Stephen Borough facts for kids
Steven Borough (born September 25, 1525 – died July 12, 1584) was an English explorer who sailed to the Arctic. He was in charge of the first English ship to reach the White Sea in 1553. This trip helped England start trading with Russia through the Muscovy Company. Steven Borough became very skilled at guiding ships through icy Arctic waters. He also used new scientific ways to navigate, which was very modern for his time. Many sailors from England and Spain asked for his advice because he knew so much.
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Steven Borough was born on September 25, 1525, in a town called Northam in England. His parents were Walter and Mary Borough. After going to a local school, he started learning to be a sailor from his uncle, John Borough. His uncle was a great sailor who traveled to places like Sicily and Crete. From his uncle, Steven learned important skills about guiding ships. He also learned some Spanish and Portuguese.
First Journey to the White Sea (1553)
With help from his uncle's friends in London, Steven Borough was chosen for a big trip. This trip was organized by a group called the Company of Merchant Adventurers to New Lands. Their goal was to find a new sea route, called the Northeast Passage, to a place then known as Cathay (which is now China).
Three ships left London in 1553, led by Sir Hugh Willoughby. Steven Borough was the master of one ship, the Edward Bonaventure. Another important sailor, Richard Chancellor, was the chief pilot on this ship. A big storm separated the Edward Bonaventure from the other two ships. The Edward Bonaventure continued alone and reached the White Sea. They stopped near a river called the Dvina, close to where the city of Arkhangelsk is today. Richard Chancellor traveled by land to Moscow and made a trade agreement with Ivan the Terrible, the ruler of Russia. Steven Borough and most of the crew stayed with their ship for the winter.
Exploring Beyond the White Sea (1556)
In 1556, Steven Borough went on a second expedition. He sailed past the White Sea in a small ship called the Serchthrift, which had a crew of 15 people. During this trip, he found the Kara Strait, a narrow passage of water between Novaya Zemlya and Vaygach Island. However, he could not go any further because thick ice blocked the way.
Steven Borough then returned to the White Sea and spent the winter in a place called Kholmogory. On this journey, he also wrote down 95 words and phrases from the Kildin Sami language in 1557. This is the earliest known record of any Sami languages. This list was later published by Richard Hakluyt in 1589.
When Steven Borough returned to England in 1557, he learned that Richard Chancellor had died in a shipwreck. Because of his skills and experience, Steven was promoted to chief navigator for the Muscovy Company. He made several more trips to Russia between 1560 and 1571, helping to keep the trade routes open.
In 1558, Steven Borough visited a special school for navigation in Seville, Spain. He shared what he knew about sailing in the Arctic. In return, he learned about how Spanish pilots were trained. He also brought back to England a copy of a navigation handbook called Breve Compendio by Martín Cortés de Albacar. Steven Borough had the book translated into English by Richard Eden. It was published in 1561 as The Art of Navigation. This book became the first English guide for navigation and was used by many sailors for a long time.
In 1563, Steven Borough was given an important job. He became the chief pilot and one of the four masters for the royal ships on the Medway River in Kent, England. In 1574, he met with other famous explorers, Martin Frobisher and Michael Lok. They talked about their journeys to find a north-west passage to Cathay.
Steven Borough passed away on July 12, 1584, and was buried in Chatham.
His Family's Legacy
Steven Borough's son, Christopher Borough, wrote about a trading trip he made between 1579 and 1581. This journey went from the White Sea all the way to the Caspian Sea and back.
His younger brother, William Borough, who was born in 1536 in Northam, also became a sailor. He sailed with Sir Francis Drake on his expedition to Cadiz in 1587.
