born 1606, Somerset, Eng.
died July 9, 1677, Twickenham, Middlesex
British colonial governor of Virginia.
Appointed governor in 1641, he introduced crop diversification, encouraged manufacturing, and promoted peace with the Indians. A strong monarchist, he was forced to retire to his Virginia plantation during the Commonwealth period in England (165259). Reappointed in 1660, he faced crop failures and Indian attacks on the frontier. In 1676 Nathaniel Bacon mounted an expedition against the Indians in defiance of Berkeley's policy of fostering trade. Berkeley fought Bacon for control of the colony, which he eventually regained.