Bartholomew Gosnold and the 400th Anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, Virginia

 May 2007 saw the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, Virginia, the first English-speaking colony in America.  Bartholomew Gosnold was the prime mover in this voyage to the New World, and being the family seat of the Gosnold family for over 200 years, all at Otley Hall were very pleased to celebrate this important anniversary.
 
 Bartholomew Gosnold was born in 1571 near Ipswich.  It is not known exactly where he lived during the years that led up to the voyage but it is thought that is was somewhere in Otley or the surrounding area.  The voyage that resulted in the founding of Jamestown was Gosnold's second to the New World, the first, in 1602 failed to create a permanent settlement.  During this voyage he named Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard, the latter named after his infant daughter.
 
On the 20th December 1606, with the Virginia Company and with Christopher Newport as Admiral, he set sail from Blackwall on the Thames.  After a treacherous journey they arrived in the region of the James River on the 26th April and the Jamestown settlement began to be formed.  This was 13 years before the Mayflower landed so is seen by many as the not only the founding of Jamestown but the founding of America.

Gosnold is often forgotten and overlooked, maybe because of the tragic fact that he died of dysentry and malnutrition only 4 months after they have arrived.  Having been forced to act as second to Christopher Newport throughout, despite his leading role in the planning and implementing of the voyage, is another reason for his little-known place in history.

Although Bartholomew did not live at Otley Hall it is well assumed that he would have spent a great deal of time here with it being the ancestral seat of his family.  It is often thought that much of the recruiting and indeed the planning of the voyage would have taken place at Otley Hall, some say at the Hearthside in the Great Hall.

The Jamestown 2007 celebrations were a great chance for people to learn about Bartholomew Gosnold and the history of early America.  This was an opportunity for people to uncover more about this early Suffolk-explorer and the family home in which he must have spent so much time.

We celebrated this important occasion with a large Open Day on May 6th 2007.  It was a huge success with over 1000 people coming to see Gosnold's ancestral home.  We continue to hold our Open Days three times per year and all are welcome.  See our Open Days section for more information.

Futher details on the celebrations can be found at:

www.jamestown2007.org

www.beginyouradventure.co.uk