William Hancock Sr. (abt. 1580 - 1622)

Born about 1580 in Devon, England

Ancestors

Husband of Susan (Poynter) Hancock — married 26 Sep 1604 in Saint Dunstan and All Saints Church, Stepney, London, England

Descendants

Died 22 Mar 1622 at about age 42 in the massacre at Thorpe House, Berkeley Hundred, Jamestown, VA

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Raymond Nichols [send private message] and Brian Ward [send private message]

Biography

William arrived in Jamestown aboard the ship Margaret of Bristol in 1619.

William was born in Devonshire, England in 1580, the son of Thomas Hancock Jr & Agnes Nickolls.

He married Susan Poynter, Sept 26, 1604, Stepney, St. Dunstans', England. Their children were:
1. Augustine Hancock, 1605--abt 1650 (m. unk.)
2. Simon Hancock, abt 1610--1654 (m. Sarah Gilbert, widow Gaye)
3. William Hancock Jr, 1615--1693 (m. Elizabeth Spencer)

William Hancock was a planter from England who settled in Jamestown, VA. He came to Virginia Colony in 1619 and was killed by indians in the Jamestown Massacre of 1622. ^[1]

In June, 1606, King James I chartered the Virginia Company of London for the purpose of colonizing in America. The company consisted of noblemen, gentlemen and merchants. They believed that there were precious metals in America. The incorporators who invested their money in the company were called 'Adventurers,' while those who went to America and risked their lives were called 'Planters'.

The first Jamestown Colony was established in 1607. Each Adventurer and Planter was to share in the company's profits, but the company never earned a profit. The company was reorganized under a new charter in 1609 as the Second Virginia Company.

William Hancock was one of the Adventurers of the Second Virginia Company. In "The Genesis of the United States", page 217, there is listed among the Corporators of the Second Charter of James-1, 1609, the name of WILLIAM HANDCOCK, and on page 909 is the entry: "Handcock, Wm., Sub-Paid 62 pounds 10 shillings, 5 pence."^[2]
As an investor in the Virginia Company, William traveled to Jamestown in 1619. According to an old Hancock family Bible, William left England on the ship “Margaret of Bristol” sailing through the Bristol Channel on Sept 16, 1619. Leaving his family behind in England, he was coming to search for lumber for his ship-building business. [I cannot find William Hancock listed on a record of this ship].
This group of 39 people set foot in Virginia on Dec. 4, 1619 and proclaimed it a day of Thanksgiving. That location became Berkeley Hundred Plantation, a small village. William Hancock lived at Capt. George Thorpe’s house, who wanted to help convert and civilize the Indians. (This was on the north bank of the James River in what is now Charles City County, Va)

This old family Bible which is now in the library of Randolph-Macon College records, "in the year 1620, Wm. Hancock, in search of forests for his building of ships embarked for ye plantations, being one of the company owners thereof, leaving his families in England. On the 22nd of March 1622, he, with others, was massacred by ye Savages at Thorps House, Berkeley Hundreds, fifty miles from Charles City. In 1630, son Augustine came to claim the estate, and died, leaving children."

On Good Friday, 22 March 1622 the settlement was attacked by Indians and William was among the 347 who were massacred. Other settlements were attacked also, including Wolstenholme Towne, built in 1620 on the Martin’s Hundred land grant (now James City County). Those killed in this massacre are supposed to be buried at Carter Plantation.^[3]

William's sons came to claim his father's vast estate. Augustine came in 1630. Son Simon came in 1635, settling in Princess Anne County, and son William came in 1638. Augustine, Simon and William became wealthy, prominent planters in VA.

A portion of a family history found online: The name Hancock is an English name, meaning "son of John". The first of the Hancock ancestors to come to America in 1619 was William Hancock. He had at least three children, Augustin, Simon, and William. He was a member of the Virginia Company. The Virginia Company was a group of businessmen who were granted a charter in June, 1606 by King James I. The purpose of the Virginia Company was to establish an English settlement in the Chesapeake area of North America. They planned to mine gold, cut timber, and undertake various other projects, which they believed would make them richer than they already were. According to a record contained in an old Hancock family Bible, William left England in 1619, aboard the ship "Margaret of Bristol" bound for America. He was coming to America in search of lumber for his shipbuilding business. Leaving his family behind in England, William sailed out through the Bristol Channel on Thursday, September 16, 1619. The "Margaret" dropped anchor in Chesapeake Bay on November 30, 1619. Then on December 4, 1619, William stepped off the "Margaret" and onto American soil at a site on the north shore of the James River, about halfway between present-day Williamsburg and Richmond, Virginia. The Berkeley Hundred Plantation was built at this location. It is still there today, but none of the original houses are still standing.
Berkeley Hundred Plantation is a huge plantation consisting of many homes. It resembled a small village. It was also the site for the first official Thanksgiving Day Service held in America, which William Hancock attended. Berkeley Hundred Plantation was the home of many of the first Govenors of Virginia, and later home to many early American Presidents.
"Thorpe's House" at Berkeley Hundred Plantation was home to several of the English gentlemen who were associated with the Virginia Company. This is where William lived. It was owned by Captain George Thorpe. Captain Thorpe put much confidence in the Indians and wanted to convert them to a more civilized way of life. During the winter of 1621-1622, it seemed he was making progress. The Indians seemed more friendly and were frequent visitors to the plantation and other surrounding settlements. The settlers were convinced that their Indian troubles were over. Little did they know, it was all a trick. In the early morning hours of March 22, 1621/22, which was Good Friday, groups of Indians drifted into the settlement of Berkeley Hundred. They were unarmed, but soon armed themselves with guns and knives that were easily accessible in most homes. They then attacked the settlers, William Hancock, along with about 300 others were massacred. It was said the settlers were so surprised, they never had a chance to defend themselves.
There was one Indian who had befriended a family in Jamestown. When he learned of the impending attack, he couldn't bear the thought of this family being killed. He warned this family of the attack, and he was credited with saving Jamestown. When the attackers arrived at Jamestown, they were met by armed settlers. The Indians returned to their tribe without incident.
The Indians were hoping this attack would be enough to cause the remaining settlers to return to their homeland, but that did not happen. The settlers had just made it through their roughest winter yet, and were determined not to leave. The attack did, however, cause the settlers to never trust the Indians again.
In 1630, William's oldest son and heir, Augustin, came to Virginia to claim his father's vast estate. Simon came to America in 1635 and settled in what is now Princess Anne County, Virginia. William came to America about 1638, and settled in Virginia.

^[4]

• Fact: Also Known As William Hankocke
• Fact: Also Known As William Hancocke
• Fact: ALTERNATE CHRISTENING (14 September 1580) St Margaret, Westminster, Middlesex, England
• Fact: Other (26 September 1605) London, England
• Fact: Immigration (1619) "William Hancock" Sr. came to Jamestown in 1619 aboard the ship "Margaret of Bristol" Jamestown
• Fact: Burial (1622) Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, England
• Fact: http://familysearch.org/v1/Affiliation (2020) Family Affiliation 11th Great Grand Child Karen Lynch 619diamonds.com Lakeside, San Diego, California, United States
• Fact: MY "10TH" GREAT-GRANDFATHER: "Joyful Reunion" in Eternity (2021) Betty McMullen Mussman: Inn at Spanish Head Resort Hotel Condos , Lincoln City, Lincoln, Oregon, United States
• Fact: Death
• Fact: http://familysearch.org/v1/LifeSketch Beloved Cherished "Husband" and "Father":

"William" Hancock Sr. came to Jamestown in 1619 in a group that founded the "Berkley Hundred". William was killed at "Berkley Hundred" on March 22, 1622 in the "Indian Massacre". He had left his wife and young family in England. In the 1630's, three of his sons, 1 August, 2 Simon, and 3 William came to America. According to a record contained in an old Hancock family Bible, William left England in 1619, aboard the ship "Margaret of Bristol" bound for America. He was coming to America in search of lumber for his shipbuilding business. Leaving his family behind in England, William sailed out through the Bristol Channel on Thursday, September 16, 1619. The "Margaret" dropped anchor in Chesapeake Bay on November 30, 1619. Then on December 4, 1619, William stepped off the "Margaret" and onto American soil at a site on the north shore of the James River, about halfway between present-day Williamsburg and Richmond, Virginia. The "Berkeley Hundred Plantation" was built at this location. It is still there today, but none of the original houses are still standing. "Berkeley Hundred Plantation" is a huge plantation consisting of many homes. It resembled a small village. It was also the site for the first official "Thanksgiving Day Service" held in America, which William Hancock attended. "Berkeley Hundred Plantation" was the home of many of the first Governors of Virginia, and later home to many early American Presidents. "Thorpe's House" at "Berkeley Hundred Plantation" was home to several of the English gentlemen who were associated with the "Virginia Company". This is where William lived. It was owned by Captain "George" Thorpe. Captain Thorpe put much confidence in the Indians and wanted to convert them to a more civilized way of life. During the winter of 1621-1622, it seemed he was making progress. The Indians seemed more friendly and were frequent visitors to the plantation and other surrounding settlements. The settlers were convinced that their Indian troubles were over. Little did they know, it was all a trick. In the early morning hours of March 22, 1621/22, which was "Good Friday", groups of Indians drifted into the settlement of "Berkeley Hundred". They were unarmed, but soon armed themselves with guns and knives that were easily accessible in most homes. They then attacked the settlers. "William" Hancock, along with about 300 others were massacred. It was said the settlers were so surprised, they never had a chance to defend themselves. There was one Indian who had befriended a family in Jamestown. When he learned of the impending attack, he couldn't bear the thought of this family being killed. He warned this family of the attack, and he was credited with saving Jamestown. When the attackers arrived at Jamestown, they were met by armed settlers. The Indians returned to their tribe without incident. The progenitor of this Hancock family line was "William" Hancock who was born about 1580 in England. He was a member of "The Virginia Company Of London" which was created by "King James I" for the purpose of colonizing in America. The first settlement was established at Jamestown in 1607. William was a member of "The Virginia Company", which was a company chartered by the King of England and it's purpose was to start a colony in America. William left his family in England and traveled to America in 1620. He came in search for timber for his shipbuilding business according to an old Hancock Bible record. As an investor in the Virginia Company, William traveled to Jamestown in 1619 aboard the "Margaret" of Bristol. He was a member of a group that founded "Berkeley Hundred". On 22 March 1622 the settlement was attacked by Indians and William, along with many others, was massacred. He lived at "Thorpe's House" at "Berkeley Hundred Plantation". William, along with about 350 other settlers were massacred by Indians at "Berkeley Hundred Plantation" on Good Friday, March 21, 1691/1692. Shortly after 1630, three of William's sons came to America. 1 Augustine, 2 Simon and 3 William became prominent planters in Virginia and established a family line that today includes many thousands of their descendants. From Virginia, their descendants migrated throughout the southeastern and midwestern states and today are living in all parts of the country. ONE WORLD TREE PROJECT: LAMB'S BOOK OF LIFE

Sources

1. ↑ Entered by Raymond Nichols, Wednesday, September 11, 2013.
2. ↑ http://archive.org/stream/genesisofuniteds02brow#page/1100/mode/2up/search/William
3. ↑ VA Historical Collections, Vol 8, p. 278 - confirms the death of William Hancock at Berkeley Hundred Plantation.
4. ↑ Entered by Raymond Nichols, Wednesday, September 11, 2013.

• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 06 September 2022, 23:46), entry for William Hancock (PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:LRLJ-YRX ); contributed by various users.

FAG - https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/67563963 Descendants of Richard Hancock

Descendants of Richard Hancock 1480 via Scribd

• Name: William Hancock

State: VA County: Virginia Colony Township: Virginia Year: 1607 Database: VA Early Census Index Source Information Original data: Jackson, Ron V., Accelerated Indexing Systems, comp.. Virginia Census, 1607-1890. Compiled and digitized by Mr. Jackson and AIS from microfilmed schedules of the U.S. Federal Decennial Census, territorial/state censuses, and/or census substitutes.

• Wm Haworth

[William Hancock] [William Hancocke] Marriage Date: 26 Sep 1605 Parish: St Dunstan and All Saints, Stepney County: Middlesex Borough: Tower Hamlets Spouse: Susan Poynter Record Type: Marriage Register Type: Parish Register Cancel Source Citation London Metropolitan Archives, St Dunstan and All Saints, Stepney, Register of marriages, Oct 1568-Jan 1610, P93/DUN/264

• Name: William Hancock

Birth Date: 1580 Birth Place: Devon, England Death Date: 22 Mar 1622 Death Place: Jamestown, James City County, Virginia, United States of America Has Bio?: Y Spouse: Susan Hancock Hancock Susan Father: Thomas Hancock Children: Simon Hancock Source Information Ancestry.com. Global, Find A Grave Index for Non-Burials, Burials at Sea, and other Select Burial Locations, 1300s-Current [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Original data: Find A Grave. Find A Grave. [1] Description

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Acknowledgments

• Thank you to Anita Stickler for creating Hancock-2345 on 28 Oct 13. Click the Changes tab for the details on contributions by Anita and others.
• Thank you to Raymond Nichols for creating Hancock-2252 on 11 Sep 13. Click the Changes tab for the details on contributions by Raymond and others.