John Ratcliffe (governor) entire body with mussel shells and tossed the pieces into the flame as he watched. They skinned his face last and finally burned him at stake. This story was documented in an eyewitness account that is included in "The Jamestown Adventure: Accounts of the Virginia Colony, 1605–1614 (Real Voices, Real History)", edited by Ed Southern. In Disney's "Pocahontas" (1995), Ratcliffe was portrayed as a greedy and ruthlessly ambitious man, and the film's main antagonist. His character believes that the Powhatan tribe is very barbaric in nature and have hidden gold near the outskirts of Virginia, and he wants to battle
John Ratcliffe (governor) Captain Ratcliffe taken prisoner with Sir Henry Cray and Captain Pigott at Mulheim in 1605. Ratcliffe commanded the "Discovery" and became a councillor of the Jamestown Colony. The "Discovery" was the smallest of all three ships; it only had a crew of 21 men. He became president of the colony upon the deposition of Edward Maria Wingfield on 10 September 1607. Ratcliffe was a wise and insightful president, but he fell out of favour with many colonists after enlisting men to build a governor's house. Many colonists also disagreed with how he handled trade with the natives and how he