 in the town plan for the city of Williamsburg.

It was first granted to Philip Ludwell II, of Green Spring on September 30, 1700, by the Trustees for building the city of Williamsburg in the same deed by which he received 43 and 45 for one shilling. At this time there were, of course, no buildings upon the lot.

In 1705 the General Assembly passed an act which provided that land so deeded would escheat unless buildings were erected upon each lot within twenty-four months. Ludwell evidently built upon lot #45 [the Ludwell-Paradise house] but lots 43 and 44 seem to escheated for on June 13, 1718, the Trustees gave the title of these to Ambrose Cobbs with a building clause. This title again transferred through the Trustees on December 11, 1725, to Robert Cobbs.

When Robert Cobbs sold the two lots to John Blair on December 11, 1725, he sold them for a consideration of £18 which indicates one or more buildings, but not necessarily a brick building as the consideration was not large.

John Blair already owned two lots to the west of #43 and #44, namely lots #41 and #42 which he had received from the Trustees of the city on January 2, 1719.

John Blair had a store and other buildings on these four lots. At his death this part of his property was bequeathed to his son, John Blair, in a will recorded on October 5, 1771. The bequest states "I give and devise to my son John Blair all those lots and houses where I now live, also my four lots whereon my storehouse stands with all their appurtenances to 2 his and his heirs forever."

There seems to be no question that these were the four lots 41, 42, 43 and 44, because there is no other record of his disposing of them except in the will of 1771. The lots on which he lived were at the present Blair house.

There is no record concerning further disposition of the property until September, 1779, at which time John Paradise's land was declared escheated to the Commonwealth as British property. It was described as "being on the North side of the Main Street adjoining the lot of William Lee." William Lee had received the "Ludwell-Paradise" house as part of his share of the Ludwell estate. On the town maps after this date, it is listed under the name Paradise, and is so charged in the old tax books. Paradise was in England most of the time and there is no record of how the property was used by tenants or others in this period.

The following data has been gleaned from the old tax books in the Virginia State Library Archives:

Some time in the later nineteenth century the building may have burned or been razed, or it may have been destroyed by Union soldiers during the War Between the States, because in 1928 it was deeded to Dr. W. A. R. Goodwin by Miss Elizabeth and Mr. Charles W. Coleman as an unimproved lot.