Virginia. Loyal Land Company of Virginia.

The Loyal Land Company of Virgina was formed by John Lewis, Thomas Walker, and others for the purpose of accumulating large tracts of land, exceeding the limits specified in the general law of 1705, passed by the colonial legislature. Orders entered in the journals of the colonial Council provided the basis for occasionally granting special permission for individuals dealing as companies to locate tracts exceeding the 4,000 acre limitation. By orders of the Council, the Loyal Company was granted leave to take up 800,000 acres on June 12, 1749. The Company was given four years in which to survey the tract and purchase enough rights so that grants could be issued. In June, 1753, they sought and received an additional four years in which to complete the surveys. The additional time was required because caveats entered by persons claiming the same lands had delayed the surveying project.

The Company proceeded with its surveys and sales of individual tracts despite difficulties caused by the frontier wars. At the conclusion of the wars in 1763, they petitioned for an additional four years in which to continue to make surveys and to purchase rights. However, because the Proclamation of 1763 by King George III prohibited settlement in the trans-Allegheny area where most of the company lands were located, the governor and Council were restrained from granting the petition. A decade later, as military warrants due under the Proclamation of 1763 were being satisfied in the same area, the company again sought to have its prior rights in the region recognized. A December 1773 order of Council recognized the rights of the Loyal Company over those of military warantees, who were instructed to locate their bounty lands where desired, but not to interfere either with settlements or surveys already made.

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