William Strachey IV (1572 - 1621)

Born 4 Apr 1572 in Saffron Walden, Essex, England

Husband of Frances (Forster) Strachey — married 9 Jun 1595 in England

Descendants

Died Jun 1621 at age 49 in Camberwell, Surrey, England

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Biography

William Strachey IV was a Jamestown colonist.

"William Strachey, born 4 April 1572 in Saffron Walden, Essex, was the grandson of William Strachey (died 1587), and the eldest son of William Strachey (died 1598) and Mary Cooke (died 1587)" ^[1]

Historic Jamestowne and Strachey himself, gives some details of his life: "William Strachey was sailing to Virginia on board the supply ship Sea Venture in 1609 when it wrecked in a hurricane in the Bermudas.^[2] He and the survivors spent months there constructing ships in which to continue their voyage.^[3] It is believed that Strachey’s account of this voyage inspired William Shakespeare to write The Tempest.

"Arriving in Jamestown in 1610, Strachey became the Secretary of the colony for one year, writing much about Virginia Indians and Jamestown life. Strachey’s description of James Fort and its buildings have been an invaluable resource to the Jamestown Rediscovery archaeologists. His detailed description of the dimensions of the 1608 church helped the archaeologists identify its location.

“'the fort growing since to more perfection, is now at this present in this manner: …about half an acre…is cast almost into the form of a triangle and so palisaded. The south side next the river (howbeit extended in a line or curtain six score foot more in length than the other two, by reason the advantage of the ground doth require) contains 140 yards, the west and east sides a hundred only.' William Strachey"^[4][5]

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "William Strachey," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Strachey&oldid=957971752 (accessed June 7, 2020).
2. ↑ https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/seaventure.htm
3. ↑ Strachey Chapters 1-2.
4. ↑ Strachey Chapter 3.
5. ↑ Historic Jamestown

• Strachey, William. "A true reportory of the wracke, and redemption of Sir Thomas Gates Knight; vpon, and from the Ilands of the Bermudas: his comming to Virginia, and the estate of that Colonie then, and after, vnder the gouernment of the Lord La Warre, Iuly 15. 1610" in Hakluytus posthumus; or, Purchas his pilgrimes, Samuel. Purchas, ed. 4 vols. (1625), vol. 4, 1734-1758. Transcription at http://www.virtualjamestown.org/TR%20original.doc or https://fas-history.rutgers.edu/clemens/Jamestown/Strachey.html
• Source: http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/strachey_william_1572-1621
• Source: https://books.google.com/books?id=BnotAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA99&lpg=PA99&dq=William+Strachey+AND+Eleanor+Read&source=bl&ots=1j0rghgIhP&sig=9IsvW4l2cqzUBwXMhs_-ePYv-BU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiixOfR6N3OAhVI72MKHcBoBskQ6AEIRTAJ#v=onepage&q=William%20Strachey%20AND%20Eleanor%20Read&f=false
• Source: http://historicjamestowne.org/history/william-strachey/
• William Strachey in Jamestown