 The first English plantations along the south shore within present-day Isle of Wight were established by Puritan colonists, beginning with that of Christopher Lawne in May 1618, and Edward Bennett (colonist) in 1621.Several members of the Puritan Bennett family also settled there, including Edward's nephew, Richard Bennett.He led the Puritans to neighboring Nansemond in 1635, and later was appointed as governor of the Virginia Colony.