Martin Frobisher

Sir Martin Frobisher
Sir Martin Frobisher by Cornelis Ketel, 1577
Born	c. 1535 or 1539 Altofts, Yorkshire
Died	15 November 1594(1594-11-15) (aged 55–59) Plymouth, England
Nationality	English
Occupation	Seaman

Sir Martin Frobisher (c. 1535 or 1539 – 15 November 1594) was an English seaman and privateer (licensed pirate) who made three voyages to the New World to look for the Northwest Passage. All landed in northeastern Canada, around today's Resolution Island and Frobisher Bay. On his second voyage, Frobisher found what he thought was gold ore and carried 200 tons of it home on three ships, where initial assaying determined it to be worth a profit of £5.2 per ton. Encouraged, Frobisher returned to Canada with an even larger fleet and dug several mines around Frobisher Bay. He carted 1,350 tons of the ore back where, after years of smelting, it was realised that both that batch of ore and the earlier one he had taken were worthless iron pyrite. As an English privateer/pirate, he collected riches from French ships. He was later knighted for his service in repelling the Spanish Armada in 1588.

Frobisher was born c. 1538, the son of merchant Bernard Frobisher of Altofts, Yorkshire. He was raised in London by a relative, Sir John York.

However, some records question the parentage of Frobisher being Bernard, suggesting instead that his father was actually Gregory Frobisher, Esq., also of Altofts, Yorkshire, by his wife, Ann.

He first went to sea as a cabin boy in 1544. In 1554 he was captured by the Portuguese and spent some time in captivity, after which he set up in business as a merchant in Morocco. He later became a pirate, operating from a port in southern Ireland.

As early as 1560 or 1561, Frobisher had formed a resolution to undertake a voyage in search of a Northwest Passage as a trade route to India and China (referred to at that time as Cathay).

It took him 5 years to gain necessary funding for his project. In 1576, Frobisher managed to convince the Muscovy Company, an English merchant consortium which had previously sent out several parties searching for the Northeast Passage, to license his expedition. With the help of Michael Lok, the Muscovy Company's director, Frobisher was able to raise enough capital for three barks: Gabriel and Michael, of about 20–25 tons each and an unnamed pinnace of ten tons, with a total crew of 35.