Richard Grenville - New World and The Spanish Armada

New World and The Spanish Armada

In 1574 Grenville submitted a proposal to the Privy Council to take a single ship to plunder Spanish treasure ships in South America and from there to sail across the 'South Sea' (The Pacific Ocean) in the hope of finding a short cut to the Spice Islands. He was denied on the grounds that England was still using diplomacy with Spain. It was this plan that was eventually executed by Sir Francis Drake when he circumnavigated the world in 1577.

In 1585, Grenville was admiral of the seven-strong fleet that brought English settlers to establish a military colony on Roanoke Island, off the coast of modern North Carolina in North America. He was heavily criticised by Ralph Lane, General of the expedition, who referred to Grenville's "intolerable pride and unsatiable ambition". This description has remained of Grenville to this day but must be considered with the knowledge that Lane was involved in a bitter legal feud with Grenville at the time. On his return, Grenville took a Spanish Ship, the 'Santa Maria de Vincenze', which he later brought to Bideford to be converted into the 'Galleon Dudley'. The cannons from that Spanish ship are thought to be those erroneously labelled 'Armada cannons' in Bideford's Victoria Park.

In 1586 Grenville returned to Roanoke to find that the surviving colonists had shipped out with Drake. Grenville left 15 of his own men to defend Raleigh's New World territory. During his return to England, Grenville raided various towns in the Azores Islands. At about this time, a description was given of his behaviour while dining with Spanish captains:

"He would carouse three or four glasses of wine, and in a bravery take the glasses between his teeth and crash them in pieces and swallow them down, so that often the blood ran out of his mouth without any harm at all unto him.", Tudor History

In 1587 he was asked by the Privy Council to organize the defences of Devon and Cornwall in preparation for the expected attack by the Spanish Armada the following year. In 1588, Grenville equipped seven ships at Bideford with supplies and more Colonists for Raleigh's 'Planters' Colony settled at Roanoke the previous year. However, a stay of shipping due to the impending arrival of the Spanish Armada meant that the fleet did not sail. Grenville led five of these ships to Plymouth to join the English defence and returned to Bideford where he provisioned the remaining two ships for Roanoke. A voyage that later turned back after being raided by the French. Later that year, Grenville was commissioned to keep watch at sea on the Western approaches to the Bristol Channel in case the Spanish Armada returned.