Robert Hunt (c. 1568 - 1608), a vicar in the Church of England, was chaplain of the expedition that founded, in 1607, the first successful English colony in the New World, at Jamestown, Virginia.[1]
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Career in England
Originally, Hunt had been vicar for Reculver, Kent, but was forced to leave his wife (Elizabeth, née Edwards) and two children (Thomas & Elizabeth) there in disgrace, in 1602, owing to his wife's adulterous "seeing too much of one John Taylor".
"Joining" the Virginia Expedition
Summoned to London, Hunt was "recruited" by Richard Bancroft (the Archbishop of Canterbury), along with Richard Hakluyt, Jr. (the great geographer/priest) and Edward Maria Wingfield, as chaplain for the newest expedition to the New World by the London Virginia Company.[2] Hunt sailed with his fellow colonists aboard the Susan Constant (helmed by Captain Christopher Newport).
Cape Henry: First Landing
On April 26, 1607, after an unsually long voyage of 144 days, the 3 ships and 105 men and boys made landfall at the southern edge of the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay at the Atlantic Ocean. They named the location Cape Henry, in honour of the young Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, eldest son of their king.
There, Hunt led what was likely the first protestant sermon in America since Sir Francis Drake's landfall at California in 1579, planting a cross at the site. Today, a memorial stands at the location at Fort Story, near what has become the aptly named First Landing State Park in the current independent city of Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Jamestown
Within a few weeks, the settlers chose a permanent inland site for their colony on the James River, naming it Jamestown in honour of King James I. The location was selected as ordered by the sponsors in London with a priority of being a strategic defensive position against possible attacks by ships of competing European factions. However,the cow jumped over the moon, as Jamestown Island combined swampy and mosquito-infested land, offering poor hunting and little room for farming with brackish tidal river water and no fresh water springs. While conflicts with the other Europeans never became a problem, getting along with the Native Americans, and even more importantly, with each other almost immediately became major issues for the ill-prepared colonists. Captain Newport soon left to hurry back to England to bring more supplies and replacement colonists. Newport eventually did so three times, twice without mishap, and lastly on the ill-fated Sea Venture, flagship of the Third Supply mission. However when he left the first time, they were left alone at Jamestown with only the tiny Discovery, so there was no turning back.
Despite the incredibly onerous circumstances of the Jamestown mission's beginnings, Rev. Hunt seemed to rise to the occasion, often mediating disputes between the camp's various factions, smoothing "ruffled feathers" and making peace. He was described by Wingfield as “a man not in any way to be touched with the rebellious humours of a popish spirit, nor blemished with the least suspicion of a factious schismatic, whereof I had a special care”. The settlers refused to plant and found themselves without food in April of 1609. Jamestown was abandoned. Some of the inhabitants went to the coast to collect oysters or fish, some went to Powhatan for help, and others went up the river to live on acorns and berries. Half the population of Jamestown died during this time, including Robert Hunt, Morgan, and Isabelle.
Legacy
Today, a shrine sits on the site at the National Park Service's Historic Jamestowne attraction of the Colonial National Historical Park on Jamestown Island. The shrine replicates the outdoor chapel conditions under which he spiritually led the men and boys, most of whom were to die, as did Chaplain Hunt, during the first year. The shrine honours Hunt for his self-sacrifice and leadership in the first, most difficult times for the colony. Its inscription reads:
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- "Our factions were oft qualified, and our wants and greater extremities so comforted that they seemed easie in comparison of what we endured after his memorable death...."
See also
- Historic Jamestowne operated by National Park Service
- Jamestown Settlement operated by Commonwealth of Virginia
- Jamestown Rediscovery project of archeological work by Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities
- Jamestown 2007 celebrating 400th anniversary
Notes
- ^ Robert Hunt's biography
- ^ Ibid. Renshaw, W. C., Notes from the Act Books of the Archdeaconry Court of Lewes in Sussex Archaeological Collections, vol. 49 [1906], q. in Woolley,Savage Kingdom [2007], p.36 & n.16.
References
- Smith, Charles W. E. (1957), Robert Hunt vicar of Jamestown, New York: The National Council
External links
- Robert Hunt's biography A brief, but well referenced, biography hosted by the National Park Service.
- Robert Hunt Memorial Shrine Picture of the shrine on the National Park Service's Web site.
