Ferdinando Wainman
Ferdinando Wainman | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1576 |
| Died | 1610 (aged 33–34) |
| Other names | Ferdinand Wenman [sic] |
| Alma mater | Balliol College, Oxford |
| Title | Master of the Ordnance Member of the Virginia Governor's Council |
| Board member of | Virginia Company of London |
| Spouse | Frances Wainman |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Thomas Wenman (father) Jane West (mother) Richard Wenman, 1st Viscount Wenman (brother) William West, 1st Baron De La Warr (grandfather) Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr (cousin) |
Ferdinando Wainman (1576 – 1610) (also spelled Waynman, Wenman, or Weynman) was an English colonist, investor in the Virginia Company of London, and politician who served briefly as the Master of the Ordnance of the Colony of Virginia and a member of the Virginia Governor's Council. He was the first English knight to be buried in America.
Biography
[edit]Wainman was born in 1576 in Oxfordshire, England,[1][2] youngest son of Thomas Wainman, who served in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom,[3] and his second wife, Jane West. His maternal grandfather was William West, 1st Baron De La Warr.[4][5] He matriculated at a young age at the University of Oxford, where he was a student of John Case, a noted philosopher and scholar of the time.[6] He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Balliol College, Oxford.[6]
By 1609, Wainman received a knighthood. On June 9, 1610,[7] Wainman arrived at the Jamestown settlement in the colony of Virginia, accompanying his cousin Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr on the two-month journey.[8] Wainman was involved in the political and business affairs of the colony, including as an active investor in the Virginia Company and member of the governor's council of his cousin.[9][10][11] Three days after his arrival,[12] he was also appointed master of the ordnance (artillery) and as "General of the Horse," placed in charge of the colony's horse troops and defense.[13][14][15]
Death and legacy
[edit]Wainman died in July or August 1610 from disease, around age 34.[16][17] He was interred in the church at Jamestown, becoming the first English knight to be buried in America.[2][13]
Historians have credited Wainman for his contributions to bring fresh supplies which aided the colony following the "Starving Time."[18] He is the subject of a documentary tiled, Unveiling Jamestown’s Lost Knight: The Mystery of Sir Ferdinando Wainman's Grave.[19]
Discovery of remains
[edit]A 2015 archeological excavation sponsored by Jamestown researchers and the Smithsonian Institution verified the identify of the remains of Wainman.[13][20][21]
References
[edit]- ^ "Sir Ferdinando Wainman burial". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
- ^ a b Owsley, Douglas W.; Bruwelheide, Karin S.; Harney, Éadaoin (2024). "Historical and archaeogenomic identification of high-status Englishmen at Jamestown, Virginia". Antiquity. 98 (400): 1040–1054. doi:10.15184/aqy.2024.75. ISSN 0003-598X. PMC 11654903. PMID 39697469.
- ^ P.W. Hasler, 'Wenman, Thomas (c.1548-77), of Twyford, Bucks.', in P.W. Hasler (ed.), The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1558-1603 (from Boydell and Brewer 1982), History of Parliament Online.
- ^ 'XIX. Extracts from the parish registers of St Dunstan's in the West, London', in F. Madden, B. Bandinel and J.G. Nichols (eds), Collectanea Topographica et Genealogica, Volume V (John Bowyer Nichols and Son, London 1838), pp. 202-20, at p. 213 (Google); The Herald and Genealogist Volume 2 (1865), p. 523.
- ^ Saraceni, Jessica Esther (2024-08-14). "DNA Study of Jamestown Bones Reveals Tangled Family Tale". Archaeology Magazine. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
- ^ a b "Wasborow-Wesley | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
- ^ Smith, John (1895). Works, 1608-1631. Archibald Constable.
- ^ American Colonial Tracts Monthly. George P. Humphrey. 1897.
- ^ "West - Whitaker". Jamestowne Society. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
- ^ Hatch, Charles E. (2009). First Seventeen Years: Virginia, 1607-1624. Genealogical Publishing Com. ISBN 978-0-8063-4739-4.
- ^ McCartney, Martha W. (2007). Virginia Immigrants and Adventurers, 1607-1635: A Biographical Dictionary. Genealogical Publishing Com. ISBN 978-0-8063-1774-8.
- ^ McCartney, Martha W. (2000). Documentary History of Jamestown Island: Biographies of owners and residents. Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
- ^ a b c "Sir Ferdinando Wainman | Historic Jamestowne". Retrieved 2025-06-13.
- ^ Gardiner, Samuel Rawson (1863). History of England from the Accession of James I to the Disgrace of Chief-Justice Coke, 1603-1616. Hurst and Blackett.
- ^ Simms, William Gilmore (1846). The Life of Captain John Smith: The Founder of Virginia. G.F. Cooledge.
- ^ "Remains of English Jamestown colony leaders discovered". BBC News. 2015-07-28. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
- ^ Belknap, Jeremy (1843). American Biography. Harper.
- ^ "The Founders | Historic Jamestowne". Retrieved 2025-06-13.
- ^ Cesare, Chris (2015-07-28). "Historic human burials identified". Nature. doi:10.1038/nature.2015.18079. ISSN 1476-4687.
- ^ "Bones of early American leaders identified at Jamestown site". The Washington Post. 2015-07-29. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
- ^ "Jamestown | 3D Digitization". 3d.si.edu. Retrieved 2025-06-13.