Peake - Stiles - Person Sheet
Peake - Stiles - Person Sheet
NameGiles BRENT Jr. 
Birthca 1652
Deathca 1679
FatherGiles BRENT (ca1604-1671)
MotherPrincess Mary KITTAMAQUUND (ca1634-ca1654)
Misc. Notes
Mary Kittamaquund's son, Giles Brent Jr. (ca. 1652-1679) had been arrested in 1677 for his actions in Bacon's Rebellion, especially for killing friendly Doeg Indians and (with his neighbor and friend George Mason II and about 30 militiamen) taking their land (part of which later became George Washington's estate Mount Vernon). Because Giles Brent had laid down his arms and joined Lord Berkeley's forces, he was not hanged like many other rebels. However, Giles' half-Native ancestry could have caused problems both with the rebels (some of whom wanted to kill all Indians) and with racist elements in Berkeley's faction. In any event, shortly following his divorce from Mary Brent, Giles Brent married Frances Hammersley (b. 1760 and death date unknown) of Middlesex County, but he then died within a few months. His father had patented claims for 1800 acres in his name, which had been across from the Piscataway town and later became part of Alexandria, Virginia.
Brent was born about April 5, 1652, probably near Aquia Creek in the portion of Northumberland County that became Westmoreland County in 1653 and Stafford County in 1664. His parents were Giles Brent (1600–1672) and Mary Brent, the daughter of a tayac, or emperor, of the Piscataway. A Catholic of both Indian and English heritage, Brent was an anomaly in seventeenth-century Virginia, and like others in his strong-minded family he frequently provoked controversy.
He learned the Indian language from his mother, but after his father's death early in 1672, he inherited all of his father's extensive landed estate and became a prosperous young planter and a captain in the militia. In 1674 Brent became a local collector of the tobacco export tax. His primary importance in Virginia history arises from his involvement in Bacon's Rebellion. In July 1675, as Captain Brent, he served in a party commanded by George Mason (1629–1686) and George Brent that pursued a contingent of Doeg Indians into Maryland and killed several of them in retaliation for the Indians' having killed some Virginians. Bacon's Rebellion grew from that episode and other clashes on Virginia's frontier. Vague references in some of the surviving records of the struggle have resulted in confusion concerning the roles of Giles Brent and his cousin, George Brent. Giles Brent definitely joined forces loyal to Nathaniel Bacon in order to battle the Pamunkey and other tribes. Referred to during those weeks as Colonel Brent, he collaborated with Bacon until the rebel leader turned his forces against the governor, Sir William Berkeley, in the autumn of 1676 and laid siege to Jamestown. Brent then turned against Bacon and gathered approximately 1,000 men to confront Bacon's forces. When the men learned that Bacon had burned Jamestown, however, they quickly lost heart and deserted Brent, whose role in the conflict then ended.
Brent was born about April 5, 1652, probably near Aquia Creek in the portion of Northumberland County that became Westmoreland County in 1653 and Stafford County in 1664. His parents were Giles Brent (1600–1672) and Mary Brent, the daughter of a tayac, or emperor, of the Piscataway. A Catholic of both Indian and English heritage, Brent was an anomaly in seventeenth-century Virginia, and like others in his strong-minded family he frequently provoked controversy.
He learned the Indian language from his mother, but after his father's death early in 1672, he inherited all of his father's extensive landed estate and became a prosperous young planter and a captain in the militia. In 1674 Brent became a local collector of the tobacco export tax. His primary importance in Virginia history arises from his involvement in Bacon's Rebellion. In July 1675, as Captain Brent, he served in a party commanded by George Mason (1629–1686) and George Brent that pursued a contingent of Doeg Indians into Maryland and killed several of them in retaliation for the Indians' having killed some Virginians. Bacon's Rebellion grew from that episode and other clashes on Virginia's frontier. Vague references in some of the surviving records of the struggle have resulted in confusion concerning the roles of Giles Brent and his cousin, George Brent. Giles Brent definitely joined forces loyal to Nathaniel Bacon in order to battle the Pamunkey and other tribes. Referred to during those weeks as Colonel Brent, he collaborated with Bacon until the rebel leader turned his forces against the governor, Sir William Berkeley, in the autumn of 1676 and laid siege to Jamestown. Brent then turned against Bacon and gathered approximately 1,000 men to confront Bacon's forces. When the men learned that Bacon had burned Jamestown, however, they quickly lost heart and deserted Brent, whose role in the conflict then ended.