William Goodlad facts for kids

William Goodlad (born around 1576, died 1639) was an English whaler from the 1600s. He was a very important leader, called an "admiral," for the Muscovy Company's whaling fleet from London for almost 20 years. He was often involved in arguments about who had the right to catch whales in a cold place called Spitsbergen. A famous Arctic explorer, Luke Foxe, even mentioned him, saying Goodlad knew a lot about these icy waters.

Goodlad's Whaling Adventures

Goodlad first became the admiral of the English whaling fleet in 1620. This was written about by Thomas Edge in his book Dutch, Spanish, Danish Disturbance. Goodlad was also the admiral in 1621 and 1622.

In 1623, Goodlad wrote a letter from Bellsund, a main harbor in Spitsbergen. He reported that his fleet had caught 33 whales. Sadly, he also wrote about the loss of his brother Peter. Peter drowned when he was pulled from a boat by a harpooned whale.

Clashes with Other Whalers

In 1626, the London fleet led by Goodlad had a big clash with ships from Hull, England. Goodlad was on his warship, the Hercules, which had 22 guns. He stayed close to the ice in Bellsund to protect his ships.

Later, he sailed to a harbor called Whale Head. There, he found ships from Hull that were whaling, even though the Muscovy Company had a special right, called a monopoly, to all the whaling in that area. The Hull whalers had also damaged the Muscovy Company's equipment and buildings.

Goodlad then found nine more ships from Hull and York. He demanded they fix the damage, but they refused. A fight lasting two hours broke out. Goodlad's fleet won, and the Hull and York ships were forced to leave Spitsbergen. They had only caught a small amount of whale oil and blubber.

A Winter in the Arctic

Goodlad is also mentioned in a book by Edward Pellham, who was part of the first group to accidentally spend a winter in Spitsbergen in 1630-1631. Pellham's ship, the Salutation, was ordered by Goodlad to stay at the Foreland.

Later, Goodlad, who had made a very successful whaling trip at Bellsund, needed Pellham's ship to carry extra whale oil. On their way, Pellham and seven other men went ashore to hunt for deer. When they returned, their ship was gone. They made their way to Bellsund, where they spent the winter in one of the Company's huts.

In May 1631, they were found by ships from Hull. Soon after, the London fleet arrived. Pellham described meeting Goodlad:

"A-board the Admirall we went, unto the right noble Captaine William Goodler [sic], who is worthy to be honoured by all Sea-men for his courtesie and bounty. This is the Gentleman that is every yeare chiefe Commander of this Fleete; and right worthy he is so to be, being a very wise man, and an expert Mariner as most be in England, none dispraised. Unto this Gentleman right welcome we were, and joyfully by him received; hee giving order that we should have any thing that was in the Ship that might doe us good and increase our strength; of his owne charges giving us apparell also, to the value of twenty pounds worth. Thus, after fourteene dayes of refreshment, wee grew perfectly well all of us..."

More Whaling Disputes

In 1634, Goodlad faced not only English whalers who were breaking the rules but also foreign ones. In June, he arrived at Port Louis and found six French ships. He tried to make them leave, but he was not successful.

Later, he heard that two ships from Yarmouth were whaling in Hornsund. Due to ice, he couldn't reach them until late July. He told the Yarmouth ships to leave, but they refused. A fight started, and one of the Yarmouth men was killed. Goodlad was later arrested because of this death, but he was eventually set free.

Goodlad's Later Life and Death

William Goodlad died on January 13, 1639. He was buried in the churchyard in Leigh-on-Sea, England. His tombstone said that he was the "Chief Commander of the Greenland Fleet" for 20 years. He was also the Master of the Trinity House in 1638, which was an important role for sailors. He was 62 years old when he passed away.