Exciting news in the Crown Jewel Imaginarium! Last year I acquired a large wall house, The Fitzwilliam, made by Earth and Tree Miniatures with the intent to create a quaint English house. I purchased the Fitzwilliam pre-built, knowing it would require various modifications to help transform it into an English house. First, I envisioned mullioned windows and I was thrilled when friends at Earth and Tree Miniatures agreed to custom build two, 3-story bay window additions – one for each side of the house! Not only will this expand six rooms (3 rooms on each side) and open them up, visually, it will add some much-needed character to the exterior. The additions have now been built and next we begin cutting the walls to accommodate them.
So why am I writing this when I don’t yet have much to show?
A new build is always exciting and I had a small idea of the general direction I wanted to take this in… a trug of fresh cut flowers from the garden, a wine cellar and a grandfather clock in the hall… just a quaint, charming English house… but a major discovery this week in my family tree has inspired me (again!) to sail this ship on an entirely different course. Now it is personal!
Introducing, Admiral Sir Thomas Button House©, an old (fictitious) Welsh home handed down over the generations from my (very real) 11th Great Grandfather Admiral Sir Thomas Lewis Button 1558-1634!
Admiral Sir Thomas Button was born in Glamorganshire, Wales to Miles Button, a Welsh Sheriff and Justice Of The Peace and Margaret (nee Lewis) Button. Sir Thomas married Lady Mary Ann Price and had quite a storied naval career which you can read all about on WikiTree, Westminster-Abbey.org, The National Library of Wales and Wikipedia if you like, but the abbreviated version is this:
In 1612-13 Thomas Lewis Button commanded an expedition dispatched to inquire into the fate of Henry Hudson and to search for a north-west passage to Asia and had command of two ships, HMS Discovery and HMS Resolution. He is credited with exploring and claiming the west coast of Hudson Bay for England, naming the area New Wales. He and his crew were among the first recorded Europeans to explore part of what is now known as Manitoba. His explorations paved the way for Luke Fox and Thomas James’ subsequent explorations.
In 1614 Button was appointed Admiral of the Irish naval station under orders to combat piracy. In January 1615 he assisted in the recapture of Dunaverty and his bravery under fire earned the admiration and attention of The Crown at the recommendation of Ireland’s lord deputy in 1616.
When Robert Mansell was tasked with ridding the Algerian coast of pirates, he asked Admiral Sir Button to leave his posting on the Irish coast. Button was appointed Rear Admiral of the small fleet, again distinguishing himself in bravery under fire, for which he received a commendation, one of the few officers to gain credit during the unsatisfactory expedition. For most of his career Button was Admiral of the Narrow Seas, that is the Bristol Channel and the whole of Southern Ireland. In recognition for his exploration of and claim of Hudson Bay, bravery and leadership in captaining a ship conveying munitions and stores from Dublin to forces besieging Kinsale and successfully blockading the harbor there, he was knighted by James I.
Admiral Sir Thomas Button House© is going to be special! I will create and collect various items paying tribute to Admiral Sir Thomas Button’s illustrious naval career and my ancient Welsh ancestry, spanning over 300 hundred years. To keep the inspiration of Great Grandfather Button front and center, I have already made a framed portrait of him which will hang prominently in the library of the dollhouse. For now it is propped up on the fireplace (see photo) in a mock dining room (think temporary storyboard) which will now take on an entirely different style that what I had originally envisioned.
I have yet to decide which generation will now reside in the home. The home itself will be time-worn and charmingly aged to reflect its illustrious ancestor but also contemporary enough to comfort its descendants with modern conveniences like electricity, plumbing and a pair of green Wellies by the door.
This is going to be fun! Not as momentous as exploring new lands, protecting ships and coastal communities from pirates or acts of gallantry during the bombardment of Rincorran Castle but with Admiral Sir Thomas Button as my inspiration and his blood in my veins, this ought to be interesting! Interesting indeed.
Stay tuned as Admiral Sir Thomas Button House© becomes a miniature reality!
Robin
Robin Brady-Boxwell – IGMA Artisan
©CrownJewelMiniatures 2026
