Thomas James (sea captain)
Encyclopedia
Captain Thomas James was an English sea captain, notable as a navigator and explorer, who set out to discover the Northwest Passage
, the hoped for ocean route around the top of North America
to Asia
.
Capt. James set out from Bristol on his two-year voyage in 1631 with a single vessel, the Henrietta Maria. James explored Hudson Bay
, of which the southern part of the bay, James Bay
, is named for him, having first sighted it 1 September 1631. He named the southern coast of Hudson Bay the "New Principality of South Wales", after his native land. He wintered on Charlton Island
in present day Nunavut
, Canada
, before continuing his voyage in the Arctic Ocean
in the summer of 1632.
James' harrowing experiences during his voyage, in which he repeatedly came close to death in the ice of the Arctic Ocean
, are recounted in his published account of the voyage, The Strange and Dangerous Voyage of Captaine Thomas James, published in 1633.
Some critics have opined that Samuel Taylor Coleridge
's work The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
was inspired by James' experience in the Arctic
.
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...
, the hoped for ocean route around the top of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
to Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
Capt. James set out from Bristol on his two-year voyage in 1631 with a single vessel, the Henrietta Maria. James explored Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
, of which the southern part of the bay, 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...
, is named for him, having first sighted it 1 September 1631. He named the southern coast of Hudson Bay the "New Principality of South Wales", after his native land. He wintered on Charlton Island
Charlton Island
Charlton Island is an uninhabited island located in James Bay, Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. Located at 52°00'N 79°30'W it has an area of .....
in present day Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, before continuing his voyage in the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
in the summer of 1632.
James' harrowing experiences during his voyage, in which he repeatedly came close to death in the ice of the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
, are recounted in his published account of the voyage, The Strange and Dangerous Voyage of Captaine Thomas James, published in 1633.
Some critics have opined that Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, Romantic, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla...
's work The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is the longest major poem by the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, written in 1797–98 and was published in 1798 in the first edition of Lyrical Ballads. Modern editions use a later revised version printed in 1817 that featured a gloss...
was inspired by James' experience in the Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
.
External links
- Internet Archive .pdf of The Strange and Dangerous Voyage of Captaine Thomas James, First Edition
- http://books.google.com/books?id=AmYc9CLnj4EC&dq=strange+and+dangerous+voyage+of+captaine+thomas+james&pg=PA449&ots=vl_Qm5HAca&sig=AEdHqlpXkN-En7pQpywI4bo6cC0&prev=http://www.google.com/search%3Fhl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla%253Aen-US%253Aofficial%26hs%3Drch%26q%3Dstrange%2Band%2Bdangerous%2Bvoyage%2Bof%2Bcaptaine%2Bthomas%2Bjames%26btnG%3DSearch&sa=X&oi=print&ct=result&cd=2Google Books scan of The Strange and Dangerous Voyage of Captain Thomas James, in "The Voyages of Captain Luke Foxe and Captain Thomas James"]