Sir Walter Raleigh the Privateer and Explorer for Kids ***

Sir Walter Raleigh the Privateer & Explorer - Fun Facts for Kids !

Sir Walter Raleigh Fact 1:

Walter Raleigh was born at Hayes Barton near Budleigh Salterton in Devon around 1552. He was the youngest of five sons, three of which were his half brothers.

Sir Walter Raleigh Fact 2:

In 1568 Walter Raleigh entered Oriel College Oxford, but left within a year.

Sir Walter Raleigh Fact 3:

In 1569 Walter Raleigh travelled to France with a group of English volunteers, including his cousin Henry Champernown, and fought with the Huguenots. Walter Raleigh witnessed several battles, but was living back in London by 1572.

Sir Walter Raleigh Fact 7:

Around this time he fathered an illegitimate daughter to a local woman, Alice Goold, reputed to be the daughter of Justice James Goold.

Sir Walter Raleigh Fact 8:

Walter Raleigh returned from Ireland in 1581 and became a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I at court.

Sir Walter Raleigh Fact 9:

In 1584, Walter Raleigh sent a reconnaissance expedition to North America. The two captains, Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe, sailed to Florida via the Canary Islands and then followed the coast up to, what is now known as, North Carolina. At the time he named the area Virginia, in honour of Elizabeth I the virgin Queen.

Sir Walter Raleigh Fact 12:

Also In 1586, following redistribution of the lands seized during the rebellion, Sir Walter Raleigh gained large areas of land in Munster. These included the towns of Youghal and Lismore, and in 1587, he was appointed Captain of the Queen’s Guard.

Sir Walter Raleigh Fact 13:

Sir Walter Raleigh commissioned a ship, named the Ark Raleigh, which was launched in 1587. The Queen purchased the ship from Raleigh for £5,000, renaming it the Ark Royal.

Sir Walter Raleigh Fact 14:

Also in 1587, Sir Walter Raleigh sent a second expedition to attempt a settlement on Roanoke Island. John White went as Governor, along with a wider range of settlers. White returned to England for more supplies, intending to return to Roanoke within a year. At this time the Spanish Armada was expected, so Queen Elizabeth I ordered all ships to remain in port in case they were needed. Following England’s victory, White returned to sea. He was held up again when the crew insisted on sailing to Cuba with a view to capturing Spanish ships laden with treasure. They’d heard about these treasure ships from their pilot, who’d been hired by Sir Walter Raleigh. When White finally reached Roanoke after three years away, the settlers had disappeared.

Sir Walter Raleigh Fact 15:

Sir Walter Raleigh was appointed Vice Admiral of Devon during 1588, and charged with taking care of the coastal defences.

Sir Walter Raleigh Fact 18:

On 6th February 1595, Sir Walter Raleigh set sail for South America in search of the fabled ‘El Dorado’. He explored what is now known as Venezuela and Guyana, and when he’d returned to England, wrote a book ‘The Discovery of Guiana’.

Sir Walter Raleigh Fact 19:

In 1596, Sir Walter Raleigh took part in the successful capture of Cadiz, where he was seriously wounded. Following this he found favour at court again, and went on to participate as Rear Admiral, in the failed Islands Voyage to the Azores, in 1597. Sir Walter went on to become a Member of Parliament for Dorset in the same year.

Sir Walter Raleigh Fact 20:

In 1600, Sir Walter Raleigh became the Governor of Jersey in the Channel Islands, and in 1601 became a Member of Parliament for Cornwall. By then, he'd also come back into favour with the Queen.

Sir Walter Raleigh Fact 21:

In 1603, Queen Elizabeth I died and was succeeded by James I, who disliked Raleigh.

Sir Walter Raleigh Fact 25:

Sir Walter Raleigh was brought back to London, and on 29th October 1618, was beheaded in the Old Palace Yard at Westminster Palace.

Sir Walter Raleigh Fact 26:

Sir Walter Raleigh was buried in the churchyard at Beddington, Surrey, near the home of Lady Raleigh. Later Raleigh’s body was exhumed and interred in St Margaret’s church in Westminster, where his tomb remains today.