Historicaleigh: Leigh's Indiana Jones

August 29, 2016 by Carole Mulroney

Every one loves a good boy's own adventure - and Leigh has one of its own.

On 20 April 1589 two ships set sail from the Thames bound for adventure and possibly piracy. The May Morning and the Dolphin were under the command of Capt Abraham Cocke of Limehouse. Aboard one of the ships was Andrew Battell of Leigh.

After crossing the Atlantic the ships made for San Sebastian at the toe of Argentina where they intended to revictual, but things did not go according to plan. The crew were attacked by natives and whilst Capt Cocke and most of the crew escaped, Andrew and 4 others were sent as captives to Rio de Janeiro.

Soon they were sent to Africa where Andrew fell ill. On his recovery he managed to join a Dutch ship to make his escape but was recaptured and banished for life to a Portuguese fort in the interior, where he languished for 6 years.

Eventually he and some other prisoners managed to steal a canoe and made off down river into the jungle where the heat was extreme and their only means of survival was from tree roots.

After much travail they were attacked and captured by the Portuguese again. White men were needed to quell the rebellious natives and Andrew ended up as a soldier for the Portuguese and trading for their government.

During this time he is believed to be the first white man to see the Congo Pygmies.

All in all his trials lasted 18 years and on his return he related his adventures to Samuel Purchas the Vicar of Eastwood who wrote a massive anthology of famous sea voyages.