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Dr. Lawrence Bohun:
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The christian name Lawrence is exceedingly rare in association with the surname Boon, Boone, Bohun, etc. The Doctor associated with the early Jamestown colony and one other individual named Lawrence, found in Barbados after 1635, are the only two presently traced in my work. There is presently no know connection between the two "Lawrences". There is no detailed biography of Doctor Bohun available at this time. What we have are fragments -- bits and pieces of his life, described by others.
- From his will, written in 1609, before his first voyage to Jamestown, that he was married to Alice, and had four children -- Elizabeth, Edward, Ann and Dorothy. His 1609 will was probated in 1622.
- We know from the work of Margaret Pelling, "College of Physicians of London and Irregular Medical Practitioners, 1550-1640", that Lawrence Bohun was born about 1575, possibly in or around London, graduated from the University of Leyden, and was not a member of the College of London Physicians -- likely because he was foreign-trained. The licensing of physicians by the College was more often driven by politics than by education or experience.
He is noted as having treated the the Earl of Northumberland in 1604 (Northumberland Papers). He was brought before the College on at least two ocassions for Practicing Medicine without a license. - 13 May 1608: Indicted for practicing without a license. He excused himself as ignorant of the College privileges, was found guilty, and promised not to practice again.
- 3 March 1609: Again indicted for practicing without a license. He was found guilty, but no penalty is identified. He traveled to Jamestown in America in 1610.
- We know that Dr. Lawrence Bohun is in the Virginia Colony, specifically in Jamestown Settlement in 1610-1611, as he treats the fever of Lord Governor De-La-Ware, as described in the Governor's descriptions to the Virginia Company in London, June 1611.
" . . . Which, that you may the better understand, I must informe your Lordships, that presently after my arrival in James Towne, I was welcommed by a hote and violent Ague, which held mee a time, till by the advice of my Physition, Doctor Laurence Bohun, (by blood letting) I was recovered, as in my first Letters by Sir Thomas Gates I have informed you. That disease had not long left me, til (within three weekes after I had gotten a little strength) I began to be distempered with other greevous sicknesses, which successively and severally assailed me: for besides a relapse into the former disease, which with much more violence held me more than a moneth, and brought me to great weakenesse, the Flux 4 surprised me, and kept me many daies: then the Crampe assaulted my weak body, with strong paines; and afterwards the Gout (with which I had heeretofore beene sometimes troubled) afflicted mee in such sort, that making my body through weakenesse unable to stirre, or to use any maner of exercise, drew upon me the disease called the Scurvy; which though in others it be a sicknesse of slothfulnesse, yet was in me an effect of weaknesse, which never left me, till I was upon the point to leave the world."
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- We know that Dr. Bohun participated in a petiton in London in 1619,thru data in a document Survey Report (#1106, page 15, VCRP). A petition in July 1619 to the "Lords and rest of the Cownsayle and bodye pollitique, for the state of his Majesties Collony in Virginia", endorsed on verso as "Petition of sondry antient Adventurers to have some man of Quality sent Governor into Virginia". Dr. Lawrence Bohun was one of the subscribers to this petition, and, as luck or fortune would have it, accompanied the Governor candidate to America in February 1720, but he would not arrive there.
- We know Dr. Bohun died in a sea battle with Spanish, while returning to America in 1620. First, from John Smith's description, then in more detail by others.
(Smith, Vol-I, pg.254)"lost Doctor Bohun, a worthy valiant Gentleman, (a long time brought up amongst the most learned Surgeons, and Physitions in Netherlands, and this his second journey to Virginia:) and seven slaine out right, two died shortly of their wounds; sixteene was shot, whose limbs God be thanked was recovered without maime, and now setled in Virginia: how many they lost we know not, but we saw a great many lie on the decks, and their skuppers runne with bloud, they were about three hundred tunnes apeece, each sixteene or twentie Brasse-peeces. Captaine Chester, who in this fight had behaved himselfe like a most vigilant, resolute, and a couragious souldier, as also our honest and valiant master, did still so comfort and incourage us by all the meanes they could, at last to all our great contents we arrived in Virginia, and from thence returned safely to England. And, from a detailed description of the voyage by an unknown author, we have:
 "In the beginning of February 1620 I left England in the ship Margaret & John, our ship was of 160 ton burden, our Captain was Anthony Chester a brave seaman. Besides the crew we had on board a good many passengers of whom I was one, our ship carried 8 cannon with a valconet, our destination was Virginia where we hoped to transact some profitable business. . . .(pg.205)About the 14th of March we came in about 20 miles off Mettalina; the next day we passed Dominica and neared Guadaloupe where we intended to take in fresh water. Nearing this place we observed two vessels lying at anchor which we took to be Hollanders, not only because the ships were built after the model of that nation, but more so because the Admiral had the Dutch flag flying from the mizzenmast. . . .Notwithstanding this we sent the boat out a second time to make a more thorough investigation while we commenced busying ourselves to make things ready in case it should come to a fight. But our ship was so full of household goods that we could not place our cannon as we wanted to, and so we had to make out the best we could. . . Upon our boat reaching the Vice Admiral's ship our men inquired from whence the ship, but instead of receiving a polite reply the Spaniards demanded their surrender which of course our men declined and rowed back to our ship as rapidly as possible. Meanwhile several shots were fired at them striking and breaking some of their oars, but not a man of them was hurt. . . .The Spaniard however gave us no chance for flight, so that we found we had to choose between two evils, either to fight desperately or to surrender ourselves into slavery. In this manner we were forced into a fight, and we attacked the Spaniard so bravely and fought as heroes or rather as madmen and played upon them with our muskets and 4 cannon so furiously that they were forced to leave us the victory, taking to flight and returning to their former anchorage.
(pg.207)The night following this battle, all on board ship, passengers as well as crew, were busy filling cartridges, cleaning cannons and muskets repairing damages etc. so as to be ready in case the Spaniard shall feel inclined to attack us again, and by dawn of day it looked as if we had not been working all night in vain, the Spaniards seemingly preparing to attack us again. However, after looking at each other for about two hours with frowning faces, the Spaniard hoisted sail and tooke their course towards the nearest island, their movements being such that it was plain that they must have had a good many dead and wounded. On our side we had eight dead, and of 16 wounded 2 died afterwards; how many of the Spaniards were killed we never knew but certain it is that during the encounters we saw many of them fall and not a few find their grave in the water which was actually red with their blood." And from a review of this publication in the William and Mary Quarterly (see notes below) we have:
" . . .Among the dead was Dr. Lawrence Bohun, who was educated "among the most learned surgeons and physitians in the Netherlands." He came to Virginia with Lord Delaware in 1610. December 13, 1620, being in London, he was appointed by the London Company physician general to the colony; and soon after he sailed for Virginia on the Margaret and John with Captain Anthony Chester. During the battle Dr. Bohun received a mortal wound. Capt. Chester embraced him and exclaimed, "Oh! Dr. Bohun, what a disaster is this." The noble Doctor replied, "Fight it out, brave man, the cause is good, and Lord receive my soul." (Brown's Genesis U. S., II., p. 830.)
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NOTES:
- (William and Mary Quarterly, April 1901: Vol.IX, No.4) The sea fight of the Margaret and John caused much excitement in England, and the English were very proud of the exploits of the ship, which was small and not well provided. In the latter part of March 1621 (1620, O.S.) this vessel had a severe battle with two Spanish men-of-war in the West Indies, in which she was fortunate enough to come out the victor. Two accounts were published, one at Amsterdam, the other at London. The following is the title of the latter: "A true Relation of a Wonderfull Sea Fight between two great and well appointed Spanish Ships or Men-of-Warre, And a small and not very well provided English ship * * the Margaret and John, or The Black Hodge, London, printed for N. B." Smith's History, II., 544 (Arber's Edition), and Purchas, IV., p. 1780, give abstracts from this "Relation."
There was printed at Leyden a Dutch translation of an account (whether the one printed originally at Amsterdam or not I do not know) by Peter Vander, bookseller, in 1707, entitled the "Scheepstogt Van Anthony Chester, na Virginia gedaan in het jaar 1620." The account in the Dutch, a copy of which is in the State Library, is now again translated into English by Charles Edward Bishop, Ph.D., professor of Modern Languages in William and Mary College, and printed below. Another account still was written by Thomas Hothersall, "late zity-sone and Grocer of London being an I witness and interpreter in the exployte," which, according to Dr. Alexander Brown, is still extant in Manuscript. (Brown's First Republic, 415.)
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