The voyage of the Winthrop Fleet to America [1630]

Extracts from The Shipboard Journal of Sir John Winthrop 29th March 1630 to 8th July 1630 – by The Winthrop Society

The Winthrop Fleet was the greatest fleet ever assembled to carry Englishmen overseas to a new homeland.

The Ships of the Fleet were

• Arbella
• Ambrose
• Jewel
• Talbot
• Charles
• Mayflower
• William & Frances
• Hopewell
• The Whale
• Success
• Trial

Aboard the Arbella were Sir Richard Saltonstall, his children Richard, Rosamund, Samuel, Robert, and Grace. A maid accompanied the two daughters, and Richard Diffy is shown as servant to Sir Richard Saltonstall

Because of the girls' illness, Sir Richard Saltonstall, Rosamund and Grace returned to England in 1631.

On a rare calm day fires be lit to cook food. Other times there was fasting

• Easter Monday 29th March Anno Domini 1630: Riding at Cowes, near the Isle of Wight on the Arbella, a ship of three hundred and fifty tons, whereof Captain Peter Milbourne was the Master being manned by fifty-two seamen and twenty-eight pieces of ordnance

• Tuesday 39th March 1630: Anchored near Yarmouth, Isle of Wight

• Monday 5th April 1630: A maid of Sir Richard Saltonstall fell down the grating by the cook-room, but the carpenter's man, who occasioned her fall unwillingly caught hold of her with incredible nimbleness, and saved her, otherwise she had fallen into the hold

• Thursday 8th April 1630: Four ships left Isle of Wight

• Friday 9th April 1630: Off Portland

• Saturday 10th April 1630: Off Plymouth. This day two young men falling at odds and fighting, contrary to orders which we had published and set up in ship, were adjudged to walk upon the deck till night with their hands bounds behind them, which accordingly was executed, and another man, for using contemptuous speeches in our presence, was laid in bolts till he submitted himself and promised open confession of the Offence

• Sunday 11th April 1630: We had gotten past Scilly

• Monday 12th April 1630: Our children and others that were sick and lay groaning in the cabins were fetched out and having stretched a rope from the storage to the mainmast we made them stand, some on one side and some on the other, and swing it up and down till they were warm, and by this means they grew well and merry

• Saturday 17th April 1630: We were about 90 leagues from Scilly, and at this place there came a swallow and lighted upon our ship

• Saturday 1st May 1630: A great tempest all night. We set two fighters in bolts all night with their hands tied behind their backs

• Tuesday 11th May 1630: A great storm of rain. Complaint made to our Captain of some injury that one of the under officers had done to one of our landsmen. He called him and examined the cause, and commanded him to be tied up by the hands and a weight to be hanged around his neck, but, at the intercession of the governor (with some difficulty) he remitted his punishment

• Thursday 20th May 1630: Storm all day (a note in the margin of the journal said fast meaning the weather was too rough to prepare food) 

• Friday 21st May 1630: A servant of one of our company had bargained with a child to sell him a box worth 3 pence for three biscuits a day all voyage, and had received about forty and sold them and many more to some of the other servants. We caused his hands to be tied up to a bar and hanged a basket with stones around his neck, and he stood for two hours

• Monday 24th May 1630: A handsome gale and very cold

• Friday 28th May 1630: A child was born on the Jewel one of the other ships of the fleet

• Tuesday 1st June 1630: A woman on our ship fell in travail (childbirth labour) and we sent and had a midwife out of the Jewel. The Jewel was far ahead of us so we shot off a piece and lowered our topsails and then she brailed her sails and stayed with us. This evening we saw the new moon more than half an hour after sunset being much smaller than it is anytime in England

• Lord's Day 6th June 1630: We stood WNN both to make [?] Cape Sable, if we might, and also because of the current, which, near the west shores sets to the South that we might be more clear from the Southern Shoals, viz., of Cape Cod. About two in the afternoon we saw the shore in the N about five or six leagues off and were (as we supposed) to the SW of Cape Sable

• Monday 7th June 1630: We took, in less than two hours, with a few hooks, sixty-seven codfish, most of them very great fish, some a yard and a half long and a yard in compass. A woman gave birth to a still-born child. She had divers children before but none of them lived

• Tuesday 8th June 1630: We stood NNW with a stiff gale and at about three in the afternoon had sight of land which we supposed to be the Isles of Monhegan but it proved to be Mount Mansell. We had sunshine weather and pleasant sweet air and there came a smell off the shore like the smell of a garden. There came a wild pigeon and another small land bird

• Thursday 10th June 1630: At four in the afternoon we made land called Three Turks Head. It lies near Aquamentious

• Friday 11th June 1630: We were in sight of Cape Ann

• Saturday 12th June 1630: About four in the morning we were near our port. We shot off two pieces of ordnance. Most of the people went ashore at Cape Ann and gathered fine strawberries. An Indian came aboard and lay there all night.

  The Talbot arrived at Charlton. She had lost fourteen passengers

• Saturday 3rd July 1630: The Hopewell and William Francis arrived

• Monday 5th July 1630: The Trial arrived. Many of the passengers were near starved

• Thursday 8th July 1630: We kept a day of thanksgiving in all plantations

• Friday 9th July 1630: My son, Henry Winthrop, drowned at Salem. John Winthrop's son Henry arrived too late to sail with his father on the Arbella so sailed aboard another ship

This next item is about the return to England of Sir Richard Saltonstall and his two daughters in 1631.

Extract from a letter sent by Deputy Governor Thomas Dudley to Lady Bridget, Countess of Lincoln, dated 8th March 1631 and addressed to My very good Lady

The ship now awaits for wind, which, when it blows, there are ready to go aboard therein for England Richard Saltonstall, Mr Sharpe, Mr Coddington, &c, and many others the most whereof purpose is to return to us again if God will. In the meantime, we are left a people poor and contemptible, yet such as trust in God and are contented with our condition, being well assured that he will not fail us or forsake us

This & associated entries use material contributed by Jeffrey Knowles

Page Ref: WW_51

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