The Winter of 1609-1610 at Jamestown: The Starving Time

This article provides a summary of the dreadful winter of 1609 and 1610 at Jamestown known as the Starving Time.

The Starving Time at Jamestown

The Starving Time refers to the winter of 1609-1610, when the settlers of Jamestown endured one of the most desperate periods in the colony's history. Food shortages, disease, poor planning, conflict with the Powhatan peoples, and the loss of strong leadership pushed Jamestown to the edge of collapse.

Why Did the Starving Time Happen?

Several problems came together to create the crisis. Jamestown had struggled since its founding in 1607 with disease, food shortages, poor planning, and difficult relations with the Powhatan Confederacy. In 1609, a major supply fleet sent by the Virginia Company was scattered by a hurricane, preventing much-needed supplies and leaders from reaching the colony on schedule. Drought and poor growing conditions made matters worse, while the settlers remained heavily dependent on trade with Native communities for food.

The situation became even more dangerous after John Smith returned to England following a serious gunpowder injury. Smith had played an important role in obtaining food through trade and maintaining a degree of authority within Jamestown. After his departure, relations with Powhatan deteriorated further. Powhatan leaders restricted trade with the settlement and attempted to isolate the colonists, making it extremely dangerous for them to leave Jamestown in search of food.

The Suffering

As the winter of 1609-1610 continued, food supplies disappeared and conditions inside Jamestown became catastrophic. Colonists ate horses, dogs, cats, rats, and other desperate sources of food. Disease spread rapidly among people already weakened by malnutrition and poor living conditions. Settlers who ventured outside the fort in search of food or trade faced the danger of attack.

The hunger became so severe that archaeological evidence has confirmed that at least some settlers resorted to cannibalism. By the spring of 1610, only about 60 of the roughly 500 colonists who had entered the winter remained alive. Jamestown seemed close to complete failure.

Relief Arrives

In May 1610, Thomas Gates finally arrived from Bermuda with additional settlers, but the colony was in such terrible condition that he decided Jamestown should be abandoned. The surviving colonists boarded ships and began sailing down the James River toward the Chesapeake Bay.

Before they reached the open sea, however, they encountered a relief expedition led by Thomas West, Lord De La Warr, the newly appointed governor of Virginia. De La Warr brought supplies, soldiers, and new settlers and ordered the colonists to return to Jamestown. His arrival ended the immediate crisis and began a new effort to make the colony permanent.

Why it mattered: The Starving Time nearly destroyed Jamestown, but the colony's survival ensured that permanent English settlement in Virginia would continue.

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