HEACHAM
by Colin Cunliffe

 The central figure of this attractive sign that stands on the verge by the busy A149 at Heacham is John Rolfe, whose life is a rather unusual story of romance and tragedy.

John Rolfe was born in Heacham in 1586. Like many young men of the period he had an adventurous spirit. It was this spirit that saw him embark with his wife on the ‘Sea Venture,’ one of nine ships carrying over 500 settlers to the new world.

Two months into their voyage they were hit by an hurricane and shipwrecked on a reef off the Bermudas, but all aboard safely reached the shore. Here they temporary colonised the island whilst they built new boats to continue their voyage. During the stay on Burmuda John Rolfe’s wife gave birth to a baby daughter who was named Bermuda, but who sadly died soon after birth.

One year after leaving England they sailed in two new boats for Chesapeake Bay, reaching there safely then going overland to Jamestown the main settlement of Virginia Colony. This final leg of the journey proved too much for John Rolfe’s wife and she died before reaching Jamestown.

John Rolfe settled down in the town and became interested in the tobacco growing of Virginia. The native tobacco grown by the Indians was of poor quality but John Rolfe had brought seeds from the Caribbean which he started to cultivate. About this time a beautiful Indian maiden had been captured and was being held hostage in Jamestown, hoping to be traded for Englishmen held captive by the Indians. This Indian maiden was Pocahontas daughter of Great Chief Powhatan.

Whilst held hostage the princess became interested in Christianity. The Rev Alexander Whittaker gave her religious instruction and she eventually declared herself a Christian. She became the first Indian to be baptised, changing her name to Rebecka.

The Princess had not gone unnoticed by John Rolfe and he fell madly in love with her, eventually declaring his love and seeking her hand in marriage from the Great Chief Powhatan. Permission was granted and the wedding took place in the spring of 1614, bringing together the settlers and the indigenous tribes in a new peace.

One year later their son Thomas was born and almost immediately John Rolfe and Lady Rebecka returned to England bringing with them 10 Indian servants. Although Lady Rebecka was much admired for her beauty in the fashionable circles of London, attending many banquets and being presented to King James I, she hated the foul air of the city. To appease her John Rolfe took her to his home at Heacham where they enjoyed a short stay until duty recalled him to London.

In 1617 John Rolfe was appointed to the post of Secretary and Recorder of Virginia Colony. Plans were made for their return but alas Lady Rebecka became fatally ill and died at Gravesend before the could sail back to her beloved Virginia, her body being interred at a local churchyard. John realising his motherless son was too sick to travel left him in the care of a guardian and sailed back to Virginia arriving once again in Jamestown as a widower.

Back in his adopted home John worked hard at growing and processing tobacco. Eventually he started to send shipments to England, which was the start of the tobacco trade which the colony was to thrive on. He also fell in love once again and was married for the third time. His new wife was Jane Pierce, daughter of a fellow Colonist. They moved from Jamestown to the new settlement at Henrico where the first brick Church in America was built.

In 1622 an Indian uprising wiped out almost all the population of Henrico and it is believed that John Rolfe and his wife were among the dead, no more accounts of him have been recorded.

And so this Norfolk man was buried in Virginian soil, his second wife Lady Rebecka, the beautiful Indian Pocahontas was buried in English soil at Gravesend. There is a memorial to John Rolfe and Pocahontas in the church at Jamestown. A memorial tablet to the Lady Rebecka was erected in the north aisle of Heacham Church in 1933.

POSTSCRIPT BY WEBMISTRESS: The following was received from Philippa Sewell of Heacham Parish Council: "I was browsing your site and noted that the entry for Heacham is incorrect. The sign is right, but the figure is that of Pocahontas not John Rolfe, it is taken from an oil painting based on a woodcutting done at the time of her visit to London. John Rolfe was born and baptised in 1895." Having seen a copy of the oil painting which I cannot reproduce here, I confirm that the figure shows a woman in Stuart dress. Stuart fashion was similar for both sexes, and Pocahontas would not have worn Indian dress once she was baptized as a Christian. Thanks go to Ms Sewell for pointing this out.