Thomas Button (abt. 1565 - 1634)

Born about 1565 in Worleton, Dyffryn, Glamorgan, Wales

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 6 Apr 1634 at about age 69 in London, England

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Biography

Sir Thomas Button was a member of the aristocracy in British Isles.

Thomas Button is Notable.

Thomas Button was born in Glamorgan, Wales.

English navigator, naval officer performing active service in protecting shipping from pirates, and early explorer of Canada, Sir Thomas Button was among the first to search for the famed Northwest Passage almost 300 years before it was finally successfully navigated by ship.

Birth and Parentage

Sir Thomas Button birth is estimated to be born around 1565 in Wales. He was the fourth son of Sir Miles Button of Worlton, Glamorgan, sheriff of Glamorgan in 1565, 1571, 1589, and his wife Margaret Lewis, daughter of Edward Lewis of Van ^{[1] [2] [3]}. The Buttons possessed an alienated manor of the see of Llandaff, Worleton, in the parish of S. Lythans, Glamorgan, Their house was likely on the Dog Hill moated grange site, across the Nant Golych from the parish of S. Lythans and in the parish of S. Nicholas. Later, the residence was probably on the site of the present house called Duffryn, situated nearby^[1]. His father's family had been landowners, originally at Bitton in Gloucestershire, since the 1100s^[3].

Marriage and Children

He married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Edward Mansell of Margam in about 1595. This made him a brother in law of Sir Robert Mansell (1573–1656), then Admiral on the Irish Coast in the English Royal Navy and a Member of Parliament (MP), mostly for Welsh constituencies^[2], from whose patronage he benefited for the rest of his career^[1].

Button had seven children, Ann (Button) Laugharne (abt. 1610 - 1681), Myles Button (abt.1598-), Elizabeth (Button) Poyer (abt.1604-abt.1688), William, Rhys (Rice) a son and two younger daughters. The Biography of Canada mentions "...the eldest of his three sons, Miles,..." and in a letter dated April 23, 1633, Thomas Button, writes a letter to King James I of England, in which he writes of the utter ruin of himself, his wife, and seven children^[3].

Early Career

Button entered the naval service of the Crown in 1588-1589, serving in Ireland and the West Indies ^[4] . For most of his career Button was Admiral of the Narrow Seas, that is the Bristol Channel and the whole of Southern Ireland. He protected vessels and coastal communities from pirates as well as the many ships from local ports in the southwest of England en route to and from the fishing grounds of Newfoundland each year^[5]. He saw action during the Spanish invasion of Ireland and was commended for gallantry during the bombardment of Rincorran Castle. For more information on Sir Thomas Button's Early Career, click the link: Sir Thomas Button Early Career Details.

Arctic Exploration

"The Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson's Bay" came to Manitoba to trade ... and to explore, but it was the Welshman, Thomas Button, who started it all” -A Button Symposium: Prologue^[6]

In 1612/13 Button led one of the first expeditions of discovery attempting to find a commercial sea passage north and west of North America into the Bering Strait and the Pacific. Many expeditions followed, some ending in disaster. The Northwest Passage was not completed by sea until 1906 with the voyage of Roald Amundsen in the Gjoa^[7].

Button is credited with exploring and claiming the west coast of Hudson Bay for England, naming the area New Wales. When Captains Thomas James and Luke Foxe revisited Port Nelson in 1631 they found a cross erected by Button. Foxe went on to confirm the shore north of the Nelson River as New North Wales and all the shore to the south as New South Wales. Button and his crew were among the first recorded Europeans to explore part of what is now known as Manitoba^[3].

For more information on Sir Thomas Button's Arctic Exploration, click the link: Sir Thomas Button Arctic Exploration Details.

Mid career

In 1614 Button was appointed Admiral of the Irish naval station under orders to combat piracy. In January 1615 he assisted in the recapture of Dunaverty, his bravery under fire earned him a knighthood from Ireland’s lord deputy on August 30, 1616^[2].

When Robert Mansell was tasked with ridding the Algerian coast of pirates, he asked Button to leave his posting on the Irish coast. Button was appointed Rear Admiral of the small fleet again distinguishing himself in bravery under fire , for which he received a commendation^[2], one of the few officers to gain credit during the unsatisfactory expedition^[3].

Button returned to home waters and served for many years as “Admiral upon the Irish Coast”^[3]. In May 1625 he participated in the funeral of James I, carrying a banner of Ireland^[2]. This portion of his naval service was marked by his investigation into naval corruption, and his subsequent charges of corruption^[6]. When further voyages of exploration of the Northwest Passage were of proposed in 1631, Button was consulted, advising Luke Foxe and his rival Thomas James^[8].

For more information on Sir Thomas Button's Mid-Career, click the link: Sir Thomas Button Mid Career Details.

Later Life

A courageous seaman and an able navigator, Button had the misfortune to serve during a period of considerable corruption in the Stuart navy. He persistently pursued the back pay he was owed over the course of his 33 year career in the navy^[2]. In 1627 he mortgaged his lands in Glamorgan, Wales to raise funds to meet expenses. He was granted partial payment, but unfortunately died before he received the funds^[4].

For more information on Sir Thomas Button's Later Life, click the link: Sir Thomas Button Later Life Details.

Death

Button died on 6 April 1634 in London, and was buried on 8 April 1634 at the church of St Margaret's, Westminster^[2][9][1].

Legacy

Button's explorations created and refined knowledge of the western coast of Hudson Bay for Britain, and thereafter for Canada. He and his crew were the first recorded Europeans to walk the land which became Manitoba, and his raising of the cross of title at Port Nelson was subsequently used to counter later land claims from other nations. Button's voyage did not lead directly to settlement or inland exploration, but his discovery guided others that followed him using his landmarks and his plottings, creating the first maps and maps of Hudson Bay using notations from Button and Hudson. Button’s contributions to Manitoban and Canadian history occurred so early that they have been overshadowed by later history^[6].

Sir Thomas Button was recognized as a National Historic Person under the Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4), Canada on 19 October 1972, and a plaque was erected at Gillam Island at the mouth of the Nelson River Gillam, Manitoba reading:

“In 1612, Button, a Welsh naval captain, was put in charge of an expedition to seek the North West Passage which it was believed the marooned explorer, Henry Hudson had discovered. Entering Hudson Bay, Button reached and named the Nelson River, where he wintered before exploring the coasts as far north as Roes Welcome Sound. Convinced that the passage existed, though he had failed to find it, Button later helped plan the voyages of Luke Fox and Thomas James which in 1631-32 completed the exploration of Hudson Bay and disproved the existence of a passage in that direction”^[10].

A further plaque in his honour has been erected at Fort Prince of Wales National Historic Site, Churchill, MB, Canada reading

“Captain Thomas Button sailed from England in 1612 in search of a Northwest Passage to the riches of China. He became the first European to explore the western coast of Hudson Bay. Landing at 60º 41'N, which he named Hopes Checkt, he returned southward to explore Button's Bay at the mouth of the Churchill River and Cape Churchill which he called Hubbard's Hope. He wintered at the mouth of the Nelson River, named for his ship's master and erected a marker claiming the "Territory of New Wales" for James I of England.

Button's reports encouraged further efforts to find the Passage, but his exploration had revealed a direct route from England to the heart of the North American Continent."^[11].

A modern trip on the Nelson River is documented on the Churchill Wild web site, where a photo of the Canadian Historic Sites and Monuments Board plaque is available. The text is written in English, French and Inuktitut:

“Sir Thomas Button fl 1601-1634 In 1612, Button, a Welsh naval captain was put in charge of an expedition to seek the North West Passage which it was believed the marooned explorer. Henry Hudson had discovered. Entering Hudson Bay, Button reached and named the Nelson River, where he wintered before exploring the coast as far north as Roes Welsome Sound. Convinced that the passage existed, though he failed to find it, Button later help plan the voyage(s) of Luke Fox and Thomas James which in 1631-1632 completed the exploration of Hudson Bay and disproved the existence of a passage in that direction.”^[12].

On this website you can see the land forms and environment Button may have encountered. This region of Manitoba is famous for its polar bears.

Further Reading

Many letters from and to Button as admiral on the Irish station are in PRO, CSP, Dom., and CSP, Ireland (particularly for the 1625–32 period), also scattered references in the Rawlinson MSS in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, e.g., Rawlinson MSS, A455.

The charter granted to the Company of Merchants Discoverers of the North-West Passage, 26 July 1612, and the fragments relating to Button’s voyage have been printed in Voyages of Foxe and James^[13].

For Button’s naval career see Naval tracts of Sir William Monson, ed. M. Oppenheim (5v., Navy Records Soc., XXII, XXIII, XLIII, XLV, XLVII, 1902–14), passim; and The autobiography of Phineas Pett, ed. W. G. Perrin (Navy Records Soc., LI, 1918). G. T. Clark, Some account of Sir Robert Mansel, and Admiral Sir Thomas Button (Dowlais, 1883). DNB. Dodge, Northwest by sea, 129–34. Oleson, Early voyages, 166–67. D. W. Waters, The art of navigation in Elizabethan and Stuart times (London, 1958), 251–88.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Dictionary of Welsh Biography https://biography.wales/article/s-BUTT-THO-1634 Accessed 27 September, 2022
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6} Thrush, Andrew (2004), "Button, Sir Thomas (c.1575–1634)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford: Oxford University Press, retrieved 5 Oct 2022
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5} Dictionary of Canadian Biography (http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/button_thomas_1E.html : accessed on 5 Oct 2021) Published by University of Toronto
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Manitoba Historical Society, Memorable Manitobans: Thomas Button (?-1634) http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/people/button_t.shtml. Accessed 31 Oct 2022
5. ↑ https://pirates2codfish.com/people/the-three-characters-lives/admiral-sir-thomas-button/
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2} Manitoba Pageant, Spring 1970, Volume 15, Number 3http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/pageant/15/buttonsymposium.shtml Accessed September 29 2022
7. ↑ Amundsen, Roald, 1872-1928; Hansen, Godfred, 1876-1937, Roald Amundsen's "The North West passage”: being the record of a voyage of exploration of the ship "Gjöa" 1903-1907, 1908, New York : E.P. Dutton and Co. v.1
8. ↑ https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/luke-fox Accessed 29 September, 2022
9. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/134155178/thomas-button: accessed 02 November 2022), memorial page for Thomas Button (1555–6 Apr 1634), Find a Grave Memorial ID 134155178, citing St. Margaret's Churchyard, Westminster, City of Westminster, Greater London, England; Maintained by Plantagenet Crown (contributor 49922906)
10. ↑ https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_nhs_eng.aspx?id=950
11. ↑ https://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/hrb/plaques/plaq0178.html
12. ↑ https://churchillwild.com/making-history-on-the-hudson-bay-coast-from-gillam-to-seal-river-in-the-oddney-ii/
13. ↑ Christy, M. (2016). The Voyages of Captain Luke Foxe of Hull, and Captain Thomas James of Bristol, in Search of a North-West Passage, in 1631–32: With Narratives of the earlier North-West Voyages of Frobisher, Davis, Weymouth, Hall, Knight, Hudson, Button, Gibbons, Bylot, Baffin, Hawkridge, and others. (1st ed.). Hakluyt Society. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315551555

See also:

• Thomas Button Wikidata: Item Q1338420, en:Wikipedia
• Google Books: Calendar of state papers, Domestic series, Reign of Charles I. : preserved in the State Paper Department of Her Majesty's Public Record Office 1634 - 1635. Author: John Bruce; William Douglas Hamilton; Sophia C. Lomas Publisher: London H. M. Stationery Office 1864.