John Provost (and one other)

We aren’t including the many Natives Raleigh and his associates brought back from Guiana (Venezuela), since our focus is on North America. We have, however, decided to include some of those from Caribbean Islands like Trinidad – partly because they are considered North American countries despite being geographically closer to South America, and partly to illustrate his purpose in taking (sometimes willing) captives. John Provost and an unnamed companion are excellent examples. Also known as John of Trinidado, Provost came to England either with Jacob Whiddon in 1594 or Raleigh himself in 1595. He returned to Guiana with Lawrence Keymis in 1596 and probably back to England again before finally returning to Guiana in 1604 or thereabouts. Provost guided the explorers on their trips back to his homeland, and acted as interpreter””something Raleigh did frequently, taking Native men, particularly those who were already proficient in Spanish, to act as interpreters and mediators. Certainly, when Robert Harcourt met Provost in Orinoco in 1609, he was a somewhat fluent English speaker. From Provost and his people’s perspective, the English promised protection from both the Spanish and enemy tribes. According to Vaughan, Provost lived with Sir John Gilbert, one of Raleigh’s half brothers. Gilbert was Sheriff of Devon and Vice Admiral of Devon, responsible for defence against the Spanish Armada. We have placed this flag on Compton Castle, the ancestral seat of the Gilberts of Compton.

Alden T. Vaughan, Transatlantic Encounters, 32-33. Image (of Newfoundland stamp) by Palaeozoic99 – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61733064