Richard Hawkins

SIR RICHARD HAWKINS (1562-1622), like his father, Sir John Hawkins, was an English sea-captain. He sailed with Francis Drake in Drakes 1585 West Indies expedition, captained one of the Queen's ships during the Armada engagements, and was captain of a ship in his father's fleet in the Azores in 1590.

He is known for a venture begun in 1593, inwhich he entered the Pacific via the Falkland Islandsthe Straits of Magellan, attacked the Spanish settlement of Valparaiso (Chile) then fought his way up the South American coast until captured. He was ransomed in 1603 after imprisonment in Lima and Spain. He was knighted on his return to England and his published account of the expedition became a classic.

He later became a member of parliament (his grandfather had been mayor of Plymouth) but spent time fighting the corsairs off the Barbary coast and was still heavily involved with the navy when he died.