“Ordinances Directions and Instructions to Captaine John Woodleefe” by Sir William Throckmorton, et al. (September 4, 1619)

Records of the Virginia Company, Volume 3, Page 207

Ordinances direc[tions] and Instructions to Captaine John Woodleefe for the gouerment of o^r men and servant[s] in the Towne and hundred of Bearkley in Virginia giuen by vs S^r William Throkm[er]ton knight and barronet Richard Bearkley Esq, George Thorpe esq, and John Smyth gent wherevnto our comission of the date hereof made to the said captaine Woodleefe hath reference, the fourth day of September 1619 Anno xvij Jac. regis Angli &c [17^th year of the reign of King James of England]

1 Impr[imatur] wee ordaine that the day of our ships arrivall at the place assigned for planta[tion] in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetualy keept holy as a day of thanksgiuing to Almighty god.

Records of the Virginia Company, Volume 3, Page 208

2 I[mprimatur] wee doe ordaine that the lord[‘s] day be keept in holy and religious order and that all bodily labour and vaine sport[s] and scandalous recreations be refrained, and that morning and evening prayer (according to the english booke of common prayer) be Dayly read and attended vnto and such other divine exercisses of preaching and reading to be on the said day vsed, as it shall please god to enable the minister for the tyme there being to [per]forme. And that all such other festivalls and holidayes be observed and keept w^ch are authorised and appoynted by the lawes and statutes of this realme of England, And the rites and ceremonies authorized [pre]scribed or apoynted by the ecclesiasticall lawes or channons of this realme of England and booke of com[m]on prayer (established by authority) be in all things observed and keept, according as it it vsed in the church of England.

3 I[mprimatur] wee doe ordayne and direct, that you our gouernor and all our people and servants assemble togeather once a day to prayer, imediatly after the forenoone labour ended and before dinner. And that the [per]son then absent (you our gouernor and yo^r assistants hereafter named exepted) shalbe punished with the losse of his supp[er] the same evening vnles the minister or yo^r selfe allowe of his excuse or cause of his absence

4 I[mprimatur] wee will and require that vpon yo^r arrivall in the kings river in Virginia or in any branch thereof that yo^u take es especiall care for choice of the place where you first sett downe and extend for yo^r settled habita[tion] (be it one this side or beyond James [x x x x x] towne) that the same be healthy for ayre and accommodate w^th fresh water and easy for accesse vtno w^th shipe pinnance or barge rich alsoe in mould and [xx] soyle and of most likelyhoode to bring fourth the best commodities of that cuntry either already knowne or by vs hoped for, And iron oare silke grasse mulbery trees for norishing of silke wormes, apt for vines, english wheat, maize and other virginia corne and for rice, Aniseeds flax [oade] oyle seede and the like, rich alsoe in meadow and pasture for cattel and in timber for shiping and other vses, and alsoe convenient and vsefull for fowle fish and the like, And that yo^u reso[xx]ue not on the place w^thout the advice of yo^r assistants hereafter named and to the assent of the greater number of them, Wherein allsoe wee will yo^u to [pro]ceede w^th the advice of S^r George Yardley gouernor of that kingdome, deliuering our [lett]ers written

Records of the Virginia Company, Volume 3, Page 209

vnto him in that behalfe, provided that you settle not but where the natiues, (if any be or clayme) are first avoyded by composi[tion]

5 I[mprimatur] wee doe ordayne and direct that immediately after the place of habita[tion] is agreed vppon in manner aforesaid, that yo^u cause forthw^th to be erected houses fit for the present shelter and succor of our people w^ch as wee suppose, may be for the better expedi[tion] built homelike and to be couered w^th bordes; of w^ch we commend to yo^r especiall care the framing of two, where of the one for the safe keeping of the tooles implement[s] of husbandry powder, shott, Armor, and victuall, w^ch wee wish may be be strongly planted on the inside: And the other for your assemblies at time of prayer and time of diet, and our further direction is, That if the ship shall disburden for lading before the said storehouses for receipt thereof cane be built, That then the same be vnladen into the com[m]on warehouse in James Towne, or the Bermuda grana^ry by the gouernors order and therevnto first obtayned.

6 I[mprimatur] wee doe ordaine that w^th all convenient expedi[tion] yo^u cause to be inclosed 400 acres (or more) w^th a strong pale of seaven foote and halfe highe whereby such corne grayne seed[s] vines Tobacco, and the like as shalbe sowen or planted and such cattle as shalbe transported by vs or provided in Virginia, will bemore safely preserved.

7 I[mprimatur] wee doe nominate and com[m]end vnto yo^u as yo^r assistant[s] for yo^r better exection of the authority by vs on yo^u conferred, fferdinando yeat, John Blanchard Richard Godfry Rowland Panter and Thomas Coppy, of whose seu[er]all integrities and discretions wee hauing made sufficient trial doe therefore ordaine, that in all businesses of import of what kind soever, you take theire advise, and the assent of the greatest [par]te of them fiue: And that they diet w^th and as yo^r selfe, at one and the same table togeather, And that alsoe all the rest doe diet togeather, and to be equaly [pro]vided for as nere as may be:

8 I[mprimatur] we do ordaine, that there shalbe an ordinary Corps dewe gard each night in our towne of Bearkley, to consist at the first of fiue, to succeede in torne as the company will afford and afterwards as yo^r number shall encrease whereof one to be of the number of those seaven that shall be deputie and called, captaines of the watche.

Records of the Virginia Company, Volume 3, Page 210

9 I[mprimatur] for the more decent and comley gouerment and ordering of our famyly wee substitute and appoynt, fferdinando yeat to be ancient, and Rowland Paynter Se^rgeant of the company, And John Blanchard to be steward of the houshold and clarke of the store of apparrell and beding And the said Rowland Paynter to be clarke of the kitchin, w^thw^th two or more (as Caters or cuntry Purvires) to be associated vnto him, And Henry Perce to be vsher of the hall and Thomas Partridg now abiding in Virginia (if he ioyne vnto to be balyffe of our husbandries, if not, then whone yo^u and yo^r assistant[s] shall thinke meete, and the said fferdinando yeat to take care of our Armor and of all our tooles of husbandry.

10 I[mprimatur] wee doe ordyane that if it shall soe please god that M^r Woodleefe dye before the Arivall of M^r Chester, That then the gouerment of our families and of our affayres shall remaine wth and vnder those Assistant[s] and the survivers of them that wee haue before associated vnto M^r Woodleefe and if it shall plase god that either M^r Woodleefe or M^r Chester shall die after both of them are arrived in Virginia, That then the gouerment of both famylies shall remaine w^th and vnder the surviver of them ayded w^th the assistant[s] of bothe families.

[Indorsed:] Copy of Instructions geven to Captayne Woodleefe. 4. Sept. 1619. 17. Jac.