CCCVIII. Captain John Bargrave. Charges against Sir Thomas
Smyth, with Answers in Rough Draft by Sir Nathaniel Rich
April (?), 1623
Manchester Papers, No. 351
Document in Public Record Office, London
List of Records No. 434
The charge against Sr T. Smith
That Sr T. S. hath not p̱formed the trust reposed in him by His Matie
but contrariwise wth great Reason it may be stronglie presumed, that
both he first came to vndertake this charge wth sinister & priuate endℯ
of his owne & hath so contynued therein during the 12 y. of his gou9nt wch
seemeth to be made manifest as followeth.
This as they say is but presumption: And contrarie to their owne Act of
Court when Sr T. S. surrendered his place in wch they thankefully acknowl-
edged his good endeavors the good estate of the plantacs & give him a
reward of xx shares: s
2.
That he neglected the care of those businesses, bec9 when hee satt in the
Courts he would many tymes rise & goe about intend other occasions: &c
Answ:
He tooke more care of this then of all others & more ingaged himselfe.
3:
He sent but few women thither & those corrupt.
Ans.
Answ He sent a great many & those of the best hee could gett & some
such whose whose Husband since hath ben knighted & made Gouernor
of Virg.
4:
He sent not Cattle sufficient for the Colonye & all of
Answ.
He sent many they confess 300 in their declarac̃on.
5
That there was no publiqe seale made for the Company in Sr T. S. tyme:
Nor no diuisions of land.
Ans.
There were many diuisions of land made: but true it is the Colony was
not so scattered as since. And for the Seale then that wch was then vsed
was the Seale made for the Counsell of Virg by his Mates own appointmt.
6
That though there were ensamples of ii staple Com̃odityes in the 10th
yeare of his goũnt yet in the 12 y. of his gou9nt only Tobacco & Sassafras.
Answ.
There hath ben none at all since: & the charg is vntrue.
That there were few orders & lawes made in Sr T. S. tyme for gou9mt of
the Company & Colonye from whence issued Iniustice a p̱ticular instance
Answ
whereof that men were sold as slaues And in his tyme a Com̃ittee appointed
to consider whither it were fitt to contynue & desert the plantac̃on.
Answ
[2] There were lawes for the Company there. And none for the Colony
since but where made then.
8
There was a generall neglect in his officers: Mr Cañing and Alderman
Johnson who neu9 cleared his Accompt §but wronged the Company of
Answ
300li in fauor of the Magazin.§ and goodℯ bought at excessiue Rate And
the lists of mens names and of the ɫres writt to & from Virginia not care-
fully kept And that Alderman Johnson in a discourse of his to a priuate
freind did discom̃end the Countrey.
Answ.
This belongeth to the Officers to answ.
9
No fruite of thexpence of the tyme & money in generall
Answ.
Here Sr T. S. gives a short Accompt of what was done in his tyme.
Thus much for neglects in Sr T. S. tyme. Now for 3 matters of a high
nature.
That his Maties Instructions first giuen for gou9mt were not obserued, nor
so much as published.
He did follow thinstructions: And gaue Coppies thereof to the President
& Counsell first established: And they were engrossed fairely in a Book
as a Record.
The Counsell seldome assembled but wth the Company, and the Lordℯ
§of the Counsell§ made little acquainted wth the proceedingℯ of those
businesses
He did oft assemble them: but then they were so few that they could not
so oft as he would as had be meet: And he conceaues it a com̃endation
rather then an error §especially an offence of an high nature§ that in all
his tyme the Lords w of his Mats Counsell were so little §troubled§ and
their more weightie affaires interrupted by the businesses of this plantac̃on
as they haue ben since by §with§ these businesses.
That Sir T. Smith suffered a Booke of lawes for gou9mt of the Colony
chiefely extracted out of the lawes for gou9ing the Aermye in the low
Contreyes.
That was answered before the LLs & allowed.
That he did ill husband & accompt for the moneyes: as if they may haue
§sufficient§ tyme they giuen to find out therrors §Now for other p̱ticular
errors they charge him§ And that the Treasuror & Gouernor of the Com-
pany were at first beeing in themselues distinct Offices: were made one by
the Kingℯ ɫres Patents: wch is supposed to be by Sr T. Smythes meanes
[3] This is the Act of the ɫres Patents: 2 whereof were drawn by Sr Ed.
Sandys himselfe
That great ffces were giuen to the Vnder Officers wch came to 1500ɫ in
xij yeares
Theis were instituted by the Counsell & Company. & the Casheare Mr
Booke keep̱ who was to haue 100ɫ p̱ Añ: was in the beg̃ of the plantac̃on
thereto appointed by the L: Threas9, & so so that one plac alone by that
instituting came to 1200 of the 1500ɫ but conceaues it 1500ɫ p̱ Añ in 12 y.
not to be excepted against especi seeing S
r E. S. would haue no less than
500
ɫ p̱ Añ for directing the Monopoly of Tobacco by w
ch mens goods
should haue ben taken from them, changed & should against their will.
3:
That th Accomptℯ were not añually made: & his Accomptℯ intricate:&
that the Company by his §Accompt is indebted of§ 527ɫ 13s 1d ob.
Answ.
He gaue vp many & different Accomptℯ audited & allowed by men wthout
exception §And all his Accomptℯ at this day stand so audited & allowed§
And there is a p̱ticular Answere concerning all allegac̃ons against his
Accopt
4:
That this want of Accomptis was a hinderance to the plantac̃on: for some
sd̴ one this & some another.
Answ.
This §To§ Clamor he cañot answere vnto
55
That some of the Lottery money was imployed in paying of the debtℯ
of the Company for wch Sr T. S. himselfe stood engaged contrary to the
LL agreemt betweene the LLs & the Company.
Answ.
The moneyes he receaued of the Lotteryes was not much: for he left in
stock 3000ɫ and Sr E. S. had 1000ɫ thereof. What was The little that
remayned was payed by Order of Court: And §But§ Sr Ed. Sandyℯ himselfe
confesseth that he hath pd 5000ɫ thereof the publiq stock for discharg of
old debts
Lastly §Then§ they deduce all Errors com̃itted by Sr S. Argall to be vpon
Sr T. S. seeing he fauored him.
Lastly they say that these things the Company could haue ben content
to haue buryed in silence but that Sr T. S. hath fauored th'Opposite p̱te
to the Company &c.
[Indorsed:] Breife of ye charge made against Sr T. Smyth
