Remains of Four Colonial Leaders Identified at Jamestown, Including the Settlement's Pastor

Teresa Neumann : Jul 29, 2015
Historic Jamestown

One of the bodies discovered was Reverend Robert Hunt, the first Anglican minister at Jamestown, who arrived with the first settlers and was responsible for providing religious services to the men as well as for preaching to local Indian peoples.

(Washington, DC)—Four years ago, archaeologists discovered four graves at the end of a church discovered at the pre-colonial Jamestown site. According to the official Historic Jamestown website, this was the church's chancel–a space in the Anglican Church commonly reserved during services for the clergy, government officials, and the altar table. The chancel also was a space where individuals of high status would be buried.

Then, two years ago, the Jamestown Rediscovery archaeologists returned to the graves to see if they could discover who was in each one.

Examination of the remains of the four individuals showed that three were buried in coffins and one in a shroud, says the report, which adds, "The wood of the coffins had decayed, but nail patterns indicate two coffins were anthropomorphic (human-shaped) in form. This unique construction would have required a skilled cabinetmaker. One of these individual also had remnants of silver threads from a garment worn at the time of burial. Another grave had a piece of what could be a captain's leading staff (similar to the one found on top of the burial of Captain Bartholomew Gosnold) and a silver box that has religious significance."

Historical sources reportedly note that five prominent men, whose ages ranged from their 20's to their 40's, died during the years and may well have been the men found in these graves.

The following, according to the report, are firsthand accounts of these early Jamestown leaders said to be buried in the chancel:

1. The Reverend Robert Hunt was the first Anglican (Church of England) minister at Jamestown. He arrived with the first settlers and was responsible for providing religious services to the men as well as for preaching to local Indian peoples.

2. Captain Gabriel Archer, a vociferous critic and rival of Captain John Smith, was one of the most important of the early leaders, involved in much of the in-fighting that characterized the colony's first few years. Resting on top of Archer's coffin, the team discovered a small, silver box, which was found to contain shards of bone and a tiny lead ampulla that would have held holy water, oil, or even blood. The presence of the reliquary, a sacred object normally (but not exclusively) associated with Catholicism may suggest Archer was a secret Catholic. Alternatively, it is possible the object had significant meaning in the founding of the established church, the Church of England, in the New World.

3. Sir Ferdinando Wainman was a kinsman of the governor, Lord De La Warr, and a high ranking officer who was appointed master of ordnance (artillery) and placed in charge of the colony's horse troops.

4. Captain William West was also a relative of Lord De La Warr and was killed in fighting against elite Indian warriors in the fall or winter 1610.

Click here to read the archaeological report in its entirety.