Charles William Barkley facts for kids
Charles William Barkley (born in 1759, died in 1832) was a famous ship captain. He was also a fur trader. He was born in Hertford, England.
Sometimes, his name is spelled "Barclay" by mistake. This happened because of a spelling error on early maps. For example, a place near Vancouver Island, British Columbia, was called "Barclay Sound" by mistake. The name was later corrected to Barkley Sound in 1904.
Contents
Biography
Early life
Charles Barkley started sailing at a very young age. When he was only 11, he went to sea with his father. His father was the commander of a ship called Pacific for the East India Company. Sadly, his father drowned in India when Charles was still a boy.
Charles continued to sail, traveling to the West Indies. He made seven trips to the Far East for the East India Company. He quickly became a skilled sailor in the company.
In 1786, he got married. Soon after, he left the East India Company. He took command of a 400-ton ship called Loundon. He planned a trading trip to the Pacific Northwest coast of North America. The ship was renamed Imperial Eagle. To avoid paying high trading fees, the ship was falsely registered as an Austrian vessel. This was a trick by the ship's owners, who called themselves the Austrian East India Company.
Merchant career
Barkley and his wife, Frances Barkley, began their journey to the Pacific on November 24, 1786. They sailed around Cape Horn. They stopped in the Hawaiian Islands. There, a young woman named Wynee (Winée) joined their ship as a maidservant. Wynee became the first Native Hawaiian person to reach British Columbia.
From Hawaii, Barkley sailed the Imperial Eagle to Nootka Sound. This is on the west coast of Vancouver Island. They arrived in June 1787. The Imperial Eagle was a very large ship for that area.
Barkley was surprised to find John Mackay at Nootka Sound. Mackay had stayed there after another expedition. By the time Barkley arrived, Mackay had learned the local Nuu-chah-nulth language and customs. He had also married a local girl. Mackay's knowledge helped Barkley a lot in the fur trade.
Barkley stayed at Nootka Sound for about a month. He collected many sea otter skins. From Nootka, he sailed south. He explored and named many places along the coast. These included Barkley Sound, Loudoun Channel, Cape Beale, and Imperial Eagle Channel. He also rediscovered a strait that was supposedly described by Juan de Fuca. Barkley named this strait after him on his map.
Barkley's Imperial Eagle was the first non-native ship to enter Neah Bay. This happened in July 1787. Many other ships visited Neah Bay in the following years. It became an important stop for fur trading.
On July 24, 1787, six of Barkley's crew members were killed by local people. This happened near the mouth of the Hoh River. After this sad event, Barkley decided to sail to Guangzhou (Canton), China. He wanted to sell his sea otter furs there. He arrived in Macau in December 1787. His trading trip earned a good profit. Barkley named the Hoh River "Destruction River" because of the attack. This name was later given to nearby Destruction Island. The Native Hawaiian maidservant, Wynee, was left in China.
After China, Barkley sailed to Mauritius. There, he learned that the East India Company was taking legal action against his ship's owners. They were trading without a license. The owners decided to sell the Imperial Eagle and break their agreement with Barkley. Charles and Frances Barkley stayed in Mauritius for over a year. They had their first child there.
They then sailed to Kolkata (Calcutta), India. The Imperial Eagle was taken away there. Barkley sued for damages and received money for his lost contract. At the same time, another captain named John Meares took Barkley's maps and journal. Frances Barkley later wrote that Meares unfairly claimed credit for her husband's discoveries.
Later years
After these events, Charles and Frances Barkley were stuck in Mauritius. They had no ship and a new baby. Over two years, they managed to travel to the Netherlands, then to England. Frances Barkley was the first woman known to have sailed around the world without hiding her identity. Only two other women had sailed around the world before her.
Barkley continued his career as a merchant captain. He commanded a ship called Princess Frederica. He sailed in the Indian Ocean until 1791. Then, he returned to the Pacific Northwest coast. He was in command of an 80-ton brig called Halcyon. He traded for sea otter furs in Sitka Sound. Then he sailed to the Hawaiian Islands, China, and Mauritius.
Not much is known about his later life. He died at the age of 73. He left behind two sons and two daughters. His wife, Frances, survived him.
Legacy
- Barkley Sound, located between Ucluelet and Bamfield on the west coast of Vancouver Island, is named after him.
