Anas Todkill was an English-born early American carpenter, soldier, and explorer who accompanied Captain John Smith on each of his explorations of the

Colony of Virginia The Colony of Virginia was a British Empire, British colonial settlement in North America from 1606 to 1776. The first effort to create an English settlement in the area was chartered in 1584 and established in 1585; the resulting Roanoke Colo ...

Biography

Todkill arrived with the Jamestown fleet in 1606 as a servant of Captain John Martin. Todkill accompanied John Smith on several early voyages in Virginia, and his written accounts of their journeys are included in the published works of Smith. Todkill was the only colonist to accompany Smith on both of his

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

expeditions as well as the visit to

Powhatan Powhatan people () are Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands who belong to member tribes of the Powhatan Confederacy, or Tsenacommacah. They are Algonquian peoples whose historic territories were in eastern Virginia. Their Powh ...

and the

Pamunkey The Pamunkey Indian Tribe is a federally recognized tribe of Pamunkey people in Virginia. They control the Pamunkey Indian Reservation in King William County, Virginia. Historically, they spoke the Pamunkey language. They are one of 11 Native ...

confrontation. Todkill was briefly held captive but released at the urging of

Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, also known as Matoaka and Rebecca Rolfe; 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. S ...

. In 1609, Todkill and

Nathaniel Powell Nathaniel Powell (1587 March 22, 1622) was an English-born early American colonist, cartographer, military leader, and politician who served briefly as the acting governor of the colony of Virginia for a ten-day period in 1619. Powell's additional ...

took part in an unsuccessful expedition to locate surviving colonists of the

Roanoke Colony The Roanoke Colony ( ) refers to two attempts by Sir Walter Raleigh to found the first permanent English settlement in North America. The first colony was established at Roanoke Island in 1585 as a military outpost, and was evacuated in 1586. ...

, at the personal request of governor Thomas Gates. Todkill returned to England by the 1610s.

Legacy

The writings of Todkill describing a dance given by the women of Powhatan's camp has been suggested by historians as a possible basis for the "living Drolerie" as portrayed in Act III of the

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

play

The Tempest ''The Tempest'' is a Shakespeare's plays, play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1610–1611, and thought to be one of the last plays that he wrote alone. After the first scene, which takes place on a ship at sea during a tempest, th ...

. The 1885 novel ''My Lady Pokahontas'' was written by

John Esten Cooke John Esten Cooke (November 3, 1830 – September 27, 1886) was an American novelist, writer and poet. He was the brother of poet Philip Pendleton Cooke. During the American Civil War, Cooke was a staff officer for Maj. Gen. J. E. B. Stuart in t ...

and published with Todkill listed as the author. Cooke published a short story titled ''Pokahontas at Court'' which also listed Todkill as the author/narrator. A historic reenactment and program at

Colonial Williamsburg Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum and private foundation presenting a part of the historic district in Williamsburg, Virginia. Its historic area includes several hundred restored or recreated buildings from the 18th century, wh ...

portrays Todkill.

Works

* ''

The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles ''The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles'' (often abbreviated to ''The Generall Historie'') is a book written by Captain John Smith, first published in 1624. The book is one of the earliest, if not the earliest, hi ...

,'' 1624. ''(listed as co-author of chapter five)'' * Quarto. Edited by W lliamS mmonds An abridged edition was printed in .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Todkill, Anas People from colonial Virginia Date of birth unknown Date of death unknown