Capt. John Martin (c.1560 - 1632) was a Councilman of the Jamestown Colony.

Early life

In May 1586 he married Mary Brandon, the daughter of a leading London goldsmith and supplier to the Queen, Robert Brandon.

Virginia Colony

John arrived in Virginia along with his teenage son John on April 26, 1607. Captain Martin was named by the Virginia Company in an order that was held in a sealed box which was only to be openned in Virginia.^[1] The 1606 grants by James I to the London and Plymouth companies. ...

After finding a location to build their settlement they landed on May 14, 1607 and founded Jamestown. Shortly after this the Council elected Edward-Maria Wingfield president of the colony.^[2]

John Martin was sickly during the early period of the settlement dued to malnutrician and disese.^[3] His son, John, Jr. died on August 18, 1607. When councilman Bartholomew Gosnold died on August 22nd, Martin, John Smith, and John Ratcliffe made a pact to depose President Wingfield because of what they considered mismanagement of the Jamestown government and because of suspicions that he was hoarding food for himself and friends. Martin also blamed Wingfield for his son's death by not letting him get enough food.^[4] Thus on September 10th, Martin, Ratcliffe and Smith presented the president with a signed order discharging him form the council and his office. He was prompted imprisoned. Ratcliffe was made the new president and the next day he, Martin, Smith and Archer all spoke against Wingfield at the assembly.^[5] Bartholomew Gosnold (1572 - August 22, 1607) was an English lawyer, explorer, and privateer. ... John Smith (1580-1631) was an English soldier, sailor, and author. ... John Ratcliffe (died September 1609) was captain of the Discovery, one of three boats that sailed from England on December 19, 1606 to Virginia, to found a colony, arriving May 14, 1607. ...

Wingfield reported that, "Master Martyn followed with, he reporteth that I do slack the service in the collonye, and doe nothing but tend my pott, spitt, and oven, but he hath starved my sonne, and denyed him a spoonfull of beere; I have friends in England shalbe revenged on him if ever he come in London." ^[6]

In November of 1607 Martin and Smith refused to allow the remaining colonists to return to England on their ship the Discovery.^[7] Martin objected during the winter, when John Smith was away having been captured by Indians, to President Ratcliffe's appointment of Gabriel Archer as councilor.

Martin came into conflict with John Smith when in the spring of 1608 the two gold refiners that Christopher Newport had transported to the colony led to the fruitless efforts of looking for gold to be sent back to London. Martin being the son of a goldsmith was very entusiastic about the development, Smith was not.^[8] Christopher Newport (c. ...

Martin returned to England on the Phoenix in 1608. He may have returned to Virginia in 1624 on the Swan. He died in 1632 at Martin’s Brandon in Virginia.

References