BBC - Suffolk - Don't Miss - A Fair Isle for Martha

It all began with a memo from head office that said funding was available for the making of "landmark programmes".

In other words if you could think of a story that was really worth the telling then you might just get the green light and the cash to pay for the job.

My mind immediately went back to a visit last year to Otley Hall, a few miles from Ipswich. Beautifully maintained, this Elizabethan house was once the home of the influential Gosnold family and it was here that I learned of the exploits of Bartholomew Gosnold, a little known adventurer who arguably did as much as anyone and perhaps more than most to ensure that America was settled by the English.

It was this 17th century colonisation that eventually led to the formation of the mighty United States.

So just who was this man and why is he the forgotten man of history? These were the questions I set out to answer 3000 miles from home.

Young Bartholomew trained to be a lawyer, but time spent in the company of men like Sir Walter Raleigh and geographer Richard Hakluyt ( also the vicar of Wetheringsett ) fired his imagination and inspired him on to greater things.

His early experiences at sea were gained from his exploits as a privateer, which was nothing more than legalised piracy.

Money gained from this activity enabled him to pursue a much more noble career and it was in March of 1602 that he set sail for what we now know as New England.

The way forward for expeditions like Gosnold’s was made easier in 1600 when Queen Elizabeth granted permission for adventurers to seek the northwest passage, a direct route to the pacific via the Atlantic ocean.

His vessel was a " leaky tub " the Concord and on board were 23 gentlemen adventurers and eight crew. Among those " gentlemen " were Gabriel Archer and John Brereton, both of whom kept a diary of the voyage and so giving us a remarkable insight into that journey.

As a North American who thought he knew something of our history, I am wonderfully surprised by this information. Thank you very much. This will lead to several pleasant days finding out more.
Henry Atherton, Sterling, USA

I haved asked countless locals here in Rochester MN USA if they have heared of Bartholomew Gosnold and not a single one had. I also asked how the name Martha's Vineyard came to be. I was given a multitude of answers but all were wrong. I read a report during this past week that the History Lessons in the UK schools should be made compulsary for all ages. I so agree with that report. To go forward one has to look back to learn. No body knows tomorrow but we should all know our yesterdays. The USA is so far behind in the teaching of their history. They should also teach more history and not just the USA, but of the rest of the worlds.
Kevin Dean, Rochester, USA

I agree that Bartholomew Gosnold has been very much neglected, in fact he is almost unknown and in the libraries and bookshops here in Bristol there are only a few references to him. John Cabot, who made a similar voyage over a century before starting from Bristol, is celebrated and yet he was Italian born while Bartholomew Gosnold was an English gentleman. I hope that by the 400th anniversary in 2006 there will be a programme about him on the national network. It is a real "Boy's Own" tale which would appeal to young people, also the Gosnold family are fascinating.

I must declare a personal interest in that I discovered him when typing my own name "DOGGETT" into the search engine and finding a website about the Doggett family in Suffolk in the 16th century, some of whom married into the Gosnold family and I believe he looks rather like my father, he has the Doggett lip and he may have been like in personality as my father was modest and self-effacing and it seems Bartholomew Gosnold was no self publicist. I knew absolutely nothing about him until I searched the internet, all this is very exciting news for me. We only knew the family were from East Anglia.
Rosemary Doggett, Bristol

My daughters Grandmother is a direct descendant of the Gosnold family and we were really excited to see the info on yr recent prog on him (found it on the net). My daughter's Dad has researched the family and would be very grateful for any further info you receive - esp as to whether or not his grave was found.
Nicky Thompson, Bognor Regis

Bartholomew Gosnold: We read about this in the Charlottesville paper and then went to the BBC for this account. Remember the research vessel Gosnold?
Janet & Curt, Gordonsville, Virginia, USA

Great news that they might have found the remains of Bartholemew. Does anyone know about the request for relatives to give blood for DNA testing or is this a hoax. The site for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities seems to be asking.

By the way in the next few weeks my book The Little Red bike is to be published. The first chapter is regarding the colonisation of America; the rest is a story of my life as a doctor, part humerous, part serious! Anyone interested please post me a message and I will respond. Address to correspond for a copy of the book: John K Gosnold Kenelm House Main Street Lelley East Yorkshire HU12 8SN England.
John Gosnold, Hull

I enjoyed the information about Capt. B. Gosnold....timely because of the discovery of what are thought to be his remains in Virginia. Do you have a list of the 32 persons on the ship Concord in 1602? Thank you!
Martha Ehlers, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, U.S.A.

	BBC Homepage England

»	BBC Local Suffolk Things to do People & Places Nature History Religion & Ethics Arts and Culture BBC Introducing TV & Radio Sites near Suffolk Cambridgeshire Essex Norfolk Related BBC Sites England
	Contact Us Like this page? Send it to a friend!