John Slany

Who was John Slany?

John Slany, merchant, ship builder, born in Shropshire, England, was secretary of the Newfoundland Company and a member of the Merchant Taylor's Company. He had also invested in the East India Company.

In 1610 both Slany and John Guy submitted a petition to the Privy Council of London on behalf of the London and Bristol Company for a grant of incorporation of the Newfoundland Company. Its main goal was to establish a settlement in Newfoundland at Cuper's Cove and colonize it. Slany's interest in Newfoundland was heightened by favorable reports from John Guy and William Colston of the vast riches to be had in Newfoundland. He had also convinced Percival Willoughby to invest and establish ownership of a tract of land near the colony. Slany had predicted the failure of the colony because of disagreement with John Guy when he accused him of deceiving the Newfoundland Company over the Island’s mineral resources in 1616. Slany taught English to the Patuxet Native American tribesman, Tisquantum and brought him to Cuper's Cove as an interpreter and expert on North American natural resources.