BGCSE History Theme II: BGCSE History Theme II: European Settlement and European Settlement and

RivalryRivalryTopics:

•The Bahamas Under Sir Robert Heath 1629•The Proprietary Period 1670 – 1718

•Piracy•Crown Colony Government

THE BAHAMAS UNDER SIR ROBERT THE BAHAMAS UNDER SIR ROBERT HEATH 1629HEATH 1629

The Eleutheran AdventurersThe Eleutheran AdventurersObjective: Describe the reasons for the Objective: Describe the reasons for the migration of the Eleutheran Adventurers to migration of the Eleutheran Adventurers to the Bahamasthe Bahamas

In the early 1600’s Bermuda became colonized by the English as the small island had become resting place between England and the Virginia.

Virginia had become a settling place for English persons who chose to express their religion outside of the Anglican faith.

Most of whom became Puritans.Tension had always existed between the Anglican

and non-Anglicans on Bermuda, but the civil war between King Charles I and the English Parliament increased the Non-Anglicans need for a place where the could exercise their own religion freely.

William Sayle, who had been the governor of Bermuda at the time, put into his consideration to move to the Bahamas.

The islands of the Bahamas had become familiar to Bermudans as they had travelled south too the islands in search of salt, pigs and goats the Spanish may have left behind.

Also they often found beach whales which for them provided oil and ambergris.

After the two ships that had been sent to survey the islands came back with good reports, Sayle headed to England to ask permission from King Charles I and Sir Robert Heath, the proprietor of the islands , for permission to occupy the islands.

Permission was granted and the first constitution ratified the Bahamas as a republic on July 9th 1647.

The Settlement of the AdventurersThe Settlement of the AdventurersObjective: Discuss the initial settlement of Objective: Discuss the initial settlement of the Adventurers and problems that they the Adventurers and problems that they facedfaced

Upon William Sayle’s return to Bermuda, he gathered the other 70+ Independents including some negroes with their provisions, tools and seeds had headed for the Bahamas in his ship, William, as well as a small sloop, not built for long journeys.

Aboard the ship problems brewed as a young man known as Captain Butler argued that the entire bases of the island was for persons to practice religion as they saw fit.

The initial landing was on an area known as “Cigateo”, which was renamed Eleutheria [estimated to be current “Governor’s Harbour”].

The rift in opinions became so serious that Sayle, along with the small group that sided with him headed for Another parts of the island.

In route they became shipwrecked at what is known today as Spanish Wells and lost everything except the little sloop.

Surviving only on fish using what simple tools could be made, Sayle was forced to send eight of the men to seek help from Virginia.

After Nine days the men arrived at the colony in Virginia and were given provisions in addition to more tools and seeds for small scale farming.

Many persons from Virginia wanted to join the group of Adventurers but were prevented by the Governor John Winthrop who was not convinced that the island or its religion were well established.

The Adventurers were able to establish the colony was repaid the Virginians by sending braziletto wood, which was sold and profits were used to build Harvard College.

ClassworkClassworkInstructions: Instructions: Write down the questions above.Write down the questions above.Listen to the letter (it will be read twice).Listen to the letter (it will be read twice).Jot down some notes then answer the following questions.Jot down some notes then answer the following questions.

Listen to the following letter, and answerthe questions that follow.1. How did the Adventurers who at visited Virginia inform the

others of their return?2. Describe the Adventurers that were left behind upon the

return of the men.3. What was the means of survival of the Adventurers that

were left behind?4. Where were the goods obtained from Virginia stored?5. Give the names of two other persons that settled with

William Sayle.

Proprietary Government Proprietary Government Objective: Discuss the reasons for the transition of Objective: Discuss the reasons for the transition of the Eleutheran Adventurers from Eleutheria.the Eleutheran Adventurers from Eleutheria.

The tradition of subsistence farming remained in Eleutheria, but was not sustained for very long.

Bermuda had begun using The islands as a place of exile for prisoners, defiant slaves or freed Negros.

Many persons left for Bermuda while others veered toward the island of Sayle’s Islands,, later named Providence and then New Providence to distinguish it form the others with the same name.

Many of the adventures restored to searching the shores for what washed up on the ashore after Spanish galleones were wrecked en route to Spain from Cuba.

This in addition, the search of ambergris and pearls served them far more profitable.

William Sayles himself returned to Bermuda in 1657 and later became governor of South Carolina where he died.

In addition to the gold discovered on the shores, the wreckers were able to obtain barrels of meat, wine ropes and other goods.

These goods were often exchanged in Nassau for clothing, tools or rum.

In 1670, an inhabitant of New Providence, John Darrell, wrote to some of the prominent men in England, asking for them to request proprietorship of the islands.

In November of the same year, King Charles II granted the Patent roll to;◦ The Duke of Albermarle◦ Lord Ashley who later became the Earle of Shaftsbury◦ The Earle of Craven◦ Lord Berkley◦ Sir George Carteret and◦ Peter Colleton

Lord Ashley was the only proprietor with the real financial means to aid the islands but he was sent into exile after falling out with the king.

The governors at no point were interest in residing in the islands and thus appointed governors to run the islands.

They were as follows:1. Hugh Wentworth: He died before arriving to the

islands.2. John Wentworth: The Brother of Hugh Wentworth who

already resided in the Bahamas. Had a greater interest in wrecking and was replaced.

3. Charles Chillingworth: He made a genuine effort to carryout the instructions of the Proprietors, but fell out of good graces with the locals. He was captured and shipped to Jamaica.

4. Robert Clarke: He succeeded Chillingworth and allowed the locals to do as they pleased to the extent of providing letters of marquee granting permission to attack Spanish ships.

5. Robert Lilburne: he replaced Robert Clarke and suffered the repercussions of Clarke’s poor decision making. Three attacks occurred under his command. The first was in 1683. The second in 1684 which resulted in the destruction of Charles Town and the tortuous death of Robert Clarke. During the third attack much of the rest of New Providence was destroyed and residents taken as prisoners.

6. Thomas Bridges sailed to the island from Jamaica to be placed as governor. Although there was initial confusion about his appointment he was confirmed and restored commerce to New Providence through salt, wrecking and ambergris.

7. Cadwallader Jones: He was appointed by the Proprietors to replace Bridges but made acquaintance with the pirates and was disgraced as a governor as he was jailed.

8. Nicolas Trott: Until the establishment of the Royal governor , governor Trott had been the most successful. He had built a fort and established a town of 160 houses. Both of which he named Nassau after the Prince of Orange Nassau, Prince William the III.

In 1695, a House of Assembly was established and laws were passed.

Pirates who had befriended governor Bridges were brought to trial and subsequently executed.

The fate of governor Trott was not as successful as his tenure as governor.

A Dutch ship, Jufrow Gertrud, became wrecked in the Bahamas aside from it provision and crew of 75 it carried about 74,000 pieces of eight.

The crew from the ship had been put under the watch of the small group of trustworthy men that Trott could find.

Trott claimed that he shared the salvage from the wreck with the men, he had actually kept most for himself.

Pop QuizPop Quiz

1. How did Bermuda become a British colony?[2]2. Which group of people settled at Virginia and what

was their celebrated religion? [2]3. How was the Bahamas discovered by Bermudans?4. What two person granted Sayle permission to

relocate to the Bahamas? [2]5. What were two challenges faced by Sayle while

attempted to settle in the Bahamas? [2]6. What measures were taken to bring resolve to both

problems? [2]7. Name the six Lord Proprietors to whom the

Bahamas was granted. [6]8. List three Governors and their fate. [6]9. What was the Jufrow Gertrud, and what matter

arose out of its existence.[3]

Piracy in the BahamasPiracy in the BahamasObjective: To describe the impact of Piracy in the Objective: To describe the impact of Piracy in the BahamasBahamas

Governor Trott had been replaced by governor Webb in 1697.

The amicable relationship between he and Trott and the pirates made getting rid of them very difficult.

He spent money of defense and was criticized by the proprietors for doing so.

He unofficially resigned his post and left the island for Pennsylvania in 1699, absconding with more than 8,000 pounds.

The interim governor made history as Read Elding was indeed a mulatto and was known as a violent man.

Governor Haskett had been the last of the Governor sent by the Proprietors.

His term was short lived as he fell out of graces with the Speaker of the House, who was an open Pirate.

He was arrested and his property seized; then shipped off to New York.

Amongst themselves the inhabitants had selected a President while complaining to the British government about the Governors and Proprietors that had been sent.

The islands were left vulnerable as there was neither financial support or defense from England.

This became more obvious during a series of attacks on Nassau.

In 1703, A combined French and Spanish attack was led.

Fort Nassau was captured without opposition, the island was pillaged of slaves and goods amounting to about 32,000 pounds.

Nassau, which was not much more than a small town, with a fort and a church, was not much to commandeer.

The fort was ill built and provided protection from the land but was not suffice from the water.

New Providence was held captive for two weeks and the president, Ellis Lightwood, was taken away as a prisoner.

When the Spanish arrived again in 1704, there had been only 20 person on the island.

The previous attack had driven many of the inhabitants to Cat Island and Exuma for the first time.

A governor was sent to the Bahamas, but upon arrival decided not to stay, this closed the contact between England and the Bahamas was suspended for 14 years.

After 1706, the Spanish seriously considered taking over the islands, had this been done it would have seriously impacted the course of history.

Passing British ships would have been attacked thus ruining the chances for the establishment of the Colony in America.

The pirates hindered the establishment of the Spanish and were quite content in the quaint settlement as they were mostly at sea.

Group presentationsGroup presentationsPirates of the BahamasPirates of the Bahamas

Mary Read ◦ Tenaj◦ Karina◦ Kevin◦ Brittany

Anne Bonney◦ Dorian◦ Ashlyn◦ Kurt◦ Addison

Edward Teach◦ Ashton◦ Erin◦ Eraise◦ Antja

Captain John Rackham◦ Gary◦ Frerishia◦ Tevin

Stede Bonnet◦ Melidsha◦ Cherish◦ Peterie

Privateers and PiratesPrivateers and PiratesObjective questionsObjective questions

1. What was the reason for the Government to encourage privateering?

2. What is the purpose of a “letter of marque”?3. What was the representation of Privateer vessels

compared to merchant ships during this period?4. What two circumstances automatically converted a

privateer into a pirate?5. What was the fate of Governor Birch?6. During what years, was Nassau a “privateers republic’?7. How was Nassau well equipped to accommodate

Privateering?8. What was the Peace of Utrecht, and when was signed?9. Who was Captain Henry Jennings and what was is role in

piracy?10. Describe the lifestyle of the average Pirate.

Woodes RogersWoodes RogersObjective: To describe the establishment of Crown Colony Objective: To describe the establishment of Crown Colony government in the Bahamas and restoration of commerce to government in the Bahamas and restoration of commerce to the islands.the islands.

No ships within proximity of the Bahamas was safe from the pirates’ republic.

Reports from the governors and merchants of the in West Indies and America had gotten back to England about the terror that the Pirates inflicted on their neighbours.

The Lord proprietors maintained ownerships over the islands, despite the poor job of managing it, and had to be persuaded to give up this right.

However, they still held ownership until they were bought out from the crown in 1787.

Woodes Rogers then became the first Royal governor to the Bahamas entering the island in this capacity for the first time on July 26, 1718.

Rogers, who was already a famous sailor and privateer, arrived at the island of New providence on the Delicia, and two navel escort ships, H.M.S. Milford and H.M.S. Rose with a crew of foot soldiers for New Providence.

Under the direction of the Crown, he granted pardon to any of the Pirates that parted ways with this habit.

In order to aid his governmental position Rogers appointed a council of six local men.

The poor state of Nassau did not fair newcomers well, as many of them died within days of arrival.

The third of Rogers's tasks was to rebuild a fort, a process that would have been delayed, but was expedited due to the threat of a Spanish attack.

New once again got to Rogers that a pirate known as Vane had planned an attacked on Abaco.

Short on resources, Rogers sent the ex-pirate Hornigold to captured vane, and although unsuccessful he was able to capture a sloop that had been trading with the Pirates.

The circumstances were against him and he was forced to sent 10 ex-pirates for provisions.

Unfortunately the group returned to old ways, and at a point of shipwreck were captured and retuned to new Providence.

They were tried and nine of whom were hanged.

The task of cleaning the island and making it into an inhabitable place.

Land was given to any persons who would make the effort to clear it and build a home.

It was once again rumored that Spanish were going to lead an attack on the island.

Fortunately the attack was delayed as many of the pirates, who had become bored from the island life, had moved away leaving Rogers both unprepared and without man power.

The interested of the ex-pirates was once again obtained when the war between England and Spain broke out and the pirates were given latter of marque to attack Spanish ships.

When 12 Spanish boats had been spotted in the waters near the Bahamas in 1720, the island was prepared with group of ore than 540 men and their sixty guns prepared to defend the town.

The threat of pirate attacks further hindered commerce as progress as the preparation meant that no salt was raked and not braziletto wood was cut.

Nassau Under Governor PhenneyNassau Under Governor PhenneyObjective: To describe the second Governor of the Objective: To describe the second Governor of the Bahamas with his success and failures.Bahamas with his success and failures.

Nassau had been a lost cause for commerce and persons in Eleuthera were still trying to cultivate small farms.

Rogers spent much, if not all of his money trying to establish trade, and was not successful.

His investors were not happy as there were no returns and Rogers broke and sick returned to England in 1721.

George Phenney succeeded Rogers and picked up the task of establishing and increasing trade on the island.

During this time, the number of houses on the island exploded and new roads had to be formed; one of which was bay Street.

Wealthy persons in town began to settle down, one in particular was Governor Fitzwilliam who bought ten acres and built a house [Government House today.]

Fort Nassau was under constant repair and persons in new Providence did not desire to settle down; not to build roads or homes for themselves nor mind the forts.

Governor Phenney with the support of Governor Rogers lobbied for the King to granted permission to have an assembly in the colony in order to pass and laws and generated money in order to assure progress.

While Governor Phenney had been trying to help the colony, his wife was doing the complete opposite causing both of them to grow out of favor with the locals.

She had made attempts to seek profit from gaining a monopoly of several trade items and the governor was recalled.

In the same year, the King granted permission to establish an assembly of the island.

Despite his prison time for not paying his taxes, Woodes Rogers was returned at the Governor of the colony in 1729 the same year the Assembly was established.

The Assembly was by no means perfect.Often when maters of urgency were brought up,

especially those pertaining to money, the laws were never passed.

The law to grant the governor a salary was even rejected it the first time around.

N.B. What controversy did Rogers have with another individual in house. Who was this person.?

The stress of the assembly took a greater toll on Rogers than the pirates did.

He became very sick and dies in 1732.Governor Fitzwilliam succeed him His time was short lived, four years, and his first

challenge was slave rebellion he met short after his arrival.

Fitzwilliam was known for his stern hand, and even the garrison at Fort Nassau rebelled against him and commandeered the fort.

They group was captured, tried as pirates and eventually hanged.

The war between England and Spain, which began in 1739, revealed that the island had little chance of sustaining an enemy attacked due to minimal defences.

A survey of the island’s defenses was carried out in 1741 by Engineer Peter Henry Bruce.

He found that the island no defences to the east.He built Fort Montague which was completed in 1742.The combination of the new line of defence and the

opportunity for privateering made the war a welcomed venture.

The islands, which had a population of more than three thousand between Nassau, Eleuthera and Harbour Island, gained a degree of wealth during this time despite the reprisals from the Spanish and French.

Between 1758 – 1774, brother William and Thomas Shirley were Royal governors of the Bahamas; William between 1958 – 1968 and Thomas the remainder of the time.

William Shirley was very successful at keeping control during the seven years war as he had proven himself a solider and sailor before taking on this role.

This was important because the privateers were becoming very careless.

Thomas Shirley took Turks and Caicos under the Bahamas, after the French attacked in 1764.

He made the same attempts as his brother to maintain peace on the islands, as this was very difficult due to the amount of illegal activity on the little islands.

The Assembly members voted against his forcing Shirley to leave in 1774 with the state of peace that reigned.