Newport [q. v.] in the Susan Constant, 100 tons, and Captain Gosnold in the God-Speed, 40 tons, to found the colony of Virginia. They sailed by the Canaries and the West Indies, the usual route; but after leaving the Virgin Islands they sighted no land for three days, which so disheartened Ratcliffe that he advised returning home again. Soon after they came upon land near the Chesapeake, and founded a settlement at Jamestown (Virginia and Virginiola, pp. 10, 11). A council was formed with Sicklemore as a member, and chose Sir Edward Maria Wingfield [q. v.] as governor on 23 May 1607. But the early fortunes of the colony were disastrous, and, this being imputed to the governor's shortcomings, a party in the council, headed by Sicklemore and the famous John Smith (1580?–1631) [q. v.], deposed him on 10 Sept. 1607, and chose Sicklemore in his stead. The distresses of the new settlers were scarcely lessened by the change, and Sicklemore, who had hardly recovered from a severe illness brought on by the change of climate, proposed that he should go to England to procure fresh supplies. The project, however, was not carried out. To difficulties with the natives were added internal disputes. Smith and Sicklemore had acted in concert against Wingfield; but when their common purpose was attained they immediately quarrelled with each other. Matters were going badly for Smith, who was sentenced to be hanged, when the arrival of Newport (2 Jan. 1608), who had sailed to England for fresh supplies, smoothed matters over. Although Smith asserts that Sicklemore was deposed from the presidency, he seems to have held office for his full term until 10 Sept. 1608. The misfortunes of his year of rule, in spite of Smith's invectives, do not appear to have been due to any misgovernment on his part, but rather to the colonists' incapacity for organisation. In December 1608 Sicklemore returned to England with Newport, being sent home, according to Smith, ‘lest the company should cut his throat.’ This statement is improbable; for in 1609 he sailed again for Jamestown in the Diamond, in company with Sir Thomas Gates and Newport in the Sea Adventure, and with Captain Martin in the Falcon. The Sea Adventure was driven out of her course and wrecked on the Bermudas, and Sicklemore, on his arrival at Jamestown, being senior officer on the remaining vessels, took upon himself to arrest Smith, who had concentrated all the authority of governor and council in his own person, and to send him home to answer for his conduct (Ratcliffe to Salisbury, Cal. State Papers, Colonial Ser. 1574–1660, p. 8). Early in 1610 Sicklemore was murdered, with twenty-five of his men, in the most treacherous manner while trading with Powhatan, the Indian chief. It is possible he was married, as Dorothy, widow of John Ratcliffe, who had been dead two years, is stated to have married George Warburton in February 1612 (Chester, Marriage Licenses, p. 1410).
[Smith's Works, ed. Arber; Brown's Genesis of the United States, p. 977; Wingfield's Discourse of Virginia; Spelman's Relation of Virginia.]
SIDDALL or SYDDALL, HENRY (d. 1572), divine, became rector of Woodford in Essex on 5 July 1530. He proceeded B.A. from Cardinal College (afterwards Christ Church), Oxford, on 10 March 1531–2, and in the same year was thrust out of his college by the king's command. Notwithstanding, he proceeded B.C.L. and B.Can.L. on 12 July 1535, and supplicated for the degree of D.D. in 1551–2. On 7 Jan. 1540–1 he obtained the prebend of Stotford in the see of Lichfield, which he exchanged on 8 Dec. 1547 for that of Tervin (Le Neve, Fasti, i. 627, 631). In 1546 he became rector of Berrow in Cheshire, and in the following year he was included in the royal commission appointed to rectify disorders in the church. In the same year he was appointed a canon of Christ Church, Oxford. At that time he was a very zealous protestant, and strenuously supported Peter Martyr when he disputed at Oxford in 1549. In January 1550 he was appointed on a special commission to take proceedings against the anabaptists who were making headway in Kent and Essex.
On the accession of Mary, Siddall was one of the first to become a convert to Roman catholicism, and was especially active in persuading Cranmer to follow his example. He was witness of Cranmer's fifth recantation, and gave him assurance that his life would be spared. In 1557 he was appointed vicar of Walthamstow in Essex.
After the accession of Elizabeth, Siddall was not ashamed to be one of the first to subscribe to the oath, drawn up by Parker in 1560, acknowledging the queen's supremacy and the authority of the Book of Common Prayer. In 1571 he became rector of Long Ditton in Surrey, and on 7 May of the same year was admonished at Oxford for some offence. He died on 2 May 1572, and was buried at Christ Church, Oxford.
