Sir Francis Wyatt | |
|---|---|
 1624 manuscript by Wyatt | |
| Governor of Virginia | |
| In office November 1621 – 18 September 1625 | |
| Appointed by | James I |
| Preceded by | Sir George Yeardley |
| Succeeded by | Sir George Yeardley |
| In office November 1639 – February 1641 | |
| Appointed by | Charles I |
| Preceded by | John Harvey |
| Succeeded by | William Berkeley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1588 |
| Died | 1644 |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation | Planter |
Sir Francis Wyatt (1588–1644) was an English nobleman, knight, politician, and government official. He was the first English royal governor of Virginia. He sailed for America on 1 August 1621 on board the George. He became governor shortly after his arrival in October, taking with him the first written constitution for an English colony. Also sailing with him on this voyage was his second cousin Henry Fleete Sr., who helped found colonies in both Virginia and Maryland. In 1622 he rallied the defence of Jamestown which was attacked by Native Americans, during which the lives of some 400 settlers were lost and he then oversaw the contraction of the colony from scattered outposts into a defensive core.[1]
- ^ ""to quit many of our Plantacons and to vnite more neerely together in fewer places the better for to Strengthen and Defende ourselve.", Gov. Francis Wyatt, quoted in At the Edge of the Precipice: Frontier Ventures, Jamestown’s Hinterland, and the Archaeology of 44JC802 Archived 24 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Seth Mallios, APVA Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities July 2000