The Historical Plate
It is known that Drake landed somewhere north of Alta California in 1579. According to a contemporary account by Francis Pretty, a member of Drake's party, Drake left behind "a plate of brasse" as "a monument of our being there" that claimed "her maiesties, and successors right and title to that kingdome." The memoirs also say that the plate included the date of the landing, Drake's name, and the queen's portrait on a sixpence coin, showing through a hole in the plate.
Pretty's detailed description of the plate became the recipe for the prank that became the Drake Plate hoax.
Read more about this topic: Drake's Plate Of Brass
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