Drake's Island as seen from Plymouth Hoe.

Drake's Island lies in Plymouth Sound, the stretch of water south of the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. The first recorded name for the island was in 1135, when it was referred to as St. Michael's, after the chapel erected on it. At some later date the chapel was rededicated to St. Nicholas and the island adopted the same name. From the latter part of the 16th Century the island was occassionaly referred to as Drake's island after Sir Francis Drake, the English privateer who used Plymouth as his home port. From around 1540 the island began to be fortified as a defence against the French and Spanish, and for several centuries remained the focal point of the defence of the three original towns that were to become modern Plymouth. It was from here that Drake sailed in 1577 to return in 1580 having circumnavigated the world. Even well into the 19th Century, maps and other references continued to refer to the island as St. Nicholas's Island and it is only in about the last 100 years that this name has slipped into disuse and the name Drake's Island has been adopted. Plymouth Hoe is a large public space in Plymouth, adjacent to the seafront, commanding magnificent views across Plymouth Sound, of Drakes Island, and across the Hamoaze to Mount Edgecombe Park in Cornwall. ... Plymouth Sound, or just The Sound, is a bay at Plymouth in England. ... This article is about Plymouth, England. ... Devon is a county in South West England, bordering on Cornwall to the west, Dorset and Somerset to the east. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Religion... Events Stephen of Blois succeeds King Henry I. Empress Maud, daughter of Henry I and widow of Henry V opposed Stephen and claims the throne as her own Owain Gwynedd of Wales defeats the Normans at Crug Mawr. ... Guido Renis archangel Michael (in the Capuchin church of Sta. ... Saint Nicholas, also known as Nikolaus in Germany and Sinterklaas (a contracted form of Sint Nicolaas) in the Netherlands and Flanders, is the common name for the historical Saint Nicholas of Myra, who lived in 4th century Byzantine Anatolia, (now in modern Turkey) and had a reputation for secret gift... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... Sir Francis Drake, c. ... This article is about the concept in naval history. ... The French Republic or France (French: République française or France) is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. ... The Kingdom of Spain or Spain (Spanish and Galician: Reino de España or España; Catalan: Regne dEspanya; Basque: Espainiako Erresuma) is a country located in the southwest of Europe. ... The Three Towns is the term often used to refer to the neighbouring Devon towns of Plymouth, Devonport and East Stonehouse, which were formally merged in 1914 to become the Borough of Plymouth. ... Events The church in San Pedro in the Atacama Desert in Chile was built. ... Events March 1 - Michel de Montaigne signs the preface to his most significant work, Essays. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...