The Murder

Upon his death in May 1766, John Robinson was the longest serving Speaker of the House of Burgesses, and a highly regarded gentleman of Virginia.  Over the coming weeks and months a scandal emerged which rocked the foundations of the Colony, and fuelled resentment of the plantation aristocracy who held positions of power.

It emerged that John Robinson had abused his position of Treasurer of the Colony of Virginia (as well as Speaker) and lent out old bank notes that were due for destruction to fellow planters who were in need of hard cash. Almost £110,000 was thought to have been illegally lent out in this way. When this was discovered and the debts recalled, many debtors could not pay, leading to a political and financial scandal that reverberated for decades to come.

In June 1766, with speculation swirling in the press Colonel John Chiswell, father in law of the late Speaker Robinson, found himself in Benjamin Mosby's Tavern. Chiswell had been one of John Robinson's friends who had been illegally lent money to prop up his ailing finances. With in farther-in-law's death John Chiswell would have known that he would the emerging financial scandal would render his insolvent.

A heated altercation arose with his one-time friend and fellow-gent, Robert Routledge. Mr Routeledge, who had been drinking for much of the day, began hurling insults and the situation escalated quickly. The glass of wine thrown in the face of Colonel Chiswell proved too much, and he ordered his 'boy' to fetch his sword.   Within moments Robert Routledge was dead, run through the heart by John Chiswell. "He deserves his fate, damn him; I aimed at his heart and I have hit it", Colonel Chiswell was reported to have said. He then ordered a bowl of toddy and drank freely. Following his arrest the press feverishly reported accounts of the murder, creating great anticipation of the forthcoming dramatic 'celebrity' trial. The Virginia Gazette, even went so far as to public America's first murder diagram showing the positions of Chiswell and Routledge as their argument spiralled out of control. The trail set for November 1766 was not to be, as Colonel Chiswell died the month before of "nervous fits, due to constant uneasiness of mind".

Incidentally, the finances of Virginia were not finally settled until 1808, forty two years after the death of Speaker Robinson.