Ferdinando Gorges
Ferdinando Gorges arrived in the world between 1565 and 1568, likely within the London town house his family kept in Clerkenwell. His father Edward died on the 29th of August 1568 at age thirty-one, leaving behind a will dated just days before that event. Edward bequeathed a twenty-three ounce gold watch to his second son Ferdinando along with the manor of Birdcombe for a term of twenty-four years. The timing of these gifts suggests historians believe Ferdinando was born shortly before his father passed away. He belonged to the Russell family of Kingston Russell in Dorset through his male line ancestry. An ancient Anglo-Norman Gorges family had once held estates in Wraxall since the time of King Edward II. That male line ended in 1331 when Ralph de Gorges died without children. The last surviving member of that old family left his lands to Theobald Russell under the condition he adopt the name and arms of Gorges. Ferdinando descended from this Theobald who became the bridge between two great English families.
No records document Ferdinando's activities before 1587 when he appeared as a captain commanding eight hundred soldiers sent from Flushing. Sir William Russell led those troops to aid the Earl of Leicester during the Siege of Sluis against Spanish forces. Gorges fought under Lord Willoughby and developed a close connection with that commander's family. By September 1588 he stood listed among prisoners at Lisle after being captured during the conflict. Friends in England petitioned to exchange him for Spanish prisoners held by their side. He suffered wounds at the siege of Paris in 1589 before receiving knighthood at Rouen in 1591. Queen Elizabeth rewarded his service by appointing him Governor of the Fort at Plymouth where he served for many years. During the Spanish Armada crisis of 1597 he raised alarms enabling national defense though autumn storms dispersed the enemy fleet. His military career spanned decades of active duty across the Low Countries and coastal defenses of England.
Ferdinando found himself entangled in the Essex Conspiracy of 1601 which sought to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I. The main conspirator Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, faced execution for treason following the failed plot. Gorges chose to testify against the leaders rather than share their fate. This decision allowed him to escape punishment while others lost their heads on Tower Hill. His testimony proved crucial to the Crown's ability to dismantle the rebellion completely. The event marked a turning point from battlefield commander to political survivor within the Tudor court. Years later he would serve as Colonel of a regiment of Devon Trained Band Horse during 1633. That role demonstrated how far he had risen after surviving the conspiracy that nearly cost him everything.
Gorges never set foot in North America yet earned the title Father of English Colonization there through his administrative efforts alone. Captain George Weymouth presented three captured American Indians to him around 1604 who spoke about their homeland. One captive claimed to be Tisquantum or Squanto though historians dispute this identification. In 1607 he funded the failed Popham Colony located in present-day Phippsburg Maine as a shareholder in the Plymouth Company. A land patent dated the 10th of August 1622 granted him rights over territory between the Merrimack and Kennebec rivers alongside John Mason. King James I issued this charter establishing what became known as Ye Province of Maine. An enhanced 1639 charter from King Charles I gave Gorges increased powers over the region. He divided the colony with Mason in 1629 creating separate jurisdictions south of the Piscataqua River. His nephew established Maine's first court system while agents like Capt Christopher Levett attempted actual settlement on the ground.
Ferdinando married four times starting in 1589 at St Margaret Westminster with Ann Bell who died in 1620. They produced two sons named John and Robert plus daughters Ellen and Honoria before Honoria died young. He wed Mary Fulford secondly in 1621 then Elizabeth Gordes thirdly in 1627 at Ladock Cornwall. That third wife died weeks after their marriage leaving him widowed once more. His fourth union occurred at Wraxall in 1629 to Elizabeth Smyth widow of Sir Hugh Smyth. Ferdinando died on the 24th of May 1647 at Long Ashton buried without markings in the Smyth crypt. His eldest son John inherited the Province of Maine though younger son Robert had briefly served as Governor-General from 1623 to 1624. In May 1677 his grandson Ferdinando sold all rights to Massachusetts for £1,250. The sale extinguished family interests in lands he had labored to develop as a proprietary province despite never visiting them himself.
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Common questions
When was Ferdinando Gorges born and where did he live?
Ferdinando Gorges arrived in the world between 1565 and 1568 within the London town house his family kept in Clerkenwell. His father Edward died on the 29th of August 1568 at age thirty-one leaving behind a will dated just days before that event.
What military service did Ferdinando Gorges perform during the late 1500s?
Ferdinando Gorges appeared as a captain commanding eight hundred soldiers sent from Flushing to aid the Earl of Leicester during the Siege of Sluis against Spanish forces. He fought under Lord Willoughby and suffered wounds at the siege of Paris in 1589 before receiving knighthood at Rouen in 1591.
How did Ferdinando Gorges survive the Essex Conspiracy of 1601?
Ferdinando Gorges chose to testify against the leaders of the failed plot rather than share their fate which allowed him to escape punishment while others lost their heads on Tower Hill. This decision proved crucial to the Crown's ability to dismantle the rebellion completely and marked a turning point from battlefield commander to political survivor within the Tudor court.
Why is Ferdinando Gorges called the Father of English Colonization despite never visiting North America?
Ferdinando Gorges earned the title Father of English Colonization through his administrative efforts alone including funding the failed Popham Colony located in present-day Phippsburg Maine as a shareholder in the Plymouth Company. A land patent dated the 10th of August 1622 granted him rights over territory between the Merrimack and Kennebec rivers alongside John Mason establishing what became known as Ye Province of Maine.
When did Ferdinando Gorges die and who inherited his lands?
Ferdinando Gorges died on the 24th of May 1647 at Long Ashton buried without markings in the Smyth crypt. His eldest son John inherited the Province of Maine though younger son Robert had briefly served as Governor-General from 1623 to 1624.