Michaelmas Whitaker

Your Holiness

**Michaelmas Whitaker** was the reverend of Jamestown during Season 1. When the women arrive at the settlement, he sees their coming as signs of vice and sin. Shocked by the precociousness of the women, Whitaker wishes to install virtue and to wipe out witchcraft.

## Personality

Like many men of cloth from the 17th century, Michaelmas Whitaker is plagued by superstition and dedicates his life to pursue witchcraft and blasphemy in all that isn’t biblical. Therefore, he doesn’t believe in medicine or science. Despite his efforts in trying to purify Jamestown from evil, he doesn’t enjoy the place and jubilees when he gets news he’s to return to England.

## Physical Appearance

Michaelmas is a middle age man with blue eyes and long dark blonde hair. He dresses himself in the clothes of his profession.

## Throughout *Jamestown*

### Season 1

Reverend Whitaker weds Samuel Castell and Jocelyn Woodbryg. During one night, Reverend Whitaker observes Verity Rutter staring at the storming sky. He follows her to the tavern and watches her touching and laughing at her customers. When Marshal Redwick falls ill, the Reverend and Christopher Priestley tend after him. The reverend states he heard Verity curse the marshal while she was removed from the stocks and implies witchcraft. Doctor Priestley asks him not to jump into conclusions of spells and charms until the real cause of the sickness is discovered. Whitaker asks Redwick about his affliction and calls “medicine” a blasphemy. The marshal agrees with the reverend. Later, he reunites with Sir George Yeardley and Samuel Castell to ask permission to interrogate Verity. The governor eventually agrees after Whitaker referring that the king might doubt his governance in Jamestown. Verity is taken before the Reverend, alongside Meredith Rutter, who tries to defend her wife’s innocence. The Reverend questions her but Verity gives him sharp replies. Whitaker asks if she stole a garment from the marshal and boiled it in feathers and blood while reciting incantations. Verity laughs but says she’s no witch. While Verity is about to leave the church, the reverend states there will a mark upon her body, from where the devil fed at her breast, and she has to subject her to an inspection. Verity claims she’ll never take her clothes off for the likes of the reverend.

The reverend is accusing Verity of being a witch before the townsfolk of Jamestown when she and Jocelyn Castell enter the church. Verity stands trial for being a witch. Jocelyn asks her permission to Sir George Yeardley to address the reverend. Then, Jocelyn proceeds in asking Whitaker to bestow God’s grace upon a piece of bread and asks if a woman is devoted to the Devil and eats the bread, she’ll perish. Jocelyn asks the reverend to feed the bread to Verity. He does so and Verity’s innocence is proven although the Reverend isn’t pleased. Days after the incident, Temperance Yeardley confesses her worries about Jocelyn’s past to the reverend and he counsels her to write a letter. Lady Yeardley clarifies she already did.

During St. John’s festivities, the reverend addresses his congregation to recall the holy purpose of such celebrations. While on church, reading a letter he received from England, Meredith Rutter asks him if he ever married him and Verity Rutter. However and while Meredith shares his wishes to prevent Verity from leaving, Whitaker is more concerned about the letter he received stating he’s to return to England. The reverend is pleased with returning home. Eventually he says to Rutter he isn’t married and leaves the church with haste.

## Quotes

 Appearances

 Episode 8 | **Appears**

## References

1. ↑ Episode 1.02
2. ↑ Episode 1.02
3. ↑ Episode 1.02
4. ↑ Episode 1.06