Statue of John Cabot

John Cabot (or Giovanni Caboto in Italian) was probably born in Genoa in 1450 but may have been from a Venetian family. In 1476 he married a young woman called Mattea and after travelling as a merchant, moved to England around 1490 settling in the Port of Bristol. In May 1497 with the support of Henry VII and some Bristol merchants Cabot sailed west on the 70 feet long Matthew with a crew of 18 hoping to find a route to Asia. On 24 June, 34 days after leaving England Cabot sighted land and called it New-Found-Land. He believed it was Asia and claimed it for England.

Add to tour Add to favourites