established a fort during the French and Indian war to protect that area, but it had not been developed before Robinson's death. After Virginia declared its independence, the commonwealth operated the lead mine, which became an important military supplier for the patriot cause. Despite pressure from the Assembly to settle the estate, by November 1769, the administrators had only repaid the Treasury about £21,000, and acknowledged a debt of a further £101,508, so Pendleton liquidated Robinson's former residence and some slaves, although he allowed Robinson's widow, who had married Colonel Griffin, to purchase considerable amounts at the estate sale, without requiring security. Richard Henry Lee, who had campaigned unsuccessfully to succeed Robinson, provoked particular ire from aristocrats, especially the anonymous beneficiaries of Robinson's scheme. Enmity from that episode may have led Carter Braxton to engineer Lee's removal from the Continental Congress in 1777. Braxton owed the estate 3,848 pounds at Robinson's death, and his father George Braxton's estate owed 3,256 pounds. During and after the Revolutionary War, Pendleton allowed certain debtor beneficiaries to repay in depreciated currency, which led to a famous legal decision by George Wythe. In 'Page v. Pendleton,' Wythe upheld the British debt repayment provision of the 1783 federal peace treaty over Virginia state law which allowed payment in such currency. References Sources Mays, Edmund Pendleton vol. I chapter 11 and Appendices II-VI. Mayer, Henry. A Son of Thunder, Patrick Henry and the American Republic. New York: Franklin Watts, 1986. Robinson, John Robinson, John Robinson, John Robinson, John Political scandals in Virginia