This article is about the area claimed by Francis Drake. For the region named by Sir Edmund Plowden, see New Albion (colony). New Albion was the name given to an area of modern-day New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland in the United States where colonization was unsuccessfully attempted under Sir Edmund Plowden under the authority of a charter granted by Charles I in 1634. ...

New Albion was the name of the region of the Pacific Coast of North America explored by Sir Francis Drake and claimed by him for England in 1579. The name is also applied to the settlement Drake founded on the coast. The extent of New Albion and the location of Drake's landing has long been debated by historians, with the most prevailing theory that he landed on coast of northern California. Albion is an archaic name for the islands of Great Britain. The Pacific Coast is any coast fronting the Pacific Ocean. ... Jump to: navigation, search World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is a continent in the northern hemisphere, bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on... Jump to: navigation, search Sir Francis Drake, c. ... Jump to: navigation, search Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: 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 (mid-2004) - Density Ranked 1st UK... Events January 6 - The Union of Atrecht united the southern Netherlands under the Duke of Parma, governor in the name of king Philip II of Spain. ... Jump to: navigation, search State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) Senators Dianne Feinstein (D) Barbara Boxer (D) Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ... The white cliffs of Dover Albion (in Ptolemy Alouion), is the most ancient name of Great Britain, though often used to refer specifically to England. ...

Sir Francis Drake's landing: 1579

Sir Francis Drake 1545–1596.

During his famed circumnavigation of the globe (1577–1580) in which he was ordered to destroy the Spanish flotillas in the New World and plunder settlements, Sir Francis Drake landed on the western coast of North America and claimed the area for Queen Elizabeth I as New Albion. Historians continue to dispute the exact location of his landing. It is often suggested that Drake landed in modern-day Marin County, California, just north of San Francisco, perhaps at Drakes Estero or Bolinas Bay. Other theories suggests that it was farther up the coast. One recent theory advocates that it was in present-day Whale Cove in Oregon. No firm archaelogical evidence has yet been found anywhere on the coast that would establish the location of Drake's landing. Sir Francis Drake File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Sir Francis Drake File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Events February 27 - Battle of Ancrum Moor - Scots victory over superior English forces December 13 - Official opening of the Council of Trent (closed 1563) Battle of Kawagoe - between two branches of Uesugi families and the late Hojo clan in Japan. ... Events February 5 - 26 catholics crucified in Nagasaki, Japan. ... To circumnavigate a place, such as an island, a continent, or the Earth, is to travel all the way around it by boat or ship. ... Events March 17 - formation of the Cathay Company to send Martin Frobisher back to the New World for more gold May 28 - Publication of the Bergen Book, better known as the Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord, one of the Lutheran confessional writings. ... Events March 1 - Michel de Montaigne signs the preface to his most significant work, Essays. ... Jump to: navigation, search Carte dAmérique, Guillaume Delisle, c. ... Jump to: navigation, search Sir Francis Drake, c. ... Jump to: navigation, search World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is a continent in the northern hemisphere, bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on... Jump to: navigation, search Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603) was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. ... Marin County is a county located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. ... Jump to: navigation, search State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) Senators Dianne Feinstein (D) Barbara Boxer (D) Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Drakes Estero is an expansive estuary in Marin County on the Pacific coast of northern California in the United States. ... Bolinas Bay Bolinas Bay is a small bay, approximately 5 mi (8 km) wide, on the Pacific coast of California in the United States. ... Whale Cove is a small cove, approximately one-third of a mile (0. ... Jump to: navigation, search State nickname: Beaver State Other U.S. States Capital Salem Largest city Portland Governor Ted Kulongoski (D) Senators Ron Wyden (D) Gordon Smith (R) Official languages None Area 255,026 km² (9th)  - Land 248,849 km²  - Water 6,177 km² (2. ... Importance and applicability Most of human history is not described by any written records. ...

The western coast of North America had partially been explored in 1542 by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo who sailed for the Spain, but as England was in conflict with Spain and there were no existing Spanish claims yet on the land, Drake decided the area could be claimed. Jump to: navigation, search World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is a continent in the northern hemisphere, bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on... Events War resumes between Francis I of France and Emperor Charles V. This time Henry VIII of England is allied to the Emperor, while James V of Scotland and Sultan Suleiman I are allied to the French. ... Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, in Portuguese João Rodrigues Cabrilho, (ca 1499–January 3, 1543) was an explorer noted for his exploration of the west coast of North America while sailing for Spain. ... Jump to: navigation, search Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: 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 (mid-2004) - Density Ranked 1st UK...

Upon his return to England on 4 April 1581, Francis Drake was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I for his deeds against the Spanish during the circumnavigational voyage. However, in order to keep an uneasy peace with Spain, and to avoid having Spain threaten England's claims in the New World, Drake's logs, charts, and other writings were confiscated. Thus, the discovery and claim on New Albion was ordered by the Queen to be considered a state secret. Drake and his crew were sworn to silence on pain of death. Only years later, after England's destruction of the Spanish Armada in 1588 (in which Drake played a significant role), did Queen Elizabeth allow an official account of Drake's voyage by Richard Hakluyt to be published — though with many of the details obfuscated. April 4 is the 94th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (95th in leap years). ... Events January 16 - English Parliament outlaws Roman Catholicism April 4 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I. July 26 - The Northern Netherlands proclaim their independence from Spain in the Oath of Abjuration. ... Jump to: navigation, search Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603) was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Spanish Armada of Great/Grand Armada (Old Spanish: Grande y Felicísima Armada, large and most fortunate fleet; but called by the English, with ironic intention, la Armada Invencible, the Invincible Fleet) was the largest fleet to date, sent by the Catholic King Philip II... 1588 was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. ...

However, Drake was always uneasy with the misrepresentations in the "official" account, and in 1592, he wrote Queen Elizabeth in reference to "the certain truth concealed, as I have thought it necessary myself." and requesting that the account be rewritten accordingly. The Queen denied his request.

Jodocus Hondius map detail of New Albion, c. 1603

After Elizabeth's death, maps began to mark the area of North America above New Spain and New Mexico as Nova Albion, although the boundaries and locations greatly differ among maps. However, Drake's claiming land on the Pacific coast became the legal basis for subsequent colonial charters granted by English monarchs that claimed lands from "sea to sea" (i.e. from the Atlantic where English colonies were first settled, to the Pacific). However, despite these claims, the English did not establish a colonial presence on the west coast of North America until the 19th century in the Oregon Country. Image File history File links Detail of Jodocus Hondius map of 1589 showing cove in New Albion visited by Francis Drake. ... Image File history File links Detail of Jodocus Hondius map of 1589 showing cove in New Albion visited by Francis Drake. ... Jodocus Hondius (1563-1611, sometimes called Jodocus Hondius the Elder to distinguish him from his son) was a Flemish artist, engraver, and cartographer. ... Flag of New Spain New Spain (Spanish: Nueva España) was the name given to the viceroy-ruled colonial territories of the Spanish Empire from 1525 to 1821. ... 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. ... Oregon Country was a region of western North America that originally consisted of the land north of 42°N latitude, south of 54°40N latitude, and west of the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. ...

Location of New Albion

Despite universal agreement among historians that Drake landed on the west coast of North America, the exact location of New Albion has long remained a mystery, compounded by the lack of any firm archaeological evidence. The most prevalent theory has been that Drake landed in Marin County, California, just north of the Golden Gate. The theory that Drake landed there has long been advocated by the Drake Navigators Guild in California, and most notably by its longtime former president Raymond Aker, who made detailed studies reconstructing Drake's circumnavigation voyage. Advocates of this theory cite the fact that the official published account placed the colony at 38 degrees north. The geography of Drakes Estero, while lies along the coast of Marin County, has often been suggested as being similar to the cove described by Drake. The geographical fit is by no means complete, however, leaving open the question, even among those who support the Marin County theory, as to the location of the colony. Aker maintained that the criticisms of the cove's geography were incorrect, because the configuration of the sandbars in the cove was cyclic over the decades. He correctly predicted in 2001 that a spit of land would reappear in the cove which had disappeared 53 years ago and which more closely resembles that one that appears on the Hondius map. This article is about the strait in California. ... Raymond Aker (March 10, 1920– January 4, 2003) was a U.S. historian who was noted as an authority on the voyages of Francis Drake in the late 16th century. ... The 38th parallel north is a line latitude that cuts across Asia and North America. ... Jump to: navigation, search 2001: A Space Odyssey. ...

Location of Whale Cove, Oregon, a possible location of Drakes landing.

In 1978 British amateur historian Bob Ward, after making an exhaustive study of the geography of the Pacific coast of the U.S. and Canada, suggested that Drake actually landed much farther north, in Whale Cove in present-day Oregon. Advocates of the Whale Cove theory argue that Captain James Cook, when first sighted the American coast at Cape Foulweather two centuries later, described it in his log, with unknowing accuracy, as "the long-looked for coast of New Albion." Whale Cove lies just north of Cape Foulweather. Cook later sailed on to Friendly Cove on Vancouver Island, to be given credit for discovering western Canada. Advocates of the Whale Cove theory dismiss the latitude given by Drake on the grounds that he may have deliberately falsified it in order to deceive the rival Spanish. Drake, they argue, would have falsified the location if he had discovered the Strait of Juan de Fuca and believed it to be the long-sought Northwest Passage. map of whale cove oregon - for New Albion page permission granted to use copyrighted material File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... map of whale cove oregon - for New Albion page permission granted to use copyrighted material File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search Captain James Cook may refer to: James Cook - British explorer, navigator, and map maker Captain James Cook (TV miniseries) - 1987 Australian television miniseries This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... The Strait of Juan de Fuca separates Vancouver Island from the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state. ... Popular Northwest Passage routes through the Canadian archipelago This article describes the route through the Canadian Arctic. ...

In 1997 California environmental engineer Brian Kelleher published "Drakes Bay: Unravelling California's Greatest Maritime Mystery." Kelleher made a very strong case for the Drake Landing at Campbell Cove at the entrance of Bodega Harbor--latitude north 38 degrees 14 minutes. Kelleher's statistical analysis of Drake's determinations of latitude made on land showed that they were within +/- 11 minutes of arc, which made Campbell Cove the only possible anchorage within the determined range of error of The World Encompassed's "38,deg. 30.min." The source of Drake's error in latitude determination was revealed in a 1999 analysis by Bob Graham. Graham retrocalculated solar declinations to find errors in the published tables of Drake's time, and when correcting those declinations for 123 degrees west of London (which Drake could not do), found that at Campbell Cove, in the particular days near the solstice in 1579, Drake would have determined a latitude of 38 30 had he been at Campbell Cove (N38 14). Preliminary magnetometer sweeps of the site by the University of California in 1999 yielded positive results. The site has yet to be examined in detail by State of California archaeologists.

In 2003 Canadian R. Samuel Rawlf used a detailed study of maps of the period to support a theory that Drake voyaged as far north as southern Alaska, and that New Albion was located at what is today Comox, British Columbia, located on Vancouver Island in the Strait of Georgia. If true this would make Drake the first European to reach western Canada, approximately 200 years before Cook. Jump to: navigation, search State nickname: The Last Frontier, The Land of the Midnight Sun Other U.S. States Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Governor Frank Murkowski (R) Senators Ted Stevens (R) Lisa Murkowski (R) Official language(s) English Area 663,267 mi² / 1,717,854 km² (1st)  - Land 571... The Komox are a group of Salishan speaking people in British Columbia. ... Jump to: navigation, search Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Splendour without diminishment) Other Canadian provinces and territories Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Area 944,735 km² (5th) • Land 925,186 km² • Water 19,549 km² (2. ... Jump to: navigation, search Located off Canadas Pacific coast and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia Vancouver Island is, at 32,134 square kilometers (12,407 square miles), the largest island on the western side of the Americas. ... The Strait of Georgia (also known as Georgia Strait and the Gulf of Georgia) is a 240 km (150 mi)-long strait between Vancouver Island (as well as its nearby Gulf Islands) and the mainland Pacific coast of British Columbia, Canada. ...

An Account of Drake's Landing

The following is an excerpt of an account by Francis Pretty, which can be found in its entirety in the article, Modern History Sourcebook: Francis Pretty: Sir Francis Drake's Famous Voyage Round the World, 1580

"Our necessary business being ended, our General with his company travelled up into the country to their villages, where we found herds of deer by a thousand in a company, being most large, and fat of body. We found the whole country to be a warren of a strange kind of coneys; their bodies in bigness as be the Barbary coneys, their heads as the heads of ours, the feet of a want,13 and the tail of a rat, being of great length. Under her chin is on either side a bag, into the which she gathereth her meat, when she hath filled her belly abroad. The people eat their bodies, and make great account of their skins, for their king's coat was made of them. Our General called this country Nova Albion, and that for two causes; the one in respect of the white banks and cliffs, which lie towards the sea, and the other, because it might have some affinity with our country in name, which sometime was so called. There is no part of earth here to be taken up, wherein there is not some probable show of gold or silver.

At our departure hence our General set up a monument of our being there, as also of her Majesty's right and title to the same; namely a plate, nailed upon a fair great post, whereupon was engraved her Majesty's name, the day and year of our arrival there, with the free giving up of the province and people into her Majesty's hands, together with her Highness' picture and arms, in a piece of six pence of current English money, under the plate, whereunder was also written the name of our General.

It seemeth that the Spaniards hitherto had never been in this part of the country, neither did ever discover the land by many degrees to the southwards of this place."

Pretty's description of some of the animals in the area as looking like strange kind of Conies with the tail of a Rat, being of great length suggest that of a muskrat. Those who advocate the theory that Drake landed in Oregon claim that this is further evidence to the connection between Drake's landing and Whale Cove, as muskrats are found in Oregon, and not in California. Binomial name Ondatra zibethicus (Linnaeus, 1766) The Muskrat or Musquash (Ondatra zibethicus), the only species in genus Ondatra, is a large aquatic rodent native to North America, and introduced in parts of Europe. ...

For nearly four decades, it was believed that the "plate" that Pretty describes had been found. The so-called "Drake's Plate of Brass" was revealed to be a practical joke among local historians that got out of control and became a full-blown public hoax. The so-called Drakes Plate of Brass. ... Jump to: navigation, search A popular practical joke is to completely block someones doorway while they are in the room. ... Jump to: navigation, search A hoax is an attempt to trick an audience into believing that something false is real. ...

Related Links

• Sir Francis Drake's Lost Harbor found at Whale Cove
• Forgers of fake Drake brass plate revealed
• Drake's determination of latitude

References

• "The Secret Voyage of Sir Francis Drake, 1577-1580", by R. Samuel Bawlf (Douglas & McIntyre, 2003)