County Of Loudoun

History History of Loudoun County Loudoun County constitutes a part of the 5-million-acre Northern Neck of Virginia Proprietary granted by King Charles II of England to seven noblemen in 1649. This grant, later known as the Fairfax Proprietary, lay between the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers. Between 1653 and 1730, Westmoreland, Stafford, and Prince William counties were formed within the Proprietary, and in 1742 the remaining land was designated Fairfax County. In 1757, by act of the Virginia House of Burgesses, Fairfax County was divided. The western portion was named Loudoun for John Campbell, the fourth earl of Loudoun, a Scottish nobleman who served as commander-in-chief for all British armed forces in North America and titular governor of Virginia from 1756 to 1759. Leesburg has served continuously as the county seat since 1757.