Richard Wollaston (died March 17, 1626) was an English sea captain and pirate who was one of the first colonists in

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

and the namesake of

Wollaston (Quincy, Massachusetts) Wollaston, Massachusetts, is a neighborhood in the city of Quincy, Massachusetts. Divided by Hancock Street or Route 3A, the Wollaston Beach side is known as Wollaston Park, while the Wollaston Hill side is known as Wollaston Heights. It is ...

and Mount Wollaston. Some historians believe that Wollaston was first mentioned in 1615 by Capt. John Smith who recorded a confrontation with an English pirate, Captain Barra and his lieutenant "Capt. Wollistone." In 1617 Sir

Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebell ...

mentioned an encounter Captain Wollaston during his second trip to

Guiana The Guianas, also spelled Guyanas or Guayanas, are a geographical region in north-eastern South America. Strictly, the term refers to the three Guianas: Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana, formerly British, Dutch, and French Guiana respectiv ...

. In 1624-25 Captain Wollaston brought a group of approximately thirty indentured servants led by Thomas Morton to Massachusetts, where they founded Merrymount. Wollaston also was known for transporting workers to

Cape Ann Cape Ann is a rocky peninsula in northeastern Massachusetts on the Atlantic Ocean. It is about northeast of Boston and marks the northern limit of Massachusetts Bay. Cape Ann includes the city of Gloucester and the towns of Essex, Man ...

Monhegan Island Monhegan () is an island in the Gulf of Maine. A plantation, a minor civil division in the state of Maine falling between unincorporated area and a town, it is located approximately off the mainland and is part of Lincoln County, Maine, United S ...

, and Virginia. On March 18, 1626, Captain John Bennington reported to the Duke of Buckingham that Captain Wollaston had been buried the day before.''New English Canaan'' by Thomas Morton of "Merrymount" (1637)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wollaston, Richard Sea captains English explorers of North America 1626 deaths English pirates