Back مارتن فروبيشر Arabic مارتن فروبيشر ARZ Martin Frobisher AVK Martin Frobişer Azerbaijani Мартин Фробишър Bulgarian Martin Frobisher Catalan Martin Frobisher Czech Martin Frobisher Welsh Martin Frobisher Danish Martin Frobisher German
Sir Martin Frobisher | |
|---|---|
.png) Sir Martin Frobisher by Cornelis Ketel, 1577 | |
| Born | c. 1535 or 1539 |
| Died | 22 November 1594 (aged 55–59) Plymouth, England |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation | Seaman |
| Spouses | Isobel Richard (m. 1559–1588)Dorothy Wentworth (m. 1590) |
| Parent(s) | Bernard Frobisher and Margaret York |
| Signature | |
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Sir Martin Frobisher (/ˈfroʊbɪʃər/; 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 short tons (180 t) of it home on three ships, where initial assaying determined it to be worth a profit of £5.20 per ton (equivalent to £1,900 per ton in 2023).[3] 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.
- ^ McDermott (2001a), pp. 7, 478.
- ^ Marsh, James H.; Panneton, Daniel (18 December 2015). "Sir Martin Frobisher". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada.
- ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.