Millions of people have been taught that Amerigo Vespucci also gave his name to the new lands although nobody seem to be able to refer to any documents as proof of this act. Now a British writer has claimed that America was named not after the Florentine navigator. Instead, he claims that the newly-discovered lands were named after an anglicised Welshman named Richard Amerike.

Although the Vikings and possibly others had visited the Western Hemisphere for centuries, Europeans were generally unaware of these lands until Giovanni Caboto landed there in 1497. (The Italian Giovanni Caboto later changed his name to John Cabot, apparently to more easily obtain funding from his English sponsors.) Cabot sailed from Bristol, England, which was his home for 15 years. His voyage was sponsored by a group of the city's businessmen, who wanted to make more money through the discovery of the fabled route to the spices and silks of the Orient by sailing westwards.

Writing for the BBC, author Peter Macdonald writes that Richard Amerike was one of the more prominent Bristol businessmen. Descending from the Earls of Gwent, Richard Ap Meryk - Welsh for Richard, son of Meryk - was born in 1445 at the family home, Meryk Court, Weston-under-Penyard, near Ross-on-Wye. (Elizabeth, granddaughter of one of his ancestors, Hywel Ap Meurig, married Sir John Poyntz in 1343. Queen Elizabeth II is descended from their Tudor lineage, as was Diana, Princess of Wales, via the Spencer family connections.)

The Welsh name of Richard Ap Meryk became anglicized to Richard Amerike. He contributed the most money towards financing John Cabot’s voyage of discovery. Oak trees from Amerike’s estate were used to construct Cabot’s ship, the 21-metre-long Matthew. He also arranged that Cabot's family should live in a house belonging to one of his friends until Cabot returned. But, as the main sponsor of the voyage of discovery, he wanted something more. He asked Cabot that any newly discovered lands should be named after him.

Peter Macdonald then goes on to write about the naming of the lands after the Bristol merchant. He also notes a similarity between Richard Amerike’s coat of arms and the flag of the United States, created nearly 300 years later. Is this story accurate? Was America named after an English merchant of Welsh descent? I’m not sure, but I did find this to be an interesting story.

Peter Macdonald’s article on The Naming of America" can be found on the BBC’s website here.

My thanks to Anne Lehmkuhl for telling me about this story.

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