The Troublesome Voyage of Captain Edward Fenton, 1582-1583

E.G.R. Taylor, E.G.R. Taylor

• Publisher: Hakluyt Society
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781317012993
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Early Modern History
• Index: History

Transcripts of certain surviving records of the voyage for Cathay sponsored by the Privy Council and intended to establish the first English trading base in the Far East. Includes Fenton's own sea journal and extracts from the official narrative of Richard Madox, for which see also Second Series 147. This is a new print-on-demand hardback edition of the volume first published in 1959.

Part I

THE PREPARATIONS
(Documents 1–33)

Document 1

Frobisher and Fenton, 1577–8¹

[May 1577] When as the Commissioners had devised articles for his [Frobisher’s] commission and Instructions for the direction and government of the voyadge² which were confirmed by her Ma^ties honorable pryvie Councel, even by his owne advice: and for casualtye of deathe would have joyned unto him Capt. Fenton and some others of the gentillmen that went with him, he utterly refused the same, and swore no smale oathes, that he would be alone, or otherwise he woold not goe in the voyadge, for he had alredye a higher Commission under the broad seale than they coold give him anye, and badd them make what commission they woolde for when he weare abroade he woold use y^t as he lyst, and afterwardes because he coold not be furnished w^th all things to his will, Therew^thall he flonge out of the doores and swore by gods wounds that he would hippe my m^rs the venturers for yt, at w^ch woordes Captayne Fenton plucked him secretly, and willed him to be modest. And so at length he had all the aucthorytye of the whole voyadge in his owne handes …

[August 1577] He [Frobisher] misused Christopher Hawlle M^r of the Ayde³ in the second voyadge at the newe lande, callinge him aloude cullerablye to goe searche Beare sounde, where beinge in a furyous humo^r of Tempier, he openly revyled him w^th outrageous speaches and swore by gods bludd he wold hang him, and offered to stryke him on the face with his fyst which Captaine Fenton did defend [prevent] and Hawlle did quietly putt upp, and all this w^thout anye cause but onely upon vayne suspicion of hawlles dewety full service because he spake to him w^th his cappe on his heade. [margin: He misuseth Ch. Hawll, M^r of the Ayde for a cappe reverence.]

(iii)

The 19 said [August 1578], Captain Fenton came to make complaint to the Generall [Frobisher] of the boatswayn, and others of the Aydes mariners for disobeying him in certain service to have byn don for the furderance & dispatche of the ships lading at two severall tymes, his speches tending to dire punishment for same and after long recital of their abuses did like that the generall shold have ayded him therein, and to have commanded due punishments for their deserts. The Generall not taking order therefore Master Fenton and he did grow to hoat speeches, by whome eche others credit came by him and he denying the same, left their former matter, and fell to reason uppon the same with many hoat woords in somuch that in the end, the Generall affirming he preferred Master Fenton to be the Queen’s servant, and he denying, alledging that the General did not well to rob them that did prefer them both to that service: and then at Master Fenton’s departure, he said he had offered him great disgrace in that he would not punish the offenders which he complayned of but rather did animate them against him in neglecting of yt, which he could not take in good part, being his lieutenant generall, and recommending them to do nothing but their duties in her Majesties service …

The 23 said the Generall, Captain Fenton (his lieutenant), Gilbert York, and George Beste, gentlemen, assembled themselves together, Christopher Hall and Charles Jackman, masters, with them, for cause touching their Instructions, and amongst other matters, did call in question the abuses of the boteswayn and one Robinson¹ used towards the Generalls said Lieutenant, and after yt had been agreed of amongst the said Commissioners, the General referred the punishment thereof to them to determine; then they called the said offenders before them, who acknowledged their abuses, and upon their submission, as allso affirming they did not know Captayn Fenton to be the Generalls said lieutenant, they were pardoned and forgiven.

Notes

1 Extracts, (i,ii) Michael Lok, ‘The doinges of Captayne Furbisher’, 1581. B.M., MS Lansdowne 100, art. 1. (iii) Narrative of Edward Sellman, in G. Best, Voyages of Frobisher (Hakluyt Society, 1868), p. 306.

2 The second voyage, 1577.

3 Master of the Galleon Leicester in 1582.

1 Later an insubordinate quarter-master on board the Galleon (see p. 147).

Document 2

Despatches from Bernardino de Mendoza to Philip II, December 1580-April 1581¹

(i)

London, 20 December 1580. The Queen has sent a small ship to the Azores to tell them to stand firm by Don Antonio. The islands are of utmost importance to the English in view of the designs they have to send ships to the East and West Indies & to the Moluccas by the route taken by Drake on his homeward voyage. Ships are being made ready so that they can leave in February. The business is in the hands of Leicester.

(ii)

London, 9 January 1581. Drake is to take 10 ships to the Isles of Moluccas by the same route as that along which he returned, which is to go almost in a straight line to these islands from the Cape of Good Hope, sighting only the island of San Lorenzo.^2 They expect to find the same winds as they encountered before, the Portuguese pilots having discovered that only two winds blow in those seas, east and west, so that if the weather does not serve for doubling the Cape of Good Hope when they arrive there, they will run before the wind and winter on the coast of Brazil.^1

Knollys, who fitted out a piratical expedition to the Indies two years ago, is to go to Port S. Julian and thence to the South Sea. Humfrey Gilbert is to go with six ships to Cuba and there fortify. They are also pressing Frobisher to renew his attempt (in spite of late unsuccess) to discover a Passage to Cathay, which Drake is of opinion must exist there.

(iii)

London, 16 April 1581. No resolution has yet been taken with regard to the Indies project,^2 but a meeting has taken place between Walsingham, Leicester, Drake, Hawkins, Winter, Frobisher and Bingham, all the latter being experienced mariners.

Notes

1 Abstracts. Cal. S.P., Span., 1580–6, nos. 58, 59, 82. On June 26 (op. cit., no. 31) Mendoza had reported that the Queen had had a letter from Don Antonio, the Portuguese Pretender, asking help. It was dated May 10. The despatches here summarized give the first news of the proposed ‘Enterprise’ (Documents 3–5) in his support. Writing on October 16 (op. cit., no. 44) to describe Drake’s return, Mendoza had said that the latter was to take six ships back to the Portuguese Indies, and ‘there is hardly an Englishman who is not talking of undertaking the voyage’. Meanwhile Don Antonio was defeated in Portugal, and enthusiasm for him cooled.

2 Madagascar.

1 This crude notion of the monsoons influenced Fenton’s pilots (pp. 110, 113).

2 Drake was knighted on 6 April 1581, and the Queen forbade him to leave the country. Richard Bingham and Frobisher had both served in the fleet sent to Ireland in 1580 under Winter as Admiral. It was Bingham who at first was chosen to take Drake’s place, later given in succession to Frobisher and to Fenton. Bingham himself was to become military governor of Connaught.

Document 3

Captains for the ‘Enterprise’ April 1581³

The estymate of the charges of 8 shipes, and 6 pynaces, to be furnyshed to the sees in warlyke maner. & victualled for iiij^or monthes for a thowsand men [Endorsed, in Burghley’s hand:] Apryll 1581. The estymate of 10,320 li. The names of y^e Caps. 1. Fra. Drake 2. Ry. Bingham⁴ 3. Ed. Fenton. 4. Gil. Yorke. 5. Luke Warde. 6. Brewer. 7. Gregorye.¹

Notes

1 Geoffrey Fenton, writing to Walsingham on 15 August 1581, says that Bingham, Yorke, Ward and Fenton were ‘put from the Portugal voyage by Sir Francis Drake’ (S.P. 12/85, art. 19)j see also Document 5. On May 4 Mendoza had reported to his master that the English Seville merchants had sent news to London that he (King Philip) was raising a fleet to protect the Indies.

3 P.R.O., S.P. 12/148, art 46. The shipping was to be ready by the end of June (art. 43).

4 Captain Bingham had commanded the Sw...