Henry Wilkinson (c. 1620s — d. after 1681) was an English soldier and colonial administrator who was appointed governor of Albemarle Sound, a proprietary colony in present-day North Carolina, by the Lords Proprietors in 1680. Although commissioned to restore stability following political unrest in the colony, Wilkinson never assumed office, as financial difficulties and imprisonment in England prevented his departure.
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Early life and military service
Wilkinson was born around the 1620s in York, England. During the English Civil War, he served as a professional soldier on the Royalist side, attaining the rank of captain. Following the end of his military career, he attempted to establish himself in civilian occupations but met with limited success. Around 1679, he relocated with his family from York to London.
Career
Appointment as governor
In November 1680, the Lords Proprietors appointed Wilkinson as interim Governor of Albemarle, a colony that had experienced significant political turmoil stemming from the administrations of Thomas Eastchurch and Thomas Miller and the events surrounding Culpeper's Rebellion. Wilkinson was selected in part because he was considered an outsider with no ties to the colony's competing political factions. The proprietors believed his military experience, loyalty, and perceived impartiality would enable him to govern fairly and restore stability.
The proprietors instructed Wilkinson to organize the colonial government according to the Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina, establish impartial courts to resolve disputes arising from recent unrest, and oversee the collection of customs duties owed to the Crown. He was also directed to address the disputed boundary between Virginia and Carolina and investigate claims for compensation by royal officials who had suffered losses during the colony's disturbances. Two of Wilkinson's sons were designated for colonial offices, one as surveyor and proprietary deputy and another as register.
Failure to reach the colony
Wilkinson spent much of 1680 and 1681 preparing for his voyage to Albemarle, intending to bring his family and servants with him. In August 1680, he petitioned King Charles II for the use of a ship equipped at royal expense, but no response was received. He later secured passage aboard a vessel named Abigail, together with a captain and crew.
Delays proved costly. The ship remained in port for several months while Wilkinson continued to bear maintenance expenses. Mounting debts eventually led to his arrest in London. He was initially jailed and later transferred to the King's Bench Prison. During his imprisonment, political operatives seeking evidence against Anthony Ashley Cooper, one of the Lords Proprietors, attempted to persuade Wilkinson to implicate Cooper in an alleged conspiracy against King Charles II. Despite reported bribery attempts, Wilkinson stated that Cooper had never discussed such a plot with him.
Wilkinson remained imprisoned in the debtors' prison until at least November 1681. As a result, he never sailed for Albemarle and never assumed the office to which he was appointed.