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- John is the son of Dorcas Ecclestone (1536 Exeter, Devonshire, England - 1599 Sep 1, London, England) &
Sir Richard Martin (1533 Puddletown, Dorset, England - 1616 Jul 22 London, England).
Capt. John Martin (c.1560-1632) was a Councilman of the Jamestown Colony in 1607. He was the proprietor of Martin's Brandon Plantation on the south bank of the James River. Captain John Martin died in 1632 at Martin's Brandon Plantation, which he had established on a 1616 land grant on the south bank of the James River, Virginia, leaving his plantation to a grandson, Captain Robert Bargrave. Located in modern-day Prince George County, Virginia & known as Lower Brandon Plantation, in the 21st century, his c. 1616 plantation is both a National Historic Landmark open to tours & one of America's oldest continuous farming operations.
Capt. John Martin was the 3rd son of goldsmith & Sir Richard Martin (d. 1617) & Dorcas Eccleston (d. 1599). Sir Richard later held office as Master of the Mint & Lord Mayor of London.
Based on his family's business as goldsmiths & their long involvement in the Company of Mineral & Battery Works, the Virginia Company appointed Capt. John Martin as Master of Battery Works for the new colony to be established in the Chesapeake. As Master of the Battery Works, he oversaw the prospecting & assaying of mineral ores discovered by the colonists. His son John Martin (d. 1608) & kinsman George Martin accompanied him to Jamestown.
Martin arrived in Virginia along with his teenage son John on 26 April 1607, when what came to be called the "First Landing" occurred at the place where south edge of the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay meets then Atlantic Ocean, a location the colonists named Cape Henry. He was named to the Council to oversee the new colony by the Virginia Company in an order that was held in a sealed box which was only to be opened in Virginia. After finding a location to build their settlement which met the requirements set forth in their sealed orders, they founded Jamestown on 14 May 1607.
Captain John Martin's relationship to Sir Richard Martin is attested by the WILL of his brother Richard Martin, goldsmith of London, dated 5 June 1616.
Martin commanded the Benjamin under Sir Francis Drake in the 1585-86 expedition to harass the Spanish ports in the New World. On his return, Martin married Mary, daughter of Robert Brandon, a prominent English goldsmith & supplier to Queen Elizabeth I of England. Before Martin left for the West Indies, he petitioned the Company of Mineral & Battery Works to be admitted to the society with a half-share from goldsmith Richard Wycliffe, recently deceased. At the court held on 16 December 1585, the company approved the transfer of stock to Martin & admitted him to their fellowship. His father, Sir Richard, was a founding member of the company. Brothers Richard & Nathaniel had shares in the company by 1596.
Martin may have accompanied Bartholomew Gosnold in his 1602 exploration of the New England coast, & it has been theorized that the island of Martha's Vineyard - spelled MARTIN'S VINEYARD in most 17th-century references - was named after Capt. Martin.
Martin's Brandon Plantation
Lower Brandon Plantation, or simply Brandon or Brandon Plantation, initially known as Martin's Brandon)
Brandon Plantation was part of a 1616 land grant of approximately 7,000 acres (28 km2) on the south bank of the James River to Capt. John Martin.Capt. Martin was one of the original colonists & a member of the first Council in the spring of 1607, when Jamestown was first established. During the Indian Massacre which occurred on Good Friday, March 22, 1622, there were 7 deaths recorded at Martin's Brandon, including one woman & 2 boys. 347 deaths were recorded during the coordinated attacks along both shores of the James River.
Ref: Wikipedia, 2018. - - -
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1560 - 1632 (72 years)