BUTTON
,
Sir
THOMAS
(d.
April 1634
),
admiral and explorer
;
he was the fourth son of
Miles
Button
,
sheriff of Glamorgan
in
1565
,
1571
,
1589
, and
Margaret
, daughter of
Edward
Lewis
of
Van
(see article
Lewis
of
Van
). The
Buttons
had become possessed of
Worleton
, in the parish of
S. Lythans, Glam.
, an alienated manor of the see of
Llandaff
. Their house at first was probably on the
Dog Hill
moated grange site, just across the
Nant Golych
, from the parish of
S. Lythans
and in the parish of
S. Nicholas
; later, the residence was probably on the site of the present house called
Duffryn
, situated nearby. The date of
Thomas
Button
's birth is not known. He
went to sea
about
1589
. In
1612-13
he
commanded an expedition
dispatched to inquire into the fate of
Henry
Hudson
and to search for a north-west passage to
Asia
.
Button
explored
a great part of
Hudson Bay
. He was
knighted
on his return by
James
I
. For the rest of his long naval career he served as ‘
Admiral of the King's ships
on the coast of
Ireland
.’
Sir
Thomas
m.
Mary
, daughter of
Sir
Walter
Rice
of
Dynevor, Carms.
, and had three sons and a daughter. He made his home at
Cardiff
.
Miles
, his eldest son, m.
Barbara
, the daughter and heiress of
Rhys
Meurug
(‘
Merrick
’)
(q.v.)
of
Cottrell, Glam.
, and his daughter
Elizabeth
m.
Col.
John
Poyer
(q.v.)
. The places of his death and burial are not known. [See further
Trans. Cymm.
1948
, 35].
Bibliography:
-
G. T. Clark
,
Glamorgan Worthies Some account of Sir
Robert Mansel, Kt., Vice Admiral of England and Member of
Parliament for the county of Glamorgan; and of Admiral Sir
Thomas Button, Kt., of Worlton, and of Cardiff, in the
county of Glamorgan
, Dowlais, 1883
(Dowlais,
1883
);
-
J. S. Corbett
,
Glamorgan Papers and Notes on the Lordship
and its members
, 1925
… (Cardiff,
1925
);
-
D. R. Paterson
, ‘Button Gwinnett and his Family Associations with Glamorgan,’ in
Cardiff Naturalists' Society. Report and
Transactions
, 1867–1937
, lxvi, 69-80;
-
Edgar Jones
, ‘Dog Hill, Duffryn.’ in
Archaeologia Cambrensis
,
1933
, 398-9.
Author:
Ifor Ball Powell, Barry
