"The original plan of Williamsburg was in the form of a cipher, made of the letters W and M, the initials of William and Mary. Its site was known as the Middle Plantation while Jamestown was the capital. Situated upon a ridge nearly equidistant from the York and James Rivers, it was an eligible place for a town, and there Governor Nicholson established the capital in 1698. It was the residence of the royal governors, and the capital of the colony, until the War of the Revolution…”
- from The Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution : or, Illustrations by pen and pencil of the history, biography, scenery, relics and traditions, of the War for Independence, by Benson John Lossing (1851); footnote on page 264; online here.
However, I've not (yet) been able to find any corroborating evidence for this (the 1972 book Tidewater Towns: City Planning in Colonial Virginia and Maryland by Professor John William Reps is said to have analysed the tradition) – but even so, it's a great piece of folklore.
The W&M monogram / cipher is well-known and is still in use today by the College of William and Mary (see here), and other heritage brands and product ranges from the town such as brassware, pottery and jewellery.
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