What happened to the ship called The Lyons Whelp which started out with the Mayflower My ancestors were on both the Lyons Whelp and the Mayflower.?

Answer 1

Having had a quick look around the internet - I can find details of the construction, and early life... however - I haven't been able to discover the ship's fate. I dare say - with further investigation - you'll be able to discover exactly what befell the ship in its final days.

There were 10 ships named lyon Whelp. However, in 1629 a Lion's Whelp sailed with four other ships from Gravesend on April 25, 1629 for the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Arrived and greeted by Governor John Endecott on June 30, 1629. All ships were armed merchantmen. Eight cannon were listed for this Lion's Whelp which is the number carried by the Duke of Buckingham's Lion's Whelps and most armed pinnaces as well. Is this ship Buckingham's second Lion's Whelp, diverted for a cross Atlantic run with settlers and provisions to the Massachusetts Bay Colony? A careful scrutiny of the record is not supportive of this conclusion. This Lion's Whelp is tentatively identified as the 120-ton ship that brought William Dodge, along with the Sprague family and others to Salem, Massachusetts in 1629. The Lyon's Whelp left Gravesend 24/25 April 1629 and arrived in Salem mid-July 1629, under Master John Gibbs (or Gibbon). It was one of six ships in a small fleet; the others including Talbot, George Bonaventure, Lyon, and a ship called Mayflower (though not the Mayflower of the Pilgrims). This Lion's Whelp and her sister ships the Talbot and the George carried goods and new settlers to Naumkaeg, the Indian name for the territory settled by England's Massachusetts Bay Company at Salem.

Answer 2

The Lyons Whelp was a ship that set sail from England with the Mayflower in 1620 but encountered navigational difficulties. It turned back and eventually reached Plymouth a few months later than the Mayflower. However, it faced financial troubles and was eventually sold in the West Indies.