Inscription. New Town once stood to the south along the Eastern Branch of the Elizabeth River. The community was laid out in 1697 and General Assembly established it as a town in 1740. New Town served as county seat of Princess Anne County from about 1752 to 1778 and was an important port of entry until shortly after the Revolutionary War. During the siege and burning of Norfolk by colonial governor Lord Dunmore's troops begun on 1 Jan. 1776, many Norfolk residents fled to New Town for temporary shelter. By the early 19th century, like a number of often early colonial towns, New Town ceased to exist.