Sir Martin Frobisher

Sir Martin Frobisher (c. 1535 or 1539 – 15 November 1594 was an English seaman and notable sailor in the British Royal Navy. He made three voyages to the New World to look for the Northwest Passage. All landed in northeastern Canada, around today's Resolution Island and Frobisher Bay. On his second voyage, Frobisher found what he thought was gold ore and carried 200 tons of it home on three ships, where initial assaying determined it to be worth a profit of £5.2 per tonne. Encouraged, Frobisher returned to Canada with an even larger fleet and dug several mines around Frobisher Bay. He carted 1,350 tonnes of the ore back where, after years of smelting, it was realised that both that batch of ore and the earlier one he had taken were worthless iron pyrite. As an English privateer/pirate, he collected riches from French ships. He was later knighted for his service in repelling the Spanish Armada in 1588.

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A famous yet curiously little known English mariner of the Elizabethan Age, Martin Frobisher was born around 1535 in Altofts, Yorkshire and was third and youngest son of Bernard and Margaret Frobisher. Following his fathers death, the seven year old Martin was sent to London to earn a living with his Uncle, Sir John York. (Un) fortunately, young Martin's aptitude for books and numbers was less than inspiring, so his uncle, in an attempt to make this boy into something, assigned Martin to his first voyage abroad to the Guinea coast. Thus his career as a sailor began.

During the next decade or so, Frobisher was to sail to the Guinea coast, be captured by the Portuguese, imprisoned for about a year and then to return home only to become a pirate in English waters. Eventually, his skill leading vessels gradually brought him to privateering for French Huguenots. He was again captured as a pirate by the English government and placed in Fleet prison to await trial. His exploits against French Catholics, however, caught the attention of a few key powerful men of Elizabeth's Court including William Cecil, Lord Burleigh. He was granted clemency and became a pirate hunter for the Crown.

Early in the 1570s, he was selected to lead an expedition to the Northwest in search of a passage way to Cathay (China). This series of ventures is what made Martin Frobisher famous. Upon his return from his first voyage, a piece of black rock he brought back as a souvenir was taken by the expedition's benefactor, Michael Lok, to be gold. Two more expeditions were to follow with the expectation of bring back this ore for refinement. At great expense and commencement, the two following ventures were readied and over 200 tons of this ore was returned to England. Eventually, the ore was found to only contain Pyrite (Fool's Gold), thus reducing Michael Lok to bankruptcy and Frobisher to dishonor.

In 1585, he was selected to accompany Francis Drake on an expedition to the West Indies in order to sack Spanish settlements and attempt to capture the yearly treasure fleet heading back to Spain. The venture succeeded barely but, earned Frobisher a reputation of a steadfast, competent and trustworthy captain, which was a rarity in these times.

In 1588, with war against Spain looming before England, Frobisher was commissioned as Vice-Admiral under Sir Charles Howard Lord Effingham, Lord High Admiral to command the largest of the English navy vessels: the Triumph. Together with Francis Drake and John Hawkins, the English were to repulse Spain's attempt at invasion. Frobisher's help during the great war with Spain earned him a knighthood from the Lord High Admiral in July of that same year.

Following the "ware of 21 Julie", Frobisher was once again employed making sure Spain would not attempt any future enterprises of England. This new found reputation earned him a commission as Admiral in an expedition to oust Spanish forces in the city of Brest located on the Crozon Peninsula. The assault on the Fort, El Leon, unfortunately resulted in Frobisher being made one of the casualties. Following his return to Plymouth, Frobisher died. His entrails were entombed at St. Andrews, Plymouth while his body was interred at St. Giles, Cripplesgate in London.

This brings an end the life of one of England's greatest mariners. He died the same way he lived, violently and precipitately. Though his venture to find a Northwest Passage for England failed, it would be one of his greatest achievements.

Legacy

Britain

A Parker-class flotilla leader destroyer was named HMS Frobisher during construction but was named HMS Parker when launched in 1915. It was scrapped in 1921.

The Royal Navy Hawkins-class cruiser HMS Frobisher was named after him. It was scrapped in 1949.

A SR Lord Nelson class steam locomotive was named after him.

Frobisher Crescent, part of the Barbican Estate in London, is named after Frobisher.

A stained glass window placed in memory of him is located in All Saints' Church, Normanton, near his birthplace in Altofts, West Yorkshire.

Martin Frobisher Infants School in Altofts is named after him.

A portrait of him can be found at Normanton Train Station.

A shrub rose is named after Martin Frobisher https://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=2.4156.0

Canada

Frobisher Bay in Nunavut is named after him. This was also the former name of Nunavut's capital, Iqaluit, from 1942 until 1987. The city's airport was Frobisher Bay Air Base from 1942 to 1963, and Frobisher Bay Airport from 1963 to 1987, before being renamed Iqaluit Airport.

An early version of Thanksgiving was celebrated after the safe landing of Frobisher's fleet in Newfoundland after an unsuccessful attempt to find the Northwest Passage.

A shrub rose is named after Martin Frobisher.

The small settlement of Frobisher, Saskatchewan, and Frobisher Lake, in northern and southern Saskatchewan, respectively.

A number of roads bear Frobisher's name:

• Frobisher Avenue in Toronto
• Frobisher Street in Richmond Hill, Ontario
• Frobisher Drive in Waterloo, Ontario
• Frobisher Boulevard in Milton, Ontario
• Frobisher Avenue in Moncton, New-Brunswick
• Frobisher Street in Peterborough, Ontario and Sudbury

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• Links
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Frobisher
• http://www.thepeerage.com/p52538.htm#i525372
• http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/WENTWORTH.htm#Dorothy WENTWORTH2
• http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/Bios/MartinFrobisher.htm
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Savile_(died_1607)
• http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1558-1603/member/sa...
• http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Frobisher,_Martin_(DNB00)
• https://archive.org/stream/dictionaryofnati20stepuoft#page/281/mode... to https://archive.org/stream/dictionaryofnati20stepuoft#page/284/mode...
• http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Savile,_John_(1545-1607)_(DNB00)
• https://archive.org/stream/dictionaryofnati50stepuoft#page/371/mode... to https://archive.org/stream/dictionaryofnati50stepuoft#page/372/mode...
• http://www.yourdictionary.com/sir-martin-frobisher
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8662181/martin-frobisher_______...