John Nicholl (

fl. ''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...

1605–1637?) was an English mariner and author who joined an expedition to the English colony Guiana in 1605. He was shipwrecked and rescued by Spaniards who imprisoned him as a spy. He returned to England in 1607 and published an account of his adventures.

Life

He was one of 67 Englishmen who on 12 April 1605 sailed in the ''Olive Branch'', at the charge of Sir Olyff Leigh, to join the colony which had been planted by Captain Charles Leigh on the river "Wiapica" (

Oyapoc Oyapoc (or ''Wiapoco'') was a short-lived English settlement in French Guiana on the Oyapock The Oyapock or Oiapoque (; ; ) is a long river in South America that forms most of the border between the French overseas department of French Guiana ...

) in Guiana, their leader being Captain Nicholas St. John. Off course, after 17 weeks at sea, the put in at

Saint Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindian ...

in the West Indies. Here St. John decided to remain for a time with Nicholl and his party, and to allow the vessel to go home. At first the

Carib people “Carib” may refer to: People and languages *Kalina people, or Caribs, an indigenous people of South America **Carib language, also known as Kalina, the language of the South American Caribs *Kalinago people, or Island Caribs, an indigenous pe ...

were friendly, but later they attacked the new settlers. After a truce, Nicholl's party, nineteen in all, rigged and provisioned one of their

periagua Periagua (from Spanish ''piragua'', in turn derived from the Carib language word for dugout) is the term formerly used in the Caribbean and the eastern seaboard of North America for a range of small craft including canoes and small sailing vessels ...

s, and on 26 September they left Saint Lucia. On 5 October they were wrecked on a barren island just off the mainland. Having patched up their canoe, five of the party embarked for the mainland ( Venezuela), but Nicholl and his comrades suffered from hunger and thirst on the island for fifteen days. They were ultimately rescued by the Spaniards and taken to Tocuyo, and then to

Santa Ana de Coro Coro, historically known as Neu-Augsburg, is the capital of Falcón State and the second oldest city of Venezuela (after Cumaná). It was founded on July 26, 1527, by Juan de Ampíes as Santa Ana de Coro. It is established at the south of the Par ...

. The English party were brought before the governor, but through the intervention of a Fleming were not sent to the galleys. After five months at Coro, Nicholl and two of his companions embarked in a frigate bound for Carthagena in

New Granada New Granada may refer to various former national denominations for the present-day country of Colombia. *New Kingdom of Granada, from 1538 to 1717 *Viceroyalty of New Granada, from 1717 to 1810, re-established from 1816 to 1819 *United Provinces of ...

on 30 April 1606. Here on 10 May, four days after their arrival, they were committed to prison as spies, but found friends, Spanish as well as English, and were released after two months, and in August were sent to Havana on Cuba, in a fleet of Spanish galleons. About 10 October 1606 Nicholl sailed from Havana for Spain, reaching Cadiz on 15 December. Meeting with an English skipper, he was landed safely at the Downs in Kent on 2 February 1607.

Works

Nicholl published shortly in London an account of his adventures, entitled ''An Houre Glasse of Indian Newes. Or a ... Discourse, shewing the ... Miseries ... indured by 67 Englishmen, which were sent for a Supply to the Planting in Guiana in the Yeare 1605'', London, 1607. He dedicated it to

Sir Thomas Smythe Sir Thomas Smythe (or Smith, c. 1558 – 4 September 1625) was an English merchant, politician and colonial administrator. He was the first governor of the East India Company and treasurer of the Virginia Company from 1609 to 1620 until envel ...

Life

Works

Notes

Further reading