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Warham St Leger (abt. 1580 - bef. 1630)

Sir Warham St Leger aka Sentleger
Born about in Ulcombe, Kent, Englandmap
Ancestors ancestors
Son of and
Brother of
Husband of — married [date unknown] [location unknown]
Descendants descendants
Father of , , , , , , , , , , , , and
Died before before about age 50 in Ulcombe, Kent, Englandmap
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Profile last modified | Created 12 Jul 2010
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Note: Warham St Leger was featured in the June 2020 Magna Carta Project Newsletter.

Contents

Biography

Parents and Early Honors

Sir Warham St Leger was born sometime around 1580 (his exact birth date is unknown, this date is based on his parent's marriage in 1578), possibly the second son [see research notes below] and heir of Sir Anthony St Leger of Ulcombe, Kent, and Mary Scott, daughter of Sir Thomas Scott and Elizabeth Baker.[1][2]

On 13 June 1608 at Greenwich, Warham St Leger was knighted,[1][3] and in 1614 he was awarded an (honorary) M.A. degree from Cambridge University during the King's visit there.[2]

Involvement with the Virginia Company

The Virginia Company was established in 1606 by King James I as a joint-stock company.[4] It was composed of two groups of investors: the Virginia Company of Plymouth and the Virginia Company of London. At that time the name "Virginia" was used to describe the entire coast of North America (everything above Spanish Florida all the way up to the top of Maine).[5] The London group was allowed to settle and trade in the southern part of the coast (up to 45 degrees latitude in the north) and the Plymouth group was to settle in the northern part of what is now known as New England.[5] There were about ten other joint ventures operating in England at this time, including the East India Company, so the concept of a joint-stock company was not a new one. [4] The Virginia Company was a lucrative way for the Crown, which in 1606 was in considerable debt, to benefit by colonizing the new world without having to expend much money itself. Investors were able to take risks because any losses were shared equally among them.[4] Membership in the company included many people of considerable consequence, among them Sir John Popham (Lord Chief Justice of the Kings Bench); Thomas Smith; Sir Thomas Gates (later one of the first governors of the colony); and Sir George Somers.[6]

The Crown authorized the Company's investors to establish a colony, although that was not necessarily their primary mission. Their goals were to protect English shipping routes from Spanish interference; exploit the area's natural resources; help resettle England's excess population; and create new markets for English goods.[4] Additionally, one of the goals listed in the first charter was to "propagate the Christian Religion to such people as yet live in darkness and miserable ignorance of the true knowledge and worship of God."[7] That this goal was seen as secondary to economic motives was evidenced by the fact that the first expedition included only one minister and he had little interest in conducting missionary activities.[7]

The Virginia Company faced a number of daunting challenges and setbacks: running low on money while the settlers met with increasing hostility from the Native Americans; ships that were either lost at sea or wandered seriously off-course; and eventually having difficulty collecting money owed by investors who had purchased their stocks on an installment plan.[4] Fortunately, though, interest in the venture continued to run high. Warham St Leger became an Adventurer (both settlers and investors were commonly referred to as 'adventurers')[8][9] and he was in good company, joined by notables such as Sir Francis Bacon, Sir Oliver Cromwell, Sir Humphrey Weld (Lord Mayor of London) and James Montague (Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells). By 1609 the Virginia Company of London had fifty members.[4]

On 12 March 1612 King James granted the Company it's third charter, and Warham St Leger was one of the signatories.[8]This charter extended the boundaries of Virginia to include Bermuda, and authorized lotteries to make more money for the Company.[4] In the beginning, tickets were sold for several months until a drawing was held and certain prizes were awarded. Because of numerous charges of corruption these lotteries were not very successful although they were the company's almost sole means of support.[4] They were eventually replaced by running lotteries where purchasers were allowed to draw lots immediately and would either draw blank lots or one with a prize listed on it. People still claimed they were being cheated however, and although profitable the lotteries barely covered the Company's expenses. Towards the end of 1612 even the Adventurers were complaining that "only the name of God was more frequently profaned in the streets and market places of London than was Virginia."[10] Sir Lionel Cranfield, speaking in the House of Commons, said "I am of the Company of Virginia, but I hear these lotteries do beggar every country they come into. Let Virginia lose rather than England."[4] Following shortly after Cranfield's speech these lotteries were banned by the king.

The Virginia Company's charter was not revoked until 24 May 1624, but after about 1619 it faced many more struggles and came close to bankruptcy several times. It was not a great financial success, and many lives were lost in the colony.[4] It is not surprising, then, that by 1617 Sir Warham St Leger set his sights on another way to improve the family's fortunes. He set out with Sir Walter Raleigh to find the hidden treasure of El Dorado.[11]

Voyage to Guiana

In 1617 Sir Walter Raleigh was released from a ten year imprisonment in the Tower of London in order to lead his second, and final, voyage to find the famous treasure of El Dorado, said to be somewhere past the mouth of the Orinoco River in Guiana (now Venezuela).[12] The fleet consisted of Raleigh's ship and thirteen others. Wykeham-Martin described it as follows:

"The first ship was the Destiny, 440 tons, 36 pieces of ordnance or more--Sir Walter Raleigh, general--his son, captain, 200 men.

"2nd the Jason, 240 tons, Captain John Pennington, vice-admiral, 80 men, 1 gentleman, and no more.

"3rd was the Thunder, commanded by Sir Warham St Leger, whom Raleigh describes as an exceeding valiant and worthy gentleman. Sir Warham's ship...was of 150 tons, with 20 pieces of ordnance, 6 gentlemen, 60 soldiers, and 10 landsmen. Sir Walter sailed from the Thames March 28, 1617, but Sir Warham's ship ran aground and caused some delay, and the fleet did not sail from Cork until August 19th.[13] [11]

It was an arduous voyage and proved to be much more dangerous than Raleigh's first expedition to Guiana had been. The ships were plagued with bad weather, serious food shortages, much illness, and the deaths of many crew members.[14] Raleigh himself became quite ill during the journey and was forced to remain On Trinidad.[12] He sent five of his ships and almost four hundred of his remaining soldiers and sailors (leaving himself with only a small contingent of men) to the Orinoco to try to discover El Dorado. Fortunately for Sir Warham, who was to have been in charge of this tragic effort, he himself fell ill before the ships departed and remained behind with Raleigh. Raleigh later wrote in his journal: "Sir Warren [sic] Sentleger, to whom as my lieutenant I gave the charge of these companies, fell extremely sick at Caliana, and in his place as sergeant-major I appointed my nephew, George Raleigh. The companies were commanded by Captain Parker, Captain North, my son Watt Raleigh, Captain Thornehurst, Catain Hall, and Captain Chudles, lieutenant; Captain Kemishe [sic] having the chief charge for their landing within the river."[15]

Things went tragically wrong on the expedition to the Orinoco. For unknown reasons, Captain Keymis ordered an attack on the Spanish village of Santo Tomas despite Raleigh having been warned by the king that under no circumstances were his forces to attack the Spanish.[12] Raleigh's son, as well as several other men, lost their lives in the attack, and Keymis ordered the village burnt to the ground. Raleigh was bereft and furious when the ships finally returned and Keymis told him what had happened.[12] Keymis, evidently stricken with guilt, returned to his quarters and shot himself in the chest. When that didn't end matters quickly enough, he followed by stabbing himself in the heart.[14]

The expedition returned to England after suffering many losses, and without ever finding the lost city of gold. Sir Walter Raleigh was executed for allowing his men to fire on the Spanish.[12] Sir Warham St Leger incurred such great financial losses on the expedition that he was forced to divest himself of Leeds Castle to reimburse his creditors.[8] It appears he actually exchanged Leeds Castle with Sir Richard Smith for Salmeston, in the Isle of Thanet, and £2,000 in money.[16] Mary Hayward, Sir Warham's wife, was the niece of Sir RIchard's sister and the transaction is thought to have been an amicable arrangement to assist Sir Warham in his financial difficulties (giving him the exact amount of cash he needed to settle with creditors). [16]

Marriage and Children

Warham Saint Leger married Mary Hayward, daughter of Sir Rowland Hayward of London.[1][8] Mary's father was a former sheriff of London, twice the Lord Mayor of London, and for over twenty years the president of St Bartholomew's Hospital.[8] They had thirteen children:

  1. Anthony St Leger[17]
  2. Katherine St Leger Culpeper, bp. 7 Oct 1608[18]
  3. Thomas St Leger, bur. 10 Jun 1608[19]
  4. Ursula St Leger Horsmanden, b. 1609[20]
  5. John St Leger[17]
  6. Mary St Leger Codd, bp. 30 Dec 1612[21]
  7. Warham St Leger[17]
  8. Rowland St Leger, bp. 30 Jan 1613/4[22]
  9. Dudley St Leger, bur. 25 Nov 1641[23]
  10. Francis St Leger, bur. 8 Oct 1634[24]
  11. George St Leger, bur. 1 Jul 1620[25]
  12. Hayward St Leger, bp. 9 Aug 1621[26]
  13. Alexander St Leger, bp. 2 Jan 1622/3;[27] bur. 11 Mar 1625[28]

Ursula, Katherine, and Mary all had sons who settled in Virginia.

Death

Sir Warham Saint Leger died in 1630 and was buried in All Saints Church at Ulcombe, Kent on 11 October of that year.[29] His widow, Mary, died at Lenham, Kent in 1662.[1][8]

Research Notes

  • Removed Mary Heyward-34, daughter of Richard, as wife of Warham St_Leger-5. He was married to Mary Hayward-21, daughter of Rowland Hayward. See the sources on the page of Hayward-21. <amb, 2014-04-20.>
  • Birth year: "About 1580" based on his parents' marriage about 1578. His birth is often given as 1579.[30][31]
  • Richardson states that Warham had six sons and four daughters, listing one of the daughters as Frances. A burial record gives the name in Latin as "Franciscus" (the masculine form, indicating his name was actually Francis) so it looks as though Warham had seven sons rather than six.
  • The Cambridge Alumni Directory identifies Warham St Leger as "doubtless [the] 2nd son of Sir Anthony, of Ulcombe, and Mary Scott." However, it is perhaps possible that he is being confused with his grandfather Warham (m. to Ursula Neville) whose father was also named Anthony and who was also a second son. Further research is needed to identify the names and birthdates of this Warham's siblings.


Sources

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Richardson, Douglas. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols., ed. Kimball G. Everingham (Salt Lake City, Utah: the author, 2013), Vol IV, p. 538, SAINT LEGER 21. Warham Saint Leger.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Venn, J.A., comp. Alumni Cantabrigienses. London, England: Cambridge University Press, 1922-1954. Entry for St Leger, Sir Warham. online.
  3. ↑ Shaw, William Arthur. The Knights of England. London: Sherratt and Hughes, 1906, p. 145 available onine.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 Wolfe, Brendan. Virginia Company of London. Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, 10 Nov 2016 available online.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Craven, Wesley Frank. The Virginia Company of London, 1606-1624. Williamsburg: Virginia 350th Anniversary Celebration Corporation, 1957, p. 1. available online.
  6. ↑ Craven, Wesley Frank. The Virginia Company of London, 1606-1624. Williamsburg: Virginia 350th Anniversary Celebration Corporation, 1957, pp. 3-4 available online.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Craven, Wesley Frank. The Virginia Company of London, 1606-1624. Williamsburg: Virginia 350th Anniversary Celebration Corporation, 1957, p. 5 available online.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Richardson, Douglas. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families. 4 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham (Salt Lake City, Utah: the author, 2011), Vol III, pp. 482-483, SAINT LEGER 16. Warham Saint Leger.
  9. ↑ Jamestowne Society: St. Leger, Sir Warham - A7509; died 11 October 1631 County Kent, England; (Member of Virginia Company). accessed 5 September 2018
  10. ↑ Craven, Wesley Frank. The Virginia Company of London, 1606-1624. Williamsburg: Virginia 350th Anniversary Celebration Corporation, 1957, p. 27 available online.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Jester, Annie Lash, and Martha Woodruff Hiden. Adventurers of Purse and Person 1607-1625: New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1956, p. 287. available online.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Wolfe, Brendan.Sir Walter Raleigh (ca. 1552-1618). Encyclopedia Virginia, 29 Oct 2018 available online.
  13. ↑ Wykeham-Martin, Charles. The History and Description of Leeds Castle. Westminster: Nicholas and Sons, 1869, p. 178 available online.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Raleigh, Walter, Sir. The DIscovery of Guiana, and the Journal of the Second Voyage Thereto. New York: Mershon Company, 1893, pp. 151-192. available online.
  15. ↑ Raleigh, Walter, Sir. The DIscovery of Guiana, and the Journal of the Second Voyage Thereto. New York: Mershon Company, 1893, pp. 184-185. available online.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Wykeham-Martin, Charles. The History and Description of Leeds Castle. Westminster: Nicholas and Sons, 1869, p. 179 available online.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Richardson, Douglas. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Famiies, 4 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham, 2nd edition (Salt Lake City: the author, 2011), volume III, p. 483, SAINT LEGER 16. Warham Saint Leger.
  18. ↑ England Births and Baptisms. Katterine Sentleger. Baptism date: 7 Oct 1608; County: Kent; Country: England; Father: Warham Sir Sentleger; Record set: England births and baptisms; 1538-1975; Category: Birth, Marriage, Death and Parish records; Subcategory: Parish baptisms. https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=R_883437462
  19. ↑ Kent Burials. Thomas Sentleger. Burial date: 10 Jun 1608; Burial place: Ulcombe, All Saints; Next of kin: filius; Next of kin name: Warami Sentleger; Country: England; Archives: Kent History and Library Centre; Archive reference: P376/1/A/1; Register type: Baptisms, Marriages and Burials; Year range: 1560-1643; Page: 26; Record set: Kent burials; Category: Birth, Marriage, Death and Parish records; Subcategory: Parish burials. https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=PRS%2FKENT%2FBUR%2F0590231
  20. ↑ Richardson, Douglas. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 4 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham, 2nd edition (Salt Lake City: the author, 2011), volume III, page 483, SAINT LEGER 16.i:Ursula Saint Leger.
  21. ↑ Kent Baptisms. Maria Sentleger. Baptism date: 30 Dec 1612; Baptism place: Ulcombe, All Saints; Father's first name: Warhami; County: Kent; Country: England; Archive: Kent History and Library Centre; Archive reference: P376/1/A/1; Register type: Baptisms, Marriages and Burials; Year range: 1560-1643; Page: 13; Record set: Kent baptisms; Category: Birth, Marriage, Death and Parish records; Subcategory: Parish baptisms. https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=PRS%2FKENT%2FBAP%2F0869010
  22. ↑ Kent Baptisms. Rowlande Sentleger. Baptism date: 30 Jan 1613; Baptism place: Ulcombe, All Saints; Father's first name: Warhami; County: Kent; Country: England; Archive: Kent History and Library Centre; Archive reference: P376/1/A/1; Register type: Baptisms, Marriages and Burials; Year range: 1560-1643; Page: 13; Record set: Kent baptisms; Category: Birth, Marriage, Death and Parish records; Subcategory: Parish baptisms. https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=PRS%2FKENT%2FBAP%2F0869029. The FindMyPasy transcript gives 1613. The accompanying parish register image confirms it is 1613/4, or 1614 in modern reckoning.
  23. ↑ Kent Burials. Dudleus St Leger. Burial date: 25 Nov 1641; Burial place: Ulcombe, All Saints; Country: England; Archive: Kent History and Library Centre; Archive reference: P376/1/A/1; Register type: Baptisms, Marriages and Burials; Year range: 1560-1643; Page: 30; Record set: Kent burials; Category: Birth, Marriage, Death and Parish records; Subcategory: Parish burials. https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=PRS%2FKENT%2FBUR%2F0590606
  24. ↑ Kent Burials. Franciscus Sentleger. Burial date: 8 Oct 1634; Burial place: Ulcombe, All Saints; Country: England; Archive: Kent History and Library Centre; Archive reference: P376/1/A/1; Register type: Baptisms, Marriages and Burials; Year range: 1560-1643; Page: 29; Record set: Kent burials; Category: Birth, Marriage, Death and Parish records; Subcategory: Parish burials. https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=PRS%2FKENT%2FBUR%2F0590510
  25. ↑ Kent Burials. Georgius Sentleger. Burial date: 1 Jul 1620; Burial place: Ulcombe, All Saints; Next of kin: Warhami Sentleger; Country: England; Archive: Kent History and Library Centre; Archive reference: P376/1/A/1; Register type: Baptisms, Marriages and Burials; Year range: 1560-1643; Page: 28; Record set: Kent burials; Category: Birth, Marriage, Death and Parish records; Subcategory: Parish burials. https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=PRS%2FKENT%2FBUR%2F0590388
  26. ↑ Kent Baptisms. Haywarde Sentleger. Baptism date: 9 Aug 1621; Baptism place: Ulcombe, All Saints; Father's first name: Warhami; County: Kent; Country: England; Archive: Kent History and Library Centre; Archive reference: P376/1/A/1; Register type: Baptisms, Marriages and Burials; Year range: 1560-1643; Page: 15; Record set: Kent baptisms; Category: Birth, Marriage, Death and Parish records; Subcategory: Parish baptisms. https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=PRS%2FKENT%2FBAP%2F0869155
  27. ↑ Kent Baptisms. Alexander Sentleger. Baptism date: 2 Jan 1622; Baptism place: Ulcombe, All Saints; Father's first name: Warhami; County: Kent: Country: Engand; Archive: Kent History and Library Centre; Archive reference: P376/1/A/1; Register type: Baptisms, Marriages and Burials; Year range: 1560-1643; Page: 15; Record set: Kent baptisms; Category: Birth, Marriage, Death and Parish records; Subcategory: Parish baptisms. https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=PRS%2FKENT%2FBAP%2F0869185. The FindMyPast transcript shows 1622; the accompanying image of the parish register confirms it is 1622/3, or 1623 in modern reckoning.
  28. ↑ Kent Burials. Alexander Sentleger. Burial date: 11 Mar 1625; Burial place: Ulcombe, All Saints; Next of kin: Warhami Sentleger; Country: England; Archive: Kent History and Library Centre; Archive reference: P376/1/A/1; Register type: Baptisms, Marriages and Burials; Year range: 1560-1643; Page: 28; Record set: Kent burials; Category: Birth, Marriage, Death and Parish records; Subcategory: Parish burials. https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=PRS%2FKENT%2FBUR%2F0590448
  29. ↑ Kent Burials. Sir Warham Sentleger. Burial date: 11 Oct 1630; Burial place: Ulcombe, All Saints; Country: England; Archive: Kent History and Library Centre; Archive reference: P376/1/A/1; Register type: Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials; Year range: 1560-1643; Page: 29; Record set: Kent Burials; Category: Birth, Marriage, Death and Parish records; Subcategory: Parish burials. https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=PRS%2FKENT%2FBUR%2F0590480
  30. ↑ Online trees (no apparent sources): eg Geneanet (accessed 5 March 2018)
  31. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #67127899 for Warham St Leger, citing Adventures of Purse and Person Virginia 1607-1624/5, p. 523-526 and Plantagenet Ancestry of Seventeenth-Century Colonists by Faris, pp. 244-246
See also:
  • Stemmata de Leodegaria - Pedigree of the St. Leger family compiled by Rev. Edward St. Leger, 1867, which is held at the British Library, London Ref: 14000 r 23 16 8674728.

Acknowledgements

Magna Carta Project

Warham St Leger appears in Magna Carta Ancestry in badged Richardson-documented badged trails from Gateway Ancestors Saint Leger Codd and Warham Horsmanden to a number of Magna Carta Surety Barons. See the trails HERE (Horsmanden) and HERE (Codd).
See Base Camp for more information about Magna Carta trails and the project's glossary for project-specific terms, such as a "badged trail".




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Comments: 3

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Stevens-17832 Jen (Stevens) Hutton
I am going to be attempting to find some additional sources for this profile on behalf of the Magna Carta Project. If anyone has run across information that would be useful, please contact me! Thanks.
posted by Jen (Stevens) Hutton
Cayley-55 Michael Cayley
Thanks, Jen, for what you have done. I have re-reviewed and re-approved the profile for the Magna Carta Project. :-)
posted by Michael Cayley

Featured National Park champion connections: Warham is 14 degrees from Theodore Roosevelt, 17 degrees from Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger, 13 degrees from George Catlin, 13 degrees from Marjory Douglas, 22 degrees from Sueko Embrey, 16 degrees from George Grinnell, 17 degrees from Anton Kröller, 15 degrees from Stephen Mather, 18 degrees from Kara McKean, 16 degrees from John Muir, 13 degrees from Victoria Hanover and 22 degrees from Charles Young on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.

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Categories: Ulcombe, Kent | Bigod-2 Descendants | Bigod-1 Descendants | Clare-651 Descendants | Clare-673 Descendants | Clavering-13 Descendants | Lacy-284 Descendants | Quincy-226 Descendants | De Vere-309 Descendants | Magna Carta Project Featured Profiles | Magna Carta | Jamestowne Society Qualifying Ancestors