Henry Hudson

Name: Henry Hudson Born: 1570 Died: 1611 aged 41 Associated towns Associated attractions

About Henry Hudson

English Sea Explorer and Navigator.

He sailed in April 1607, in a small vessel with 11 sailors, on his first voyage for the discovery of a passage across the Pole to the 'islands of spicery' In his second voyage (1608) he reached Nova Zembla. He undertook a third voyage in (1609) for the Dutch East India Company, sailed for the Davis Strait, then steering southwards, entered the Hudson River, and ascended it for 150 miles. Starting in April 1610, in the Discoverie of 70 tons, this time for the East India Company, he reached Greenland in June, arrived at the Hudson Strait, and passing through it, entered the great Bay which now bears his name. He resolved to winter there; but food fell short, and the men mutinied, and cast him adrift, with eight others, including one of his sons, John; on the 23rd June 1611, to perish ignominiously. Only a few of the wretched survivors of the expedition reached home.

See - George Asher's monograph published 1860 (Hakluyt Society) this proves that although Hudson was a bold sailor, neither the river, strait, nor sea, was first discovered by him.


The great Hudson's Bay Company was later founded by Royal Charter of 2nd May 1670, the Duke of York and Prince Rupert both being early stockholders.

See - George Bryce's The Remarkable History of the Hudson's Bay Company London 1900
Information submitted by Alan Longbottom

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