Updated September 21, 2022
While searching the Internet for "William Henry Somers" I came across this interesting trivia:
Source: Wikipedia
A William Sommers (or Somers) served as Henry VIII's court jester and retired during Elizabeth I's reign: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Sommers
The Anne Boleyn Files reports this about Henry VIII's Court Jester:
15 June 1560 – Death of William Somer (Sommers), Court Fool to Henry VIII
Posted By Claire on June 15, 2013
On 15th June 1560, William Somer (Sommers), former court fool to Henry VIII, Edward VI and Mary I died in Shoreditch, London. He was buried at St Leonard’s Church, Shoreditch.
Somer served as Henry VIII’s fool from June 1535 and just a month later got into trouble with the King. In July 1535, Eustace Chapuys, the Imperial ambassador, recorded that Henry VIII was so angry with Somer that he nearly killed him:
“He the other day nearly murdered his own fool, a simple and innocent man, because he happened to speak well in his presence of the Queen and Princess [Catherine of Aragon and Mary], and called the concubine “ribaude” [whore] and her daughter “bastard.” He has now been banished from Court, and has gone to the Grand Esquire, who has sheltered and hidden him.”1
Read more: http://www.theanneboleynfiles.com/15-june-1560-death-of-william-somer-sommers-court-fool-to-henry-viii/
Additional information on the origin of the Somers surname can be found at Somers Name Meaning, Family History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms (houseofnames.com).
The Surname Database tells us this bit of history about the surname "Somers:"
Portrait of Sir George Somers (Wikipedia)
Sir George Somers (1554 - 1610), the buccaneer, was one of the founders of the south Virginia Company in America in 1609, and was wrecked later that year on the Bermudas (now known as the Summer Islands) and took possession of them for King James 1. A Coat of Arms granted to a family of the name from Kent is an ermine fess dancettee on a green shield, the Crest being a gold lion's head erased, charged with an ermine fess dancettee. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Geoffrey Sumer, which was dated 1203, in the "Pipe Rolls of Essex", during the reign of King John, known as "Lackland", 1199 - 1216.
Source: http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/somers
In The History of Virginia, Chapter One, posted at Electric Scotland, we also learn about Sir George Somers involvement in the London Comapny and their plans to form the first permanent English settlement in America - Jamestown:
Already large trading companies existed in Holland, France, Sweden, Denmark and even in Russia. In these countries during the 150 years after 1554 there were no less than seventy companies chartered for commercial and colonizing purposes, the two ideas being closely related in the purposes of these companies. In the year 1600 Queen Elizabeth chartered the East Indian Company, which was given a monopoly of the trade in all countries lying between the Cape of Good Hope and the Strait of Magellan going east. There were 125 stockholders, and the government of the Company was in the hands of a governor, deputy-governor and a directing board of twenty-four members. The organization of this Company was taken as the basis of the organization of the London Company of Virginia. Almost simultaneously with the establishment of the East India Company plans were on foot for the establishment of a Virginia company. The Rev. Mr. Hakluyt was urging the establishment of a colony in the West, and among the motives assigned for such a colony were: (1) The discovery of a western passage to India for commerce; (2) a colony to which the unemployed class of England could be transported; (3) to check the power of Spain, and (4) the Christianizing of the Indians.
These motives were freely discussed, each promoter stressing that motive which appealed most to him. As a matter of fact, the two arguments of greatest weight were the ones for the promotion of commercial enterprise and the Christianizing of the "infidels." Mr. Hakluyt had earnest supporters in Bartholomew Gosnold, a merchant sea-captain, Edward Maria Win'-field, a London merchant, and Sir Thomas Gates and Sir George Somers, two distinguished English gentlemen. Among other earnest advocates were Raleigh Gilbert, a nephew of Sir Walter Raleigh, William Parker, a rich merchant of Plymouth, and other gentlemen and merchants of England.
Their plans for a large company to be divided into two division were presented to King James and met with his approval, and a charter was granted by him on April 10, 1606, to two companies, one commonly known as the London Company and the other was the Plymouth Company. The London Company was to settle in southern Virginia and the Plymouth Company in northern Virginia. To the London company was granted the right to settle anywhere between latitude 34° and 41°, and to the Plymouth Company between latitude 38° and 45°, it being stipulated that the lands between 38° and 41° were open to both companies with the proviso that the company last planting a colony should not come nearer than 100 miles of any settlement founded by the other company. The incorporators of the London Company were Sir Thomas Gates, Sir George Somers, Richard Hakluyt and Edward Maria Wingfield. The incorporators of the Plymouth Company were Raleigh Gilbert, William Parker, Thomas Hamhan and George Popham. The Plymouth Company was the first to make an effort at colonization. In May, 1606, it sent out a colony which settled on the Kennebec River. The death of Popham and Gilbert, both of whom accompanied the settlement, caused the colony to be abandoned, and no other serious attempt was made by this Company. It remained to the London Company, therefore, to make the first permanent English settlement in America. The charter granted to the London Company in 1606 provided for a council of thirteen residents in England appointed by the King as the ruling body. This council was to establish, with the approval of the King, the form of government which was to prevail in Virginia. To the settlers was granted the right to hold lands and trial by jury, and only five offenses were made punishable by death, small as compared with English punishments at that time-murder, manslaughter, incest, rape and adultery. The plea of the benefit of clergy was not to be allowed except in case of manslaughter. It is interesting to note that this benefit of the clergy was allowed in most of the American colonies for this particular crime down to the Revolution, but the person pleading it was punished with being burned in the hand. All excesses, drunkenness, etc., were subject to punishment. It was provided that everything in the colony should be held in common for a period of at least five years, there being a treasurer or cape-merchant to handle the goods and properties of the adventurers. In matters of religion, the Church of England was established.
Under this charter three small ships were equipped and 104 colonists sent to Virginia by the Company. A council of seven selected from these colonists were to rule in Virginia, one of that number being designated as president. In order to gratify a whim of the King, it was provided that it should not be known who the members of the council would be until the colonists had arrived in Virginia, their names being sealed in a box. The expedition, composed of the three ships, the Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery under the command of Capt. Christopher Newport, sailed from England on Dec. 19, 1606, and after a rough voyage passed between two capes, which were named Charles and Henry in honor of the two sons of James I.
In The History of Virginia, Chapter One, posted at Electric Scotland, we also learn about Sir George Somers involvement in the London Comapny and their plans to form the first permanent English settlement in America - Jamestown:
Already large trading companies existed in Holland, France, Sweden, Denmark and even in Russia. In these countries during the 150 years after 1554 there were no less than seventy companies chartered for commercial and colonizing purposes, the two ideas being closely related in the purposes of these companies. In the year 1600 Queen Elizabeth chartered the East Indian Company, which was given a monopoly of the trade in all countries lying between the Cape of Good Hope and the Strait of Magellan going east. There were 125 stockholders, and the government of the Company was in the hands of a governor, deputy-governor and a directing board of twenty-four members. The organization of this Company was taken as the basis of the organization of the London Company of Virginia. Almost simultaneously with the establishment of the East India Company plans were on foot for the establishment of a Virginia company. The Rev. Mr. Hakluyt was urging the establishment of a colony in the West, and among the motives assigned for such a colony were: (1) The discovery of a western passage to India for commerce; (2) a colony to which the unemployed class of England could be transported; (3) to check the power of Spain, and (4) the Christianizing of the Indians.
These motives were freely discussed, each promoter stressing that motive which appealed most to him. As a matter of fact, the two arguments of greatest weight were the ones for the promotion of commercial enterprise and the Christianizing of the "infidels." Mr. Hakluyt had earnest supporters in Bartholomew Gosnold, a merchant sea-captain, Edward Maria Win'-field, a London merchant, and Sir Thomas Gates and Sir George Somers, two distinguished English gentlemen. Among other earnest advocates were Raleigh Gilbert, a nephew of Sir Walter Raleigh, William Parker, a rich merchant of Plymouth, and other gentlemen and merchants of England.
Their plans for a large company to be divided into two division were presented to King James and met with his approval, and a charter was granted by him on April 10, 1606, to two companies, one commonly known as the London Company and the other was the Plymouth Company. The London Company was to settle in southern Virginia and the Plymouth Company in northern Virginia. To the London company was granted the right to settle anywhere between latitude 34° and 41°, and to the Plymouth Company between latitude 38° and 45°, it being stipulated that the lands between 38° and 41° were open to both companies with the proviso that the company last planting a colony should not come nearer than 100 miles of any settlement founded by the other company. The incorporators of the London Company were Sir Thomas Gates, Sir George Somers, Richard Hakluyt and Edward Maria Wingfield. The incorporators of the Plymouth Company were Raleigh Gilbert, William Parker, Thomas Hamhan and George Popham. The Plymouth Company was the first to make an effort at colonization. In May, 1606, it sent out a colony which settled on the Kennebec River. The death of Popham and Gilbert, both of whom accompanied the settlement, caused the colony to be abandoned, and no other serious attempt was made by this Company. It remained to the London Company, therefore, to make the first permanent English settlement in America. The charter granted to the London Company in 1606 provided for a council of thirteen residents in England appointed by the King as the ruling body. This council was to establish, with the approval of the King, the form of government which was to prevail in Virginia. To the settlers was granted the right to hold lands and trial by jury, and only five offenses were made punishable by death, small as compared with English punishments at that time-murder, manslaughter, incest, rape and adultery. The plea of the benefit of clergy was not to be allowed except in case of manslaughter. It is interesting to note that this benefit of the clergy was allowed in most of the American colonies for this particular crime down to the Revolution, but the person pleading it was punished with being burned in the hand. All excesses, drunkenness, etc., were subject to punishment. It was provided that everything in the colony should be held in common for a period of at least five years, there being a treasurer or cape-merchant to handle the goods and properties of the adventurers. In matters of religion, the Church of England was established.
Under this charter three small ships were equipped and 104 colonists sent to Virginia by the Company. A council of seven selected from these colonists were to rule in Virginia, one of that number being designated as president. In order to gratify a whim of the King, it was provided that it should not be known who the members of the council would be until the colonists had arrived in Virginia, their names being sealed in a box. The expedition, composed of the three ships, the Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery under the command of Capt. Christopher Newport, sailed from England on Dec. 19, 1606, and after a rough voyage passed between two capes, which were named Charles and Henry in honor of the two sons of James I.
You can read more about Sir George Somers and the settlement of Jamestown here: The History of Virginia - Chapter 1 (electricscotland.com)
For additional information on Sir George Somers, please also see:
For additional information on Sir George Somers, please also see:
- George Somers (Wikipedia)
- Sir George Somers (Bermuda Online)
- SOMERS, Sir George (1554-1610), of Berne, Whitchurch Canonicorum, Dorset | History of Parliament Online
- Sir George Somers - Historic UK (historic-uk.com)
- Sir George Somers (1554–1610) – Encyclopedia Virginia
- Admiral Sir George Somers - Love Lyme Regis
- The Sea Venture [ Ships List ] : Free Genealogy Pages from Ulster Ancestry
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Dear Father in Heaven,
Thank you for the Christian zeal and recorded history of men like Sir George Somers. I pray You will continue to preserve his name and involvement in the formation of the United States of America. I also pray You will continue to raise up men of courage, honor and zeal to propogate the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In Lord Jesus Name, I pray. Amen.
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