This section addresses the means by which extreme Northeast America was approached by European merchant interests of Italy, Portugal, England, and of the coming into common knowledge that heavily wooded shores teaming with fish, large game and wild people lie directly west from the British Isles. This chronology does extend beyond the 1600s subject line in order to honor the first folk contacted by English and French in North America.
-1245, Bristol begins development as a major sea port
-1436, Libel of English Policie establishes the sea as the “wall” of England in popular thought
-1440, Robert Stormy of Bristol lost two ships and crew to Italian pirates and Turks, while seeking spice trade in Syria
-1445, Bristol “masters and mariners” guild established a fund for a priest and 12 poor old sailors to pray for their brethren when out to sea
-1453, Constantinople falls to the Turks, who begin to squeeze Italians out of middle eastern trade.
-1470, Bristol trade enables rebuilding of St. Stephen’s Church where sailors prayed
-1474, tomb of William Canynges names him a “merchant prince,”
-1476, John Cabot confirmed as citizen of Venice
-1480, John Jay sailed in search of the mythical island of Hy Brasil, Master Lloyd sailed for Hy Brasil and could not find it, Bristol is a major wine importer, Bristol sailors feuding with German sailors over Icelandic trade, Bristol sailors, pushed out of Icelandic fishing, are seeking a new fishing ground
-1481, two Bristol ships search for Hy Brasil
-1490, John Cabot planning maritime ventures in Spain
-1491, from this date on Bristol was sending 2 to 4 ships a year in search of Hy Brasil
-1493, Cabot’s project falls through and he meets Columbus, a fellow Italian
-1495, John Cabot seeking royal support in England
-1496, John Cabot granted “letters patent” by Henry VII for westward discovery
-1497, June 24, John Cabot makes landfall on Newfoundland, the day before he had felt “the loom of the land,” including the odor of fir trees and other plants. This becomes a common experience when nearing land masses in North America
-1498, in May, John Cabot with five ships sailed, one returning in distress, Cabot and the other four ships vanished, and are assumed lost at sea
-1499, Fernandes & Barcelos granted patents from Portugal to discover new lands.
-1500, Fernandes & Barcelos sight Greenland, Corte Real voyages at his own expense
-1501, Anglo Azorean Syndicate seek letters patent from England.
-1501, Gasper Corte Real granted Portugal letters, offended, Fernandes does to England and is granted letters and seems to have been lost at sea. Gasper abducts 57 Beothuks of Newfoundland and finds a broken Italian sword, thought to have been Cabot’s. The Beothuk women are declared to be fair, small breasted and pleasing to the eye. Corte Real continues exploring in his flagship and is lost at sea. Corte Real observed that the Beothuk were “of the same color as us,” and “live like the ancient fauns and satyrs.” thye were noted for painting themselves with red ochre.
- 1502, D. Manuel Corte Real is granted his brother’s patent to Newfoundland from Portugal. He, his ship and all hands were lost at sea, the sister ship returning.
-1502, Anglo Azorean captains bring King Henry VII of England a bird, a mountain lion and three Beothuks from Newfoundland.
-1503, King of Portugal stops grating patents for Newfoundland due to heavy losses of men and ships.
-1504, Fabyan, a writer, meets the three Beothuk men at Westminster Palace dressed as gentlemen, but still not speaking English. There is another Anglo Azorean voyage to Newfoundland.
-1505, last Anglo Azorean voyage to Newfoundland, Sebastian Cabot paid as navigational consultant to England.
-1506, Portuguese fishermen active in Newfoundland
-1508, the Ruysch Map demonstrates European assumption that Newfoundland and Greenland were promontories of Asia. A possible, disputed voyage by Sebastian Cabot, son of John is not credited as likely by Morison.
-1509, England stops monarchical interest in exploration. Fishing continues.
-1518, Sebastian Cabot “pilot mayor of Spain,” again a consultant.
-1519, published play an Interlude of the Four Elements, composed in England speaks of the Ocean being too great for man to conquer but that “westwarde be founde new landes”
-1520, Fagundes exploring Newfoundland at own expense
-1521, Fagundes granted patent by Portugal and explores Newfoundland and smaller islands, including Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Sable Island, Penguin Island and mapped Bay of Fundy.
At some point Portuguese mariners, perhaps Fagundes, stock Sable Island with a cattle herd.
-1526, attempts to settle Cape Breton by Portugal fail due to Micmac slaughtering the invaders
-1525 to 28, Sebastian Cabot commands a small fleet to sail around the world, which fails in South America.
-1527, John Rut sails from London with two ships to “seke strange regions,” sighting Labrador, coasting Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and New England, encountering 13 fishing vessels in Saint John’s Harbor, and sailing down into the Spanish Indies, where towns had already been moved inland against mostly French pirate raids
-1536, Richard Hore chartered two ships as tourist vehicles to cruise Newfoundland for adventure. One ship lost at sea, and the gentlemen too lazy to fish for food, the gentleman adventurers misbehaved, turned pirate and cannibal as well, eating their own. On their return, the English king compensated the French merchant that was looted at sea.
-1537, Richard Hore chartered a ship named Valentine to take on salt, wine and passengers in Portugal. He abducted and held the passengers for ransom, causing another scandal, even being sued by his crew, who were presumably unpaid!
-1550, Harbor Grace a thriving fishing settlement of many races elected a rotation of “admirals” to act as a peace chief. These fisherman would save numerous expeditions, eventually feed New England planters in distress and gave much aid to each other, demonstrating a kind of democratic anarchy rarely achieved among men. The Basques stood outside of this circle of cooperation and were feared by all.
-(Beothuks of Newfoundland were described as light skinned like Europeans, went about painted in ochre, lived by hunting and fishing, avoided Europeans from 1501, being their second recorded mass abduction, to their final extermination and are estimated to have numbered from 500 to 1000 folk and to have occupied the island for about 1500 years.)
-1556, Sebastian Cabot done in portrait by Stephen Borough, master of the pinnace Serchthrift, the pinnace was a terrifyingly small ship necessary for coastal exploration.
-1568, Diogo Homem’s map of Cape Breton uses Micmac names
-1583, (Harbor Grace is recognized and claimed by England)
-1601, (Lescarbot and Poutrincourt visit Newfoundland)
-1608, (John Guy and the Society for Merchant Adventurers decide to settle Newfoundland)
-1610, (Cupper’s Cove settlement in Newfoundland, John Guy Governor of Newfoundland, John Mason assigned to take New Hebrides from Gaelic clan chiefs)
-1610, (Pirate Peter Easton builds a fort above Harbor Grace)
-1611, (Easton and the fishermen of Harbor Grace survive a French attack.)
-1612, (John Guy’s Party in Newfoundland, Beothuk have moved into the interior, never adopt firearms, and maintain a band structure or sub tribal organization, unique among first contact North Americans.)
-1615, (John Guy succeeded by John Mason as governor.)
-1700, circa, (French bounties paid to Micmac’s to kill Beothuk along with incursions by Inuit. These are now regarded as myths and debunked out of hand, with all killing of Beothuk’s blamed on European trappers and settlers. However, in all other regions of North America, it was trappers who allied with and married into tribes.)
-1768, (George Cartwright contacts Beothuk survivors)
-1812, (David Buchan contacts Beothuk and leaves two marines, who are murdered)
-1829, (Beothuk Shanawdithit, last woman of the people, dies, after her people survived 315 years of hunting and slave raiding by English, Italians, Basques, Portuguese, French, Micmac and Inuit enemies. They fared better than most tribes and empires. Current myth making blames disease and Europeans, suggesting that natives of North America never engaged in warfare until Europeans arrived, despite the evidence of excellence in warfare on first contact.)
