A series of programs will be held later this year to commemorate the 242nd anniversary of the Battle of Cricket Hill.

Cricket Hill in Mathews County (then a part of Gloucester) was the site of the last stand of Virginia’s last royal Governor, Lord Dunmore, on July 9 and 10, 1776.

Forrest Morgan, president of the Mathews County Historical Society, said the commemoration will begin on Feb. 28 with a talk by Brendan Burke, an expert on Lord Dunmore and his vessels.

Burke, who is affiliated with the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum in Florida, will lead a survey of the waters around Gwynn’s Island in April to search for the remains of two ships that were sunk during the battle and three additional ships that were acquired by the patriot forces. During his talk in February, he will discuss the survey and his use of side scan sonar and magnetometers to determine whether there are any remaining artifacts.

Adventure novelist and underwater explorer Clive Cussler and...