Capt. Sir William West of Jamestown

• Capt William West Find A Grave Memorial# 149915193
• Jamestown Historic Anglican Church Cemetery Jamestown, James City County, Virginia, USA, Plot: Chancel Grave "D"

WHO WAS WILLIAM WEST?

William West was born around 1585 in England although little is known about his life. He arrived at Jamestown in June 1610 as part of a military force commanded by his uncle Thomas West, Lord De La Warr, the first captain general and governor of the colony. Several months later, De La Warr ordered some of his men to the falls of the James River—near present day Richmond—to repossess a fort (“Laware’s Fort”) abandoned by the English the year before. The fort was located in the heartland of the Powhatan chiefdom and fierce fighting between English soldiers and Indian warriors took place there. After West was killed he was brought back to Jamestown for burial, likely because of his kinship to Lord De La Warr.

WHAT EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THIS IS WILLIAM WEST?

Despite the poor overall state of the remains, Smithsonian forensic anthropologists were able to determine through surviving cranial features and long bone measurements that this individual was a male between 21 and 24 years old at the time of death. Historical records indicate that West was around 25 when he died, so the forensic analysis supports his identification. Lord De La Warr lost two relatives during his tenure at Jamestown (June 10, 1610 – March 1611): West and Wainman. Similarities between the two burials suggest that the two individuals were connected in some way and thus help to support their identification as the Governor’s kinsmen. The two burials had nearly identical high-status anthropomorphic—or human-shaped—coffins. Similar nail patterns, nail sizes, and construction techniques suggest that these two unique coffins were built by the same carpenter. Furthermore both skeletons exhibited a high lead count, which can be indicative of high-status people. In the late 16th and early 17th centuries elites used pewter and lead-glazed vessels more frequently than their less wealthy counterparts.

http://historicjamestowne.org/archaeology/chancel-burials/founders/...

The men, who helped shape the fledgling community during its tumultuous early years, included the Rev. Robert Hunt, thought to be the first Anglican minister in the Americas; Capt. Gabriel Archer, the early expeditionary leader; Sir Ferdinando Wainman, the cousin of Sir Thomas’s, the Virginia governor; and Capt. William West, the governor’s uncle. The discovery is the first to identify the remains of such high-status early European colonists at Jamestown, and it is likely to set off renewed interest in the study of the colony, researchers said, in particular the role religion played in the colonial world.

N.B.: That Capt. Sir William West is the Uncle of Father of Virginia Colony Governor Sir Thomas West,3rd Baron de la Warr, then Capt. Sir William West must be a brother of Governor West's father, Sir Thomas West,2nd Baron de la Warr, and the son of Sir William West,1st Baron de la Warr,, but there is a question of which partner of the 1st Baron is Capt. Sir William West's mother. At least one Myheritage match, lists a child of the 1st Baron with wife Elizabeth Strange (West) as "William West, Emigrated To Virginia In 1610".