As a boy I can remember my
mum’s sharp intake of breath whenever a television programme was interrupted
with a sudden newsflash (they don’t seem to do them anymore and just put a
“Breaking News” caption at the bottom of the programme.) There was one in the
early eighties when Britain sent ships to the Falklands Islands which had been
taken over. The newsflash told us of the fight back had commenced (it took ten
weeks to crush the Argentinian forces.) Before that time I’d never heard of the
Falkland Islands. Here I am on the south coast in Dartmouth outside the home of
John Davis who discovered them in August 1592. He was one of the main English
navigators when Elizabeth I was on the throne.
Little is known about him. He was born near this
house and learnt about the sea while sailing boats along the River Dart (one of
his neighbours was Walter Raleigh.) He was in his thirties when he began
searching for the Northwest Passage – a sea route that connects the Atlantic
and Pacific Oceans through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. They were considered
to be impassable due to constant thick ice. It took three attempts before John passed
through the strait which would be named for him for evermore. He went to
western Greenland to Disko Island where - to help
establish good relations - he took some musicians and had his sailors dance to
the music. Many Arctic points are named after him until Planet Earth ends.
He probably found the Falkland Islands by
accident. Aged 41 (though his date of birth is guessed) in 1591 he tried to
find the passage of the Strait of Magellan. Foul weather beat him but he ended
up discovering the Falkland Islands in August 1592. His crew was forced to kill
hundreds of penguins for food. Sadly the stored meat went off and only 14 of
his 76 crew survived.
He was an active man, commanding Black Dog
against the Spanish Armada and going on many voyages of discovery. He invented
the backstaff which is used to navigate using the altitude
of the stars, the sun or the moon. It was so important it remained in use for
200 years. He married twice and well - to Faith who was the daughter of the
High Sheriff of Devon and to Dorithy (yes, spelt
right) who was the daughter of the Earl of Bath. He had five children, two
dying in infancy.
Explorers who land in foreign terrain are often
murdered by frightened foe. Sadly John was murdered aged 55. He sailed for the
East Indies as pilot to Sir Edward Michelborne and
was killed off Bintan Island near Singapore. He had
seized the vessel of a pirate who killed him.
I’ve walked by his home a couple of times in rain
and shine, the latter being more pleasant. You can’t get much closer to the sea
he loved. I’m not sure if he lived here with this first or second wife. The red
K6 Kiosk telephone box worked.
The view of the River Dart from his
house (I’m not sure what I am doing here)…
Looks better when the sun is out…
I just love a K6 Kiosk…
The backstaff
invented by John…
Looking out on the Rivert Dart where John learnt about the sea and boats…