and Rivers" and the right to
establish "convenient markets" on his lands. He entered into close
business partnership with Captain John Bargrave, whom the Company, in
March, 1617, granted fifteen shares of land in Virginia. Bargrave
"relying upon the said patent of Martin" proceeded to furnish the
"_Edwyn_ of London with men and wares of good value fit for the said
plantation, and sent the same with the said Captain Martin into
Virginia." Martin left England in April, 1617 on the _Edwin_, "a barke
of very good sayle" and reached Virginia in May just after Argall who
had come as governor.

Bargrave had been hopeful of trading with Martin's Brandon and
transporting more colonists, yet Argall, to support the Colony,
compelled the _Edwin_ to remain in Virginia for almost a year and to be
used in the Colony and on the coast. It was March, 1618 before it could
set sail for England. In the meanwhile, Company affairs had come under
different management and Martin's patent was under fire.

When the Assembly was called in 1619, his plantation, now being well
established, sent two representatives down to Jamestown. The Burgesses
challenged them saying that Martin's patent exempted his settlement from
obedience to the laws of the Colony. Thomas Davis and Robert Stacy could
be seated, it was ruled, if Martin would bring his patent into
conformity. This he would not do saying that he would not "infringe any
parte" of it. Thereupon, the General Assembly submitted the case to the
Company for a definition and explanation of the offending clauses in
Martin's patent. Later, exception was taken to the nature of the
operation of Martin's Brandon plantation. It was alleged to be "a
receptacle of vagabonds and bankrupts & other disorderly p[er]sons &
whereof there hath been a public complaint...." It was charged further
to be a place "where such as are indebted do shroud and rescue them
selves under his protection."

Martin proceeded to fight for his patent in England and did all that he
could to maintain it. In the end, however, on April 2, 1623, he accepted
a new one for the land to be "laid out in Martin's Brandon." He was
denied the request for the nearby "swamps and boggs" for the use of "his
swine."

When he had departed for England in the spring of 1621 he had left his
settlement in the care of Lieutenant Edward Saunders. It was not until
1624 that Martin returned to Virginia with more servants and supplies.
In the meanwhile the ma