| |
|
Our Families
Bussiere, Robinson, Gingras and more ...
|
 |
|
 1734 - 1797 (63 years)
-
| Name |
William CHRISTOPHER |
Relationship | with Brian Mark BUSSIERE
|
| Born |
1734 |
Crookhall County, Durham, England  |
| Christened |
4 May 1735 |
Norton, England [4] |
| Gender |
Male |
| Discovery |
1761 |
Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut, Canada |
| William discovered Baker Lake at the end of Chesterfield Inlet in 1761, eliminating it as a potential passage to the North West, while with the Hudson Bay Company. |
| Died |
1797 |
| Buried |
Norton Churchyard, Stockton-On-Tees, Durham, England |
| Siblings |
5 siblings |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| Person ID |
I574 |
Bussiere Robinson | Brian's ancestors |
| Last Modified |
14 Nov 2018 |
| Family 1 |
Ann TATHAM, b. 13 Oct 1743, Little Stainston County, Durham, England , d. 1784 (Age 40 years) |
| Married |
28 Apr 1765 |
Saint Giles Cripplegate, London, England [6] |
| Children |
| + | 1. Lieutenant John Thomas CHRISTOPHER, Royal Navy, b. 11 Jul 1772, Durham, England , d. 20 Aug 1803, Crookhall County, Durham, England (Age 31 years) |
| + | 2. Captain Henry CHRISTOPHER, H.E.I.C.S., b. 18 Nov 1775, Durham, England , d. 11 Jul 1817, Calcutta, India (Age 41 years) |
| | 3. Caroline CHRISTOPHER, b. 24 Nov 1777, Durham, England , d. 22 Sep 1845 (Age 67 years) |
| | 4. George CHRISTOPHER, b. 6 Oct 1779, Bloomsbury, London, England , d. 7 Apr 1861, Chiswick, Middlesex, England (Age 81 years) |
| + | 5. Thomas CHRISTOPHER, b. 17 Aug 1782, Camberwell, Surrey, England , d. 28 Jan 1818 (Age 35 years) |
|
| Last Modified |
28 Sep 2009 |
| Family ID |
F171 |
Group Sheet |
| Family 2 |
Isabel TAYLOR |
| Married |
17 May 1797 |
St-George-The-Martyr, Queen Square, Holborn, England |
| Notes |
- Isabel Taylor is noted as William's wife in his Last will and testament. The marriage is also noted in Boyd's Marriage Index (1538-1840) transcription.
|
| Last Modified |
31 Dec 2015 |
| Family ID |
F1394 |
Group Sheet |
-
| Event Map |
|
 | Born - 1734 - Crookhall County, Durham, England |
 |
 | Christened - 4 May 1735 - Norton, England |
|
 | Discovery - William discovered Baker Lake at the end of Chesterfield Inlet in 1761, eliminating it as a potential passage to the North West, while with the Hudson Bay Company. - 1761 - Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut, Canada |
|
 | Married - 28 Apr 1765 - Saint Giles Cripplegate, London, England |
|
 | Buried - - Norton Churchyard, Stockton-On-Tees, Durham, England |
|
 | Married - 17 May 1797 - St-George-The-Martyr, Queen Square, Holborn, England |
|
|
-
| Marriage Docs
|
 | William Christopher - Ann Tatham - Marriage
|
 | William Christopher and Isabel Taylor
- noted as being already married...
Ancestry.com. London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1932 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
Original data: Church of England Parish Registers. London Metropolitan Archives, London. |
 | Christopher - Tatham marriage - 1765
Ancestry.com. London and Surrey, England, Marriage Bonds and Allegations, 1597-1921 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
Original data: Marriage Bonds and Allegations. London, England: London Metropolitan Archives.
Surrey Marriage Bonds and Allegations records held by the London Metropolitan Archives, London, England. |
-
| Notes |
- Some sources note that William was Christened on May 4th, 1735. He is shown to have the following siblings: Christopher (Dec 1730), Richard (Jul 11, 1733), Jane (Mar 3, 1737) and Maragaret (Jan 17, 1754).
Source: http://homepages.tesco.net/~christopherfamilyhistory/England.htm
"The Christopher family were a minor gentry, probably of Yeoman origin, claiming descent in unbroken succession from John Christopher, who ranked as a gentleman in the reign of King Henry VIII, and died in 1589. Towards the close of the 17th century, the Christophers acquired by inheritance a property on the boundary with Yorkshire around Norton. Captain William Christopher inherited the estate." extract from Canon Christopher - the biography of William Christopher's grandson.
"The commander of the "Engageante", the Marquis de la Jaille, ... on the way from Churchill to York, sighted the "Prince Rupert" on her way to Churchill ... gave chase but never caught up to her. Hearne (a prisoner of the French) was allowed to send a message to the English Captain. It bade Captain Christopher (of the "Prince Rupert") give powder and shot to the Churchill Indians since, the post being destroyed, they would have to hunt their way to the Inland Settlements." Extract from History of the Hudson's Bay Company - Volume II, 1670 to 1870, page 88.
Captain of the Prince Rupert. He surveyed Chesterfield Inlet, Hudson Bay, in 1761 and 1762, irradicating it as a possibility as a North-West passage. Chesterfield Inlet is, as a consequence, on the Christopher and Robinson family crests. When he sailed through Chesterfield Inlet in 1761, he gave Qamani'tuaq its English name, Baker Lake, naming it for Sir William Baker, Governor of the Company. The area had already been known to the Inuit for centuries.
It is said that William was a close friend of Captain Cook and may have accompanied him on one of his last voyages around the world.
Excerpt from "History of Stockton on Tees" - http://members.tripod.com/Julie10_10/Stockton_History.htm
By the eighteenth century Stockton had clearly become the main shipbuilding centre on the Tees and in 1790 there were four shipbuilding yards. Forty vessels were built at Stockton between the years 1790 and 1805. The wood for the sailing ships was brought from the Baltic ports in such great quantities that it is said that every available plot of land within easy distance of the river became a wood yard for storing timber. Among the vessels built in the Stockton shipyards were two ordered by Captain Christopher for the Hudson's Bay Company. They were "Highland Lass" of 556 tons and the "Tottenham" 517 tons.
Captain Christopher who lived at 145 High Street was in the service of the Hudson Bay Company for thirty-three years. While on a voyage of 'discovery and trade' he was the first man to discover the great river from which the Province of Saskatchewan was to eventually get its name. In 1761 the Chief at Fort Prince of Wales, on the Churchill River, reported to London: "Mr. Christopher in the sloop Churchill this year found the Straight or river called by the Indians "Kis-catch-ewen" up which he sailed 100 miles. It is a fine river and had a view further up but the wind would not permit him to proceed any further. We promise your honour we will prosecute the said discovery to the utmost and will let nothing be wanting to complete it."
The next year William Christopher, in command of the sloop "Churchill" and the cutter "Strivewell" accompanied by Moses Norton, a crew of ten men and two northern Indians, spent a month exploring the great river.
Captain Jonathan Fowler, who lived at Egglescliffe, was also in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company and the two men sailed together for several years between Hudson's Bay and London bringing back the valuable furs which had been collected during the winter months. At this time England was at war with France and in 1782 both commanders had a narrow escape when they were pursued by three enemy ships under the command of the French Admiral Geographer, Laperouse.
Captain Christopher retired from the Hudson's Bay Company in 1788 and Captain Jonathan Fowler in 1782. Captain Christopher died in 1797 aged 68 and is buried in Norton Churchyard and Captain Jonathan Fowler was buried at Egglescliffe.
Captain Cook stayed with Captain Christopher at 145 High Street when, after he had discovered Australia, he came north to visit his aged father who lived with his daughter, the wife of a master mariner, at Redcar. Both men were interested in discovering the legendary North West Passage for the English government were offering Ğ20,000 to the man who found it. However, neither of them was fortunate and Captain Cook was murdered on his next voyage of discovery.
Excerpt from History of Chesterfield Inlet: http://www.chesterfieldinlet.net/chester_then.htm
In 1747, Captain William Moor identified Chesterfield Inlet as a potential route to China. The Hudson's Bay Company took an immediate interest in this new possibility and supported further exploration of the area with expeditions by both John Bean and William Christopher. Bean failed to find the Inlet. but Christopher explored Chesterfield Inlet reaching the end of Baker lake on his second trip in 1762. He recorded the absence of a westward passage to China, but noted sightings of whales in Hudson Bay, which led to the start of commercial whaling activity in the area.
Hudson Bay Company info:
1747 Inlet entered by Dobbs Gallery and California in search for NW Passage*
1761-1762 Capt. Christopher explored inlet (B.42/a/57, 58)
CHESTERFIELD INLET (NT)
Named after Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, Secretary of State 1746-1748
Source Information:
Batch No.: Dates: Source Call No.: Type: Printout Call No.: Type:
M025771 1703 - 1719 0380205 Film 6903743 Film
M025771 1719 - 1733 0380206 Film None
M025771 1733 - 1754 0380207 Film None
M025771 1754 - 1798 0380210 Film None
M025771 1798 - 1817 0380211 Film None
Source Information: Batch No.: P002291, Dates: 1574-1875, Source Call No.: 0091104, Type: Film, Printout Call No.: 6901768, Type: Film, Sheet:00
|
-
| Sources |
- [S2] International Genealogical Index (R), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, (Copyright (c) 1980, 2000, data as of January 2000).
- [S12] Family History Library, Batch #: P019011, Sheet #: , Source Call #: 0599302 IT 1 (Reliability: 3).
- [S12] Family History Library, Batch #: M025771, Sheet #: , Source Call #: 0380205, 0380206, 0380207, 0380210, 0380211 (Reliability: 3).
- [S51] Findmypast.
- [S5] Topographer and Genealogist, John Gough Nichols, (John Bowyer Nichols and Son, London).
- [S20] Marriage: William Christopher.
|
|
|
|
= Link to Google Maps 
