John Cabot's Atlantic Landfall (1497)
John Cabot · 1497–1497 · the Matthew, of Bristol, with a crew of about eighteen
Thirty-five days west from Bristol to a landfall in North America, a single going-ashore to plant a flag and take on water, and a fast run home — the voyage that gave England its claim to the continent, and whose landfall nobody can locate.
The itinerary
4 stages. Journal excerpts are verbatim from public-domain sources, each with its citation; where no verified quote exists, the entry says so rather than inventing one.
1. Bristol
Today: Bristol, England · Arrived 2 May 1497John Cabot departed from Bristol with a small ship and eighteen men to seek new lands to the west, sailing past Ireland before turning north and then west across the ocean, eventually striking mainland and claiming it for the King of England.
No contemporary record of this stage survives; the position is reconstructed.
2. the mainland (new isle)
Today: Cape Breton Island, Canada · Arrived 24 June 1497John Cabot, sailing from Bristol in a small ship with eighteen men, crossed the Atlantic and after wandering about at last struck mainland, where he planted the royal banner and took possession on behalf of the King of England.
No contemporary record of this stage survives; the position is reconstructed.
3. the mainland, the territory of the Grand Cham
Today: Newfoundland coast, Canada · Arrived 1 June 1497No contemporary record of this stage survives; the position is reconstructed.
4. Bristol
Today: Bristol, England, United Kingdom · Arrived 1 August 1497John Cabot returned to Bristol after his voyage across the Atlantic, during which he sailed west from Bristol, passed Ireland, and discovered mainland which he claimed for the King of England before returning home.
No contemporary record of this stage survives; the position is reconstructed.
Published under CC BY-SA 4.0. Sources keep their own open licences. See the Magna Carta of the Seas for how this was verified.