Joseph West (Governor)
Encyclopedia
Joseph West was an English ship captain, and an early governor of the Province of Carolina
.
.
West was probably attached to the service of one of the eight proprietors of Carolina, chief among whom were the Duke of Albemarle
and Lord Shaftesbury
. From his correspondence, preserved at the Public Record Office
, his relations appear to have been specially close with the latter. On 27 July 1669 he was given the command of a small fleet and ordered by the proprietors to sail from London for Kinsale
and thence by way of Barbados to Port Royal, Carolina, in the vicinity of which place he was to settle a new plantation under constitutions drawn up mainly by John Locke
, the secretary of the proprietors. West was also appointed to act as storekeeper in the new colony.
West sailed from The Downs
in the ship Carolina on 17 August 1669, and the expedition finally reached Port Royal on 17 March 1669/70. A few months later they began to settle Ashley River
, as the new plantation was called, and Charles Town
, the site of which was subsequently removed (1679–80) to Oyster Point
. West, though he had no experience as a "planter", took a leading part in the conduct of affairs as deputy for the governor, William Sayle
, whose health was failing. Sayle died on 4 March 1671, whereupon West was unanimously chosen governor by the colonial council. In the following December Sir John Yeamans
claimed the governorship on the ground that he had been made a landgrave by the proprietors. The council expressed themselves so well satisfied with the administration of West that they resolved not to disturb him in his government; but shortly afterwards an express nomination of Yeamans to the post arrived from England, and in this the colonists acquiesced. West was at the same time appointed "register of all writings and documents". But Yeamans proved popular neither with the settlers nor with the proprietors, his health was feeble, he was suspected of avarice in private trading, and early in 1674 he retired to Barbados, leaving the field clear for West, to whom the proprietors on 18 May 1674 sent a patent to be landgrave and a commission to be governor.
His salary was 100l. as governor and 60l. as storekeeper. The new governor's administration was marked by "care, fidelity, and prudence." He obtained deeds of transfer of lands from Native American
chiefs, made regulations respecting the militia, roads, the status of servants and slaves, and in his last parliament of May 1682 passed "acts for suppressing idleness, drunkenness, and profanity." In the same year was commenced the building of the English church in Charles Town; but the utmost tolerance was extended to the religious dissenters, who comprised the larger part of the population. West was removed from the governorship towards the close of 1682, having, it is supposed, incurred the displeasure of the proprietors by permitting the sale and transport of Native American slaves from Carolina into other colonies. His dismissal was soon regretted, and in September 1684 he was reappointed governor; but for private reasons he resigned his post and left the colony in the summer of 1685. It is supposed that he visited London, where he seems to have left his wife, and that he returned eventually to his estate upon the Ashley River; but nothing is known definitely of his later career, and he died in 1691.
Province of Carolina
The Province of Carolina, originally chartered in 1629, was an English and later British colony of North America. Because the original Heath charter was unrealized and was ruled invalid, a new charter was issued to a group of eight English noblemen, the Lords Proprietors, in 1663...
.
Life
Nothing is known of the circumstances of his birth or early years. In 1667 he was commissioned captain of , seeing service in the Second Anglo-Dutch WarSecond Anglo-Dutch War
The Second Anglo–Dutch War was part of a series of four Anglo–Dutch Wars fought between the English and the Dutch in the 17th and 18th centuries for control over the seas and trade routes....
.
West was probably attached to the service of one of the eight proprietors of Carolina, chief among whom were the Duke of Albemarle
George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle
George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, KG was an English soldier and politician and a key figure in the restoration of Charles II.-Early life and career:...
and Lord Shaftesbury
Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury
Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury PC , known as Anthony Ashley Cooper from 1621 to 1631, as Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper, 2nd Baronet from 1631 to 1661, and as The Lord Ashley from 1661 to 1672, was a prominent English politician during the Interregnum and during the reign of King Charles...
. From his correspondence, preserved at the Public Record Office
Public Record Office
The Public Record Office of the United Kingdom is one of the three organisations that make up the National Archives...
, his relations appear to have been specially close with the latter. On 27 July 1669 he was given the command of a small fleet and ordered by the proprietors to sail from London for Kinsale
Kinsale
Kinsale is a town in County Cork, Ireland. Located some 25 km south of Cork City on the coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon and has a population of 2,257 which increases substantially during the summer months when the tourist season is at its peak and...
and thence by way of Barbados to Port Royal, Carolina, in the vicinity of which place he was to settle a new plantation under constitutions drawn up mainly by John Locke
John Locke
John Locke FRS , widely known as the Father of Liberalism, was an English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. Considered one of the first of the British empiricists, following the tradition of Francis Bacon, he is equally important to social...
, the secretary of the proprietors. West was also appointed to act as storekeeper in the new colony.
West sailed from The Downs
The Downs
The Downs are a roadstead or area of sea in the southern North Sea near the English Channel off the east Kent coast, between the North and the South Foreland in southern England. In 1639 the Battle of the Downs took place here, when the Dutch navy destroyed a Spanish fleet which had sought refuge...
in the ship Carolina on 17 August 1669, and the expedition finally reached Port Royal on 17 March 1669/70. A few months later they began to settle Ashley River
Ashley River (South Carolina)
The Ashley River is a blackwater / tidal river in South Carolina, rising from the Wassamassaw and Great Cypress Swamps in western Berkeley County. It consolidates its main channel about five miles west of Summerville, widening into a tidal estuary just south of Fort Dorchester...
, as the new plantation was called, and Charles Town
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, the site of which was subsequently removed (1679–80) to Oyster Point
Oyster Point
Oyster Point lies at the mouth of Stoney Creek, about one kilometre south of Cardwell in northern Australia. The location provides excellent boating access to the shallow, warm waters of the Hinchinbrook Channel, numerous reefs and many islands including Hinchinbrook Island and Goold Island.The...
. West, though he had no experience as a "planter", took a leading part in the conduct of affairs as deputy for the governor, William Sayle
William Sayle
William Sayle was an explorer, settler of the Bahamas, and the first governor of colonial South Carolina from 1670–71.William Sayle established the first English settlement of the Bahamas between 1646–48 on the island of Eleuthera, although his legal claim to proprietorship in the Bahamas now...
, whose health was failing. Sayle died on 4 March 1671, whereupon West was unanimously chosen governor by the colonial council. In the following December Sir John Yeamans
John Yeamans
Sir John Yeamans, 1st Baronet was an English colonial administrator described in his day as "a pirate ashore".-Life:...
claimed the governorship on the ground that he had been made a landgrave by the proprietors. The council expressed themselves so well satisfied with the administration of West that they resolved not to disturb him in his government; but shortly afterwards an express nomination of Yeamans to the post arrived from England, and in this the colonists acquiesced. West was at the same time appointed "register of all writings and documents". But Yeamans proved popular neither with the settlers nor with the proprietors, his health was feeble, he was suspected of avarice in private trading, and early in 1674 he retired to Barbados, leaving the field clear for West, to whom the proprietors on 18 May 1674 sent a patent to be landgrave and a commission to be governor.
His salary was 100l. as governor and 60l. as storekeeper. The new governor's administration was marked by "care, fidelity, and prudence." He obtained deeds of transfer of lands from Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
chiefs, made regulations respecting the militia, roads, the status of servants and slaves, and in his last parliament of May 1682 passed "acts for suppressing idleness, drunkenness, and profanity." In the same year was commenced the building of the English church in Charles Town; but the utmost tolerance was extended to the religious dissenters, who comprised the larger part of the population. West was removed from the governorship towards the close of 1682, having, it is supposed, incurred the displeasure of the proprietors by permitting the sale and transport of Native American slaves from Carolina into other colonies. His dismissal was soon regretted, and in September 1684 he was reappointed governor; but for private reasons he resigned his post and left the colony in the summer of 1685. It is supposed that he visited London, where he seems to have left his wife, and that he returned eventually to his estate upon the Ashley River; but nothing is known definitely of his later career, and he died in 1691.