John Rut ( fl. 1512 – 1528) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

mariner, born in

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, who was chosen by Henry VIII to command an expedition to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

in search of the

Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the Arc ...

. On 10 June 1527 he set sail from

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

with two ships, ''

Samson Samson (; , '' he, Šīmšōn, label= none'', "man of the sun") was the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Book of Judges (chapters 13 to 16) and one of the last leaders who "judged" Israel before the institution o ...

'' and '' Mary Guilford''. The voyage was arranged by Cardinal Wolsey at the wishes of Robert Thorne, a

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

merchant. Paul O'Neill (2003) ''The Oldest City, The Story of St. John's, Newfoundland'' (p. 116) ''Samson'' was commanded by Master Grube and ''Mary Guilford'' was commanded by Rut. During the voyage across the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, the ships separated during a storm, and it is assumed that ''Samson'' was lost. In early July ''Mary Guilford'' met heavy ice and turned southward; they reached the

Labrador , nickname = "The Big Land" , etymology = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Canada , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 ...

coast near St. Lewis Inlet, which they explored. In late July ''Mary Guilford'' set sail for St. John's. They entered St. John's harbour on 3 August where they reported encountering eleven

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

fishing vessels, one

Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally ** Breton people ** Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Ga ...

fishing vessel and two from

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

. It was at St. John's, Newfoundland on 3 August 1527 that the first known letter in English was sent from North America. While in St. John's, Rut wrote to King Henry on his findings and his planned voyage southward to seek his fellow explorer. The letter in part reads:

Pleasing your Honourable Grace to heare of your servant John Rut with all his company here in good health thanks be to God.

…and concludes:

...the third day of August we entered into a good harbour called St. John and there we found Eleuen Saile of Normans and one Brittaine and two Portugal barks all a fishing and so we are ready to depart towards Cap de Bras that is 25 leagues as shortly as we have fished and so along the Coast until we may meete with our fellowe and so with all diligence that lyes in me toward parts to that Ilands that we are command at our departing and thus Jesu save and keepe you Honourable Grace and all your Honourable Reuer. In the Haven of St. John the third day of August written in hast 1527, by your servant John Rut to his uttermost of his power.
Daniel Woodley Prowse Daniel Woodley Prowse, (September 12, 1834 – January 27, 1914) was a lawyer, politician, judge, historian, essayist, and office holder. Born in Port de Grave, Newfoundland (now Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada), he was the fourth of the ...
(1895) ''A History of Newfoundland'' (p. 40-41)

After leaving Newfoundland for warmer climes, ''Mary Guilford'' sailed along the east coast, past the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, apparently the first English ship to do so. Rut returned to England the following year; no further record of him remains.

References and notes

External links

Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rut, John English sailors English explorers of North America 16th-century births 16th-century deaths People from Essex Newfoundland Colony people 16th-century English people Explorers of Canada Explorers of Florida

See also

References and notes

External links