Dorchester Company

The Dorchester Company of Adventurers was a Joint Stock Company established in 1623 in England to enable the English colonisation of North America^[1] It was based in Dorchester, Dorset, near the English Channel, and was founded at the instigation of the puritan Anglican churchman, John White.^[2] The company was a commercial organisation which aimed to provide a safe haven on the North American Coast where supplies could be stored. This was established at Cape Ann.^[3]

The Dorchester Company was composed of members of White's congregations in addition to other Puritans that he contacted. They chose to establish a colony at Cape Ann instead of Plymouth because the pilgrims there had a separatist orientation.^[4] The company had 119 members.^[5] After selecting the destination, the company contracted 14 sailors who were willing to sail and help establish the settlement. The company closed due to a lack of funding.^[4]

Although the company only existed for three years it played a significant role in the later development of the Massachusetts Bay Company. White, who was still intent on establishing a colony, was able to transfer Dorchester Company's charter to a new group, the New England Company for a Plantation in Massachusetts Bay or more commonly known as the New England Company.^[4] Six of the original members of the Dorchester Company were able to sail and join the Massachusetts Bay Company.^[5] The new trading association also included West Country men that had interests in the Dorchester Company such as Thomas Southcott, John Brown, and John Humfrey.^[6]