The 320-acre farm, known as Wessex Hundred, is the home of the Williamsburg Winery. The use of Hundred to name property dates back to the Colonial era and describes parcels of land sufficient to support a hundred families regardless of actual acreage. The area of the farm settlement was originally known as Archer's Hope and Jockey's Neck. The name derived from one of its early settlers, Joachim Andrus. He was described as one of the Ancient Planters who had come to the colony prior to 1616.
In 1781, the cartographer of the French armies of the Revolution, M. Desandrouin, mapped the area of Williamsburg showing plantation buildings on the property belonging at that time to the Reverend William Bland, son of Richard Bland, II. It is conjectured, as records have been lost, that Mr. Bland acquired land in the mid-1760's. A graduate of the College of William and Mary, William Bland served at Bruton Parish Church and was later Rector of the Church on the Main.
Although there are no records to show it, it is assumed that the land was subject to the Actes of 1619 of the House of Burgesses, notably the Twelfth Acte, which prescribed that each settler must plant at least 10 vines for the purpose of making wine on his land. Land records show that part of the property was owned by John Johnson and passed on to his heirs and used for agricultural purposes and eventually allowed to grow up in woods.
In 1785, the property was purchased by Dr. James Carter who installed farm managers and ran an active agricultural operation. From that time on, the farm remained at approximately the same size (400 acres) until the 1980's. In 1983, interested in commemorating the efforts of the early settlers and in fostering the quality of life in Virginia in the 18th century, Patrick and Peggy Duffeler were encouraged by the Virginia Department of Agriculture to consider planting vines and making wines. This time, however, there would be much research. The Duffelers embarked on an active winery program and started the planting of the vineyards in 1985. The vineyard's first harvest would not come until 1988, but the winery crushed its first Virginia grapes in 1987.
With their combined cultural heritage, Celtic and Saxon, and having resettled an early plantation, Patrick and Peggy named the property Wessex Hundred. In 18th century usage, Wessex Hundred was derived from the Saxon kingdom in ancient England over which, Shakespeare tells us, King Lear once ruled.
The years between 1985 and today have seen an ongoing expansion in the amount and variety of vines planted. As of 2004, the winery has the following grape varieties in the vineyards:
As the number of vines has increased, the production of wine has also steadily increased, from a first production of 2,700 cases in 1987 to current production in excess of 65,000 cases, with a peak production forecast in the future of 100,000 cases per year.
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