Bruton Parish Church
VA - Williamsburg, Virginia, USA
201 W Duke of Gloucester St, Williamsburg, VA 23185, USA
CHURCH
VISITOR INFORMATION
Guides are on hand daily 12pm-4pm (12:30pm-4pm Sundays).
Parking is available in front of the church on Duke of Gloucester Street. Wheelchair access is via the Palace Green courtyard entrance. Entry is free.
SITE FEATURES
Surviving Structures
Spring-autumn outings, holiday weekends and advertised programmes may add demand (Virginia regional inference). Site-specific peak months unconfirmed.
April-May or October for a permitted sightseeing visit combined with Williamsburg walks in milder weather. Check church opening, services and concerts before choosing a day.
HISTORIC SITES NEARBY
Nearby Historic Sites
miles
Landmark
WHO WAS HERE
17
George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
George Mason
Marquis de Lafayette
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis
Martha Washington
Peyton Randolph
Bartholomew Dandridge
Edmund Pendleton
James Blair
Burwell Bassett Sr.
Richard Bland
John Dandridge Jr.
Sally Fairfax
Frances Jones Dandridge
Anna Maria Dandridge Bassett
Jacky Custis
About Bruton Parish Church
During the Revolutionary era, Bruton Parish Church served Williamsburg as an Anglican house of worship and a gathering place for civic leaders, Loyalists, and royal officials. Its congregation included George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry. As independence approached, the parish faced the end of royal authority and the movement toward religious liberty. The church preserves this intersection of religious and political life.
Bruton Parish Church is located in the restored area of Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. It was established in 1674 by the consolidation of two previous parishes in the Virginia Colony, and remains an active Episcopal parish.
History happened here at Bruton Parish Church
As the American Revolutionary War began in 1776, the power of both the monarchy and the church as an institution controlled by the government came into question in the colony. Among the Virginia leaders of the time who attended Bruton Parish Church were Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Richard Henry Lee, George Wythe, Patrick Henry, and George Mason.
PEOPLE WHO LIVED HERE
PEOPLE WHO DIED HERE
PEOPLE AT REST HERE
Frances Parke Custis
Cyrus Griffin
Daniel Parke Custis II
Daniel Parke Custis
John Blair Jr.
John Blair Sr.
Francis Fauquier
EXTERNAL LINKS
brutonparish.org: https://www.brutonparish.org/history
research.colonialwilliamsburg.org: https://research.colonialwilliamsburg.org/DigitalLibrary/view/index.cfm?doc=ResearchReports%5CRR0030.xml&highlight=Bruton+Parish+Church
brutonparish.org: https://www.brutonparish.org/guides
The parish was formed in 1674, but the present church was contracted in 1711 and completed in 1715, succeeding earlier churches. Colonial Williamsburg's architectural report documents construction, alterations and restoration. The parish remains active, with its guide ministry welcoming visitors and interpreting the sanctuary and churchyard; 1674 is the institutional founding date.
Accessed 2026-09-30