Sir Richard Grenville

Sir Richard Grenville after Unknown artist oil on canvas, 17th century, based on a work of 1571

National Portrait Gallery, London

Quick Facts

Significance:

Led the 1585 fleet of ships to Roanoke Island

Place of Birth:

Bideford, Devon, England

Date of Birth:

June 15, 1542

Place of Death:

Off the Azore Islands

Date of Death:

September 1591

Place of Burial:

Unknown

A cousin of Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Richard Grenville held many jobs throughout his life. He was a soldier, a sailor, a member of parliament, a sheriff, an explorer, an investor, and a privateer. Grenville was also an important part of the 1585 military colony, serving as admiral of the fleet to Roanoke Island. His leadership (or lack thereof) and his quick temper helped set the stage for the 1585-86 Military Colony’s struggles on Roanoke Island.

Born in June of 1542, Grenville was the oldest son and heir of the family. His father, Roger Grenville, died when Richard was about three after the ship, the Mary Rose, sank in 1545. Grenville’s mother, Thomasine Cole, soon remarried and the family moved to Clifton Arundell House. He grew up in this home, leaving at age 17 to go to the Inner Temple and study law. At the age of 21 in 1563, Grenville inherited his grandfather’s estate and began to establish a name for himself. He married Mary St. Leger in 1565, and they had at least five children, four sons and a daughter. By 1566, Grenville began his military career. Between 1566 and 1568, he fought in Hungary against the Turks and then suppressed an uprising in Ireland from 1568-1569. Between these campaigns, he was appointed High Sheriff of Cork. Grenville then returned to England and was elected to Parliament in 1571 as one of the representatives from Cornwall. He also received an appointment as High Sheriff of Cornwall in 1577 and won his re-election to Parliament in 1584. It was also during this time that Grenville was knighted by Queen Elizabeth.

What Sir Richard Grenville is most well-known for is his time as a privateer and explorer. In 1574, Grenville created a proposal for a trip to South America so he could establish English colonies and look for a passage to the “South Sea” (Pacific Ocean). While the patent was initially awarded, it was rescinded a year later so England could continue to attempt to rebuild diplomacy with Spain. However, Sir Francis Drake later received the same patent and made the voyage in 1577. Grenville resented Drake for this and refused to serve with him in any capacity afterwards. In 1585, Grenville agreed to serve as admiral for his cousin, Sir Walter Raleigh’s, expedition to the New World. The fleet contained 600 men, split between seven ships. The plan was to set up a privateering base. Grenville would oversee the sailors, while Ralph Lane would oversee the soldiers. This was not only Grenville’s first time serving as a captain, but it was also his first recorded voyage. It is highly likely he was only given the task because Queen Elizabeth I forbade Sir Walter Raleigh from making the journey himself, and Raleigh wanted someone he could trust.  The fleet left in April of 1585, with Lane and Grenville aboard the flagship, the Tyger.

The voyage encountered problems almost immediately, many of them directly related to Grenville’s lack of experience. While off the coast of Portugal, a storm separated the fleet, forcing them to travel independently and sinking a pinnace. When the Tyger arrived in the Caribbean, Grenville put his own interests ahead of the needs of the crew. Before they landed, he took the Tyger on a side trip to essentially circumnavigate the nearby island of Puerto Rico. Only after that did he land off the coast of the island of St. John and begin construction of a pinnace to replace the one lost in the storm. While this was happening, Ralph Lane was growing increasingly frustrated by Grenville’s continuous delays and lack of focus. Once another ship, the Elizabeth, arrived, Grenville set their course for Roanoke Island. As the ships traveled north, Grenville engaged in privateering, taking time to raid and steal a ship from the Spanish. This angered Ralph Lane, as further delays gave the men less time to prepare for the upcoming winter.

Upon reaching the island of Wococon (present-day Ocracoke) at the end of June, a storm made access to the inlet difficult. The Tyger’s pilot, Simon Fernandes attempted to steer the ship into the inlet but instead he ran the ship aground. Due to Grenville’s insistence that most of the supplies be stored aboard the Tyger, the loss of supplies to saltwater damage was devastating. Grenville blamed Fernandes’s “poor skill” for the damaged ship and lost supplies. Grenville began repairs to the Tyger, further delaying their arrival. Once the repairs were completed in early July, the men continued through the Outer Banks. 

As they made their way up the coastline, the men stopped at Algonquian villages along the way. On July 16, Grenville and his men attacked the village of Aquascococke, burning the homes down and destroying all the crops over a missing silver cup. When they finally arrived on Roanoke Island, he began making plans for returning to England, but promised Lane he would return the following year. At the end of August, Grenville departed Roanoke to return to England attacking a Spanish ship along the way. Grenville and his fleet finally arrived in England in mid-October.

In the spring of 1586, Grenville departed England to return to Roanoke Island to re-supply Ralph Lane and the colony. When they arrived, the colony seemed abandoned. Ralph Lane and the men had left with Sir Francis Drake about three weeks earlier. Angered by the abandonment of the location, Grenville left fifteen men behind with supplies to keep Roanoke Island under English control. Grenville also captured an Algonquian-speaking man whom he called “Raleigh” on this voyage and brought him back to England. On the return trip to England, Grenville and his men raided coastal towns in the Azores Islands. He encountered multiple Spanish captains, who later gave detailed descriptions of him drinking wine, breaking the glasses in his mouth, and then eating the glass shards.

In 1587, Sir Richard Grenville helped prepare defenses along the English coast near Cornwall and Devon as Deputy Lieutenant. Tensions with Spain were reaching a boiling point, and England needed to be prepared for impending war. In 1591, he was appointed Vice-Admiral under Thomas Howard. Howard and Grenville oversaw ships off the coast of the Azores, waiting for Spanish treasure fleets. Off the coast of Flores Island on August 30, a larger Spanish fleet sent by King Phillip II from Spain attacked them. Howard fled, but Grenville refused to back down. He fought aboard his ship, the Revenge, for about twelve hours against fifty-three Spanish ships. The Revenge inflicted significant damage to fifteen of the ships but ran out of powder and lost roughly 40% of the men on board. Grenville, mortally wounded, called for the men to keep fighting. Rather than get themselves killed following Grenville’s poor leadership, they chose to surrender to the Spanish. Sir Richard Grenville lived for a few more days but died in Spanish custody in early September of 1591. 

In the end, his lack of leadership skills and short temper led to his death at sea. Grenville’s overinflated belief in his ability not only affected him but also many others around him. His temper caused the first major rift between the English and Algonquian people, and his lack of effective leadership at sea created much larger ripples in English colonization. Sir Richard Grenville serves as a prime example of not being qualified but knowing the right people, even to the detriment of those around you.