Patawomeck

Patawomeck was both a people and their principal town on a peninsula between the Potomac River and Potomac Creek. They cultivated maize and drew on the fish and game of the river country. John Smith visited in 1608, recording extensive fields along the Potomac. The name of the town was written in several forms, including Potomac. Loosely allied with the Powhatan Confederacy, the Patawomeck also maintained relations with English settlers.

In 1613 the English captain Samuel Argall seized Pocahontas while she was among the Patawomeck. The people continued to deal with the English, but settler encroachment brought growing conflict. In 1665 the colonial government compelled them to sell their remaining land; the following year it declared war on several peoples of the Northern Neck, including the Patawomeck.