#OnThisDay

Sir Francis Drake, along with fifty-nine surviving crew members, sailed into Plymouth on 26 September 1580. Drake had circumnavigated the world aboard the Golden Hind, becoming the first British navigator to do so. Along the way Drake had plundered Spanish treasure ships and towns, harbours and ports belonging to the Spanish Empire in the Americas.  Elizabeth I received her share of the ‘booty’ upon his return and Drake in turn was gifted a jewel from Elizabeth, now known as the Drake Jewel. This was an amazing achievement for a commoner such as Drake and reveals his social and economic status during this period.

But, what links the Drake Jewel to English limner Nicholas Hilliard, the cult of ‘Gloriana’, melancholy, and illuminating monks in the twelfth-century?

Listen to the podcast on shrinking to discover more!