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The Cabot Project
This is an international and collaborative project set up in July 2009 to investigate the Bristol discovery voyages of the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries – in particular, those undertaken by the Venetian adventurer, John Cabot (a.k.a. Giovanni Caboto, Juan Cabotto, Zuan Chabotto). The project leader in Bristol is Dr Evan Jones, who is working in association with Margaret Condon. Their initial investigations received £2000 in funding from Burning Gold Productions (Bristol) and the University of Bristol, through the Arts Faculty Research Director's Fund. In June 2010, the project received further funding of £6317 from the British Academy to pay for the research and travel expenses of Condon and Jones until August 2011. A second branch of the project is being led by Newfoundland archaeologist, Dr Peter Pope, with the support of Handel Productions (Canada).
The origins of the project lie in Dr Jones' investigations of the research claims of Dr Alwyn Ruddock, which were published as:
'Alwyn Ruddock: "John Cabot and the Discovery of America "', Historical Research, 81, (May, 2008), 224-254. Copies of this article are available for free from the journal. This article was first published online in April 2007.
This was followed by:
'Henry VII and the Bristol expeditions to North America: the Condon documents', Historical Research (August, 2009). 'Early View' copies of this article are available for free from the journal.
An earlier article in this field is also relevant, albeit some elements of it have now been superceded by the more recent research:
'The Matthew of Bristol and the financiers of John Cabot's 1497 voyage to North America', English Historical Review, 121 (2006). An Abstract, HTML version and PDF copy are all freely available from the journal.
Dr Jones has also published a number of related items on the Bristol Repository for Scholarly Eprints (ROSE):
Fr. Giovanni Antonio de Carbonariis vs. Sheriffs of London: Chancery petition transcript, c.1496 (Nov 2006)
Christopher de Carbonariis vs. Sheriffs of London: Chancery petition transcript, 1490 (Dec 2006)
John Esterfeld vs. William Weston of Bristol: Chancery petition transcript, c.1499 (Jan 2009)
Will of John Foster, merchant of Bristol, 6 August 1492 (Jan 2009)
Finally, Dr Jones has posted a number of short web-articles, one MA dissertation and some out-of-print publications that bear on the Bristol voyages of this period:
Salazar's account of Bristol's discovery of the Island of Brasil (pre 1476)
Robert Ricart's Chronicle of Bristol, 1480-1508
The Fust MS. / Maurice Toby's Chronicle of Bristol, 1565
The focus of current research is to attempt to find some of the documents that Dr Ruddock used in her research, particularly those that seem likely to be located at The National Archives. Meanwhile, Dr Peter Pope will be supporting archaeological survey work in Newfoundland. More generally, the project team aim encourage other researchers who wish to carry out investigations in this general field, either in direct connection with the project or as independent scholars. They also welcome offers of assistance from those who have knowledge, skills or experience to contribute, as well as those interested in offering material or financial support – the team having benefited greatly from such aid in the past.
The progress of the research project has been / will be discussed at a number of venues, including:
'Bristol, Cabot and the New Found Land, 1496-1500'. The public lecture at 'Exploring New World Transitions: From Seasonal Presence to Permanent Settlement' (St Johns, Newfoundland, 16 June 2010). Also presented as a public lecture at Carbonear, Newfoundland (14 June).
‘Rediscovering Cabot, 1496-1500’ at 'A Second City Remembered: Rethinking Bristol’s History, 1400-2000' (Bristol, 23 July 2010).
Public engagement activities
Having been aware, from the start, of the strong public interest in the Cabot voyages, the project has made efforts to communicate its research findings to a wider audience. Public engagement highlights include:
'Bristol's early navigators', Current Archaeology, November 2009, pp. 46-7.
The lost voyage, Global TV News (Canada) broadcast and podcast, 12 October 2009
The Cabot Mystery, audio podcast for 'The Atlantic Conference', 10 October 2009
Search hopes to find 510-year-old Nfld. church, National Post, Windsor Star, Star Phoenix, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, 6 September 2009
'A Tudor mariner's epic exploits', The Big Story, BBC History Magazine, September 2009, pp. 12-13
William Weston, an English merchant, ‘first to land in North America', The Times, 28 August 2009
Evidence for first English-led expedition to North America discovered, The Daily Mail, 28 August 2009
John Cabot was not Bristol's only explorer, Western Daily Press / Bristol Evening News, 28 August 2009
Britânicos chegaram a América em 1499, O Globo (Brazil), 28 August 2009
Revela carta de Henry VII primera expedición inglesa a Norteamérica, El Porvenir (Mexico), 28 August 2009
Fee for discovering Canada: 40 shillings, The National Post, Vancouver Sun, Windsor Star, 27 August 2009
King's letter reveals epic voyage, BBC News Online, 27 August 2009
510-year-old royal letter points to Englishman’s contact with Canada, The National Post, Vancouver Sun, Montreal Gazette, Calgary Herald, Ottawa Citizen, Times Colonist, 26 August 2009