Sir Francis Drake Society

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The Sir Francis Drake Society was an organization which supported research and celebrations related to Francis Drake’s 1579 landing at New Albion in Marin County, California. The Society was operated as an element within the California Historical Society. . [1]

Francis Drake Elizabethan era historical figure

Sir Francis Drake was an English sea captain, privateer, slave trader, naval officer and explorer of the Elizabethan era. Drake carried out the second circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580, and was the first to complete the voyage as captain while leading the expedition throughout the entire circumnavigation. With his incursion into the Pacific Ocean, he claimed what is now California for the English and inaugurated an era of conflict with the Spanish on the western coast of the Americas, an area that had previously been largely unexplored by western shipping.

New Albion

New Albion, also known as Nova Albion, was the name of the continental area north of Mexico claimed by Sir Francis Drake for England in 1579. This claim on the Pacific coast, which became the justification for English charters across America to the Atlantic coast, soon influenced further national expansion projects on the continent. Today, it is known as Point Reyes, California, a marine environment which is the setting of several small towns, ranches, and the Point Reyes National Seashore.

Marin County, California County in California, United States

Marin County is a county located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 252,409. Its county seat is San Rafael. Marin County is included in the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco.

The Society had annual meetings at Drakes Bay and invited speakers related to Drake’s landing. [2] In 1949, the Society erected a cross at Drake’s Beach. Services from the Episcopal Church recognized the first Church of England service in what has become the United States and the first reading from the Book of Common Prayer. [3]

As late as 1980, the Society was promoting Drake’s landing, issuing a commemorative glass bottle filled with Drakes Bay sand, one of which was presented to Queen Elizabeth II.

Officers, notable members

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Drakes Bay

Drakes Bay is a 4-mile (6.4 km) wide bay named so by U.S. surveyor George Davidson in 1875 along the Point Reyes National Seashore on the coast of northern California in the United States, approximately 30 miles (48 km) northwest of San Francisco at approximately 38 degrees north latitude. The bay is approximately 8 miles (13 km) wide. It is formed on the lee side of the coastal current by Point Reyes. The bay is named after Sir Francis Drake and has long been considered Drake's most likely landing spot on the west coast of North America during his circumnavigation of the world by sea in 1579. An alternative name for this bay is Puerto De Los Reyes.

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Bolinas Lagoon lagoon in California

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Point Reyes is a prominent cape and popular Northern California tourist destination on the Pacific coast. It is located in Marin County approximately 30 miles (50 km) west-northwest of San Francisco. The term is often applied to the Point Reyes Peninsula, the region bounded by Tomales Bay on the northeast and Bolinas Lagoon on the southeast. The headland is protected as part of Point Reyes National Seashore.

Tomales Bay

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Drakes Plate of Brass forged plaque allegedly placed by Francis Drake when landing in California in 1579

The so-called Drake's Plate of Brass is a forgery that purports to be the brass plaque that Francis Drake posted upon landing in Northern California in 1579. The hoax was successful for 40 years, despite early doubts. After the plate came to public attention in 1936, historians raised questions regarding the plate's wording, spelling, and manufacture. The hoax's perpetrators attempted to apprise the plate's finders as to its origins. Many presumed the plate to be authentic after an early metallurgical study concluded it was genuine. In the late 1970s, scientists determined that the plate was a modern creation after it failed a battery of physical and chemical tests. Much of the mystery surrounding the plate continued until 2003, when historians advanced a theory about who created the plate and why, showing the plate to be a practical joke by local historians gone awry. The plate was acquired by—and is often on display at—the Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley.

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Sir Francis Drake Boulevard

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Larkspur Landing

Larkspur Landing, also known as Larkspur Ferry Terminal, is the main Golden Gate Ferry terminal in Larkspur, California, in Marin County north of San Francisco. The terminal is a regional hub receiving heavy service from throughout the North Bay for commuter ferries south to downtown San Francisco.

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The Drake Navigators Guild is the historical research group which has used multi-disciplinary methods to research Francis Drake’s visit to the west coast of North America in 1579 and related maritime explorations. Founded in 1949, the Guild’s research supports the long-standing conclusion that Drake’s “Nova Albion” is at Drakes Bay, California. The Guild's efforts build on the research of Professor George Davidson (geographer) and others who have studied Drake's voyage. The Guild’s research has identified the specific careening site at Drake’s Cove within the Bay.

Sir Francis Drake's landing on the west coast of North America in 1579 has drawn the attention of scores of historians, geographers, linguists, anthropologists and other professionals. In addition, many history buffs have sought to locate Drake's New Albion. More than a score of ideas have been put forth—covering the coast from Alaska to Southern California. These ideas span the eighteenth through the early twenty-first centuries.

Sir Francis Drake Association

The Sir Francis Drake Association was a group of San Francisco Bay Area residents and others who promoted the historical Francis Drake's landing at New Albion in Marin County, California in 1579. The Association held a number of gatherings, picnic and pageants between 1914 and 1949.

Larkspur Landing station Planned railway station in Larkspur, California

Larkspur Landing is an under-construction Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit station in Larkspur, California. The terminal station is expected to open in early 2019. It is located across Sir Francis Drake Blvd 12 mile (0.8 km) from the Larkspur Ferry Terminal, from which it gets its name.

References

  1. "400th Anniversary of Departure from England". Fremont: The Argus. 1977-12-17.
  2. Hanna, Warren (c. 1945). "Two San Francisco Bookmen: Oral History Transcript". p. 121.
  3. "100 Marin Residents Make Pilgrimage To Drake's Bay". San Rafael: Daily Independent Journal. 1949-10-10.
  4. Hanna, Warren (c. 1945). "Two San Francisco Bookmen: Oral History Transcript". p. 121.