Biography
John Ratcliffe commanded the Discovery and became a councillor of the Jamestown Colony. He became president of the colony upon the deposition of Edward Maria Wingfield on September 10, 1607. Ratcliffe himself was removed in July 1608, and was succeeded by Matthew Scrivener.
Ratcliffe was elected president and asked John Smith to organize work details and expeditions to trade with Native Americans. By January 1608, only 40 colonists were alive and Ratcliffe and the Council planned to return to England on the Discovery. Ratcliffe's overgenerous trading provoked Smith to complain that they would soon run out of items to trade.
Ratcliffe accompanied Christopher Newport when he sailed from Virginia in 1608. He commanded the Diamond, one of the ships in the fleet of Sir Thomas Gates.
During the governorship of George Percy, in August 1609, Ratcliffe was sent to build a fort at Old Point Comfort.
In September 1609, he traveled off with his 15 fellow men to trade with the Native Americans for food. It is said that he was led into an ambush and killed, along with 14 of his men, at Werowocomoco on the York River.
There is documented evidence in Beaufort County, North Carolina of a John Ratcliff owning hundreds of acres of land which are documented to be given out only to the colonists. The colonists from Roanoke and Jamestown were the only English-Europeans in North Carolina in the 17th century. It is believed that every man from Roanoke was killed off by the Indians leaving only the colonists from Jamestown to take ownership over the land.
Although John Ratcliffe was a very popular name during Jamestown's first years, there were only two that arrived. The John Ratcliffe that was not suspected to have been killed can be traced back to the northern Virginia area. This John Ratcliffe that was supposed to have been killed by the Native Americans is the most likely grantee of this land. It is very possible that there was some other man by this name who claimed the North Carolina land who was not on the ship records at Jamestown, however, it is not very probable.
Read more about this topic: John Ratcliffe (governor)
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