Who was the First Englishwoman to Arrive in Jamestown?
Did you know that the first English woman to arrive in the New World was a fourteen-year-old maid named Anne Burras? Not only was she the first Englishwoman to come to Jamestown. She was the first English woman to marry and have a child in the new world as well.
Anne left England with the Forrest family to assist Mistress Forrest, whose husband was high up in the London Company. Sir Forrest came to Jamestown a year after it was settled in 1608 to check on his investment and decided to bring along his new bride of only a few years. Unfortunately for them, Mistress Forrest passed away shortly after their arrival, leaving her maid, Anne, the only female among hundreds of men. Within weeks of Mistress Forrest's untimely death, Anne was forced to marry.
Who Did Anne Burras Marry?
She married a carpenter, most likely an indentured servant at the time, by the name of John Layton. John was a widower from England who came with the first group to Jamestown in 1607.
What Was Special About Anne?
Not only was she the first Englishwoman to arrive in Jamestown, but she was also the first Englishwoman to get married in the new world. She was the lone woman for nearly a year, the only other female occasionally at the fort was Pocahontas, the famous daughter of chief Powhattan. Pocahontas was ten or eleven years of age at the time and often visited the Jamestown with her brother. Several reports suggest Anne and Pocahontas knew each other well.
Here is a great video about Anne and her life created by the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation.
People of the Past: Anne Burras
What was it like for Anne?
The colony at the time was a dangerous place; most did not survive. Anne had to go to the James River to retrieve water for cooking and cleaning. The water was often unclean, and many colonists died from dysentery or other diseases. Anne was pregnant and still the only woman living in the fort until five large ships full of people arrived on their shores in 1609.
The original fleet included seven ships but two of the main vessels were shipwrecked or lost at sea. One of the ships, The Sea Venture crashed in Bermuda due to a giant storm and unfortunately contained most of the fleets supplies and leaders. The ships that made it to Virginia also carried disease such as yellow fever and even the bubonic plague! With over 500 newcomers the 150 or so Jamestown settlers had to figure out a way to live together within their mile radius fort without adequate food or supplies. Winter was particularly brutal that year and chief Powhattan commanded a seize on the fort, not allowing anyone in or out. If they did, the settlers were to be killed on the spot.
Without food, clean water and a place to bury their dead, and diseases less than 10% of the colonists survived. Anne, her husband John and their new baby, Virginia were among the living.
Several articles speculate that Anne and John wintered in Point Comfort, a look out point for the Spanish a few miles south during the winter of 1609-1610.
How Did You Learn About Anne?
I was researching family history during the COVID-19 pandemic and came across Anne's story. I was impressed with her fortitude and the unique circumstances she faced, so I continued researching. The more I found, the more I wanted to learn and wished there was more written about her than just court cases and side notes in written accounts. Because she was family, I had the fortune of having access to additional records such as where and when she was born, when she went into service as a maid and even her ship record to Jamestown. I first developed her story into a short story for my children, but it gradually evolved into a full novel.
More About Anne:
If you'd like to learn more about Anne, "First Lady of Jamestown," is YA historical fiction where readers get an inside view of what it was like to live in 17th-century Jamestown: the heartache, the thrill, and everything in between. Another great place to learn about Anne and life in Jamestown is the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation.
First Lady of Jamestown-Paperback
First Lady of Jamestown-Hardback
