Background
Yeamans was born in 1611 and baptized on February 28, 1611 in in Bristol, England. He was probably the son of John Yeamans, a brewer, of Bristol.
military officer Colonial governor
Yeamans was born in 1611 and baptized on February 28, 1611 in in Bristol, England. He was probably the son of John Yeamans, a brewer, of Bristol.
A stanch royalist, he entered military service and rose to the rank of colonel in the royalist army. In 1650, when the Commonwealth was in the ascendancy, he emigrated to Barbados. When the Lords Proprietors were granted Carolina in 1663, Yeamans, seeing an opportunity for himself and other ambitious Barbadians, negotiated through his son, Maj. William Yeamans, for the right to establish a colony there with himself as governor. Successful in his negotiations, he was made a baronet January 12, 1664, on the recommendation of the proprietors, for his expected services in promoting settlement.
Commissioned governor, January 11, 1665, he sailed from Barbados in October to choose a suitable location. A site on the Cape Fear River was selected, but after remaining with the settlers only a short time Yeamans returned to Barbados. The settlement languished and was abandoned in 1667. Later the proprietors sent out a second expedition under Joseph West which reached Barbados in 1669. Yeamans still held the title of governor of Carolina and had also been appointed a landgrave. He decided to accompany the expedition, but went only as far as Bermuda, and returned home after appointing William Sayle governor by authority of the proprietors.
In 1670 he demonstrated his continued interest in the colony by offering inducements for settlement, and in 1671 he was there in person, built a home, and introduced the first negro slaves. He claimed the governorship on the ground that a provision in the charter stipulated that a proprietor or a landgrave must be governor, and he alone met the requirement. West, who had been elected by the Council to succeed Sayle on the latter's death in 1671 but had never been commissioned, was so popular that the Council refused to replace him until commanded to do so. The necessary command was received in 1672, and Yeamans became governor. He was instructed to establish another port town on the Ashley River, and accordingly laid out the site of Charles Town.
He was unpopular with both people and proprietors. Objections were made to his reckless exportation of food to Barbados for his own profit at a time when there was a scarcity of provisions, to his extravagance, and to his attempt to subordinate Carolina to Barbados. His lack of genuine interest in the colony was apparent from his conduct. Twice he took a leading part in expeditions to Carolina only to abandon them, and when he finally settled there, his chief concern was to have himself appointed governor. His commission was revoked by the proprietors on April 25, 1674, and West was commissioned in his stead, but word of the change had not yet reached Carolina when Yeamans died.
Yeamans married twice: firstly to - Limp, with whom he had five sons, and secondly on 11 April 1661 to Margaret Berringer, they had four children (two sons and two daughters).
