This decisive intervention prevented the complete dissolution of the colony and marked a turning point in its history. The newly arrived leadership, under the governorship of the staunch Sir Thomas Gates, sealed the community’s fate by ordering the ships to return to England with the majority of the new arrivals, unaware of the catastrophe awaiting them on the island.
Jamestown Winter Archaeological Evidence of Cannibalism During the Starving Time
The harsh realities of the "Starving Time" were largely forgotten in the subsequent success of tobacco cultivation, but modern archaeology has brought the tragedy back to light. Relief and the Arrival of Lord Delaware Salvation arrived in the form of the new Governor, Lord De La Warr (Thomas West), who dispatched a relief fleet under the command of Sir Thomas Gates.
By the time the remaining vessels reached Jamestown, they found the original 500 colonists in a precarious state. They consumed their livestock, then their dogs, and eventually resorted to foraging for roots, nuts, and whatever non-toxic materials they could find, leading to widespread malnutrition and death from starvation.
Jamestown Winter Archaeological Evidence of Cannibalism During the Starving Time
Arrival of the New Fleet and the Onset of Siege The situation began to deteriorate rapidly after the arrival of a new fleet of ships in June 1609, carrying several hundred additional settlers and supplies. The skeletal remains of a teenage girl, nicknamed "Jane," provided grim proof that the colonists consumed the flesh of their dead to stay alive.
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