Humfrey Reed (bef. 1589 - aft. 1610)

Born before 1589 in England

Died after 1610 after age 21 in Jamestown Colony

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Biography

In 1609, Humfrey Reed boarded the ship Sea Venture and sailed for Jamestown.^[1] The voyage took much longer than expected. As the fleet of ships crossed the Atlantic, they were overtaken by a violent storm, probably a hurricane. The Sea Venture was separated from the other ships, and was in danger of sinking when land was sighted. The ship was forced to wreck upon the reefs of Bermuda.

All was not as bad as it could have been! No lives were lost, and much of the supplies and provisions were salvadged. As the castaways began to explore the island, they found plenty of seafood, fruit, fowl, and even hogs. There were sheltering trees and an agreeable climate. In fact, some of the colonists began to feel that the island might be a better place to settle than Virginia! Among these was Stephen Hopkins, a Puritan who served as clerk to the minister.^[2]

According to writer William Strachey, on 24 Jan 1610, Hopkins shared his beliefs with Samuel Sharpe and Humfrey Reede.^[3] He alleged substantial arguments, in legal and religious terms, that, while the colonists were bound to the authority of the governor while sailing and when in Virginia, the shipwreck had released them from his authority. Hopkins expounded that only God should be the true authority, and those who chose to do so should be free to remain in Bermuda, instead of going on to Virginia.^[2] Upon hearing what Hopkins had to say, Reede and Sharpe went straight to Governor Gates with news of Hopkins' plans.

Hopkins was tried for the crime of "mutiny and rebellion," but he begged so eloquently for mercy that he was pardoned.^[2]

Months later, the stranded colonists finally made their way to Jamestown, sailing in two small boats put together from remnants of the wrecked Sea Venture and wood found on Bermuda. Finding no more information about Humfrey Reed, we can only say that he died "after 1610, in Jamestown Colony."

Sources

1. ↑ Passenger List of the Sea Venture 1609 Research and compilation by Anne Stevens, packrat-pro.com.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Glover, Lorri., Smith, Daniel Blake. The Shipwreck that Saved Jamestown: The Sea Venture Castaways and the Fate of America, Henry Holt and Company, New York, 2008. pp. 161-163.
3. ↑ Haile, Edward Wright. Jamestown Narratives: Eyewitness Accounts of the Virginia Colony The First Decade: 1607-1617; RoundHouse, Champlain, Virginia, 1998, p. 406