<P> In 1652, the parliamentary forces of Oliver Cromwell forced the colony to submit to being taken over by the English government . Again, the colonists were able to retain the General Assembly as their governing body . Only taxes agreed to by the assembly were to be levied . Still, most Virginia colonists were loyal to Prince Charles, and were pleased at his restoration as King Charles II in 1660 . He went on directly or indirectly to restrict some of the liberties of the colonists, such as requiring tobacco to be shipped only to England, only on English ships, with the price set by the English merchant buyers; but the General Assembly remained . </P> <P> A majority of the members of the General Assembly of 1676 were supporters of Nathaniel Bacon . They enacted legislation designed to further popular sovereignty and representative government and to equalize opportunities . Bacon took little part in the deliberations since he was busy fighting the Native Americans . </P> <P> The statehouse in Jamestown burned down for the fourth time on October 20, 1698 . The House of Burgesses met temporarily in Middle Plantation, 11 miles (18 km) inland from Jamestown, and then in 1699 permanently moved the capital of the colony to Middle Plantation, which they renamed Williamsburg . </P> <P> Though not a unique occurrence on the frontier, colonists remained loyal to the British crown during the French and Indian War in North America from 1754 to 1763 . The conflict, which somewhat uniquely began in the Ohio Valley and spread to Europe, resulted in local colonial losses and economic disruption . Higher taxes were to follow, and adverse local reactions to these and how they were determined would drive events well into the next decade . </P>

What role did it play in the house of burgesses