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Sir Thomas Button ( 1575 - April 1634) was a Welsh officer of the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
, notable as an
explorer Exploration is the process of exploring, an activity which has some Expectation (epistemic), expectation of Discovery (observation), discovery. Organised exploration is largely a human activity, but exploratory activity is common to most organis ...
who in 1612–1613 commanded an expedition that unsuccessfully attempted to locate explorer Henry Hudson and to navigate the Northwest Passage.


Early life

Born around 1575, he was the fourth son of Miles Button of Worlton,
Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...
, and his wife Margaret, daughter of Edward Lewis. His father's family had been landowners, originally at Bitton in
Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...
, since the 1100s. Around 1595 he married Elizabeth, daughter of landowner Sir Walter Rice of Newton House, Llandeilo, and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Edward Mansell of Margam. This made him a nephew of the prominent naval officer Sir Robert Mansell, from whose patronage he benefited for the rest of his career.


Arctic exploration

In April 1612, he was given command of two navy ships, ''Resolution'' and ''Discovery'', to lead an expedition in search of the Northwest Passage. Sailing from
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
around the beginning of May 1612, they reached the mouth of a river which he named the Nelson after the ship's master, who had died. They wintered at what is now known as Port Nelson and the next year headed north to search for the Northwest Passage. They lost the ''Resolution'' to sea ice and continued on to 65° North. He discovered and named Mansel Island and returned to England in September 1613. He is credited with exploring and securing the west coast of
Hudson Bay Hudson Bay, sometimes called Hudson's Bay (usually historically), is a large body of Saline water, saltwater in northeastern Canada with a surface area of . It is located north of Ontario, west of Quebec, northeast of Manitoba, and southeast o ...
for his country, naming the area New Wales. The region would again be visited twelve years later in 1631 by Captains Thomas James and Luke Foxe. Supposedly, upon discovering a cross erected by Button at Port Nelson, Captain Foxe christened the shore north of the Nelson River as New North Wales and all the lands south as
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
. Button and his men were some of the first recorded Europeans to explore the area now known as
Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...
and his discovery meant that others followed after him, using his landmarks, his stories, and his detailed notes. The first maps of areas near Hudson Bay were struck from his explorations and from those of his predecessor, Henry Hudson.


Later life

On his return, he was appointed Admiral of the Irish Coasts in command of the Irish Squadron and on 30 August 1616 was knighted by the Lord Deputy of Ireland. The activity of pirates and smugglers at Pwllheli in the Cardigan Bay occupied the subject in 1631."Charles I - volume 196: July 1-19, 1631." ''Calendar of State Papers Domestic: Charles I, 1631-3.'' Ed. John Bruce. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1862. 97-114
British History Online website
Retrieved 7 June 2021.
Despite his standing in the Navy, his subsequent career was marked by prolonged quarrels with the Admiralty, wrongs being committed on both sides, resulting in the end with him in ill-health being stripped of his post as Admiral and left effectively bankrupt. He was buried on 8 April 1634 at the church of St Margaret's, Westminster, survived by his wife and five of their seven children. He left no will and his Welsh lands passed to his eldest son, Miles, who had to mortgage them to meet his father's debts. After waiting three years, his widow received 650 pounds (equivalent to about 98,000 pounds in 2015) from the government in settlement of pay and expenses he was owed.


References


External links

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Manitoba Historical Society Biography of Button
{{DEFAULTSORT:Button, Thomas 16th-century births Year of birth unknown 1634 deaths Royal Navy officers People from the Vale of Glamorgan Welsh explorers British explorers of the Arctic British explorers of North America Explorers of Canada 1610s in Canada 1612 in New France 1613 in New France British polar explorers Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)