Eleutheran Adventurers facts for kids

The Eleutheran Adventurers were a group of English Puritans and other religious people. They left Bermuda in the late 1640s to settle on the island of Eleuthera in The Bahamas. These settlers were led by William Sayle. They had been forced to leave Bermuda because they would not promise loyalty to the King. They wanted a place where they could practice their faith freely. This group was the first major European attempt to start a colony in the Bahamas.

Why They Left Bermuda

The mid-1600s was a time of big religious and political trouble in England. This led to the English Civil War. In this war, King Charles I fought against the Parliament of England. Eventually, a Puritan general named Oliver Cromwell took control.

This conflict also reached Bermuda. There was a civil war there too. The King's supporters, called Cavaliers, won. This led to the Puritans and other independent religious groups being forced out of the colony. They decided to go to the Bahamas. England had claimed these islands in 1629 but had not yet settled them. Before this, in 1644, some Bermudian Puritans had already explored these new islands.

Starting the Colony

Between 1646 and 1648, William Sayle took about 70 people to settle in the Bahamas. They landed on an island called Cigateo. They renamed it Eleutheria, which means "freedom" in Greek. Later, the name became Eleuthera. Sadly, the original people of the island, the Lucayans, had almost disappeared. This was due to Spanish slave activities and European diseases like smallpox.

Sayle and his assistant, Captain Butler, began their journey to the Bahamas on two different ships. Sayle's ship was named the William. During the trip, Butler and Sayle argued about what religious freedom truly meant. To solve this problem, Sayle left Butler and sailed ahead to the Bahamian Islands.

The settlers faced big trouble even before they landed. Their ship hit a storm and crashed onto rocks. These rocks are now called the Devil's Backbone, north of Spanish Wells. The adventurers managed to get ashore. They found shelter in a place later named Preacher's Cave. For the next 100 years, a religious service was held there every year. This was to give thanks for their survival. But even though they had shelter, they had lost all their food and supplies.

Sayle took eight men in a small boat and went to Virginia to find help. He got a ship and supplies there. Then he returned to rescue the others. More colonists who were expelled from Bermuda arrived in 1649. They also faced a lack of supplies. This time, kind Puritans of New England helped them. They collected £800 for all the needed supplies. This allowed the colony to survive. The Eleutheran people showed their thanks. They sent the ship back to Boston filled with Braziletto wood. They asked that the wood be sold and the money given to Harvard University.

The colony also had problems from within its own group. Even before they landed, Butler caused many issues. He refused to accept authority. So, Sayle and others had to find another island. They named this new island Sayle Island. It was later renamed New Providence.

The colony was not an instant success financially. The soil did not grow much food. The settlers barely survived during their first years. They had to live by salvaging things from shipwrecks. Sayle was able to get supplies from the mainland colonies. Despite this, the colony did not get much better in the following years. In the end, only a few strong settlers from the original Eleutherans remained.

Sayle later became a governor of South Carolina. But he still cared deeply about Eleuthera. He used his influence to help the island get some trade. This helped the community during its early years. This story is believed to be the inspiration for Andrew Marvell's poem "Bermudas." The poem praised the Puritan settlers of the New World. It is also one of the earliest ideas of the "American Dream."

The Rules of 1647

The colony was meant to be governed by the "Articles and Orders of 1647." William Sayle wrote these rules. The rules showed the confusion of the English Civil War happening at that time. This war was between the King's supporters (Cavaliers) and Parliament's supporters (Roundheads).

The introduction to the rules mentioned King Charles I. But the rules themselves made it clear that the new settlement would be mostly independent. They did not mention the King again. Instead, the rules talked about the "Members of the Republick" and the "Magistracie or officers of the Republicke."

These rules set up important ideas:

• Freedom of religion and opinion: Everyone could believe what they wanted.
• Land for settlers: Each settler would get 300 acres of land.
• Government: The colony would be run by a governor and twelve councillors. These leaders would be chosen from a group of the first 100 settlers.
• Fair treatment: Any native people still on the island would be treated kindly.

Historians have noted that if Sayle's settlement had fully succeeded, he would have created "the first democratic state in the New World." This would have been about 130 years before the American Revolution.