Person    | Male  Born 1540  Died 27/1/1596

Sir Francis Drake

Categories: Exploring, Race Issues, Seriously Famous

Countries: Panama

Sea captain, explorer and pirate. Born in Crowndale, near Tavistock, Devon. He spent his formative years in the house of his cousin Sir John Hawkins and by 1565 was voyaging to Guinea and the Spanish Main. In 1572 he plundered on the Isthmus of Panama and became the first Englishman to see the Pacific Ocean. His famous circumnavigation of the globe took place from 1577 to 1580. He played a leading part in harassing the Spanish Armada as it passed through the English Channel. Died of dysentery at Porto Bello, Panama.

Drake and Hawkins were England's first slavers. As early as 1560 they entered the slave trade, travelled to West Africa to buy men and women for onward transportation to the West Indies where they were sold to the Spanish as slaves.

2023: LBC reported: "Sir Francis Drake Primary School to be renamed over slave trading past following BLM protests".

Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Sir Francis Drake

Commemorated ati

Imperial Hotel - statue 06 - Drake

This statue is surely modelled on the Boehm statue of Drake erected at Tavist...

Read More

Sir Francis Drake

Sir Francis Drake In 1581 Queen Elizabeth I commanded that Francis Drake's sh...

Read More

Show all 6

Other Subjects

William (Mole man) Lyttle

William (Mole man) Lyttle

Known as the ‘Mole Man’ because he spent forty years digging a series of tunnels under his, and his neighbours' houses in Hackney. It was estimated that he had shovelled out over 100 cubic metres o...

Person, Exploring, Ireland

1 memorial
Stephen S. Stanley

Stephen S. Stanley

Role on the lost expedition: Officer on SS Erebus. See John Franklin.

Person, Exploring, Tragedy

1 memorial
Sir Martin Frobisher

Sir Martin Frobisher

Privateer, explorer, and naval commander.  Born Normanton, Yorkshire, birth date approximate.  Aged 15 sent to London to learn a trade at his uncle's, who was a merchant adventurer.  Frobisher expl...

Person, Exploring

1 memorial
New Zealand Company

New Zealand Company

Formed to establish British settlements in New Zealand. 5 May 1839 despatched the survey ship Tory to begin the colonisation of New Zealand on the Wakefield Plan.

Group, Exploring, New Zealand

1 memorial
John Strickland

John Strickland

Role on the lost expedition: Able seaman on SS Erebus. See John Franklin.

Person, Exploring, Tragedy

1 memorial

Previously viewed

Elstree and Borehamwood Town Council

Elstree and Borehamwood Town Council

Originally formed as the Elstree Parish Council.

Group, Politics & Administration

3 memorials