Mountbatten Medallic History of Great Britain and the Sea Medal:'Sir Francis Drake's Circumnavi…

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Mountbatten Medallic History of Great Britain and the Sea Medal:'Sir Francis Drake's Circumnavigation'

AssociatedAssociated with Lord Mountbatten of Burma (Frogmore House, Windsor, England, 1900 - 1979)

Medallist John Pinches, Medallists

DateMay 2004

Object NameMedal

MediumSterling Silver

ClassificationsMedals

Dimensions44mm

AcquisitionPresented in 2004 by Dr Joan M Burrell.

LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub

Object numberABDMS072500.6

Keywords

About MeThis medal forms part of a series entitled The Mountbatten Medallic History of Great Britain and the Sea designed by John Pinches Medallists Ltd. Each medal comes with its own detailed history relating to the scene or subject it portrays written by John Pinches Medallists.
This particular medal is designed to commemorate Sir Francis Drake’s circumnavigation of the globe. The John Pinches text states:

“Sir Francis Drake (c. 1540-1596) came of such humble birth that even the date of his birth is uncertain. His relationship with Sir John Hawkins of Plymouth gave him the opportunity of sailing to the Caribbean, where his brilliant raids on the Spanish mainland earned him the reputation of the most daring and successful privateer of the age. Consequently he was encouraged to undertake the much larger expedition which resulted in his voyage round the world.

With the support of Queen Elizabeth and many of her courtiers, he sailed from Plymouth on 15th November, 1577, in command of the Pelican (100 tons), Elizabeth, Marigold, and two storeships. Having quelled a mutiny in Patagonia, he made the famous exhortation: 'Let us show ourselves to be all of a company, and let us not give occasion to the enemy to rejoice at our decay and overthrow.'

After passing the Strait of Magellan the ships were separated so that the Pelican (now renamed Golden Hind) continued up the west coast of South America alone. Before doing so Drake made the important discovery of open sea, now called the Drake Strait, south of Cape Horn.

His voyage henceforward was crowned with success. Many prizes were taken off the coast of Peru, including a treasure galleon. He continued northward to a bay near San Francisco, of which he claimed possession under the name of New Albion. At California he decided to stretch across the Pacific, returning home on 26th September 1580, via the Spice Islands and the Cape of Good Hope.

He was the first captain to take his ship round the world, Magellan having been killed in the Philippines. His booty was carried up to the Tower of London, where it paid £47 for every £1 invested. Through this success he came to he regarded as the leading sea captain of the age and first attracted international attention to England as the rising sea power. Drake was knighted for his exploits, and in a famous portrait he is seen wearing a jewel given to him by the Queen, which may be said to be the first naval award.”

However, it is important to recognise that despite the achievement of Drake and his crew, the first recorded circumnavigation of the globe took place between 1519 and 1522. The Spanish voyage known as the Magellan-Elcano expedition is rightly recognised as the first to achieve this feat. The voyage, led by navigator Juan Sebastián Elcano and Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan represents an undoubted high point of the golden era of Spanish maritime exploration. Despite Magellan’s death in the Philippines, Elcano was able to complete the nearly 3-year voyage.