Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The New World
Religion was yet again the cause of troubles following the ascension of Elizabeth to the
throne in 1558. Tensions between Protestant England and the mainly Catholic countries of
southern Europe culminated in a series of skirmishes and battles, prompting Elizabeth to
expand the navy's power to counter the increasing strength of Spanish fleets. The Queen
also encouraged the practice of 'private enterprise' (otherwise known as piracy) on the
open seas. Many of her favourite sea captains were born in the southwest, including the
Cornish nobleman Sir Richard Grenville (born at Buckland Abbey in Devon); his cousin,
Sir Walter Raleigh (born in Hayes Barton, East Devon); Sir John Hawkins (Plymouth); and
his cousin, Sir Francis Drake (Tavistock).
In 1588 Philip II of Spain dispatched an armada of 130 warships to invade England and
bring the island under Catholic rule. The Armada was sighted off the Lizard on 19 July, and
the message was carried to London via a series of beacons along the south coast. Whether
Drake was really bowling on Plymouth Hoe at the time of the invasion is unlikely, but he
lost no time in organising his response: he set sail from Plymouth with a fleet of 55 ships.
Over the next two weeks Drake fought a series of engagements against the Spanish fleet,
culminating in the Battle of Gravelines on 29 July, in which 11 Spanish galleons were des-
troyed and the rest put to flight. Drake and Hawkins' subsequent exploits were rather less
worthy of commendation: they were instrumental in establishing the first slave-trafficking
routes with Africa, a trade that underpinned the growth of several southwest ports (espe-
cially Bristol and Plymouth) over the next two centuries.
The southwest also had a pivotal role to play in the move from Old to New World. Fol-
lowing Sir Francis Drake's circumnavigation of the globe from Plymouth in 1577 (a replica
of his ship, the
Pelican,
renamed the
Golden Hind
, can be seen on Brixham Harbour), the
city of Plymouth also witnessed the first voyage of the Pilgrim Fathers, who set sail from
the Barbican on 16 September 1620 aboard the
Mayflower
. The pilgrims landed at Provin-
cetown Harbour in present-day Massachusetts and founded the colony of New Plymouth,
effectively marking the start of modern America.
