User:Babbage/WilliamStracheyScratch

William Strachey (1572-1621) was an English writer and barrister, whose writings are among the primary sources for the history the English colonization of North America, and as one of the only narratives describing Powhatan society.

He is especially remembered for his record of a shipwreck on the island of Bermuda, which he would write in his capacity of the secretary of the expedition and colony of Jamestown, Virginia. The account is believed to have served as a textual influence for William Shakespeare's The Tempest. regarding his shipwreck in Bermuda and subsequent experiences in Jamestown, Virginia are

Early Life
According to the membership list of the Virginia Company of London (see below), Strachey was born in 1572 in Surrey, England. He attended Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He was later a ?? at Gray's Inn.

Shipwreck of the Sea Venture
In 1609 Strachey joined the Virginia Company of London, a joint-stock company, to colonize Virginia. He was aboard the flagship Sea Venture with the leaders of the expedition and when a. Strachey's account of the shipwreck describes it as follows:

/// quote here

Textual similarities between Strachey's writings and the text of Shakespeare's The Tempest have led some scholars to conclude that Shakespeare had read Strachey's text and was influenced by it in his description of the shipwreck and island in the play.

Arrival in Jamestown
All the passengers survived, however, and managed to build two new ship

Writings
Strachey's writings are among the few first-hand descriptions of Virginia in the period. His list of

Archeological Record
In 1997, Strachey's signet ring was discovered in the ruins of Jamestown -- it was identifiable by the family seal, an eagle.