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“A” is for Archdale, John (1642-1717)

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“A” is for Archdale, John (1642-1717). Proprietor, governor. Born in England, Archdale spent a year in New England, overseeing his brother-in-law’s interests in Maine. In 1681 he purchased a share of the Carolina proprietorship in trust for his son. From 1683 to 1686 he acted as governor of North Carolina in the absence of the governor. In August 1694 Archdale was chosen by his fellow proprietors as governor of the Carolinas, arriving in Charleston in 1695. As governor, he met with leaders of opposing factions in the colony in a spirit of reconciliation. Archdale simplified land grant procedures, quitrents prior to 1695 were forgiven, and fees could now be paid in produce, rather than hard money. He left for England and never returned to South Carolina. In 1696 John Archdale sold his propriety share in Carolina.

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Dr. Walter Edgar has two programs on South Carolina Public Radio: Walter Edgar's Journal, and South Carolina from A to Z. Dr. Edgar received his B.A. degree from Davidson College in 1965 and his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1969. After two years in the army (including a tour of duty in Vietnam), he returned to USC as a post-doctoral fellow of the National Archives, assigned to the Papers of Henry Laurens.