James Knight
Encyclopedia
James Knight was a director of the Hudson's Bay Company
and an explorer who died in an expedition to the Northwest Passage
.
Knight was born in England
and joined the Hudson's Bay Company in 1676 as a carpenter
. In 1682, he became Chief Factor of the trading post of Fort Albany
in James Bay
where he became rich. In 1697, he bought stock in the HBC, and in 1711, he gained a seat on the board of directors.
The long wars of the Grand Alliance
and the Spanish Succession
between England and France
had spread to North America and battered the Hudson's Bay Company financially and logistically. Four of the company's five trading posts were lost to the French; Knight led an expedition in 1693 that successfully recaptured
Fort Albany
, the only one retained by the English. However, among the provisions of the Treaty of Utrecht
in 1713 was the restoration of the captured posts. In 1714, Knight was sent out to take possession of York Factory
and restore the company's fortunes. Despite the damage to the fort from the French occupation, and the hardships of the climate, he succeeded in rebuilding the company's business, and in 1719, it paid its first dividend in 20 years.
, a then-hypothetical route connecting the Atlantic
and Pacific Oceans through the Canadian North
. A Chipewyan
interpreter, working for Knight, told him of a possible, mineral-rich route across the north. Knight outfitted two ships, the Albany with Capt. George Berley
and the Discovery with Capt David Vaughan
, to search for this route, setting off in 1719. They never returned.
In 1721, Captain Knight and his crew were on Marble Island
, located 32 km from today's Rankin Inlet. Unfortunately, the ships encountered the shallows of the local waters and were wrecked. Despite occasional aid from the local Inuit, by 1722 Knight and his crew were reported to have perished from sickness and famine. Apparently, the Hudson's Bay Company post at Churchill, Manitoba was completely unaware of the shipwreck, as no search or rescue expedition was ever sent. The ruins of Knight's settlement on Marble Island was discovered in 1768 by company explorer Samuel Hearne
.
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
and an explorer who died in an expedition to the Northwest Passage
Northwest Passage
The Northwest Passage is a sea route through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways amidst the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans...
.
Knight was born in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and joined the Hudson's Bay Company in 1676 as a carpenter
Carpenter
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
. In 1682, he became Chief Factor of the trading post of Fort Albany
Fort Albany, Ontario
Fort Albany First Nation is a community in within the Cochrane District of Northern Ontario, Canada. Situated on the southern shore of the Albany River, Fort Albany First Nation is only accessible by air or by winter road....
in James Bay
James Bay
James Bay is a large body of water on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. Both bodies of water extend from the Arctic Ocean. James Bay borders the provinces of Quebec and Ontario; islands within the bay are part of Nunavut...
where he became rich. In 1697, he bought stock in the HBC, and in 1711, he gained a seat on the board of directors.
The long wars of the Grand Alliance
War of the Grand Alliance
The Nine Years' War – often called the War of the Grand Alliance, the War of the Palatine Succession, or the War of the League of Augsburg – was a major war of the late 17th century fought between King Louis XIV of France, and a European-wide coalition, the Grand Alliance, led by the Anglo-Dutch...
and the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
between England and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
had spread to North America and battered the Hudson's Bay Company financially and logistically. Four of the company's five trading posts were lost to the French; Knight led an expedition in 1693 that successfully recaptured
Battle of Fort Albany (1693)
The Battle of Fort Albany in 1693 was the successful recapture by English forces of the Hudson's Bay Company trading outpost at Fort Albany in the southern reaches of Hudson Bay...
Fort Albany
Fort Albany, Ontario
Fort Albany First Nation is a community in within the Cochrane District of Northern Ontario, Canada. Situated on the southern shore of the Albany River, Fort Albany First Nation is only accessible by air or by winter road....
, the only one retained by the English. However, among the provisions of the Treaty of Utrecht
Treaty of Utrecht
The Treaty of Utrecht, which established the Peace of Utrecht, comprises a series of individual peace treaties, rather than a single document, signed by the belligerents in the War of Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht in March and April 1713...
in 1713 was the restoration of the captured posts. In 1714, Knight was sent out to take possession of York Factory
York Factory, Manitoba
York Factory was a settlement and factory located on the southwestern shore of Hudson Bay in northeastern Manitoba, Canada, at the mouth of the Hayes River, approximately south-southeast of Churchill. The settlement was headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company's Northern Department, from 1821 to...
and restore the company's fortunes. Despite the damage to the fort from the French occupation, and the hardships of the climate, he succeeded in rebuilding the company's business, and in 1719, it paid its first dividend in 20 years.
The Northwest Passage expedition
Knight was determined to find the Northwest PassageNorthwest Passage
The Northwest Passage is a sea route through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways amidst the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans...
, a then-hypothetical route connecting the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
and Pacific Oceans through the Canadian North
Northern Canada
Northern Canada, colloquially the North, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three territories of Canada: Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut...
. A Chipewyan
Chipewyan
The Chipewyan are a Dene Aboriginal people in Canada, whose ancestors were the Taltheilei...
interpreter, working for Knight, told him of a possible, mineral-rich route across the north. Knight outfitted two ships, the Albany with Capt. George Berley
George Berley
George Berley was a Hudson's Bay Company captain. He was in command of the HBC ship Albany with the James Knight expedition seeking the Northwest Passage in 1719....
and the Discovery with Capt David Vaughan
David Vaughan (HBC captain)
David Vaughan was a Hudson's Bay Company captain who sailed with George Berley under the overall command of the explorer James Knight on an ill-fated expedition to discover the Northwest Passage....
, to search for this route, setting off in 1719. They never returned.
In 1721, Captain Knight and his crew were on Marble Island
Marble Island
Marble Island is one of several uninhabited Canadian arctic islands in Nunavut, Canada, located within western Hudson Bay. The closest community is Rankin Inlet. During the age of sail, this island was valued as a harbour for overwintering in the Arctic Ocean....
, located 32 km from today's Rankin Inlet. Unfortunately, the ships encountered the shallows of the local waters and were wrecked. Despite occasional aid from the local Inuit, by 1722 Knight and his crew were reported to have perished from sickness and famine. Apparently, the Hudson's Bay Company post at Churchill, Manitoba was completely unaware of the shipwreck, as no search or rescue expedition was ever sent. The ruins of Knight's settlement on Marble Island was discovered in 1768 by company explorer Samuel Hearne
Samuel Hearne
Samuel Hearne was a an English explorer, fur-trader, author, and naturalist. He was the first European to make an overland excursion across northern Canada to the Arctic Ocean, actually Coronation Gulf, via the Coppermine River...
.
Further reading
- Geiger, John and Owen Beattie. Dead Silence: The Greatest Mystery in Arctic Discovery. Toronto: Viking, 1993. ISBN 9780747511854
- Hearne, Samuel. Journey to the Northern Ocean: The Adventures of Samuel Hearne. Victoria: Horsdal & Schubart Publishers, 2007. ISBN 9781894898607