In 1611 Sir Thomas Dale founded his town of Henricopolis, the second established settlement in Virginia. It was named in honor of Prince Henry, the eldest son of James 1. A church was soon after built. The bounds of Henrico parish, to which it belonged, were quite large until 1634, when the parish was made to include the present Chesterfield, Powhatan, and Goochland counties.

Soon after the marriage of Pocahontas she moved to the plantation of her husband, John Rolfe, near Henricopolis, and they were both members of Henrico parish until they left Virginia.

The written records of Henrico parish begin with 1730. At that time the principal church of the parish was on Curle’s plantation, on the north side of the James, some miles below the present city of Richmond. Curle’s church disappeared during the Civil War. The bowl of the baptismal font in St. John’s Church, Richmond, is a relic of the old church. This was removed from the cellar of a house where it had been in use for beating hominy.