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Jamestown (Fleet), sailed Dec 1606

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Susan Constant (category / additional information)
Godspeed (category / additional information)
Discovery (category)

The three ships are commemorated on the Virginia State Quarter.

Contents

Jamestown Fleet

The trio of ships listed below carried the first European settlers to Virginia.

  • Susan Constant (sometimes in print as Sarah Constant[1]) under Captain Christopher Newport[2]
  • Goodspeed (sometimes in print as Godspeed[3]), with Captain Bartholomew Gosnold[4] at the helm
  • Discovery (sometimes in print as Discoverie[5]) under Captain John Ratcliffe[6]

The ships set sail from England, 30 December 1606, bound for "The First Colony of Virginia."[7] Newport had charge of the voyage. Poor weather and wind conditions kept the ships at the coast of England until about 18 February 1607.

In late April or early May, the ships arrived in Virginia,[8] and the settlement of Jamestown began.[9]

The Goodspeed and the Susan Constant departed the settlement in late June or early July 1607, setting out on the return voyage to England.[10] The third ship, Discovery, "a pinnace of about twenty tons," remained behind.

When he departed Jamestown, Captain Newport left 104 souls at the settlement, promising to return in November and refresh the supplies.[11] Newport was delayed and did not return until January 1607/8, finding only 38 or 40 surviving settlers.[12]

A list of known settlers who departed England aboard the three ships of the Jamestown Fleet is below; crew are also listed below.

Susan Constant

The Susan Constant (sometimes called the Sarah Constant), rated at 120 tons, had an estimated keel length of 55.2 feet (16.8 meters). Her estimated overall length is placed at 116 feet.[13]
A replica of the Susan Constant is docked in the James River at the Jamestown Settlement living history museum.[14]
She had 71 passengers when she sailed from England with the Jamestown Fleet (for a list of those aboard, see this section of WikiTree's Jamestown, Virginia Colony space page).

Godspeed

The Godspeed or Goodspeed was a 40 ton fully rigged ship. She is estimated to have been about 68 feet in length (21 m). Under Captain Bartholomew Gosnold, she was one of three ships to leave England in 1606 carrying those who would become the Jamestown, Virginia settlers.[15]
In his diary, Gosnold is reported to have written,
She is Thy Ruler of the seas, with her mightyfulle velocitie moure veloce than the wynd, and mightyer than the rocke, she is, my Deare Godspeed [15]
The Godspeed had 52 passengers.

Discovery

The Discovery (or Discoverie) was a "pinnace of about twenty tons."[16] She was a "38 foot (12 m) long 'fly-boat' of the British East India Company, launched before 1602."[17]
She departed England under Captain John Ratcliffe with 21 passengers, bound for Virginia with the Susan Constant and the Goodspeed. When the two larger ships returned to England, the Discovery stayed behind.[16]

Jamestown Fleet Timeline

Information compiled by Anne Shurtleff Stevens, Packrat Productions - see "Jamestown."

1606, Sat 30 December: The Fleet sails, leaving Blackwall, London, England with 150 passengers aboard three ships of the Virginia Company of London.
  • Susan Constant, with Master Christopher Newport and 71 passengers
  • Godspeed, with Capt. Bartholomew Gosnold and 52 passengers
  • Discovery with Capt. John Ratcliffe and 21 passengers ("carrying 21 persons")
1606/7, 15 January: Stormy weather causes them to anchor at Downs.
1606/7, 18 February: Finally leave England for the New World, and in search of the Lost Colony of Roanoke (John White's 1587 trip with 150 passengers landing at Hatorask on July 22).
1606/7, 22 February: They see a blazing star, a comet and ill omen; and endure another severe storm following the comet.
1606/7, late February or early March: They reach the Great Canaries, take on food and water, again leaving for Virginia via the West Indies. Cpt. John Smith was restrained as a prisoner. He claims it unjust, due to a possible mutiny by a Stephen Galthropp, who is not listed among the landed settlers.
1607, 3 April: They stop at the island of Dominico and see "boiling springs" of Guadeloupe.
1607, 17 April: They stop at the Isle of Mevis, Mona for fresh water.
1607, 30 April: The ships arrive at Cape Comfort; a vanguard boat stops at Kecoughtan where the natives welcome the English.
1607, 1 May: Another tempest forces them back for several days.
1607, 5 May: After 6 weeks, the ships land in Cape Henry in the "Bay of Chesapioc."
1607, 6 May: Ships attacked by Indians. Captain Gabriel Archer and Matthew Morton wounded; 105 survivors establish Jamestown. O 50 would die in the 'sickly season' or 'seasoning period' of July to September.
1607, Mon 23 June: The Sarah Constant [sic] and the Godspeed leave James Port for the return to England; the Discovery stays.
1607, 8 August: The Constant arrives at Plymouth. By the time Cpt. Newport returns to Jamestown on the John and Francis, in January 1607/8, he finds that only 38 or 40 men had survived.

List of Settlers

Information compiled by Anne Shurtleff Stevens, Packrat Productions - see "Jamestown." She includes additional names (listed "as present at Jamestown in a letter from the colonies June 27, 1607 but not listed on the manifests: Per Peter Coldham's The Complete Book of Emigrants 1607-1660, pages 1 & 2") that are not included below. Anne's research is reflected in the notations for settlers and crew as of 2 August 2021; additional information has been added since (notably, names from the May 14 list of settlers by occupation,[18] which account for most of the additional names that she listed, citing a June letter from the colonies). Persons in the list included in the census are footnoted, as are those who were added from the census.

A

  • Adling, Henry gentleman[19][20]
  • Alicock, Jeremy gentleman[19]
  • Archer, Captaine Gabriell gentleman[19]

B

  • Beast, Benjamin gentleman[19][20]
  • Behethland, Robert gentleman[19]
  • Brinto, Edward mason
  • Brookes, Edward gentleman[19]
  • Brookes, John gentleman[19]
  • Brown, Edward gentleman[19][20]
  • Brumfield, James boy
  • Bruster, William gentleman[19]

C

  • Capper, John carpenter
  • Cassen, George laborer, killed by Indians 26 December
  • Cassen, Thomas laborer
  • Cassen, William laborer
  • Clovill, Ustis gentleman[19] (Eustace) killed by Indians in June
  • Collier, Samuell boy
  • Cooke, Roger gentleman[19][20]
  • Couper, Thomas barber
  • Crofts, Richard gentleman[19]

D

  • Dixon, Richard gentleman[19]
  • Dods, John laborer (1624/5 Jamestown Muster lists him as arriving in April 1607 aboard the Susan Constant and, at time of muster, 36 years old[21] with wife Jane, 40)

E

  • Edward, Ould laborer
  • Emry, Thomas carpenter, killed by Indians 26 December

F

G

  • Garret, William brick layer
  • Golding, George laborer
  • Gore, Thomas gentleman[19]
  • Gosnold, Anthony gentleman,[19] drowned January 1609 in James River (grandson of Robert Gosnold of Earl Soham, Suffolk)

H

  • Halthrope, Edward gentleman[19][20]
  • Harrington, Edward gentleman[19][20]
  • Herd, John brick layer
  • Houlgrave, Nicholas gentleman[19]
  • Hunt, Master Robert preacher

J

  • Jacob, Thomas gentleman[19][20]
  • Johnson, William laborer

K

  • Kendall, Captaine George council, executed for mutiny
  • Kingston, Ellis gentleman[19][20]

L

  • Laxon, William carpenter
  • Laydon, John laborer, would marry Anne Burras, maid of Mrs Forrest 1608 or 1609 (first Virginia marriage); arrived with the Jamestown Fleet, aboard the Susan Constant[21]
  • Love, William taylor

M

  • Martin, Captaine John council (son of Sir Richard Martin)
  • Martin, George gentleman[19]
  • Martin, John gentleman[19] and council [only Captain John Martin is listed as "Councell" in "settlers by occupation" here]
  • Midwinter, Francis gentleman[19]
  • Morish, Edward gentleman[19][20]
  • Mouton, Thomas gentleman[19][20]
  • Mutton, Richard boy

P

  • Peacock, Nathaniel boy
  • Penington, John gentleman[19][20]
  • Percie, Master George gentleman[19] (brother Henry is Earl of Northumberland, per Coldham, pg 4)
  • Pickhouse, Dru gentleman[19]
  • Pising, Edward carpenter
  • Powell, Nathaniell gentleman,[19] married Joyce Tracy on the Supply, both slain by 3 September 1620. (?George Harrison reports Capt Powell, gunner, have died by Jan 1623 ~ Coldham pg 31) [Anne had him as Capt also, but Census does not]
  • Profit, Jonas sailor

R

  • Read, James blacksmith
  • Robinson, John gentleman,[19] killed by Indians 26 December
  • Rods, William laborer

S

  • Sands, Thomas gentleman[19]
  • Short, John gentleman[19][20]
  • Simons, Richard gentleman[19][20]
  • Skot, Nicholas drum
  • Small, Robert carpenter
  • Smethes, William gentleman[19][20]
  • Smyth, Captaine John council, taken prisoner by Indians 26 December, released 11 January 1608
  • Snarsbrough, Francis gentleman[19]
  • Stevenson, John gentleman[19][20]
  • Studley, Thomas gentleman[19] and merchant, died 7 September

T

  • Tanker, William gentleman[19]
  • Tavin, Henry laborer
  • Throgmorton, Kellam gentleman[19]
  • Todkill, Anas carpenter

U

  • Unger, William laborer

W

  • Walker, George gentleman[19][20]
  • Waler, John gentleman[19]
  • Webbe, Thomas gentleman[19]
  • White, William laborer
  • Wickinson, William Surgeon
  • Wingfield, Master Edward Maria council, cousin of Bart Gosnold
  • Wotton, Thomas Sierg. [Surgeon] gentleman[19]

Crew

  • Brown, Oliver sailor
  • Colson, John mariner
  • Crookdeck, John sailor
  • Fytch, Mathew mariner
  • Gosnoll, Bartholomew Captain and council (died 1 September), cousin of Wingfield
  • Markham, Robert sailor
  • Nelson, Francis mariner
  • Newport, Christopher Captain, returned to Plymouth (arriving 8 August 1607)
  • Poole, Jonas sailor, possibly the same as Jonas Profit?
  • Ratliffe, John Captain and council, captured by Powhatans and tortured to death by the women
  • Tyndall, Robert mariner

Jamestown Sources

List from Anne Shurtleff Stevens' "Jamestown."

Coldham's Emigrants
apva.org
apva.org timeline
tobacco.org
wikipedia.org
jamestowne.org

Sources

  1. ↑ "Susan Constant," Wikipedia (accessed 2014).
  2. ↑ "Christopher Newport," Wikipedia (accessed 2014)].
  3. ↑ "Godspeed (ship)," Wikipedia (accessed 2014)
  4. ↑ Bartholomew Gosnold," Wikipedia (accessed 2014).
  5. ↑ "Discovery (1602 ship)," Wikipedia (accessed 2014).
  6. ↑ "John Ratcliffe (governor)," Wikipedia (accessed 2014).
  7. ↑ Alexander Brown, The First Republic in America (1898), 21-22; digital images, Hathi Trust (accessed 2014).
  8. ↑ Alexander Brown, The First Republic in America (1898), 23; digital images, Hathi Trust (accessed 2014).
  9. ↑ Alexander Brown, The First Republic in America (1898), 23-27; digital images, Hathi Trust (accessed 2014).
  10. ↑ Alexander Brown, The First Republic in America (1898), 32-33, 39; digital images, Hathi Trust (accessed 2014).
  11. ↑ Alexander Brown, The First Republic in America (1898), 40; digital images, Hathi Trust (accessed 2014).
  12. ↑ Alexander Brown, The First Republic in America (1898), 55; digital images, Hathi Trust (accessed 2014).
  13. ↑ "Susan Constant," Wikipedia (accessed 2014).
  14. ↑ "Jamestown Settlement," Wikipedia (accessed 2014).
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Godspeed_(ship)," Wikipedia (accessed 2014).
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Alexander Brown, The First Republic in America (1898), 39; [digital images, Hathi Trust (accessed 2014)].
  17. ↑ Wikipedia: Discovery (1602_ship), accessed 2014.
  18. ↑ "Original Settlers (May 14, 1607) at Jamestown, Listed by Occupation," Virtual Jamestown (accessed 3 August 2021).
  19. ↑ 19.00 19.01 19.02 19.03 19.04 19.05 19.06 19.07 19.08 19.09 19.10 19.11 19.12 19.13 19.14 19.15 19.16 19.17 19.18 19.19 19.20 19.21 19.22 19.23 19.24 19.25 19.26 19.27 19.28 19.29 19.30 19.31 19.32 19.33 19.34 19.35 19.36 19.37 19.38 19.39 19.40 19.41 19.42 19.43 19.44 19.45 19.46
  20. ↑ 20.00 20.01 20.02 20.03 20.04 20.05 20.06 20.07 20.08 20.09 20.10 20.11 20.12 20.13 20.14 20.15 20.16 20.17 20.18 Not in the originally posted list of settlers. Added based on Virtual Jamestown's 14 May 1607 list of settlers by occupation.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Virtual Jamestown 1624/5 Muster: search results (accessed 3 August 2021).

Resources

  • The "Original Settlers (May 14, 1607) at Jamestown, Listed by Occupation" - Virtual Jamestown's May 1607 census - lists many of the settlers, concluding: "with diverse others to the number of 105." A note states that the list "is culled from John Smith, Proceedings of the English Colony in Virginia and Generall Historie" and that the "original group came in May 1607, the first supply group in January 1608, and the second supply group in the fall 1608. Occupations are given with original spellings."
Related WikiTree category pages:
See also Immigrant Ships to Southern Colonies.
For subsequent missions, see the WikiTree pages
See Wikipedia's article on the "Jamestown Supply Missions.
See also The Plymouth Colony Patent.




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Categories: Jamestown (Fleet), sailed Dec 1606 | Susan Constant, sailed Dec 1606 | Godspeed, sailed 1606 | Discovery, sailed Dec 1606