Sir Francis Drake's West Indian Voyage, 1585-86

Mary Frear Keeler, Mary Frear Keeler

• Publisher: Hakluyt Society
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781317054757
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Storia
• Subtopic: Primordi della storia moderna

Significant in the history of Anglo-Spanish relations and of English ventures was Drake's expedition to the West Indies in 1585-86. His raids on Spanish towns on both sides of the Atlantic were aimed not only to gather treasure but to bring a military challenge to the empire of Philip II. The voyage was linked also with the plantation projects of Raleigh, and ended with Drake bringing home the discouraged settlers of the first Virginia colony. Although not a financial success, the expedition attracted wide attention in England and the continent and was a prelude to the events of 1588. For over three centuries after the voyage the main source of information about it was the lively narrative, strongly propagandistic in tone, that was published in 1588 and 1589. In the present volume this account, attributed to Captain Walter Bigges, has been critically edited in the light of evidence now available from English and Spanish sources. Printed also are documents relating to ships and personnel and to financial accounts of the expedition. Included too are the journal from the vice-admiral's ship, the Primrose, edited from the original manuscript, the fragmentary journals from ships of two other major officers, and an important newsletter. Among illustrations are a previously unpublished map relating to Drake's stop at Vigo, as well as the Boazio maps, which are shown in differing sizes and details. Dr Keeler's introduction discusses the expedition in the context of Elizabethan policies in the pre-Armada years. She points out new evidence on Drake's administrative practices, on his negotiations with Spanish officials, and on his dealings with a troublesome rear-admiral. Appendices provide critical notes on the Boazio maps and on the circumstances of the publication of the Bigges account. This is a new print-on-demand hardback edition of the volume first published in 1981.

Document 1
Furnishing List for the Fleet

'Sir Francis Drake. Names of Ships & number of men in each, with Sir Francis Drake. Captains for land service' (Folger MS L. b. 344).¹

[fol. I]

The number of men appoynted for every Shype bounde in the vyage with Sir Frances Drake . . . [ ]²

1. The Elizabeth Bonaventure^{________________} 250
2. The Prymrose^{_____________________________} 180
3. The Gaily on Leycester^{__________________________} 180
4. The Ayde^{__________________________} 120
5. The Tygere^{_________________________}100
6. The Sea Dragon^{_________________________} 090
7. The Thomas als the Barke Hastynge^{_____________________}100
8. The Mynyon of Plymmothe^{_______________________} 100
9. The Barke Talbot^{________________________} 085
10. The Whyte Lyon^{________________________} 075
11. The Barke Bond^{___________________________} 075
12. The Hope^{__________________________} 075
13. The Barke Bonner^{_________________________} 070
14. The Barke Hawkyns^{_________________________} 070
15. Sir Wylliam Mohons¹ Shype^{__________________________} 075
16. The Beniaeman [Benjamin]^{___________________________} 045
17. The Vantage^{___________________________} 040
18. The Frances^{___________________________} 035
19. The Spedwell^{___________________________} 030
20. The George ^{________________________} 030
21. The Scout^{________________________} 020
22. The Mathewe^{____________________________}055 [25]²
23. The Galley to sayle herewithall [Duck]^{3_____________________________}10
24. Fower smale roweyng pynneses which come from London to be sayled with^{__________________________}020
25. Fower pynnases [of P]⁴lymothe^{__________________________} 025
    [1]925 men⁵

[fol. Iv]

The proporecon of vyctuall for a 100 men⁶

1. Beef and Porke in hogsheds^{________________________} 12
2. New land Fyshe^{________________________} 30 C¹
3. Pylchers in hogsheds^{________________________} 30
4. Lyngs Cod in Burthens^{________________________} 10 burdsthens²
5. Bysket in hundreths^{________________________} 10,000 wayght
6. Meale in Barrells^{________________________} 22½
7. Otmeale in barrells^{________________________} 2
8. Pese [ ] in hogsheds^{________________________} 15
9. Canari wyne in pypes^{________________________} 6
10. French wyne^{________________________} 1 tone
11. Bere^{________________________} 30 tonnes³

Besydes bacon, butter, chese, honeye, oyle, vynegar, Rye, whereof there is provyded a good quantyty, but the partycu-lar proporcens for each Shyp ys not yet set down at the tyme of the wrytynge here of

And yt ys to be understoode that besydes the proporchion of vyctuall allredye consumed, theys parcels aforsayd are now furnyshed in these full proporcens, beyng redy by God's good favor to depart from Plymmothe within vii dayes. wrytten at Plymmothe the last of August 1585

Suche Capteyns as are appointed for the Land Service Christopher Carleill Lieutenant Generall by Lande

George Acres⁴

John Hannam

• Anthony Powell
• Mathewe Morgeyn
• Anthony Plotte [Platte]
• William Cycell
• John Merchaunt
• John Sampson
• Walter Bygs
• George Barton
• John Gorynge

The Capteyns of suche Shyps as presently I can remember In the Elyzabeth [Bon]¹ aventure beyng Admyrail ys Sir Frances Drake, Generall by [Sea] and Land of the voyage. In which. Shype ys apoynted for h[is lieut]enant Master Thomas Fenner.²

[fol. 2]

1. In the Prymrose beynge Vyceadmyrall ys Capten Marten Furbussher³
2. In the Galleon Leycester now caulled the Lettyce Leycester beynge Rere Admyrall ys Capteyn Prances Knolles⁴
3. In the Ayde ys Capteyn Edwarde Wynter⁵
4. In the Tyger ys Capteyn Chrystofer Carleill
5. In the Sea Dragon which ys Sir William Wynters paynted Shyp was apoynted William Hawkyns thelder for Capteyn, but at the request of Sir Phyllip Sydneye and Master Grenevyle Capteyn Henrye Whyte¹ ys nowe placed ther and Master Hawkyns apoynted by the Generall to be another Lieutenant for hym in hys own shyp and shalbe the first of the Lieutenants ther.
6. In the ship which sometymes was cauled the Barke Hastinges² ys Capteyn Thomas Drake, the Generall's brother
7. In the Mynyon of Plymmothe was first placed old Seely³ of the garde, a man that hathe byn long prysoner in Spayne, and thus he hathe taken to hym for companyon Jo Newsome of the Wygth.
8. In the Barke Talbot ys one Bayly a man of my Lord of Shroseberyes⁴ who hath servde in the same Shyp when she was ymployed at the Handes in the service of Don Anthony,⁵
9. In the Whyte Lyon my Lord Admyralls Shyp⁶ ys one James Erizo of this Contrey⁷ an honest proper man aged and lyke to do well but not of anye experience.
10. In the Barke Bonde is Capteyn Robert Crosse a man of Master [...] vice-chamberlains⁸ who long sense hathe medled at Sea but not of late, very lyke to do well.
11. In the Bark Bonner ys one Fortescue⁹ a gente of thys Contrey and with the Generall in hys last voyage
12. In the Hope ys Capteyne Grenevyle of Oxfordshyrc¹ sometymes my Lord of Bedfords Servant.
13. In the Barke Hawkyns ys William Hawkyns the younger²
14. In the Beniaeman ys one John Marten of Plymmothe who was with Sir Frances in the last voyage
15. In the Frances ys Capteyn Thomas Moone³ of Plymmothe who was in the last voyage
16. In the Speedwell ys one Wylson whom I thinke ys of Plymmothe and belongs to my Lord ofLeycester⁴

¹ This MS, which was called to my attention by D. B. Quinn, was previously Loseley MS 477, before its acquisition by the Folger Shakespeare Library. In addition to the original outside sheet bearing the endorsement, now numbered as fol. 2V, it contains three Folio sides. On the first is the list of ships, with complements of men; on the second, the provisioning estimates, and a list of land captains; and on the third, notes regarding sixteen of the ship captains. The nature of the latter notes indicates that they were made by someone fairly close to Drake, possibly a 'West Country' man, and that they were compiled near the end of August 1585. The handwriting is identified in the Folger MS Catalogue as that of Sir William More of Loseley, but why this document should be among his papers is not clear. More was himself a vice admiral for Surrey and Sussex and may have had an official, possibly a financial, interest in the venture. He was also a fairly close friend of Charles TLord Howard, the Lord Admiral, owner of the White Lion and officially concerned with the expedition. Possibly the furnishing list came through his hands to the attention of More.

There is extant also a second list which, except for the final page, closely resembles this one. It is B. L., Harl. MS 366, fols. 146-7, 'The furniture of Sir Frances Drakes Jorney September 1585.' It supplies the names of captains and also figures for tonnage and for the number of men for each ship, but the document has been badly damaged by damp and is partially unreadable. Relevant parts have been used for editing the more complete Folger MS, and for the Table of Ships in the Appendix. See also p. 3.

² Undeciphered,

¹ Probably Sir William Mohun, a Cornish gentleman of ancient family, who was actively concerned with the defences of the county, 1584-86 (C.S.P.D. 1381-1590, pp. 211, 304, 305). As MP he was named on 14 December 1584 to the committee on the bill to confirm Ra...