*Ø* Blogmanac September 18, 1578 | The discovery of mysterious Buss Island
1578 Sir Martin Frobisher’s men, including Thomas Wiars who wrote an account, discovered the mysterious Buss Island in the North Atlantic at 57.5 degrees latitude.
The discovery of this island was published in a compilation by Richard Hakluyt about Frobisher’s third voyage. Frobisher had been attempting to find the ‘North-west passage’, the legendary shortcut to Kathay (China), with a fleet of 15 vessels. His main purpose was to find gold and other minerals.
One of the ships, the Emmanuel (aka Busse of Bridgewater), a large, two-masted fishing boat known in those days as a ‘busse’, or ‘buss’ was not faring well in the seas, and it was decided to send it back to England. On its way, it came across "a great Ilande ... which was neuer yet founde before, and sayled three dayes along the coast, the land seeming to be fruitful, full of woods, and a champion countrie".
The Buss of Bridgewater, as she came homeward, to the southeastward of Frisland, discovered a great island in the latitude of 57 degrees and a half, which was never yet found before, and sailed three days along the coast, the land seeming to be fruitful, full of woods, and a champaign country.
Source: E. J. Payne, editor: Voyages of the Elizabethean Seamen to America: Select Narratives from the Principal Navigations of Hakluyt, Ser. I, Hawkins, Frobisher, Drake, 2nd Edition, Oxford, 1893, p183
For many years, Buss Island appeared on maps in the ocean between Ireland and Frisland. It was supposedly explored in 1671 by Captain Thomas Shepard. However, North Atlantic travel increased, sightings of Buss Island decreased, though it still appeared on many maps. In 1745, a Dutch map was made that indicated that the island had sunk, leaving only a sandbar, and over ensuing decades the island was known as the ‘Sunken Land of Buss’. Van Keulen wrote (1745): "The submerged land of Buss is nowadays nothing but surf to quarter of mile long with rough sea. Most likely it was originally the great island of Frisland". However, soundings in 1776 at the location indicated shallow water, and four decades later further soundings indicated a depth of 1080 feet, which strengthened the currency of the legend of a mysterious sunken isle.
It is most likely that an error was made in navigation and Frobisher assumed Greenland to be Frisland of the earlier Zeno map. This error was transferred to whichever body of land was presumed to be Buss Island. Not only did Frobisher find no North-west passage, nor any fertile island, his third voyage returned home with a quantity of ore that was not worth the smelting.
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1578 Sir Martin Frobisher’s men, including Thomas Wiars who wrote an account, discovered the mysterious Buss Island in the North Atlantic at 57.5 degrees latitude.
The discovery of this island was published in a compilation by Richard Hakluyt about Frobisher’s third voyage. Frobisher had been attempting to find the ‘North-west passage’, the legendary shortcut to Kathay (China), with a fleet of 15 vessels. His main purpose was to find gold and other minerals.
One of the ships, the Emmanuel (aka Busse of Bridgewater), a large, two-masted fishing boat known in those days as a ‘busse’, or ‘buss’ was not faring well in the seas, and it was decided to send it back to England. On its way, it came across "a great Ilande ... which was neuer yet founde before, and sayled three dayes along the coast, the land seeming to be fruitful, full of woods, and a champion countrie".
The Buss of Bridgewater, as she came homeward, to the southeastward of Frisland, discovered a great island in the latitude of 57 degrees and a half, which was never yet found before, and sailed three days along the coast, the land seeming to be fruitful, full of woods, and a champaign country.
Source: E. J. Payne, editor: Voyages of the Elizabethean Seamen to America: Select Narratives from the Principal Navigations of Hakluyt, Ser. I, Hawkins, Frobisher, Drake, 2nd Edition, Oxford, 1893, p183
For many years, Buss Island appeared on maps in the ocean between Ireland and Frisland. It was supposedly explored in 1671 by Captain Thomas Shepard. However, North Atlantic travel increased, sightings of Buss Island decreased, though it still appeared on many maps. In 1745, a Dutch map was made that indicated that the island had sunk, leaving only a sandbar, and over ensuing decades the island was known as the ‘Sunken Land of Buss’. Van Keulen wrote (1745): "The submerged land of Buss is nowadays nothing but surf to quarter of mile long with rough sea. Most likely it was originally the great island of Frisland". However, soundings in 1776 at the location indicated shallow water, and four decades later further soundings indicated a depth of 1080 feet, which strengthened the currency of the legend of a mysterious sunken isle.
It is most likely that an error was made in navigation and Frobisher assumed Greenland to be Frisland of the earlier Zeno map. This error was transferred to whichever body of land was presumed to be Buss Island. Not only did Frobisher find no North-west passage, nor any fertile island, his third voyage returned home with a quantity of ore that was not worth the smelting.
Pip Wilson's articles are available for your publication, on application. Further details
Receive similar items free each day with a free subscription to Wilson's Almanac ezine. Send a blank email
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