by Captain John LaCouture

The Voyage of Captain Bartholomew Gosnold In 1602 To Cape Cod and the Vineyard.

by Captain John I^acouture

THE VOYAGE OF CAPTAIN Bartholomew Gosnold in the bark Concord, from England and the Azores, in 1602 established the location of Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard in May of this year. Whether, in his sail along the southern shores of Cape Cod, he did manage to sight Nantucket is a question as it was a low shore well out to sea. In any event, he did discover the Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands, and returned to England with the news, anchoring at Exmouth on July 23,1602. This was the beginninng of his subsequent voyaging with John Smith, a soldier of fortune, which led to further adventures.

Mr. Lacouture's story follows:

Bartholomew Gosnold, one of England's earliest explorers and in the words of Captain John Smith The "Pathfinder for New England" and the "Prime Mover of Virginia", has never received the acknowledgement due him. He lies buried in an unknown and an unmarked grave in Jamestown, neglected by history. His role in the establishment of the first permanent English speaking settlement in America is even less remembered than his earlier attempt to plant a small English trading settlement in the New England area. Conversely, Capt. John Smith, well known for his leadership role during the first two critical years at Jamestown, is seldom mentioned for his exploration and naming of New England and for his continuous writings and efforts to encourage English colonization of New England.

Bartholomew Gosnold was born in Suffolk County, England in 1571 or 1572. He grew up near the seacoast towns of Woodbridge and Ipswich, when tales of exploration and adventure at sea were being recorded and talked about. He could read about Drake's voyage around the world in 1577, about Verrazzano's voyage of exploration up the East Coast of North America in 1524, and about Sir Humphrey Gilbert's unsuccessful attempts of establish a colony in the New England area in 1583. The first record of Gosnold's early life is contained in the records of the University of Cambridge, showing him matriculating at Jesus College in 1587.

After Cambridge, Gosnold attended New Inns to study law. In 1595 Gosnold married Mary Golding, from Bury St. Edmonds. This was a fortunate marriage for Gosnold since Martha Golding, Mary's mother, was the aunt of Sir Thomas Smythe. He was the leading merchant of London, governor of the Muscovy Company, founder and governor of the East India Company, and was to become the founder and head of the Virginia Company. For the next few years Gosnold apparently settled in Suffolk as a country squire where he started raising a family.

THE VOYAGE OF CAPTAIN BARTHOLOMEW GOSNOLD 21

During this period Gosnold through family connections met Captain Hayes, who had been captain of the Golden Hind , one of the ships in Sir Humphrey Gilbert's unsuccessful colonization attempt. He read with great interest Hayes' "Treatise", describing the flora and the fauna of the land later known as New England. He also undoubtedly met Richard Hakluyt, a famous geographer and England's greatest advocate of settlements in North America.

As early as 1584 Hakluyt had presented his "Discourse of Western Planting" to Queen Elizabeth advocating Norumbega (an early name for New England) as a worthwhile place for English colonization. By 1602, at long last, Hakluyt had found a willing disciple, Gosnold, and the financial backing, the Earl of Southampton, to make the first attempt at settlement. Using Hayes' "Treatise" as a plan for his voyage, and Verrazzano's "Refugio" (Newport) as his destination, Bartholomew Gosnold sailed from Falmouth Harbor on 26 March, 1602, in the bark,

Concord.

The Concord was a vessel of about 30 tons, in poor condition, because at sea she could not stand the press of full sail even in good weather, without much creaking of timbers and dangerous opening of the seams. The complement for the voyage totalled thirty-two persons, of which twelve were the ship's crew, under Captain Bartholomew Gilbert, and sailing master William Strete. The remainder under Gosnold were planning to remain and set up a trading post. Included in this group were two college friends from days at Cambridge, John Brereton and Gabriel Archer, both of whom kept narratives of the voyage. These have left us with detailed accounts of Gosnold's itinerary and what he saw and experienced.

In preparing for his voyage Gosnold had studied the tracks used by British marines in voyages to the West Indies. They would sail first to the Azores and then using the prevailing southwesterly winds sail on a starboard track to the Indies. Gosnold figured that a long reach from the Azores on a port tack, using the same prevailing winds, would take him to the coast in the vicinity of his destination, (Newport). Consequently, Concord sailed first to the Azores and then came about on a westerly course and headed directly for America. Previously no English captain had made this turn at the Azores. Archer's narrative log undoubtedly records the first direct trans-Atlantic crossing to the New England area.

The Concord took departure from the Azores on 14 April and at 6 A.M. on 14 May, 1602, land was sighted at a place called by Archer Savage Rock. The name derived from their first sighting a great rock and from the fact that it was here they first encountered Indians. This location was probably what is now known as Cape Neddick near York, Maine.

22

HISTORIC NANTUCKET

After a brief palaver with the Indians of Savage Rock, during which one of them sketched a crude map showing Cape Cod, Gosnold headed south for the latitude of his destination - "Refugio" - where he would search for the great bay opening to the south. The next morning they sighted the headlands of Provincetown and Truro and, thinking them part of an island, continued south until they reached the southern end of Cape Cod Bay.

On encountering this barrier to further progress south, Gosnold first sailed east, hoping to get around the land obstructing his progress. On finding no opening he then sailed west, until opposite the entrance to what is now Barnstable Harbor. Here he anchored and put over his shallop to explore the inlet. Soon finding it merely a shallow bay and naming it Shoal Hope, Gosnold, with a few companions, beached the shallop and headed for the top of the hills they had seen from the deck of Concord, to look for an inland bay lying to the south of the hills. On reaching the top of the highest hill (Shoot Flying Hill) they were able to see Nantucket Sound, which hopefully was the great bay described by Verrazzano as "Refugio".

They seemed to see several of the islands described by Verrazzano - both the highlands of Cape Pogue and Great Island appeared as islands from their viewing point. The nearer part of Martha's Vineyard appeared to be part of the mainland, with the waters of Vineyard Sound at East Chop looking like the entrance to the River Dee. Looking northward, Gosnold realized that he must sail north around the tip of Cape Cod and follow the outer Coast southward until he came to the entrance to the bay described by Verrazzano.

For the first time the unique peninsula named Cape Cod had been discovered and its geographic shape determined. Many before Gosnold had undoubtedly passed within sight of the outer Cape enroute to the fishing banks off Newfoundland, but because of the well reported extensive shoals to the east of Nantucket and the Cape had given it a wide berth. There is no previous record of any European's landing there before Gosnold nor of the previous awareness of Cape Cod Bay. Because of the numerous codfish found swimming in the water Gosnold named the peninsula Cape Cod. This name has endured to the present day, in spite of an attempt by Prince Charles (later Charles I) to change the name to Cape James in honour of his father.

That same afternoon, Gosnold weighed anchor for a run around the northern tip of Cape Cod. The next day he coasted south along the east coast of Cape Cod, and then headed west along the south coast. It is pretty well established that he did not turn in to Nantucket Sound past Monomoy, since he was looking for a bay opening to the south as described by Verrazzano. Also Archer's account describes coasting along the south side of the "somewhat wooded" island which would be Tucker-

THE VOYAGE OF CAPTAIN BARTHOLOMEW GOSNOLD 23

nuck. They did encounter a few tense moments on the shoals extending out from the southwest tip of Muskeget, but managed to escape trouble and came to anchor south of Chappaquiddick.

The next four days were spent at anchor, viewing the scene searching for landmarks described by Verrazzano. In spite of his failure to recognize any of these so-called places, Gosnold believed he had reached the general area of "Refugio" and Narragansett Bay.

From the 21st of May until the 24th, Gosnold and his party explored the northern coast of Martha's Vineyard, then called Capawack by the Indians. It was at this time that he named the island Martha's Vineyard, the Martha part after his daughter and/or mother-in-law, the Vineyard part after the profusion of grapevines they found on the island.

On the afternoon of the 24th the Concord sailed a short distance across the western entrance to Vineyard Sound, and anchored off the southwestern coast of Cuttyhunk. The next day they rounded the western end of Cuttyhunk and entered Buzzards Bay, which Archer described as "one of the stateliest sounds that ever I was in". The explorers named this sound "Gosnold's Hope". "Hope", at that time was an old word, meaning "bay". They anchored off Cuttyhunk, which at that time was joined to what is now the separate island of Nashawena. Gosnold named this then single island, Elizabeth's Isle, probably after Queen Elizabeth, or possibly after his sister. This name has also lasted to the present day, although now it has been extended to take in the entire string of islands stretching south-westerly from Woods Hole. It seems unfortunate that the name Gosnold's Hope did not last as the name of the sound now called Buzzards Bay.

After exploring as far as Woods Hole, and along the eastern shore of Buzzards Bay, the settlers decided to establish their headquarters at Cuttyhunk. Here on an island located in the center of a fresh water lake, they began to build a large building, that would serve as a fort, living quarters and storage area. It was well located at the entrance of Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound, and protected by the lake as a natural moat. Ten men were put to work building the fort and had it completed in nineteen days. This was the first structure erected by Englishmen in the New England area.

On the 31st of May, leaving a party behind to guard the fort, Gosnold departed on the Concord to explore Buzzards Bay. He visited two inlets at the head of the bay, one located where New Bedford now stands and the other at the present site of the town of Wareham, then the site of an Indian village called "Agawam". Gosnold visited with the Indians and was most favorably impressed with the mainland in this area.

24 HISTORIC NANTUCKET

On return from this voyage Gosnold's fort was visited by several large friendly parties of Indians, including probably the Great Chief of the Pokonockets, Massasoit's father. They brought furs to barter and spent several days meeting and feasting. After they left, Gosnold started dividing the food supply on the Concord between the twenty settlers, who were staying, and the ship's crew, who would be sailing back to England to obtain more supplies. It soon became apparent that there would be sufficient food for only six weeks, for those remaining at Cuttyhunk, even though they were surrounded by all types of suitable food if they would only live on nature's bounty.

On the 13th of June, five days after the shortage of provisions had been revealed, Archer notes that "beganne some of our companie that before vowed to stay make revolt". Eight of the twenty who had promised Gosnold they would remain with him in America now decided to return home. Therefore, Gosnold as Brereton puts it, "seeing his whole strength to consist of but twelve men, and they but meanly provided, determined to returne for England". On June 18th, loaded with furs, sassefras and cedar, they set sail for England anchoring in Exmouth on the 23rd of July 1602.

Thus ended the first English attempt at permanent settlement in the New England area. Even if Gosnold had managed to start a trading colony at Cuttyhunk, it probably would not have lasted through the turbulent Indian wars of the next decade. As it turned out Gosnold's voyage had shown the way for a short direct crossing to the New England area. He made known to the English public through the publications of Brereton's "Relations" the healthfulness of the climate, the fertility of the soil and the sea, and the fact that the land had products that could be sold profitably in the English market. This report set up a destination of promise for future voyagers and kindled the desire on the part of many to begin colonization. Although Gosnold himself failed in his attempt to begin the colonization of New England, he provided an inspiration and valuable information for those who followed. More than any earlier venture, Gosnold's voyage made the English aware of the New England area and created a stimulus for the series of annual visits that followed.