''Matthew'' was a
caravel
The caravel (Portuguese: , ) is a small maneuverable sailing ship used in the 15th century by the Portuguese to explore along the West African coast and into the Atlantic Ocean. The lateen sails gave it speed and the capacity for sailing win ...
sailed by
John Cabot in 1497 from
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 ...
to
Newfoundland, North America. There are two modern replicas – one in
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 ...
, England (built 1994–1996) and one in
Bonavista, Newfoundland (built 1997–1998).
Cabot's original voyages
The captain of the ''Matthew'' was an Italian explorer named Giovanni Caboto who is better known as John Cabot. After a voyage which had got no further than
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
, Cabot left again with only one vessel, the ''Matthew'', a small ship (50 tons), but fast and able. The crew consisted of only 18 men. ''The Matthew'' departed 2 May 1497. He sailed to
Dursey Head (
latitude
In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pol ...
51°36N), Ireland, from where he sailed due west, expecting to reach Asia. However, landfall was reached in North America on 24 June 1497. His precise landing place is a matter of much controversy, with
Cape Bonavista
Cape Bonavista is a headland located on the east coast of the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is located at the northeastern tip of the Bonavista Peninsula, which separates Trinity Bay to the south ...
or
St. John's in
Newfoundland the most likely sites. There is a statue of John Cabot located on the Cape of Bonavista, Newfoundland in his honour.
Cabot went ashore to take possession of the land, and explored the coast for some time, probably departing on 20 July. On the homeward voyage his sailors incorrectly thought they were going too far north, so Cabot sailed a more southerly course, reaching
Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...
instead of England. On 6 August he arrived back in
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 ...
.
Historic information
Lack of clear documentation has been a problem in studying the history of ''Matthew''. Even its name has been questioned, with some authors suggesting that it was actually named ''Mattea'' after Cabot's wife. Until the 1950s, all that was known about its size is that it was a small ship carrying about 18 men, but the discovery of a letter from a Bristol merchant named John Day written in 1497 saying that "in his voyage he had only one ship of fifty 'toneles' and twenty men and food for seven or eight months" provided more certainty about its size.
['Jones, Evan "The ''Matthew'' of Bristol and the financiers of John Cabot’s 1497 Voyage to North America" ''English Historical Review'' Vol. CXXI No. 492 (2006)'](_blank)
/ref> The age of the ship is also uncertain. The name ''Matthew'' does not appear in the 1492/3 customs accounts, so it was either fairly new or an older ship renamed or a foreign ship. It has been suggested that it probably was an ordinary Bristol merchant ship hired for the occasion. The name ''Matthew'' appears in documents in 1503/04 and 1510/11 but in a 1513 survey there is reference to a 'new Matthew' and references to this ship afterward leave out the 'new' suggesting that Cabot's ''Matthew'' no longer existed.
Bristol replica
To celebrate the 500th anniversary of Cabot's voyage, a replica of ''Matthew'' was built in Bristol by Storms'l Services, a precursor of the Bristol Classic Boat Company
The Bristol Classic Boat Company is a boat building and restoration company based at Bristol's Floating Harbour, England.
The company has its origins in Storms'l Services a group of shipwrights who formed in about 1986 to undertake the complete ...
. The design was by naval architect Colin Mudie Colin Mudie (11 April 1926-11 March 2020) was an Edinburgh-born yacht designer, author, naval historian, balloonist, and advocate for the handicapped sailor. He studied engineering at Southampton University, before working under yacht designers incl ...
. It took two years to complete the replica and cost $3.8 million. She was dedicated in a ceremony during the first International Festival of the Sea
The International Festivals of the Sea were a series of maritime festivals, which were held in various British port cities between 1996 and 2005. The festivals were intended to be celebrations of the sea, bringing together sailors, musicians, arti ...
, held in Bristol's Floating Harbour
Bristol Harbour is the harbour in the city of Bristol, England. The harbour covers an area of . It is the former natural tidal river Avon through the city but was made into its current form in 1809 when the tide was prevented from going out per ...
in 1996. The next year, she reconstructed Cabot's original journey on the 500th anniversary of the landmark voyage. On 24 June 1997 the replica of ''Matthew'' was welcomed into port at Bonavista by Queen Elizabeth II. The Matthew is owned by Bristol Trust, which is a registered charity and all money raised goes towards maintaining the ship and her legacy.
The full-size replica is in length overall with a beam of with a draft of and of sail. This replica is made from oak and Douglas fir and has a diesel engine and a ship radio that would not have been available in the medieval times.
On 29 February 2012 ''Matthews ownership was transferred to The Matthew of Bristol Trust, and he was relocated to his new home outside Bristol's M Shed
M Shed is a museum in Bristol, England, located on Prince's Wharf beside the Floating Harbour in a dockside transit shed formerly occupied by Bristol Industrial Museum. The museum's name is derived from the way that the port identified each of i ...
museum.
In June 2012 she took part in the Queen's Diamond Jubilee
The year 2012 marked the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II being the 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. The only diamond jubilee celebration for any of Elizabeth's predecessors was in 1897, for the 60th an ...
pageant on the River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...
.
Bonavista replica
The Bonavista replica () was built in 1997-98 by a team of seven shipwrights and four local carpenters. The second replica was paid for by the provincial government and so was an interpretation centre for the 500th anniversary. Currently the vessel is undergoing repairs so she can sail again. There are tours for this replica that take place at the Bonavista harbour where individuals can learn more about Cabot's voyage and see the inside of the replica ship.
See also
*Ship replica
A ship replica is a reconstruction of a no longer existing ship. Replicas can range from authentically reconstructed, fully seaworthy ships, to ships of modern construction that give an impression of a historic vessel. Some replicas may not even ...
(including a list of replicas)
References
External links
Cabot's Voyage of 1497
'Official site of the 'replica' of The ''Matthew'' of Bristol'
'The Matthew Project'
– This project follow the process of the development and building of a scaled model of the ''Matthew'' built and moored in Bonavista, Newfoundland for Matthew Legacy Inc.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthew (Ship)
Age of Discovery
Replica ships
Metthew
Tourist attractions in Bristol
Bristol Harbourside
1996 ships
History of the Atlantic Ocean
Age of Discovery ships