''Matthew'' was a

caravel The caravel (Portuguese: , ) is a small maneuverable sailing ship used in the 15th century by the Portuguese to explore along the West African coast and into the Atlantic Ocean. The lateen sails gave it speed and the capacity for sailing w ...

sailed by

John Cabot John Cabot ( it, Giovanni Caboto ; 1450 – 1500) was an Italian navigator and explorer. His 1497 voyage to the coast of North America under the commission of Henry VII of England is the earliest-known European exploration of coastal Nor ...

in 1497 from

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

, North America. There are two modern replicas – one in

, England (built 1994–1996) and one in Bonavista, Newfoundland (built 1997–1998).

Cabot's original voyages

The captain of the ''Matthew'' was an Italian explorer named Giovanni Caboto who is better known as John Cabot. After a voyage which had got no further than

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...

, Cabot left again with only one vessel, the ''Matthew'', a small ship (50 tons), but fast and able. The crew consisted of only 18 men. ''The Matthew'' departed 2 May 1497. He sailed to Dursey Head (

latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north ...

51°36N), Ireland, from where he sailed due west, expecting to reach Asia. However, landfall was reached in North America on 24 June 1497. His precise landing place is a matter of much controversy, with

Cape Bonavista Cape Bonavista is a headland located on the east coast of the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is located at the northeastern tip of the Bonavista Peninsula, which separates Trinity Bay to the south ...

or St. John's in

the most likely sites. There is a statue of John Cabot located on the Cape of Bonavista, Newfoundland in his honour. Cabot went ashore to take possession of the land, and explored the coast for some time, probably departing on 20 July. On the homeward voyage his sailors incorrectly thought they were going too far north, so Cabot sailed a more southerly course, reaching

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

instead of England. On 6 August he arrived back in

Historic information

Lack of clear documentation has been a problem in studying the history of ''Matthew''. Even its name has been questioned, with some authors suggesting that it was actually named ''Mattea'' after Cabot's wife. Until the 1950s, all that was known about its size is that it was a small ship carrying about 18 men, but the discovery of a letter from a Bristol merchant named John Day written in 1497 saying that "in his voyage he had only one ship of fifty 'toneles' and twenty men and food for seven or eight months" provided more certainty about its size.'Jones, Evan "The ''Matthew'' of Bristol and the financiers of John Cabot’s 1497 Voyage to North America" ''English Historical Review'' Vol. CXXI No. 492 (2006)'
/ref> The age of the ship is also uncertain. The name ''Matthew'' does not appear in the 1492/3 customs accounts, so it was either fairly new or an older ship renamed or a foreign ship. It has been suggested that it probably was an ordinary Bristol merchant ship hired for the occasion. The name ''Matthew'' appears in documents in 1503/04 and 1510/11 but in a 1513 survey there is reference to a 'new Matthew' and references to this ship afterward leave out the 'new' suggesting that Cabot's ''Matthew'' no longer existed.

Bristol replica

To celebrate the 500th anniversary of Cabot's voyage, a replica of ''Matthew'' was built in Bristol by Storms'l Services, a precursor of the Bristol Classic Boat Company. The design was by naval architect Colin Mudie. It took two years to complete the replica and cost $3.8 million. She was dedicated in a ceremony during the first

International Festival of the Sea The International Festivals of the Sea were a series of maritime festivals, which were held in various British port cities between 1996 and 2005. The festivals were intended to be celebrations of the sea, bringing together sailors, musicians, arti ...

, held in Bristol's Floating Harbour in 1996. The next year, she reconstructed Cabot's original journey on the 500th anniversary of the landmark voyage. On 24 June 1997 the replica of ''Matthew'' was welcomed into port at Bonavista by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

. The Matthew is owned by Bristol Trust, which is a registered charity and all money raised goes towards maintaining the ship and her legacy. The full-size replica is in length overall with a beam of with a draft of and of sail. This replica is made from oak and Douglas fir and has a diesel engine and a ship radio that would not have been available in the medieval times. On 29 February 2012 ''Matthews ownership was transferred to The Matthew of Bristol Trust, and he was relocated to his new home outside Bristol's M Shed museum. In June 2012 she took part in the

Queen's Diamond Jubilee The year 2012 marked the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II being the 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. The only diamond jubilee celebration for any of Elizabeth's predecessors was in 1897, for the 60th an ...

pageant on the

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Bonavista replica

The Bonavista replica () was built in 1997-98 by a team of seven shipwrights and four local carpenters. The second replica was paid for by the provincial government and so was an interpretation centre for the 500th anniversary. Currently the vessel is undergoing repairs so she can sail again. There are tours for this replica that take place at the Bonavista harbour where individuals can learn more about Cabot's voyage and see the inside of the replica ship.

References

External links