Stars and Stripes Discover the East of England’s strong associations with the USA. z Follow in the footsteps of the New World settlers, including Bartholomew Gosnold - who in 1607, helped establish the first permanent English-speaking settlement in America, at Jamestown in Virginia. z Explore the story of Norfolk-born John Rolfe, and his wife, the famous Native American princess Pocahontas. z Visit the seafaring town of Harwich, home of Christopher Jones, Master of The Mayflower - the vessel which sailed The Pilgrim Fathers to the New World in 1620. z Trace the descendants of five US Presidents, including George Washington, George Bush and Abraham Lincoln. z Enjoy the big band sounds of famous US wartime bandleader Glenn Miller and his orchestra. z Discover ‘The Friendly Invasion’, when from 1942, the East of England became home to hundreds of US servicemen - visit historic airfields, museums and memorials. This information sheet brings together details on the region’s wide and varied connections with the USA - from its founding to the present day. During 2007, the East of England will form part of the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, the birthplace of America. Contents American Connections Early Settlers 2 Presidents Row 12 The Friendly Invasion (USAAF) 13 Little America 16 www.visiteastofengland.com Produced by East of England Tourism www.visiteastofengland.com 1 Produced by East of England Tourism Early Settlers People from the East of England have played an important role in the discovery and settlement of North America. The first three US counties were named Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk - and there are also many towns and villages named by the settlers in memory of their homeland. Jamestown Jamestown The US state of Virginia was named in 1585 by Sir Walter Raleigh - after Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603). It was during her reign that the first attempts by English merchants were made to establish and build an empire in the New World - attracted by its land and riches. In the late 1580’s, Sir Richard Grenville unsuccessfully tried to found a settlement at Roanoke Island in present-day North Carolina. It was not until April 1606, that King James I would grant a charter to two commercial companies, giving them the right to establish English colonies in Virginia. These were the Virginia Company of London and the Virginia Company of Plymouth *. Investors and entrepreneurs purchased shares in these companies - convinced that gold would be found, and that the colonists would find a way through to the Pacific, opening up rich trade with China and India. Captain Bartholomew Gosnold (from Suffolk) and Captain John Smith (from Lincolnshire) are regarded as two of the principal movers in the London organisation. * The Virginia Company of Plymouth’s attempt to settle in Virginia proved a failure in 1607, when they tried to establish the Popham colony in present-day Maine. Abandoned after just one year, the King James I settlers returned to England. The Virginia Company of London (led by Captain Christopher Newport) set sail from Blackwall (London) on the 20 December 1606, with 105 settlers aboard three ships - Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery. On April 26 1607, they landed at Cape Henry on the eastern shores of Virginia. Here they opened a sealed box containing further instructions and the names of the governing council, amongst them were Gosnold, Newport and Smith. They then entered Chesapeake Bay - travelling 50 miles up the James River, where they found a marshy peninsula. It was here on the 14 May 1607, that the first permanent English-speaking settlement in America - Jamestown was founded. But the following months would not be easy for the settlers, with disease, famine and attacks by the Native Americans taking their toll on the population. The English had entered the lands of the Algonquian, a powerful Indian tribe led by Chief Powhatan. But the London Company were determined to succeed, and sent more men and supplies. In September 1608, the election of Captain Godspeed www.visiteastofengland.comwww.visiteastofengland.com 2 Produced Produced by by East East of of England England Tourism Tourism John Smith as President brought a much needed strong and structured leadership to the colony - but a year later he was forced to return to England for treatment on an injury. The next winter (1609-10) saw the settlers suffer the ‘Starving Time’, when their numbers were virtually wiped out (only 60 of the original 214 settlers survived). On the point of abandoning the settlement and returning to England, it was only with the sudden arrival (delayed after a shipwreck) of a new governor and supplies that the colony was brought back on its feet. The colonists of Jamestown had always been expected to start industrial enterprises - that would return profits for the investors. Work such as silk and glass making were undertaken - but later tobacco growing would make the colony profitable, ensuring its survival and a constant influx of settlers. This came about through the experiments of another notable settler John Rolfe in 1610 (the first successful planter of tobacco). Four years later, he would marry Pocahontas, daughter of Chief Powhatan - this bringing several years of peace between the settlers and Native Americans. On the 30 July 1619, the first English representative government in the New World met at Jamestown - which remained the capital of Virginia throughout the 17th C. Following a major uprising by the Algonquians in 1622, the Virginia Company was dissolved, and the state became a royal colony. In 1699, the capital was moved to Williamsburg and Jamestown fell into decay. Today it is owned by the US government, part of the Colonial National Historical Park. Key figures from the East of England Gosnold, Captain Bartholomew (1572-1607) The eldest son of a country squire, Gosnold was born at the village of Otley, nr. Ipswich (Suffolk). His birthplace is either Otley Hall (the Gosnold family were tenants here from 1401, until they purchased the building in 1542) - or more likely, the ‘High House’ (not open to the public) in the village. Gosnold was educated at a school in Ipswich, then Jesus College in Cambridge (Cambridgeshire). It was here that he met the Earl of Southampton, who would later fund his 1602 expedition. Gosnold then studied law at Middle Temple in London. In 1595, he married Mary Golding Bartholomew Gosnold and moved to the town of Bury St. Edmunds (also in Suffolk). Gosnold had always been entranced with the idea of exploring the New World - and founding an English colony there. He was friends with writer/geographer Richard Hakluyt (who probably encouraged his ambitions) and sailed with Sir Walter Raleigh. On the 26 March 1602, Gosnold set sail aboard Concord, accompanied by 20 or so friends, mostly from Cambridge. Seven weeks later (14 May), land was sighted near the present day Cape Elizabeth in Maine. He then explored the coastline, discovering and naming ‘Cape Cod’, due to its abundance of fish - then the island of ‘Martha’s Vineyard’, after his first-born daughter. Gosnold established a small post on one of the Elizabeth Islands, now known as Cuttyhunk (just off the Massachusetts coast). It was here that he built the first known English house in America. But after just three weeks, the settlers became disillusioned by the hostility of the Native Americans and the scarcity of provisions, and they abandoned the colony returning to England (June/July 1602). But Gosnold still had the colonist spirit, and over the next five years, he began to promote a much larger expedition. He became one of the principal movers in the Virginia Company of London, which in April 1606, received a charter from King James I to establish English colonies in Virginia. On December 20 1606, Gosnold sailed as Captain aboard one of the three vessels - Godspeed, and helped establish the first permanent English-speaking settlement in America, at Jamestown in Virginia. On arrival, he was named as one of the original governing council. Sadly, Gosnold died just three months after arriving in August 1607. In 2003, archaeologists at the Jamestown site discovered the remains of a high-ranking male colonist, which is believed to be Gosnold. DNA tests were undertaken in 2005 with family members in Suffolk to establish whether these claims are correct - but sadly these have turned out to be a scientific dead end. Otley Hall www.visiteastofengland.comwww.visiteastofengland.com 3 Produced Produced by by East East of of England England Tourism Tourism Newport, Captain Christopher (1560-1617) Baptised in St. Nicholas Church at Harwich (Essex) in 1561, Newport rose to become one of England’s greatest sea captains. It was this experience that led the Virginia Company of London to hire him to take overall command of the three vessels and passengers that would travel on the journey to Virginia in 1606. Newport sailed aboard the Susan Constant. Named as one of the original governing council, he undertook three further voyages between England and the settlement of Jamestown, bringing more men and supplies. On the fourth voyage in June 1609, his vessel (Sea Venture) was shipwrecked off Bermuda. Building a smaller boat, Newport set sail again arriving in Virginia in May 1610. One of the settlers on this vessel was John Rolfe (see below). Newport died in 1617 on the island of Java in Indonesia. Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia is named after him. Christopher Newport Rolfe, John (1585-1622) The son of a squire, Rolfe was born and grew up in the village of Heacham (nr. Hunstanton) in Norfolk. The hall which was the family home burnt down in 1941. At St.