Chief Hancock
Hancock | |
|---|---|
| Tuscarora Chief | |
| In office c.1700–1712 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c.1670 |
| Died | 1712 |
| Nickname(s) | Chief Hancock, King Hancock |
| Military service | |
| Battles/wars | |
Chief Hancock was the leader of the Southern Tuscarora people during the opening stages of the Tuscarora War.[1] He led a coalition of tribes and villages to resist English settlers and their colonial expansion.[2] He was captured by Chief Tom Blount and executed in 1712 by settlers.[3]
Leadership & Conflict
By the early Eighteenth Century the Tuscarora people had become divided along Northern and Southern lines. The northern Tuscarora, under Chief Tom Blount were friendly with the English while the southern Tuscarora had become increasingly hostile. Hancock led this southern group, most likely playing a role in increasing hostilities.[4]
Hancock led attacks and coordinated others along the Neuse River and to the town of Bath, North Carolina, killing around 100 colonists. Hancock captured Christoph von Graffenried, the founder of New Bern, North Carolina, as well as John Lawson (explorer). Lawson was executed while von Graffenried was let go.
Death
The colonial government of North Carolina asked for assistance from the larger colony of South Carolina which sent troops to aide Chief Tom Blount in subduing the southern part of his tribe. Hancock was captured by this force and executed in 1712.[5]
Legacy
Chief Hancock is one of the more significant Indigenous leaders in early North Carolina history, representing one of the largest Native resistance campaigns to English colonial expansion.
References
- ↑ Lawson, John (1714). The History of Carolina. London: W. Taylor.
- ↑ von Graffenried, Christoph (1920). Todd, Vincent H. (ed.). Christoph von Graffenried's Account of the Founding of New Bern. North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources.
- ↑ Saunders, William L. (1886). The Colonial Records of North Carolina. Vol. 1. Raleigh: P. M. Hale.
- ↑ Seaman, Rebecca M. (2010). "John Lawson, the Outbreak of the Tuscarora Wars, and "Middle Ground" Theory". Journal of the North Carolina Association of Historians. 18: 9–24.
- ↑ "The Tuscarora". North Carolina History Project. Retrieved 23 July 2026.