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Evidence of what could be the first expedition led by an Englishman to North America, previously unknown by historians, will be published this week. Dr Evan Jones, a historian at Bristol University, has discovered that a Bristol merchant, William Weston, undertook a voyage to the 'New Found Land' in 1499 just two years after Venetian explorer John Cabot 'discovered' North America.
Cabot led a second, larger, expedition the following year to explore the new land, with support from King Henry VII, but a third expedition undertaken by Weston in 1499 with the support of the King, has remained unknown until now. The main evidence for the voyage comes from a personal letter written by the King to his Lord Chancellor on March 12 1499.
In the letter, Henry VII instructs his minister to suspend an injunction served against Weston in the Court of Chancery because Weston shall shortly 'with God's grace pass and sail for to search and find if he can the new found land'. While this was an independent voyage, it seems Weston was permitted to undertake it because he was one of Cabot's chief supporters in Bristol, researchers said.
Dr Jones said: 'Henry VII's letter is an exciting find because so little is known about the early English voyages of discovery. 'We knew that our knowledge of the first English expeditions to the New World was very incomplete.
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