Samuel Argall
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Sir Samuel Argall (1572 or 1580 – 24 January 1626) was an English adventurer and naval officer.
As a sea captain, in 1609, Argall was the first to determine a shorter northern route from England across the
In 1610 he named Delaware Bay in honor of Lord De La Warr. Shortly afterwards Dutch settlers along the bay gave it a different name, but the name Delaware Bay was restored when the English took control of the area in 1665.
He is best known for his diplomacy by force with the Chief of the Powhatan Confederacy. He abducted the Chief's daughter, Pocahontas, on 13 April 1613, and held her as a captive at Henricus as security against the return of English captives and property held by Powhatan. Pocahontas had long been a friend of the English and was treated with great respect according to her rank, as the English considered her an Algonquian princess.
Eventually peace and trade relations were restored between the English and the Powhatan Confederacy, after English planter
Knighted by
Childhood
Samuel Argall, baptized 4 December 1580, was the fourth son of Richard Argall (c. 1536–1588) of East Sutton, Kent, by his third wife, Mary Scott (d.1598).[2] She was the daughter of Sir Reginald Scott of Scot's Hall, one of the foremost houses in Kent, and his second wife, Mary Tuke, the daughter of Sir Bryan Tuke of Layer Marney, Essex and his wife. Tuke was secretary to Cardinal Wolsey.[3][4]
Shorter route to Virginia
In 1609, Argall, as an English ship's captain employed by the
Upon his arrival at Jamestown, Captain Argall found the colonists in dire straits. Argall resupplied them with all the food he could spare and returned to England at the end of the summer. The help came to the colony at one of the most critical periods in its history, as this was the beginning of the Starving Time, during which fewer than one in five survived. Without the provisions supplied by Argall, the colony may have been totally destroyed.
During this voyage, Argall also prevented the Spanish from learning about the weakness of the Jamestown colony. In July 1609, Argall encountered a Spanish reconnaissance ship, La Asunción de Cristo, under the command of Francisco Fernández de Écija, sent from St. Augustine by governor Pedro de Ibarra to survey activities at Jamestown. Argall had a larger ship, Mary and John, stationed at Cape Henry, and chased the Spanish ship, preventing it from entering Chesapeake Bay.[6]
Under Lord de la Warre
Argall returned to the Virginia Colony in the summer of 1610, when Royal Governor
Serving under Dale, in March 1613, Argall, looking for food for the settlement, sailed up the Potomac River. There, he traded with the Patawomeck, a Native American tribe who were affiliated with the Powhatan Confederacy. The Patawomeck lived at the village of Passapatanzy, as well as several other villages along the river.
When two English colonists began trading with the Patawomeck, they discovered that Pocahontas, the daughter of
According to Patawomeck oral tradition, with the help of Japazaws, the colonists tricked Pocahontas into being captured. Their purpose, as Argalls said in a letter, was to ransom her for English prisoners held by Chief Powhatan, along with various weapons and farming tools that the Powhatan people had stolen.[7] Powhatan returned the captives, but failed to satisfy the colonists with the amount of weapons and tools he returned. A long standoff ensued.
Argall also commanded the ship that took Pocahontas, her family, and her retinue, including her brother in law Uttamatomakkin, to visit England in 1616. He also captained the ship that returned John Rolfe to Virginia, after his wife's sudden death.
Raid on Acadia
Later in 1613, under orders from London, Argall began to raid
In the Virginia Colony, Argall was viewed as an autocrat who was insensitive to the poorer of the colonists, who included indentured servants. After Argall served as Principal Governor of Virginia beginning in 1617, Lord De La Warr was en route from England to investigate complaints about the man, but died at sea in 1618. Argall was succeeded by Sir George Yeardley in 1619 (who named a son Argall in his honor). After returning to London, Argall was cleared of the accusations against him, and continued to serve King James I.
Later life and career
In 1620, Argall was captain of a merchant vessel that took part in an expedition against Algiers in North Africa. It was then part of the Ottoman Empire.[5] On his return, he was made a member of the Council of New England. Later he was named admiral for New England.
On 26 June 1622, Argall was knighted by King
Argall never married. He died at sea on or about 24 January 1626. He left a will dated 23 May 1625, which was proved 21 March 1626. In it he mentions the following relations: sister Filmer, niece Sarah Filmer, nephew Samuel Filmer; sister Bathurst, nephew Samuel Bathurst; sister Fleetwood; brother John Argall Esq and John's son Samuel, whose descendants have flourished in Virginia and the West.[8] He was interred in St Gluvias churchyard, Penryn, Cornwall.
Representation in other media
- Argall (voiced by Kevin Farrell) appears in the Animated Hero Classics1994 episode Pocahontas.
- Yorick van Wageningen portrays Argall in Terrence Malick's 2005 film The New World.
Notes
- Baldwin, R.C.D. (2004). "Argall, Sir Samuel (bap. 1580, d. 1626)". required.)
- Richardson, Douglas (2011). Everingham, Kimball G. (ed.). Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families. Vol. II (2nd ed.). Salt Lake City. p. 165. ISBN 978-1449966386.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - Richardson, Douglas (2011). Everingham, Kimball G. (ed.). Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families. Vol. IV (2nd ed.). Salt Lake City. pp. 2–3. ISBN 978-1460992708.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - Squires, W. Austin (1979) [1966]. "Argall, Sir Samuel". In Brown, George Williams (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. I (1000–1700) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
- Roberts, Gary Boyd (2004). The Royal Descents of 600 Immigrants. Genealogical Publishing Company.
References
- ^ Fausz, J. Frederick. "Samuel Argall (bap. 1580–1626)". Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
- ^ Baldwin 2004.
- ^ Richardson II 2011, p. 165.
- ^ Richardson IV 2011, pp. 2–3.
- ^ ISBN 0837932017.
- ISBN 978-0-8078-3159-5.
- ^ Argall, Letter to Nicholas Hawes. p. 754.
- ^ "Genealogical Gleanings in England, Vol II"
Sources
- Baldwin, R. C. D. "Argall, Sir Samuel". doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/640. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- Coote, Henry Coote (1885). . In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 2. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 78–80.
- Wilson, J. G.; Fiske, J., eds. (1900). . Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton. p. 88.
- Squires, W. Austin (1979) [1966]. "Argall, Sir Samuel". In Brown, George Williams (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. I (1000–1700) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.