The 'Dorchester Company' of Adventurers was a Joint Stock Company established in 1623 in England to enable the English colonisation of North America[1] It was based in Dorchester, Dorset, near the English Channel, and was founded at the instigation of the puritan Anglican churchman, John White.
[2] The company was a commercial organisation which aimed to provide a safe haven on the North American Coast where supplies could be stored.
[3] The Dorchester Company was composed of members of White's congregations in addition to other Puritans that he contacted.
They chose to establish a colony at Cape Ann instead of Plymouth because the pilgrims there had a separatist orientation.
[5] After selecting the destination, the company contracted 14 sailors who were willing to sail and help establish the settlement.