"JR102C remains Anglo-America's oldest unknown soldier and perhaps her oldest unsolved murder."

William Kelso
Director of Archaeological Research and Interpretation
Jamestown Rediscovery


On September 5, 1996, archaeologists made one of the most fascinating discoveries within the palisade wall of Jamestown Fort. Unearthed were the buried skeletal remains of one of Virginia's first colonists. Nicknamed "JR" after the cataloguing designation JR102C, this settler was a European male who stood five feet six inches tall and was between the ages of 19 and 22. The lead bullet and shot fragments lodged in his lower right leg contained enough force to fracture his tibia and fibula bones, rupturing a major artery below the knee. JR would have bled to death within minutes.

JR's remains were surrounded by nails and the dark soil stained by rotten wood, indicating he was buried in a coffin. As only gentlemen were buried with such care, JR was probably a person of some social standing.

JR was possibly named among the first deaths recorded in Jamestown. He may have been Ensign Jerome Alicock, who died from an unspecified wound on August 14, 1607; or he may have been one of six other men listed as dying from unnamed causes. Could he be George Kendall, a gentleman reportedly shot for treason in September 1607? Probably not, since Kendall was as old as 40 and JR was merely half that age.

Records show that one gentleman, Stephen Calthorp (or Galthorp), about age 22, died August 15, 1607. Researchers believe it is very possible that young Calthorp was in league with Captain John Smith in an aborted mutiny against Captain Christopher Newport on the Canary Islands, where the original Virginia expedition stopped over for supplies. Although Smith, a commoner, was punished and almost executed for his act, Calthorp may have avoided punishment altogether due to his possible family connection to Newport's colleague Edward Maria Wingfield. When Wingfield was elected president by the Virginia Company, tension between Calthorp and Wingfield may have escalated, and factional divisions probably increased when the settlers fell on hard times in August 1607. It may be that the Wingfield camp could remain in power only if opposition were removed. Stephen Calthorp may have been marked for assassination.

Link to JR102C Page