Somers Isles Company

The Somers Isles Company was an English chartered company established in 1615 to administer and commercially develop the Somers Isles, the English name for Bermuda. Its creation followed the accidental English settlement of Bermuda after the wreck of the Virginia Company ship Sea Venture in 1609. The wreck survivors, including Admiral Sir George Somers, remained on the islands for approximately ten months while constructing the vessels Deliverance and Patience, and their reports helped bring Bermuda into England’s colonial plans. Bermuda was initially administered through the Virginia Company. The Crown extended the Virginia Company’s charter to include the islands in 1612, and the settlement was briefly transferred through private arrangements before a separate company was formed. The Somers Isles Company received a charter in 1615 and held authority over the colony for nearly seven decades. Its commercial model divided much of Bermuda into shares associated with company investors and named parishes. The company expected returns primarily from agriculture and the export of cash crops, especially tobacco. The company’s agricultural strategy produced limited financial success. Bermuda’s small, fragmented fields, depleted soils, and the poor quality of locally grown tobacco made the colony less profitable than investors had hoped. Tobacco exports also faced increasing competition from Virginia and other English colonies. Bermudian farmers consequently expanded food production and livestock raising and became increasingly involved in maritime commerce. Shipbuilding, intercolonial trade, and the development of the fast Bermuda sloop became increasingly important to the island’s economy, although the company attempted at various points to restrict unauthorized ship construction and trading. The company’s administration also shaped Bermuda’s political institutions. A colonial House of Assembly was established in 1620, while an appointed council and company-selected governors remained important centers of authority. By the 1630s, governors were increasingly drawn from prominent Bermudian settlers rather than being sent directly from England. The island’s local political community gradually acquired greater influence, while absentee shareholders in England continued to exercise formal control over the company. Bermuda’s population and labor system changed substantially during the company period. English settlers and indentured servants formed the initial population, followed by Irish and Scottish servants, Native Americans brought from mainland conflicts, and Africans arriving through enslavement and the wider Atlantic slave trade. Although Bermuda did not develop an economy as overwhelmingly plantation-based as some Caribbean colonies, racial slavery and coercive labor became increasingly significant during the seventeenth century. During the English Civil War, Bermuda generally supported the Royalist side, reflecting both local political conditions and the social background of many company shareholders. Parliamentarian and religious dissenters were expelled or left the colony, with some becoming associated with the Eleutheran Adventurers in the Bahamas. Parliament responded to Bermuda’s Royalist alignment with legislation restricting trade with Bermuda and other colonies that had opposed Parliament. The company retained its charter after the conflict, but its authority was increasingly contested by Bermudian landowners and merchants. The Somers Isles Company was dissolved in 1684. Administration of Bermuda then passed directly to the English Crown, and the island became a royal colony. The company therefore represents an important transitional institution in Bermuda’s history: it connected early English colonization with private investment, organized the colony’s land and political structures, encouraged export agriculture, and indirectly helped create the maritime commercial culture for which Bermuda later became known.

Bermuda entered England’s colonial sphere through the wreck of the Virginia Company vessel Sea Venture in 1609. The ship was carrying relief supplies toward Jamestown when it encountered a hurricane. Admiral Sir George Somers deliberately drove the vessel onto Bermuda’s reefs, saving those aboard. The survivors spent about ten months on the islands constructing two replacement ships, Deliverance and Patience. Some settlers remained behind when the ships departed for Jamestown, preserving England’s claim to the archipelago. The Virginia Company’s charter was extended to include Bermuda in 1612. The islands were initially treated as part of the Virginia enterprise, although their geography and relative security gave them a distinct development. Early governors promoted agriculture and considered ventures such as pearl diving and ambergris collection, but these efforts were unsuccessful or commercially limited. Bermuda’s population grew quickly, and the island’s economy became more stable than that of the struggling mainland settlement. In 1613, the Virginia Company’s interest in Bermuda was transferred to Sir William Wade and others, and the colony was subsequently returned to the Crown. In 1615, the Virginia Company’s adventurers established the separate Somers Isles Company, which received authority to administer Bermuda. The company organized much of the island into eight commercial divisions, later known as parishes, whose land was associated with investor shares. Saint George’s and surrounding territory remained common or Crown land and became the location of the principal settlement and government. The company’s planned economic foundation was export agriculture. Tobacco was the principal cash crop, but production was poor in both quality and profitability. Bermuda’s limited arable land forced farmers to cultivate intensively, contributing to soil exhaustion. Competition from Virginia and the West Indies further weakened tobacco returns. Farmers increasingly concentrated on food crops and animals, while merchants developed local shipbuilding and maritime trade. The Bermuda sloop became a significant expression of this maritime economy, even though company rules sought to control ship construction and commerce. A House of Assembly was created in 1620. The company continued to appoint governors, but local landowners and merchant families gained substantial influence through the Assembly and appointed council. By the middle of the century, many English investors had sold their shares or relied on tenants and relatives to manage their Bermuda holdings. This increased the political importance of residents, even though absentee shareholders retained formal corporate privileges. Labor and population patterns evolved throughout the company’s administration. Indentured servants from England, Ireland, and Scotland supported agriculture and construction. Native Americans from mainland conflicts and Africans brought through the Atlantic slave trade were also present. The number of Africans increased during the seventeenth century, and discriminatory labor rules became more severe. Bermuda’s economy was not identical to the plantation systems of the Caribbean, but the company period was nevertheless part of the development of racial slavery in the English Atlantic world. The English Civil War exposed the tension between Bermuda’s local society and the company’s wider shareholder body. Bermuda generally supported the Crown, while a number of company investors and local dissenters supported Parliament. Royalist forces removed company-appointed governor Thomas Turner and selected John Trimigham. Parliament responded in 1650 by declaring trade with Bermuda and other Royalist colonies illegal and authorizing action against vessels trading with them. Parliamentarian settlers who left Bermuda helped establish the Eleutheran community in the Bahamas. The company survived the political crisis but continued to face disputes over governance, trade, land, and the allocation of economic benefits. Its ability to extract profits from tobacco diminished as Bermudian residents became more independent and turned toward shipping. In 1684, the English Crown dissolved the Somers Isles Company and assumed direct administration. Bermuda consequently became a royal colony, ending the company’s role while preserving many of the political and social institutions formed during its administration.

• 1684

  Company dissolved

  [1]Somers Isles Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The Crown ended the Somers Isles Company’s charter and took direct control of Bermuda.

• 1650

  Parliamentary trade embargo

  [1]Somers Isles Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Parliament prohibited trade with Bermuda because of the colony’s Royalist alignment during the English Civil War.

• 1620

  House of Assembly established

  [1]Somers Isles Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Bermuda received a colonial House of Assembly, creating a formal local legislative institution during company rule.

• 1615

  Somers Isles Company formed

  [1]Somers Isles Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The Virginia Company’s adventurers created a separate chartered company to administer Bermuda as a commercial colony.

• 1612

  Bermuda added to the Virginia Company charter

  [1]Somers Isles Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The Crown extended the Virginia Company’s charter to include Bermuda, then officially known as Virgineola before the Somers Isles name became established.

• 1609

  Sea Venture wrecked in Bermuda

  [1]Somers Isles Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The Virginia Company ship Sea Venture was driven onto Bermuda’s reefs, beginning the sustained English settlement and commercial interest in the islands.

English chartered colonial and commercial company

• Agricultural commodity

  Tobacco

  Tobacco was the company’s principal intended export and the main basis of its commercial plan. Bermuda’s crop was generally regarded as inferior and generated weak returns, while competition from Virginia and other colonies reduced its value. The difficulties of tobacco production encouraged Bermudian farmers and merchants to diversify into food production, livestock, and maritime trade.

• Shipbuilding

  Bermuda cedar vessels

  Bermuda’s cedar supported a local boatbuilding tradition that expanded as agriculture became less profitable. The company attempted to regulate ship construction, but resident merchants increasingly used locally built vessels for intercolonial commerce. This maritime activity helped establish the economic foundations of later Bermuda.

• Maritime transport

  Bermuda sloop

  The Bermuda sloop emerged from the island’s adaptation to maritime trade. Fast and suitable for regional waters, these vessels supported the movement of agricultural goods, livestock, and other commodities between Bermuda and neighboring colonies. Their development reflected local economic priorities more than the company’s original tobacco-export strategy.

• 1684

  End the company charterOther

  Background

  The company’s commercial performance and authority had weakened as Bermudian residents developed independent landholding and maritime interests.

  Action taken

  The Crown dissolved the Somers Isles Company and assumed direct administration of Bermuda.

  Aftermath

  Bermuda became a royal colony, ending the company’s formal control of the islands.

  Source

• 1650

  Respond to the parliamentary trade prohibitionOther

  Background

  Bermuda supported the Royalist cause during the English Civil War, placing it in conflict with Parliament.

  Action taken

  Parliament declared trade with Bermuda and several other Royalist colonies unlawful and authorized the seizure of vessels trading with them.

  Aftermath

  The measure placed pressure on Bermuda’s external commerce and demonstrated the political vulnerability of a company colony during England’s constitutional conflict.

  Source

• 1620

  Create a colonial House of AssemblyStrategy

  Background

  Company administration required a local political structure as Bermuda’s resident population expanded.

  Action taken

  A House of Assembly was established, alongside an appointed council and company-appointed governors.

  Aftermath

  Local landowners and merchant families gained a durable role in colonial governance, eventually limiting the practical reach of absentee company investors.

  Source

• 1615

  Separate Bermuda into a dedicated chartered companyStrategy

  Background

  Bermuda had previously been managed through the Virginia Company and related private arrangements, but its distinct geography and settlement required a separate administrative structure.

  Action taken

  The Virginia Company’s adventurers established the Somers Isles Company to govern and commercially develop Bermuda.

  Aftermath

  The new company administered Bermuda for almost seventy years and organized its landholding, government, labor, and export economy.

  Source

1. 1Somers Isles Companyen.wikipedia.org