Margaret Rice has discovered a relation who was one of the earliest settlers in England’s first permanent colony in the New World. She shared his story with Gail Dixon
Early settlers at the James Fort colony in Virginia, on the East Coast of America, endured the ‘Starving Time’ in the winter of 1609/1610. Food was so scarce after a severe drought that they only survived by eating roots, acorns and berries. Archaeologists have even found physical evidence of cannibalism in their remains.
This was the land that Margaret Rice’s relation Henry Bagwell journeyed to in 1609. He was part of the ‘Third Supply’, a flotilla of ships taking supplies and colonists to James Fort (later Jamestown).
Bermuda. “Approximately 150 people survived, and nine months later were able to proceed to Virginia in two small boats that they had constructed from the wreckage. They arrived to find James Fort in decay.”
Despite the hardship, Henry settled on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, where he acquired 400 acres of land on Old Plantation Creek in Northampton County.
His life was fraught with danger. Relations with the Native Americans had started well, but soon began to sour. Early settlers lived in fear of massacres.
“I discovered Henry when I was researching my Exeter ancestors,” Margaret explains. “He was born in 1589, the son of wealthy merchant David Bagwell and his wife Johane Chappell. Her father was my 10x great grandfather Thomas Chappell, who served as mayor of Exeter in 1588.”
During the 1600s, pioneers were drawn to Virginia by the promise of land. They could pay a dividend of £12 10s to the Virginia Company of London in return for a grant of land. Henry acquired 50 acres. He set sail on 2 June 1609.
However, the fleet encountered a hurricane during the voyage and Henry’s ship ran aground on
The fates and fortunes of Virginian pioneers have been well documented in archives, books and church records. This has enabled Margaret to build a picture of Henry’s career.
“He was helping to make history. In 1629, he was elected burgess to represent the Eastern Shore at the General Assembly of Jamestown. He was also clerk of Accomack-Northampton County Court, which was the country’s first judicial court.
“Henry’s signature was on the opening minutes of the court meetings. Clerk was a position of key responsibility, so he must have been highly respected. Henry and his fellow o cials were establishing the foundations of modern American society.”
In around 1636 Henry married fellow pioneer Alice Chilcott, a widow with a son and two daughters. Henry and Alice had three children of their own – John, Rebecca and Thomas. “I can’t find a death record for Henry, but records prove that he was still alive in 1659.”
Margaret became fascinated with Henry and decided to write his biography. The Henry Bagwell Story: English Adventurer, Virginia Planter, 1589 to 1663 is packed with intriguing details.
The wills of his children list the few household items that they had, such as pewter tankards, spinning wheels, feather beds and flutes. Reading these is like peering into a pioneer homestead.
There is a Bagwell Bridge in Virginia to this day, as well as a Bagwell Avenue, and Margaret is planning to visit Northampton County in September. “I hope to stand on Henry’s land and look out over Old Plantation Creek.
It would also be good to visit the courthouse and see the records.”
“Henry was a castaway and adventurer who became a pillar of his community. Above all, he was a family man who left a great legacy of descendants in Virginia,” Margaret says.
MARGARET RICE is a retired college lecturer, and lives in Tiverton, Devon. She has been researching her tree for 10 years
The Henry Bagwell Story (Secant Publishing, 2021) is available in hardback (£23.99) and as an e-book (£7.49) from online retailers
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