what is the house of burgesses called today
the House of Delegates
title: House of Burgesses text: House of Burgesses The Virginia House of Burgesses was formed in 1642/43 by the General Assembly. By its creation, the General Assembly (established in 1619) then became bicameral. From 1642 to 1776, it was the elected representative element of the General Assembly, the legislature of Virginia, which governed together with a royally-appointed colonial governor and Council of State. Jamestown remained the capital of the Virginia colony until 1699, when it was initially moved to the College of William & Mary, near Williamsburg and later to the Colonial Capital building in Williamsburg. In 1776 the colony became the independent Commonwealth of title: House of Burgesses text: 1700, the seat of the House of Burgesses was moved from Jamestown to Middle Plantation, near what was soon renamed Williamsburg. The Burgesses met there, first (1700 to 1704) in the Great Hall of what is now called the Wren Building at the College of William and Mary, while the Capitol was under construction. When the Capitol burned in 1747, the legislature moved back into the College until the second Capitol was completed in 1754. The present Capitol building at Colonial Williamsburg is a reconstruction of the earlier of the two lost buildings. In 1779, and effective in April 1780, title: House of Burgesses text: the restored Capitol building at Colonial Williamsburg. The most recent commemorative session (the 26th) was held in January 2016. In January 2007, the Assembly held a special session at Jamestown to mark the 400th anniversary of its founding as part of the Jamestown 2007 celebration, including an address by then-Vice-President Dick Cheney. House of Burgesses The Virginia House of Burgesses was formed in 1642/43 by the General Assembly. By its creation, the General Assembly (established in 1619) then became bicameral. From 1642 to 1776, it was the elected representative element of the General Assembly, the legislature of Virginia, which governed title: House of Burgesses text: the House of Delegates moved the capital city to Richmond during the American Revolutionary War for safety reasons. The House of Burgesses became the House of Delegates in 1776, retaining its status as the lower house of the General Assembly, the legislative branch of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Through the General Assembly and House of Burgesses, the Virginia House of Delegates is considered the oldest continuous legislative body in the New World. In honor of the original House of Burgesses, every four years, the Virginia General Assembly traditionally leaves the current Capitol in Richmond, and meets for one day in title: House of Burgesses text: Virginia and the House of Burgesses became the House of Delegates. Originally a synonym of burgher or bourgeois, the word "burgess" came to mean a borough representative in local or parliamentary government. The Colony of Virginia was founded by an English stock company, the Virginia Company, as a private venture, though under a royal charter. Early governors provided the stern leadership and harsh judgments required for the colony to survive its early difficulties. As early crises with famine, disease, Native American attempts to keep their good land, the need to establish cash crops, insufficient skilled or committed labor, the colony