William Weston (explorer)
Encyclopedia
William Weston was a 15th-century English
merchant from Bristol
. Since 2010, he is believed to have been the first Englishman to lead an expedition to North America
. Weston was married to Agnes Foster, daughter of prominent merchant John Foster, known in Bristol as the founder of Foster's Almshouses
. Weston lived at what is now 41 Corn Street and can be shown to have engaged in trade with Madeira as early as 1480. Some further information about him can be found in an unpublished 2007 MA dissertation.
suggests that Weston sailed to the New World in 1499. This voyage to the ‘New Found Land’ was only two years after the first visit by the Venetian John Cabot
. In 1497, also sailing from Bristol, he "discovered" North America.
Weston first appears in the official records in January 1498, when he received a reward of 40 shillings from the King. This early payment supports the historical contention of Dr Alwyn Ruddock
that Weston had been involved in the 1497 and 1498 expeditions and that he had been "an important Bristol supporter" of Cabot. Cabot followed his successful 1497 trip with a second one the following year, supported by Henry VII. It is unclear whether Weston accompanied this expedition.
In 1499 Weston prepared another expedition, also with Henry's support. The evidence for this is a letter written by Henry to his Lord Chancellor. In this letter, dated 12 March 1499, Henry suspends an injunction against Weston in the Court of Chancery by John Esterfeld, because Weston would soon "with God’s grace pass and sail for to search and find if he can the new found land". While in a sense an independent voyage, it is likely that Weston, as a supporter of Cabot, was covered by the terms of Cabot’s (1496) monopoly patent for westward exploration. Cabot may have made Weston a formal deputy or assign of his patent; this would explain why the King was willing to assist Weston in undertaking a voyage that would otherwise have been in breach of his own royal patent.
According to Dr Jones, the letter demonstrates that Weston was the first Englishman to lead an expedition to North America. Further research by Jones suggests that Weston's expedition may have reached the Labrador Sea
and perhaps the Hudson Strait
. Dr Jones notes that the letter was discovered in the late 1970s by Margaret Condon, an Assistant Keeper at the Public Record Office
, who relayed the discovery to Professor David Beers Quinn
. He passed it on to the Cabot expert Dr Alwyn Ruddock
, who was said to be working on a major book about him. At her death in December 2005, Dr Ruddock left instructions for her research notes to be destroyed.
Condon and Jones are working together on a research project, dubbed "The Cabot Project" at the University of Bristol, to find more information about the Bristol discovery voyages of this period. Recent unpublished finds include a reference to a reward received by William Weston subsequent to his 1499 voyage.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
merchant from Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
. Since 2010, he is believed to have been the first Englishman to lead an expedition to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. Weston was married to Agnes Foster, daughter of prominent merchant John Foster, known in Bristol as the founder of Foster's Almshouses
Foster's Almshouses, Bristol
Foster's Almshouse is a historic building on Colston Street, Bristol, England. The almshouse was originally founded by bequest from 15th century merchant John Foster in 1482....
. Weston lived at what is now 41 Corn Street and can be shown to have engaged in trade with Madeira as early as 1480. Some further information about him can be found in an unpublished 2007 MA dissertation.
Evidence
There is little documentary evidence regarding Weston but, according to Dr Evan Jones of Bristol University, a letter from King Henry VIIHenry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
suggests that Weston sailed to the New World in 1499. This voyage to the ‘New Found Land’ was only two years after the first visit by the Venetian John Cabot
John Cabot
John Cabot was an Italian navigator and explorer whose 1497 discovery of parts of North America is commonly held to have been the first European encounter with the continent of North America since the Norse Vikings in the eleventh century...
. In 1497, also sailing from Bristol, he "discovered" North America.
Weston first appears in the official records in January 1498, when he received a reward of 40 shillings from the King. This early payment supports the historical contention of Dr Alwyn Ruddock
Alwyn Ruddock
Alwyn Ruddock was a noted British historian of the Age of Discovery, best known for her research on the 'English' voyages of the 15th-century explorer John Cabot...
that Weston had been involved in the 1497 and 1498 expeditions and that he had been "an important Bristol supporter" of Cabot. Cabot followed his successful 1497 trip with a second one the following year, supported by Henry VII. It is unclear whether Weston accompanied this expedition.
In 1499 Weston prepared another expedition, also with Henry's support. The evidence for this is a letter written by Henry to his Lord Chancellor. In this letter, dated 12 March 1499, Henry suspends an injunction against Weston in the Court of Chancery by John Esterfeld, because Weston would soon "with God’s grace pass and sail for to search and find if he can the new found land". While in a sense an independent voyage, it is likely that Weston, as a supporter of Cabot, was covered by the terms of Cabot’s (1496) monopoly patent for westward exploration. Cabot may have made Weston a formal deputy or assign of his patent; this would explain why the King was willing to assist Weston in undertaking a voyage that would otherwise have been in breach of his own royal patent.
According to Dr Jones, the letter demonstrates that Weston was the first Englishman to lead an expedition to North America. Further research by Jones suggests that Weston's expedition may have reached the Labrador Sea
Labrador Sea
The Labrador Sea is an arm of the North Atlantic Ocean between the Labrador Peninsula and Greenland. The sea is flanked by continental shelves to the southwest, northwest, and northeast. It connects to the north with Baffin Bay through the Davis Strait...
and perhaps the Hudson Strait
Hudson Strait
Hudson Strait links the Atlantic Ocean to Hudson Bay in Canada. It lies between Baffin Island and the northern coast of Quebec, its eastern entrance marked by Cape Chidley and Resolution Island. It is long...
. Dr Jones notes that the letter was discovered in the late 1970s by Margaret Condon, an Assistant Keeper at the Public Record Office
Public Record Office
The Public Record Office of the United Kingdom is one of the three organisations that make up the National Archives...
, who relayed the discovery to Professor David Beers Quinn
David Beers Quinn
David Beers Quinn was an Irish historian who wrote extensively on the voyages of discovery and colonisation of America. Many of his publications appeared as volumes of the Hakluyt Society...
. He passed it on to the Cabot expert Dr Alwyn Ruddock
Alwyn Ruddock
Alwyn Ruddock was a noted British historian of the Age of Discovery, best known for her research on the 'English' voyages of the 15th-century explorer John Cabot...
, who was said to be working on a major book about him. At her death in December 2005, Dr Ruddock left instructions for her research notes to be destroyed.
Condon and Jones are working together on a research project, dubbed "The Cabot Project" at the University of Bristol, to find more information about the Bristol discovery voyages of this period. Recent unpublished finds include a reference to a reward received by William Weston subsequent to his 1499 voyage.
Sources
- Evan T. Jones and M. M. Condon, ‘Weston, William (d. in or before 1505)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, May 2010 accessed 30 Oct 2010
- Evan T. Jones, 'Henry VII and the Bristol expeditions to North America: the Condon documents', Historical Research, 27 Aug 2009 (This can be downloaded for free, courtesy of Wiley-Blackwell)
- Evan T. Jones, 'Alwyn Ruddock: John Cabot and the Discovery of America', Historical Research Vol 81, Issue 212 (2008), pp. 224–254 (This can be downloaded for free, courtesy of Wiley-Blackwell)
- Evan. T. Jones (ed.), ‘'The Quinn papers: transcripts of correspondence relating to the Bristol discovery voyages to North America in the fifteenth century’', ‘David B. Quinn Papers’, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. page 6. (University of Bristol, ROSE, 2009)