William Sayle facts for kids

Captain William Sayle (around 1590–1671) was an important person from Britain who owned a lot of land. He served as Governor of Bermuda in 1643 and again in 1658. Sayle had strong beliefs about religion and government that were different from many others. He supported Oliver Cromwell, a powerful leader in England.

Because he wasn't happy with how things were in Bermuda, he started a group called the Eleutheran Adventurers. This group became the first people to settle in the Bahamas between 1646 and 1648. Later, from 1670 to 1671, he became the first governor of colonial South Carolina.

Life in Bermuda: A New Home

Sayle Road, in Devonshire, Bermuda

Bermuda, also known as the "Somers Isles," was first settled in 1609. This happened after a ship called the Sea Venture crashed there. This ship was the main ship of the Virginia Company. Most of the people on board continued their journey to Jamestown, Virginia the next year.

However, Bermuda became part of the Virginia Company's land in 1612. The first governor and sixty colonists arrived, joining three men who had stayed behind from the Sea Venture. Bermuda is a small island, about 21 square miles. It was divided into nine areas called parishes.

How Bermuda Was Governed

In 1615, the control of Bermuda was given to a new company called the Somers Isles Company. This company appointed a governor. From 1620, the governor worked with a group called the House of Assembly. This group was made up of settlers.

There was also a Council, which was a group of important local men chosen by the company. This Council was supposed to help balance power. However, the Council quickly became controlled by the same powerful families who were in the Assembly. This meant that local leaders had a lot of power in Bermuda for a long time.

Changes in Bermuda's Economy

Bermuda quickly became a successful colony. At first, growing tobacco was the main way people made money. But by the 1620s, tobacco wasn't as profitable. Other colonies like Virginia started growing a lot of tobacco, which made the price go down.

Many people who owned shares in the Somers Isles Company didn't live in Bermuda. The land was worked by tenants and indentured servants. These servants worked for seven years to pay for their trip to Bermuda.

Successful settlers started buying land from the company's shareholders. Instead of just growing tobacco, residents began to focus on sea trade. They planted Bermuda cedar trees, which were important for building ships. They also grew food and raised animals for themselves. They sold their extra food to other colonies. This caused problems with the Somers Isles Company, which only made money from tobacco exports. Eventually, the settlers complained to the King, and the company's special permission was taken away in 1684.

William Sayle's Role in Bermuda

William Sayle likely moved to Bermuda around 1630. He owned a lot of land there. Records from 1662–1663 show he had 165 shares of land, totaling about 220.5 acres. One of his properties was where the famous house called Verdmont was built later.

Because he was such an important man, Sayle was sometimes a member of the Council. The Somers Isles Company stopped sending governors from England and started choosing important local residents. Sayle became Governor in 1643. However, he was a Puritan and supported Oliver Cromwell. This often put him at odds with most of Bermuda's powerful leaders.

The English Civil War and Bermuda

In the 1640s, Bermuda faced a conflict similar to the English Civil War happening in England. People in Bermuda were divided between those who supported the Church of England (called Royalists) and those who were Puritans or Presbyterians (called Parliamentarians).

Most Bermudians felt that their interests were with the King (the Crown). This was because the Somers Isles Company, which controlled Bermuda, was mostly made up of shareholders in England who sided with Parliament. These shareholders often made decisions that benefited them, not the settlers in Bermuda.

Bermuda's Loyalty to the King

Even after Parliament won the war in England in 1646, Bermuda, along with Virginia and a few other colonies, remained loyal to the King. Bermuda was the first colony to recognize Charles II as King after his father, King Charles I, was executed in 1649.

Royalists in Bermuda took control of the local army. They removed the governor appointed by the Company and chose John Trimingham as their leader. Because of this loyalty, the English Parliament stopped all trade with these colonies in 1650. They called the people in these colonies "notorious Robbers and Traitors."

Parliament even allowed private ships to attack vessels trading with Bermuda. However, Bermuda eventually reached an agreement with the English government. This agreement kept Parliament's forces out and helped maintain peace within the colony.

Starting a New Life in the Bahamas

William Sayle led the first English settlement in the Bahamas between 1646 and 1648. This established England's claim to the islands. He left Bermuda with seventy settlers. Most were Bermudians and some were English. They were looking for a place where they could worship God freely.

They settled on an island they named Eleuthera. This name comes from a Greek word meaning freedom. This settlement was planned and approved from England. Bermuda had been important in helping to start other English colonies. Many of the settlers were actually forced out of Bermuda because of religious differences during the Civil War.

The Eleutheran Adventurers' Journey

The exact dates of Sayle's journey are not fully clear. Some sources say he left Bermuda in 1646. However, Sayle and his Eleutheran Adventurers didn't agree on their rules until July 9, 1647. It's possible Sayle made more than one trip.

In a letter from March 1646, William Rener of Bermuda wrote that two ships had sailed to the Bahamas. One was lost, and the other returned without finding the islands. Rener also mentioned that he and Sayle had bought half of a ship called the William for a trip to the Bahamas. In any case, Sayle took seventy people to settle there between spring 1646 and autumn 1648. Later, the Royalist government in Bermuda ordered two other religious leaders and sixty of their followers to move to the Bahamas.

Rules for the New Settlement

In 1647, Sayle created rules for the new settlement. These rules showed the challenges of the English Civil War happening at the time. While the introduction mentioned King Charles, the rules themselves made it clear that the new settlement would be largely independent. They talked about the "Members of the Republick" and the "Magistracie or officers of the Republicke."

These rules allowed freedom of religion and opinion. Each settler would receive three hundred acres of land. The settlement would be governed by a governor and twelve councillors. These leaders would be chosen from the first 100 settlers. The rules also said that any native people still on the island should be treated kindly. Some historians believe that if Sayle's settlement had been fully successful, it would have been "the first democratic state in the New World," long before the American Revolution.

Challenges in the Bahamas

Life on the frontier was difficult, and there were also internal conflicts. During the voyage to the Bahamas, a Captain Butler, one of the settlers, caused trouble. He rebelled against the rules. Because of this, William Sayle left the first settlement in north Eleuthera. He moved to a nearby island called St. George's Cay, which is now known as Spanish Wells.

In 1657, Sayle returned to Bermuda. In 1658, he was again appointed Governor. He lost this position in 1662 but was then appointed to the Council of Bermuda.

Governor of Carolina Colony

In 1669, William Sayle took over leading a group of settlers to a new colony in Carolina. This happened after Sir John Yeamans stepped down. Sayle arrived in South Carolina on a Bermuda sloop (a type of ship) with several families from Bermuda. He helped found the town of Charleston.

In 1670, William Sayle, who was in his eighties, became the first Colonial Governor of the colony of Carolina. In 1669, Carolina was divided into two parts. The southern part, which included Charleston, became South Carolina in 1712. The northern part became North Carolina. Sayle also played a key role in encouraging the Lords Proprietors (the owners of the colony) to successfully get permission to claim the Bahama Islands in 1670. He passed away in 1671.

Images for kids

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  Sayle Road, in Devonshire, Bermuda