Steven (or Stephen) Bennet was an early 17th-century explorer, sealer, and whaler.

Life

In 1603 he was master of the 50-ton ship ''Grace'', sent by Sir Francis Cherry on a trading and exploratory voyage. After sailing to the

Kola River The Kola (russian: Кола) is a river on the Kola Peninsula in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It is long, and has a drainage basin of . The river flows out of Lake Kolozero north into the Kola Bay of the Barents Sea, some 10 km south of Murmansk ...

, they went to the northwest, intending to make "some further discoveries". On 16 August (OS) they sighted Bear Island—the first

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 ...

expedition to do so. They spent the next day exploring the coast, but returned aboard ship "without any profit". The expedition returned to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

on 10 September. The following year, 1604, Bennet was sent as master of the 60-ton ship ''Godspeed'' on a trading and sealing expedition, with Thomas Welden as merchant. They left London in mid-April, and spent the following two months in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

. They came to Bear Island early in July. They stayed at the island until 13 July, taking over a hundred

walrus The walrus (''Odobenus rosmarus'') is a large pinniped, flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in ...

with fowling pieces and muskets. They spent the latter half of July and part of August at "Pechingo in Lapland" and Kola, returning to the

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 ...

on 15 October. On their return to London they renamed Bear Island ''Cherry Island'', in honor of Sir Francis Cherry, who "was at the charges of this Discoverie". In 1605 Bennet was again sent as master of a 60-ton ship on a voyage to Cherry Island, with Welden as merchant, again. They left London on 1 May but were captured by a

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Spitsbergen Spitsbergen (; formerly known as West Spitsbergen; Norwegian: ''Vest Spitsbergen'' or ''Vestspitsbergen'' , also sometimes spelled Spitzbergen) is the largest and the only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in northern Norw ...

on a

whaling Whaling is the process of hunting of whales for their usable products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that became increasingly important in the Industrial Revolution. It was practiced as an organized industry ...

expedition. Due to Bennet's negligence the ''Mary Margaret'' was driven ashore by ice in or near

Engelskbukta Engelskbukta (English: ''English Bay'') is a 1.5 km wide bay on the eastern side of the northern reaches of Forlandsundet, the sound that separates Prins Karls Forland and Spitsbergen. It derives its name from the fact that English whalers resorte ...

. The men were forced to row and sail to Bear Island, where they found

Jonas Poole Jonas Poole (bap. 1566 – 1612)Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004). was an early 17th-century English explorer and sealer, and was significant in the history of whaling. Voyages to Bear Island, 1604-1609 He served aboard vesse ...

, master of the ''Elizabeth'' (which was sent to accompany the ''Mary Margaret'').

References

* Purchas, S. (1625). ''Hakluytus Posthumus or Purchas His Pilgrimes: Contayning a History of the World in Sea Voyages and Lande Travells by Englishmen and others''. Volumes XIII and XIV (Reprint 1906, J. Maclehose and Sons). {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennet, Steven English explorers English sailors Explorers of the Arctic Explorers of Svalbard 17th-century explorers 17th-century English people British people in whaling Year of birth missing Year of death missing Sealers