After our continental breakfast, Dan drove us round to the Visitor Center where we parked up and caught the shuttle that goes round the outer of Colonial Williamsburg. 
There are various stops along the way and I got off at the Capitol stop. It was planned to meet back at the centre around 3 pm. Cheryl had purchased a poncho for each of us and I was very, very grateful for it.
I put my poncho on and needed some help to drape it over my backpack then headed to the Capitol. There we were escorted to the rooms where we were briefed on various aspects of the Capitol and what went on there. 
The original building was burnt down and a second one was built on the same spot. That too was burnt down and the replica was built in 1934 when John Rockefeller sponsored much of the restoration of Colonial Williamstown. 
When the capital of Virginia was moved to Richmond, the Capitol was no longer required.
It had various uses, the ground floor was split between the House of Burgesses, the lower house of legislature, and the General Courtroom. The second floor housed the burgesses committee rooms and the Governor's Council chamber. The burgesses developed ideas into bills and if the vote was successful, the bill would go upstairs to the Council. From there, if approved, copies were sent on two ships across the Atlantic to the King of England for final ratification. The Speaker decided what issues would be put up for debate.The focus today was on eighteenth century women. We were given an example of the status of women.
Mrs Clementina Rind who was widowed and took over ownership of the Virginia Gazette after her husband died. She had five children to raise and was a Femme Sole, this meant she could enact some legal tasks such as selling land, leaving a will and so on. She could not vote.
Martha Washington was a Femme Covert, this meant if there were any legal transactions she had to carry them out with her husband George. She also could not vote. The only people able to vote were free white males, over 21, protestant and also had to own property.
In another example, Suzanna Cooper, a woman whose husband left her, managed to get a private Introduced to be declared a Femme Sole so she could act for her family. It was approved by both the lower and upper houses. It then went to the King, where it sat for ten years to finally be turned down as setting a dangerous precedent!
The Upper House, the Council, was upstairs and consisted of the King's representative and twelve powerful Virginians. The High court was for serious crimes, theft, murder, piracy, treason, horse theft and so on. People were brought from other county courts if their misdemeanours were serious enough and were held in the Public Goal to await trial.
I decided to walk back down Duke of Gloucester Street as I was ready for a Starbucks by now and the rain had not ceased. It was a longish walk past some original shops and other buildings. I stopped by the Raleigh Tavern where biscuits are cooked just like they were back then, in wood fired ovens, By the time I reached Starbucks I was fairly wet and found Cheryl and Dan upstairs enjoying a drink and a snack. I bought my latte, an almond croissant and a croissant chicken salad for lunch then joined them.
They were more than happy to head back to the motel as well after our snacks. As we were leaving the heavens opened and the rain became torrential!! There were streams and even. Rivers of water running down the streets. After a quick visit to pick up a couple more items from a nearby shop, we queued to catch the shuttle and it came along almost immediately.
I ate my lunch and relaxed on the bed after I had laid out my wet gear or dry. My socks and shoes were soaking but the rest was not too bad, thank goodness for the A/C unit, lol!! I dozed a wee bit and then showered before changing to go out. We were going out to dinner at Christiana Campbell's Tavern. We arrived early but were seated immediately on what must have been the porch.
As at the Dobbin House, Gettysburg, every room in the house is used as part of the restaurant. This makes dining a pleasant experience as there are not too many people in each room, maybe between 30 and 40.
Our server was very pleasant and even tied my napkin for me in the traditional manner, lol, these are the largest napkins I have ever experienced. I ordered the crab cake and they were delicious! 
The lady who had been playing a Celtic Harp in the entry came and serenaded us during the meal. There was also a squeaky door on the other side of the wall beside our table that serenaded us during the meal. It turns out this was a dumb waiter, not so dumb, lol!
I also managed some New York Cheesecake for dessert and it was delicious. The server gave me a new menu to take home, it has the story of Christiana Campbell on the back. After her husband died she was left with two young daughters so she opened a tavern to support the family. It was one of the most successful businesses for twenty years and was a favourite of George Washington. The leaders of the colony would meet periodically there to discuss the future of Virginia. Many items on the menu today are similar to those originally served.
We made our way back to the motel and, as we passed by the Starbucks, Dan was kind enough to stop and park up so I could go in and purchase my usual, lol!
We then played some rounds of cribbage before retiring for the night. In spite of the weather it was a good day. I would love to return here again one day.
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