Martin Frobisher

Sir
Martin Frobisher
Sir Martin Frobisher by Cornelis Ketel, 1577
Bornc. 1535 or 1539
Altofts, Yorkshire, England
Died(1594-11-22)22 November 1594 (aged 55–59)
Plymouth, England
NationalityEnglish
OccupationSeaman
Spouse(s)Isobel Richard (1559–1588)
Dorothy Wentworth (1590–1594)
Parent(s)Bernard Frobisher and Margaret York
Signature

Sir Martin Frobisher (/ˈfrbɪʃər/; c. 1535/1539 – 22 November 1594[1]) was an English sailor and privateer who made three voyages to the New World looking for the North-west Passage. He probably sighted Resolution Island near Labrador in north-eastern Canada, before entering Frobisher Bay and landing on present-day Baffin Island.[2] 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 £5.20 per ton. Encouraged, Frobisher returned to Canada with an even larger fleet and dug several mines around Frobisher Bay. He carried 1,350 tons of the ore back to England, where, after years of smelting, it was realized that the ore was a worthless rock containing the mineral hornblende. As an English privateer, he plundered riches from French ships. He was later knighted for his service in repelling the Spanish Armada in 1588.

  1. ^ McDermott (2001a), pp. 7, 478.
  2. ^ Marsh, James H.; Panneton, Daniel (18 December 2015). "Sir Martin Frobisher". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada.

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