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Gilbert, Raleigh, a son of Sir Humphrey Gilbert, brother of Sir John Gilbert, and ne- phew o' Sir Walter Raleigh; very active in the settlement of America ; an incorporator in the first Virginia charter April 10, 1606; May 31, 1607, sailed from Plymouth, England, in the expedition sent out by the Plymouth Company to the Kennebec river in Maine ; was member of the local council, and after the death of George Popham was president ; after a winter of much suffering he returned with the set- tlers to England ; married Elizabeth, daugh- ter of John Kelley, Esq., of Devon ; member of the council for New England in 1620; he died in 1626, leaving seven children, many of whose descendants are living in Cornwall, England.
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Smith or Smythe, Sir Thomas, a great merchant and first treasurer of the Virginia Company of London, born about 1558, son of Sir Thomas Smythe, of Ostenhanger in Kent, a merchant of large wealth, who at the coming of the Armada lent Queen Elizabeth f1000, and who, as collector of the customs, was gen- erally known as "Mr. Customer Smith." The son was probably the most important merchant of his day, being at one time head of all the leading merchant companies of London. He was educated at Oxford, and went early into business. He was an incorporator of the Tur- key Company in 1581, a principal member of the Russia Company in 1587, and the first on the list of those persons to whom Raleigh assigned ( March 7, 1589) his interest in Vir- ginia. He formed a friendship with the Earl of Essex and accompanied him to Cadiz in 1596, where he was knighted by him for gal- lantry. In 1599 he was sheriff of London, and in 1600 was first governor of the East India Company. In 1601 he was captain of the trained bands of London, and was arrested about this time for suspected complicity in the insurrection of Essex. He was confined a short time and was released from the Tower of London in September, 1602. King James regarded Essex's friends as his friends, and on May 13 knighted him at the Tower. In 1604 he was appointed, on account of his con- cern in the Muscovy Company, special ambas- sador to Russia. He visited the Czar at Jaro- slav and obtained from him new privileges for the Muscovy Company. In 1603 he was reëlected governor of the East India Company and held the office till 1621; M. P. for Dun- wich, 1604-1I, and for Saltash, 1621-22.
In 1606 he was active in forming the Vir- ginia Company and was appointed member of the Virginia Council in England, and treasurer
of the company. He continued treasurer for twelve years. In 1618 he was appointed one of the commissioners of the navy and held that office till his death in 1625. In 1618 the Virginia Company divided into three parties- one composed of the lords and many gentlemen under the lead of Robert Rich, Earl of War- wick, and the Earl of Southampton ; another consisting principally of merchants under the lead of Sir Thomas Smythe ; and a third, "the faction of the auditors," under Sir Edwin Sandys. Smythe had been alienated from Rich on account of the marriage of his son John, a mere youth of 18, to a sister of the Earl, without the privity of the father. So the first and third factions united, and elected Sir Edwin Sandys as treasurer in 1619. Smythe, doubtless knowing his defeat to be certain, declined to stand. He continued, how- ever, governor of the East India Company and the Bermuda Islands Company. The fac- tional disturbances in the Virginia Company continued to grow, and the Smythe faction, now reinforced by the Earl of Warwick, assailed the government of the Virginia Col- ony as conducted by their adversaries, with such violence that King James finally had the charter abrogated in the courts in June, 1624. After this abrogation Smith was a member of the royal commission for Virginia affairs till his death. September 4, 1625. He was buried at Hone Church, Kent, where is to be seen a superb monument to his memory.
In estimating the services of Smythe to Vir- ginia, while there is no doubt that he had its interest clearly to heart and gave largely of his time and money to the enterprise, his policy of ruling the settlers like a military camp and establishing martial law cannot be approved. On the general subject of explorations he had noble and enlarged views. Besides performing
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
the main part in establishing an English colony in Virginia, he aided and promoted many voy- ages to find a northwest passage to India- Henry Hudson's in 1610, Jonas Poole's in 1611, Captain Button's in 1612, Robert Foth- erbie's in 1615, Robert Bileth and William Baffin's in 1616, when "Smith's Sound" was discovered and named for him. Indeed, his name was engrafted everywhere upon land and water beyond perhaps that of any other Eng- lishman. He was besides the patron of many men of science, and his gifts and bequests were very numerous. He married three times, his third wife being Sarah, daughter of Wil- liam Blount, Esq., by whom he had two sons -Thomas and John Smythe. The line of the former ended with the accomplished geogra- pher the Eighth Viscount Strangford, who died in 1869, and the line of the latter expired with Sir Sidney Stafford Smythe, chief baron of the exchequer in 1772. The family always wrote the name Smythe, though it is generally rendered Smith. A portrait belonging to the Skinner's Company has been identified with Sir Thomas Smythe.
Newport, Capt. Christopher. A Founder. (q. v.).
Wingfield, Edward Maria. A Founder. (q. v.).
Ratcliffe, John. A Founder. (q. v.). Smith, Captain John. A Founder. (q. v.). Percey, George. A Founder. (q. v.). Gates, Sir Thomas. A Founder. (q. v.). Somers, Sir George. A Founder. (q. v.). Dale, Sir Thomas. A Founder. (q. v.).
West, Sir Thomas, Lord Delaware. A Founder. (q. v.).
Argall, Sir Samuel. A Founder. (q. v.).
Yardley, Sir George. A Founder. (q. v.).
Symonds, Rev. William, born in Oxford- shire about 1557, educated at Magdalene Col- lege, Oxford, and in 1579 a fellow thereof. About this time he received a curacy, the gift of Captain John Smith's friend, Lord Wil- loughby, at Hatton Holgate, in the Diocese of Lincoln. He preached the first sermon before the Virginia Company of London, April 25, 1609. He revised Smith's "Map of Virginia and Annexed Relation," which was published at Oxford in 1612.
Crashaw, Rev. William, a member of the Virginia Company, an eloquent preacher sometimes classed as a Puritan divine and poet ; was baptized at Handsworth, October 26, 1572, educated at Cambridge; prebend of the church of Ripon, 1604; preacher at the Inner Temple, London ; at church of St. Mary Matfellon, of White Chapel, London, No- vember 13, 1618; died in 1626. He was father of the poet, Richard Crashaw, a Roman Cath- olic. In February, 1610, he preached before Lord Delaware and the London Company an eloquent sermon defending the character of the settlers against malicious imputations, and praising the objects of the Virginia enterprise.
Sandys, Sir Edwin, second treasurer of the Virginia Company, second son of Dr. Edwin Sandys, Archbishop of York, by Ciceley, sis- ter of Sir Thomas Wilford, was born De- cember 9. 1561 ; educated at Corpus Christi College ; B. A. October 16, 1579, and M. A. June 5, 1583. He was collated to the prebend of Wetwang in the Cathedral of York, and in 1589 was admitted a student of the Middle Temple.
On October 13, 1586, Sandys entered parlia-
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THE FOUNDERS
ment as a member for Andover. From the first he took an active part in its proceedings and repeatedly served on committees. In the parliament for 1588-89 he sat for Plymton, Devonshire, for which he was reelected in 1592-93. Soon after the dissolution of parlia- ment in 1593 he traveled abroad and was at Paris in 1599, when he prepared an account of the state of religion in Europe which he entitled "Europae Speculum," which is remark- ably tolerant for the times. Sandys returned to England the same year, and in 1602 re- signed his prebend at Wetwang. He was knighted by King James at the Charter House, May II, 1603, and was returned March 12, 1604, to James I.'s first parliament as member for Stockbridge, Hampshire. Sandys had im- bibed from Richard Hooker, who had been his tutor and afterwards his intimate friend, the ideas of a liberal government, and in parlia- ment he assumed a leading part in opposing all exactions and monopolies. He attempted to have abolished all the royal tenures and to throw trade open, instead of confining it to the great trading companies. In the parliament of 1607 he urged that all prisoners should be allowed the benefit of counsel, and in the same session he carried a resolution for the regular keeping of the journals of the House of Commons, which had not been done before. With a view to placating him, Sandys was granted by the King a moiety of the manor of Northbourne, Kent, but when parliament met on April 5, 1614, Sandys maintained his old attitude. He opposed Winwood's demand for a supply and was the moving spirit on a com- mittee appointed to consider taxes. In a re- markable speech on May 21 he declared that the King's authority rested on the consent of the people, and that any King who ruled by any other title ought to be dethroned. All this
exasperated James against him, and on the adjournment of parliament he was summoned before the council and punished by being ordered not to leave London without permis- sion, and to give bonds for his appearance whenever he was called upon.
No parliament was summoned for more than six years after this, and meanwhile Sandys turned his attention to colonial affairs. He was a member of the Somers Island Company and of the East India Company, and in both he took an active part. But his energies were especially devoted to the Virginia Company, of which he had been appointed a member of the superior council in 1607, and he had the greater part in drafting the charters of 1609 and 1612, which vested the power of govern- ment in the company instead of the King as hitherto. Then in 1617 he was chosen by the company to assist Sir Thomas Smythe in his management of Virginia affairs. In this capac- ity he warmly supported the request of the Leyden exiles to be allowed to settle in the company's domains, and it was largely owing to him that a patent was granted them. On April 28, 1619, a combination of parties in the company resulted in the almost unanimous election of Sandys as the successor of Sir Thomas Smythe in the office of treasurer. He made a complete departure from the old method of government, and each colonist was given a dividend of land and invited to share in the government. Acting on the company's instructions, Yardley was sent over as gov- ernor and summoned an assembly of burgesses to meet in the church at Jamestown, July 30, 1619. It was the first representative body assembled in America. On June 6, 1619, Sandys obtained the company's sanction to a college at Henrico, and during the same year procured the transshipment of a number of
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
women to the colony to serve as wives to the tenants on the public lands. He also secured the exclusion from England of foreign tobacco in the interest of the Virgina trade. When his year as treasurer expired, Sandys was not reelected, because of the violent interference of the King, who sent word to the company "to choose the devil if you will, but not Sir Edwin Sandys." The company would not, however, take any of the nominees of the King, but elected Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton, and .John Ferrar was elected his deputy. Both were staunch adherents of the Sandys party, and during the frequent absences of Southampton, Sandys still took the leading part in the company's business. He opposed the movement to dissolve the charter with all his might, and had the question brought up in parliament, where he charged the commissioners appointed by the King to investigate Virginia affairs with extreme par- tiality, and ascribed the intrigues against the company to the influence of the Spanish am- bassador, Gondomar. Despite his efforts, judgment was rendered against the charter June 24, 1624, and the company was dissolved. Sandys did not very long survive this action, but continued as the leader of the popular party in parliament till his death in October, 1629. He was interred in the church of North- bourne, in Kent. He was married four times, and by the last wife, Catherine, daughter of Sir Richard Bulkley, he had with other issue, five sons, all of whom, save one, adhered in the civil war to the popular side. Sir Edwin Sandys had an elder brother, Sir Samuel Sandys, who served in parliament, was knighted, etc., and had two daughters by nis wife Mercy, daughter of Martin Culpeper, Esq., one who married Sir Francis Wyatt, governor of Virginia, and another who mar-
ried Sir Fernando Weyman, who died in Vir- ginia. Another brother was George Sandys, the poet, who resided in Virginia, where he acted as treasurer of the colony and was a member of the local council there.
Wriothesley, Henry, third Earl of South- ampton and third treasurer of the Virginia Company, was the second and only surviving son of Henry Wriothesley, the second earl, by his wife Mary Browne, daughter of the last Viscount Montague. He was born October 6, 1573, and succeeded to the earldom at the death of his father in 1581. He attended St. John's College, Cambridge, and in 1589 at the age of 16 graduated as Master of Arts. In the autumn of 1592 he was accounted the most handsome and accomplished of all the young lords who accompanied Elizabeth to Oxford that year. On November 17, 1595, he distin- guished himself in the lists set up in the Queen's presence in honor of the thirty-sev- enth anniversary of her accession, and was likened by George Poe in his account of the same to Bevis of Southampton, the ancient type of chivalry. His martial ardor was en- couraged by his association with Essex, whom he accompanied in 1596 in the military and naval expedition to Cadiz. Next year he again accompanied Essex in the expedition to the Azores, but he alienated the Queen by marry- ing without her consent one of the Queen's waiting women, Elizabeth Vernon, a cousin of Essex. He was thrown into the Tower, but soon released. He went with Essex on the military expedition to Ireland, and on his return was drawn into the conspiracy, whereby Essex and his friends desired to regain by vio- lence their influence at court. The rising failed completely, and Essex and Southampton were tried for treason and condemned to death.
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THE FOUNDERS
While Essex was executed, the sentence of Southampton, owing to his youth, was com- muted by the influence of Sir Robert Cecil to imprisonment for life. On the death of Queen Elizabeth in 1603, the first act of King James was to set Southampton free. He was given high honors; made knight of the garter, ap- pointed captain of the Isle of Wight and Carisbrook Castle, as well as steward, receiver and bailiff of the royal manors on the Island. In 1604 he was fully restored in blood by an act of parliament, and recreated Earl of South- ampton. He became Keeper of the King's game in the divisions of Andover, Sawley and Kingsclerc, Hampshire, and lord lieutenant of Hampshire, jointly with the Earl of Devon- shire. He was sworn of the King's council, April 19, 1619.
In three aspects especially he shone with surpassing lustre. Literature was from his early manhood a chief interest of Southamp- ton's life. He was the Maecenas of his age, and loved to surround himself with poets and men of letters, whom he encouraged with word and money. Among these were Gervas Mark- ham, Barnabe Barnes, Thomas Nash, Florio and Shakespeare, who celebrated his name in prose and verse. Then his impetuous spirit begat a love of freedom which showed itself in his opposition at court and in the house of lords to the arbitrary orders of King James and his favorite Buckingham, whom he thor- oughly disliked. He was a strong friend of the Protestant interest, and opposed the Span- ish match proposed for Prince Charles, and on account of his too great familiarity with the popular party he was arrested and temporarily confined.
But especially was he the friend of coloniza- tion, acting the part of another Sir Walter Raleigh, and his dream was to extend the
power of England throughout the world. To this object he devoted his leisure and ample wealth without stint. He sent Gosnold and Gilbert to Virginia in 1602 and Weymouth in 1605, had a great share in forming the Virginia Company of London in 1606 and was a mem- ber of the Virginia Company's council in Eng- land in 1609. The same year he was admitted a member of the East India Company's coun- cil. In 1610 he helped to dispatch Henry Hud- son to North America, and was a member of the Northwest Passage Company 1612, and of the Somers Island Company in 1615. He was chosen treasurer of the Virginia Company, 1620, and devoted much energy to championing its interests, to which Gondomar, the Spanish ambassador, was resolutely hostile, but was unable to prevent the withdrawal of the com- pany's charter in June, 1624. He had a copy of the record of the company made of the period of his administration, and when the King's commissioners demanded its delivery, the Earl made the brave answer that he would as soon part with the title deeds of his land as part with these manuscripts, since he re- garded them as the evidence of his honor in the Virginia service. The maps of New England, Virginia and Bermuda commemorate South- ampton's labors as a colonial pioneer. In his honor Southampton Hundred, Hampton river and Hampton roads in Virginia were named.
When in 1624 a defensive treaty of alliance was made between England and Holland against the Emperor of Germany, Southamp- ton, accompanied by. his son, James, left Eng- land and took command of a troop of English volunteers. But not long after reaching Hol- land both were attacked with fever and soon died. Southampton's death occurred Novem- ber 10, 1624.
Ferrar, Nicholas, Sr., skinner, a member
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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
of the Virginia Company, ranked high among the merchants of London, and traded very extensively with the East and West Indies. He was interested in the adventures of Haw- kins, Drake and Raleigh. He died in April, 1620, and was buried in the church of St. Bennet, Sherhog, London. He gave by will £300 to the college in Virginia, to be paid when there shall be ten of the Indian children placed in it, and in the meantime £24 by the year for the instruction of three Indian children in the Christian religion. His son Nicholas finally transferred his bequest to the Bermuda Islands. He married Mary, daughter of Law- rence Wodenoth, Esq., a woman of fervent piety and a model mother, and had issue: (1) Susan, married John Collett, of Bourne Bridge, Cambridgeshire; (2) John: (3) Erasmus, a barrister-of-law; (4) Nicholas; (5) William, who was a member of the council in Virginia ; (6) Richard.
Ferrar, John, a member of the Virginia Company, which he joined in 1612. He was afterwards added to his Majesty's council for Virginia, and was deputy treasurer from April 28, 1619, to May 22, 1622. He was a member of parliament for Tamworth in 1621-22. Like his brother Nicholas, he was devoted to the interest of the Virginia Company, and contrib- uted all his power to the success of the col- ony. When his brother retired to Little Gid- dings in Huntingdonshire, he soon joined him with his family, and shared in the religious life established there. After the death of his brother Nicholas, he continued to live accord- ing to the same rule. In 1629 Charles I., who was always friendly to the Ferrars, visited the settlement and was greatly pleased with what he saw. In 1647 the home and church of Little Giddings were spoiled by some adherents of
the parliament, and the little community was broken up. He wrote the life of his brother Nicholas, which was published by Rev. Peter Peckard, Master of Magdalene College, Cam- bridge, in 1790, and of his own son Nicholas, who died in 1640. John Ferrar married twice : First Anne, daughter of William Shepherd, Esq., of Oxfordshire, who died without issue ; and secondly, Bathsheba, daughter of Israel Owen, of London, and had issue by her : Nich- olas, John and Virginia. The last who never married inherited the family interest in Vir- ginia and kept up a great correspondence with her cousins there and other planters, and was especially interested in the silk culture.
Ferrar, Nicholas, Jr., one of the greatest friends of the Virginia Colony, was third son of Nicholas Ferrar, of London, merchant, by his wife Mary, daughter of Laurence Wode- noth, of Savington Hall, Cheshire. Under the excellent care of his father and mother he soon developed a character which united a great aptitude for management with a singularly pious and gentle disposition. From his earliest years he was regarded by his family as a prodigy. In 1610 he took the degree of Bach- elor of Arts at Clare Hall, Cambridge Univer- sity, and in 1613 was Master of Arts. He travelled extensively on the continent and vis- ited Holland, Germany, Italy and Spain. He returned in 1618, and joined the Virginia Com- pany, buying two shares from Sir William Smith. He became greatly interested in its affairs, and devoted himself heart and soul to its work, being made member of the company's council in 1619. In 1622 he succeeded his brother John as deputy treasurer, and for the next two years was the chief adviser of the Earl of Southampton and Sir Edwin Sandys in withstanding the assaults of the King and
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THE FOUNDERS
the privy council upon the charter. During this time he caused to be made the copies of the Virginia records which are now preserved in the Library of Congress and were recently published. Despite all his efforts the company was deprived of its patent in 1624.
Ferrar was a well known man in political circles. In 1624 he was elected to parliament for Lymington, and took part in the impeach- ment of the lord treasurer, the Earl of Middle- sex, who had been foremost in the dissolution of the Virginia Company. But this was the last act of Ferrar's political life. Disgusted with the world of business and politics, he wound up his business concerns and retired to Little Giddings, in Huntingdonshire, and established there a settlement of a religious nature. He was joined by the families of his brother John, and his brother-in-law, John Collet. The entire household comprised 30 persons. He himself acted as chaplain of the community. There was a definite occupation for every hour of the day, and vigils were kept during the night. Little Giddings was the school, the infirmary and the dispensary of the region round about. Thus engaged and re- moved from the turmoil of the world, Nich- olas Ferrar yielded up his pure soul Decem- ber 4, 1637. He never married.
Rich, Sir Robert, eldest son of Robert Rich, third Lord Rich, born in May or June, 1587 ; made a knight of the Bath at the coro- nation of James I., July 25, 1603, and suc- ceeded his father as second Earl of Warwick in April, 1619. He played an important though not always enviable part in the affairs of Virginia and New England. In 1616, when the Duke of Savoy was at war with Spain, he sent out several ships under the commission of the Duke to prey upon Spanish commerce. One of these ships, the Treasurer, under Cap-
tain Daniel Elfrith, roved about in the West Indies, where she took certain negroes from the Spaniards, and in consort with a man-of- war of Flushing brought them to Virginia in 1619. These were the first negroes imported. Rich was added to the council for Virginia in 1619. Having quarrelled with Sir Thomas Smythe, the treasurer of the company, because of bad feeling created by the marriage of his sister Isabel to Smythe's son, Sir John Smythe, he united with the popular party in the Vir- ginia Company and elected Sir Edwin Sandys as treasurer. He soon repented of this act, and was afterwards a bitter opponent of Southampton and Sandys, and contributed to the abrogation of the charter in 1624. After the dissolution he was a member of the coun- cil for Virginia appointed by the King. War- wick River county, founded in 1634, was named for him, which in 1643 received its present name, Warwick county.
He was active in the affairs of New Eng- land, was member of the New England coun- cil in 1620, signed the first Plymouth patent, June 1, 1621, and was president of the New England council, 1630-32. He was also inter- ested in the Bermudas, the Bahamas and in Guiana. He espoused the Puritan side in the civil wars, and parliament in 1643 made him admiral of the islands and coasts of America, but he was deprived of this office in 1645. In May, 1648, he was made lord high admiral by parliament, but his commission was revoked the following year. When Cromwell succeeded to power, Lord Rich made friends with him, and on his death April 18, 1658, left his estate more improved and repaired than any man who figured in the rebellion.
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