Temperance Flowerdew
Encyclopedia
Temperance Flowerdew was an early settler of the Jamestown Colony and a key member of the Flowerdew family, significant participants in the history of Jamestown. Temperance Flowerdew was wife of two Governors of Virginia, sister of another early colonist, aunt to a representative at the first General Assembly and "cousin german" (first cousin) to the Secretary to the Colony. Flowerdew was one of the few survivors of the brutal winter of 1609-10, known as the "Starving Time", which killed almost ninety percent of Jamestown's inhabitants. Later, upon the death of her second husband, George Yeardley
, Flowerdew became one of the wealthiest women in Virginia. Upon her death, the estate was transferred to her children despite the efforts of her third husband to claim it. She appears on the periphery of many historical events that occurred during the period.
, London.
aboard the Falcon, commanded by Captain John Martin, in May of 1609 in a convoy of nine ships as part of the Virginia Company of London's Third Supply Mission. Whether she was accompanied by her husband is not of record. The flagship of the convoy, the Sea Venture
, had the new leaders for Jamestown aboard, including George Yeardley
. During the trip, the convoy encountered a severe storm which was quite likely a hurricane. The Sea Venture became separated from the rest of the convoy, ultimately coming aground on the island of Bermuda, where it was stranded for months. The Falcon continued on, reaching Jamestown in August 1609.
, but most of the men were slain during the attempt, only two escaping. The "common stores that should have kept all of the colonists through the winter" were instead "severely reduced by Indian raids and consumed by the commanders". The colonists subsisted on roots, herbs, acorns, berries, and fish. By the end of the winter, the five hundred English who had been left in Virginia only numbered about sixty.
In May 1610, the survivors of the Sea Venture finally arrived, in two smaller ships constructed from its wreckage. The newcomers were "shocked to discover the state of the colony". Sir Thomas Gates
took control as the new Lieutenant-Governor and decided to abandon the town. They loaded the survivors on the ships and headed down river. The next morning, they encountered a long-boat with dispatches from Lord De La Warr
. He had just arrived with three ships, loaded with supplies for Jamestown. They all returned up the river, back to Jamestown, on the same day, and Lord De La Warr
arrived two days later.
George Yeardley was appointed Deputy Governor by Sir Thomas Dale. In 1616, Deputy-Governor Yeardley secured a peace with the Chickahominy Tribe
that made it possible for the colonists to trade with them and live in peace for the next two years. Yeardley's term ended in 1617. Yeardley also had the title of "Captain General of Virginia". When the Yeardleys returned briefly to England in 1618, George Yeardley was knighted by King James I
and appointed Governor of Virginia.
Governor Yeardley was given a patent grant of 1000 acres (4 km²), known as Flowerdew Hundred Plantation
. There are conflicting stories regarding the naming of this land. It may have been named by the previous owner, Temperance's brother Stanley Flowerdew, or it may have been named by Yeardley in honor of his wife's wealthy father. The second possibility is perhaps more likely, since Yeardley named another plantation after his wife's equally wealthy mother. Among their many crops, the Yeardleys grew tobacco which they then sent to England to sell. George Yeardley remained Governor until 1621.
In 1624, Yeardley sold Flowerdew Hundred to Abraham Piersey, and the deed from that sale is said to be the oldest in America. in 1625, the family was living in Jamestown.
(1586–1634), son of Thomas West, 2nd Baron De La Warr
.
Flowerdew died in December of the same year, leaving her three children, ages 14, 10, and 5, as orphans. Upon her death, the estate she had inherited from Yeardley was divided among their three children. George Yeardely's brother, Ralph Yeardley, became trustee for the property. Governor West went to London to contest the will, but failed in the effort.
Sources:
Weis, Frederick Lewis. Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America before 1700. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, Maryland, 2006.
Athearn, Robert G. The New World: American Heritage New Illustrated History of the United States, Volume 1. Dell Publishing Co., Inc., New York, 1963.
Collins, Gail. America's Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines. Harper Collins Publishers, New York, 2003.
George Yeardley
Sir George Yeardley was a plantation owner and three time colonial Governor of the British Colony of Virginia. A survivor of the Virginia Company of London's ill-fated Third Supply Mission, whose flagship, the Sea Venture, was shipwrecked on Bermuda for 10 months in 1609-10, he is best remembered...
, Flowerdew became one of the wealthiest women in Virginia. Upon her death, the estate was transferred to her children despite the efforts of her third husband to claim it. She appears on the periphery of many historical events that occurred during the period.
Origins and First Marriage
Temperance Flowerdew was the daughter of Anthony Flowerdew, of Hethersett, Norfolk, and his wife Martha Stanley, of Scottow, County Norfolk.. She married first Richard Barrow, 29 April 1609, St Gregory by St Paul'sSt Gregory by St Paul's
St Gregory's by St Paul's was a parish church in the Castle Baynard ward of the City of London It was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and not rebuilt...
, London.
Tempestuous Sea Voyage
Mrs Barrow sailed for JamestownJamestown, 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...
aboard the Falcon, commanded by Captain John Martin, in May of 1609 in a convoy of nine ships as part of the Virginia Company of London's Third Supply Mission. Whether she was accompanied by her husband is not of record. The flagship of the convoy, 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...
, had the new leaders for Jamestown aboard, including George Yeardley
George Yeardley
Sir George Yeardley was a plantation owner and three time colonial Governor of the British Colony of Virginia. A survivor of the Virginia Company of London's ill-fated Third Supply Mission, whose flagship, the Sea Venture, was shipwrecked on Bermuda for 10 months in 1609-10, he is best remembered...
. During the trip, the convoy encountered a severe storm which was quite likely a hurricane. The Sea Venture became separated from the rest of the convoy, ultimately coming aground on the island of Bermuda, where it was stranded for months. The Falcon continued on, reaching Jamestown in August 1609.
Arrival in Jamestown
Temperance Barrow arrived in Jamestown just before the winter of the Starving Time, an extraordinarily harsh winter which the majority of townspeople did not survive. As provisions grew scarce, some thirty colonists tried to procure corn from PowhatanPowhatan
The Powhatan is the name of a Virginia Indian confederation of tribes. It is estimated that there were about 14,000–21,000 of these native Powhatan people in eastern Virginia when the English settled Jamestown in 1607...
, but most of the men were slain during the attempt, only two escaping. The "common stores that should have kept all of the colonists through the winter" were instead "severely reduced by Indian raids and consumed by the commanders". The colonists subsisted on roots, herbs, acorns, berries, and fish. By the end of the winter, the five hundred English who had been left in Virginia only numbered about sixty.
In May 1610, the survivors of the Sea Venture finally arrived, in two smaller ships constructed from its wreckage. The newcomers were "shocked to discover the state of the colony". Sir Thomas Gates
Thomas Gates (governor)
Sir Thomas Gates , followed George Percy as governor of Jamestown, the English colony of Virginia . Percy, through inept leadership, was responsible for the lives lost during the period called the Starving Time...
took control as the new Lieutenant-Governor and decided to abandon the town. They loaded the survivors on the ships and headed down river. The next morning, they encountered a long-boat with dispatches from Lord De La Warr
Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr
Thomas West, 3rd and 12th Baron De La Warr was the Englishman after whom the bay, the river, and, consequently, an American Indian people and U.S. state, all later called "Delaware", were named....
. He had just arrived with three ships, loaded with supplies for Jamestown. They all returned up the river, back to Jamestown, on the same day, and Lord De La Warr
Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr
Thomas West, 3rd and 12th Baron De La Warr was the Englishman after whom the bay, the river, and, consequently, an American Indian people and U.S. state, all later called "Delaware", were named....
arrived two days later.
Marriage to George Yeardley
By 1618, Richard Barrow had died, and his widow Temperance had married George Yeardley. The couple had three children, Elizabeth (c. 1614), Argoll (1618) and Francis (1623).George Yeardley was appointed Deputy Governor by Sir Thomas Dale. In 1616, Deputy-Governor Yeardley secured a peace with the Chickahominy Tribe
Chickahominy (tribe)
The Chickahominy are a tribe of Virginia Indians who primarily live in Charles City County midway between Richmond and Williamsburg in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This area is not far from where they lived in 1600....
that made it possible for the colonists to trade with them and live in peace for the next two years. Yeardley's term ended in 1617. Yeardley also had the title of "Captain General of Virginia". When the Yeardleys returned briefly to England in 1618, George Yeardley was knighted by King James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
and appointed Governor of Virginia.
Governor Yeardley was given a patent grant of 1000 acres (4 km²), known as Flowerdew Hundred Plantation
Flowerdew Hundred Plantation
Flowerdew Hundred Plantation dates to 1618/19 with the patent by Sir George Yeardley, the Governor and Captain General of Virginia, of on the south side of the James River. Yeardley probably named the plantation after his wife's wealthy father, Anthony Flowerdew, just as he named another...
. There are conflicting stories regarding the naming of this land. It may have been named by the previous owner, Temperance's brother Stanley Flowerdew, or it may have been named by Yeardley in honor of his wife's wealthy father. The second possibility is perhaps more likely, since Yeardley named another plantation after his wife's equally wealthy mother. Among their many crops, the Yeardleys grew tobacco which they then sent to England to sell. George Yeardley remained Governor until 1621.
In 1624, Yeardley sold Flowerdew Hundred to Abraham Piersey, and the deed from that sale is said to be the oldest in America. in 1625, the family was living in Jamestown.
Marriage to Francis West; death
Yeardley died on November 13, 1627. On March 31, 1628, Flowerdew married his successor, Governor Francis WestFrancis West
Francis West was a Deputy Governor of the Colony and Dominion of Virginia.West was the second son of Thomas West, 2nd Baron De La Warr of Wherwell Abbey in Hampshire and his wife, Anne Knollys....
(1586–1634), son of Thomas West, 2nd Baron De La Warr
Thomas West, 2nd Baron De La Warr
Thomas West, 2nd and 11th Baron De La Warr of Wherwell Abbey in the English county of Hampshire was a member of Elizabeth I's Privy Council and High Sheriff of Hampshire. Thomas was the only son of William West, 1st Baron De La Warr and Lady Elizabeth Strange...
.
Flowerdew died in December of the same year, leaving her three children, ages 14, 10, and 5, as orphans. Upon her death, the estate she had inherited from Yeardley was divided among their three children. George Yeardely's brother, Ralph Yeardley, became trustee for the property. Governor West went to London to contest the will, but failed in the effort.
External links
- The History Channel Interactive Jamestown Exhibit
- Biography of Temperance Flowerdew
- Starving Winter of 1609-1610 - Temperance Flowerdew
- Lady Yeardley in Historical Jamestown
- JSTOR News - Concerning George Yardley and Temperance Flowerdew - A synopsis and review By James P. C. Southall
Sources:
Weis, Frederick Lewis. Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America before 1700. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, Maryland, 2006.
Athearn, Robert G. The New World: American Heritage New Illustrated History of the United States, Volume 1. Dell Publishing Co., Inc., New York, 1963.
Collins, Gail. America's Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines. Harper Collins Publishers, New York, 2003.