James Davis (mariner)
Encyclopedia
James Davis was an English ship captain and author. He was part of the group of the proprietary Virginia Company of Plymouth which established the short-lived Popham Colony
near present-day Phippsburg, Maine
in August of 1607. During his brief tenure in the New World, Captain Davis was involved in the construction of the Virginia, a pinnace built to demonstrate shipbuilding potential of the new colony. When the Popham Colony failed in 1608, Virginia was one of the vessels to carry the surviving colonists back to England.
Records suggest that Captain Davis and Virginia made at least one other Atlantic crossing, from England to the more successful Jamestown Settlement
, a project of the Virginia Company of London. Virginia was apparently one of the two pinnaces in tow behind the seven large ships of the Third Supply
mission to Jamestown
, which left Plymouth in 1609. They encountered a 3 day storm thought to have been a hurricane, resulting in the shipwreck
of the flagship
of the fleet, the Sea Venture
on an uninhabited archipelago
(which was to become Bermuda
) after the ships became separated. Virginia apparently survived the storm, and under the command of Captain James Davis, arrived in the Colony in October 1609, probably in tow behind one of the larger ships. At that time, Captain Davis assumed command of Fort Algernon
at Point Comfort
, where he survived the Starving Time
of 1609-10. The Virginia disappears from records in 1610.
The date of his death is uncertain. Some sources believe Captain Davis was among those killed in the Indian Massacre of 1622
along the James River
. However, his name is not listed on official lists of the victims of the Virginia Company. Other records indicate that he died on February 16, 1623 at his plantation in Virginia. However, there are also others who believe that he may have lived as much as 10 years longer.
Captain Davis is credited with being the author of Relation of a Voyage to Sagadahoc, 1607-1608.
Popham Colony
The Popham Colony was a short-lived English colonial settlement in North America that was founded in 1607 and located in the present-day town of Phippsburg, Maine near the mouth of the Kennebec River by the proprietary Virginia Company of Plymouth...
near present-day Phippsburg, Maine
Phippsburg, Maine
Phippsburg is a town in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States, on the west side of the mouth of the Kennebec River. The population was 2,106 at the 2000 census. It is within the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical rea...
in August of 1607. During his brief tenure in the New World, Captain Davis was involved in the construction of the Virginia, a pinnace built to demonstrate shipbuilding potential of the new colony. When the Popham Colony failed in 1608, Virginia was one of the vessels to carry the surviving colonists back to England.
Records suggest that Captain Davis and Virginia made at least one other Atlantic crossing, from England to the more successful Jamestown Settlement
Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown was a settlement in the Colony of Virginia. Established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 14, 1607 , it was the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States, following several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke...
, a project of the Virginia Company of London. Virginia was apparently one of the two pinnaces in tow behind the seven large ships of the Third Supply
Third Supply
The Third Supply was the first truly successful wave of colonization in the first English settlement in the Americas, at Jamestown. It also resulted in the settlement of Bermuda ....
mission to Jamestown
Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown was a settlement in the Colony of Virginia. Established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 14, 1607 , it was the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States, following several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke...
, which left Plymouth in 1609. They encountered a 3 day storm thought to have been a hurricane, resulting in the shipwreck
Shipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
of the flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of the fleet, the Sea Venture
Sea Venture
The Sea Venture was a 17th-century English sailing ship, the wrecking of which in Bermuda is widely thought to have been the inspiration for Shakespeare's The Tempest...
on an uninhabited archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
(which was to become Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
) after the ships became separated. Virginia apparently survived the storm, and under the command of Captain James Davis, arrived in the Colony in October 1609, probably in tow behind one of the larger ships. At that time, Captain Davis assumed command of Fort Algernon
Fort Algernon
Fort Algernon was established in the fall of 1609 at the mouth of Hampton Roads at Point Comfort in the Virginia Colony. A strategic point for guarding the shipping channel leading from the Chesapeake Bay, Fort Monroe was built there beginning in the 1830s. The area is now known as Old Point Comfort...
at Point Comfort
Old Point Comfort
Old Point Comfort is a point of land located in the independent city of Hampton. It lies at the extreme tip of the Virginia Peninsula at the mouth of Hampton Roads in the United States....
, where he survived the Starving Time
Starving Time (Jamestown)
The Starving Time at Jamestown in the Colony of Virginia was a period of forced starvation initiated by the Powhatan Confederacy to remove the English from Virginia. The campaign killed all but 60 of the 500 colonists during the winter of 1609–1610....
of 1609-10. The Virginia disappears from records in 1610.
The date of his death is uncertain. Some sources believe Captain Davis was among those killed in the Indian Massacre of 1622
Indian massacre of 1622
The Indian Massacre of 1622 occurred in the Colony of Virginia, in what now belongs to the United States of America, on Friday, March 22, 1622...
along the James River
James River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
. However, his name is not listed on official lists of the victims of the Virginia Company. Other records indicate that he died on February 16, 1623 at his plantation in Virginia. However, there are also others who believe that he may have lived as much as 10 years longer.
Captain Davis is credited with being the author of Relation of a Voyage to Sagadahoc, 1607-1608.
Sources
- Biographies - James Davis (Wash & NoVa Company)
External links
- Maine's First Ship - a project to reconstruct Virginia
- Popham Colony