Sir Humphrey Gilbert's Voyage to Newfoundland

In Short

This narrative records the 1583 expedition led by Sir Humphrey Gilbert to establish the first English colony in North America. Written by Edward Hayes, captain of the Golden Hind, the chronicle details the fleet's journey to Newfoundland, the formal claim of St. John's harbor, the loss of two ships, and Gilbert's death at sea. It survives as a vital historical document that captures the religious zeal, financial desperation, strategic miscalculations, and extreme environmental perils that defined early Elizabethan expansion into the Atlantic.

The Story

The chronicle opens with a moral and strategic justification for English colonization in North America. Hayes argues that while previous Spanish and French attempts failed due to avarice or divine prohibition, England holds a providential mandate to bring Christian civility to the lands north of Florida. Facing the imminent expiration of his royal patent and financially ruined by an earlier failed attempt, Sir Humphrey Gilbert gathers ships, supplies, and investors, including Sir George Peckham. The fleet departs from Plymouth in June 1583 after two years of cross-accidents and delays.

Disaster strikes early. Raleigh's vessel, the largest in the fleet, deserts the expedition within days due to a contagious sickness. Navigating dense fogs, heavy rains, and icebergs, the remaining ships become separated across the Atlantic. Reunited at Newfoundland in August, Gilbert enters the harbor of St. John's. He presents his royal commission to the assembled international fishing fleets, claims the territory for Queen Elizabeth, erects the English arms in lead, and grants parcels of land to fishermen in exchange for rent. The local English merchants and Portuguese traders provision the expedition with fish, sweet oils, wines, and delicate foods. During this stay, a Saxon refiner named Daniel discovers what he claims is rich silver ore, a secret Gilbert strictly conceals from foreign sailors.

Determined to expand his patent southward toward Cape Breton, Gilbert leads three remaining ships—the Delight, the Squirrel, and the Golden Hind—out of St. John's. However, poor seamanship leads the flagship Delight onto shallow shoals, where it breaks apart in high seas. Nearly one hundred men perish, including the Hungarian poet Stephen Parmenius and the refiner Daniel, along with the expedition's primary supplies, survey plots, and silver samples.

With supplies exhausted, cold weather setting in, and crewmen pointing to their mouths in starvation and distress, Gilbert reluctantly consents to return to England. He vows to launch a grander expedition the following spring, having converted entirely to a vision of northern settlement based on his secret mineral discovery. Refusing to leave the small, overloaded Squirrel, Gilbert stays aboard the frigate through heavy seas. South of the Azores, during a fierce storm on September 9, he famously calls out to the nearby Golden Hind that they are as near to heaven by sea as by land. At midnight, the Squirrel's lights suddenly disappear, swallowed by the ocean. The Golden Hind alone survives the tempest, reaching England in late September to report the catastrophe.

How It Unfolds

A call for righteous ambition Hayes frames the enterprise as an act of divine providence reserved for the English nation, warning that ventures driven by greed rather than religious zeal will face God's heavy judgment.

Preparations and early desertion Gilbert secures assistance from gentlemen investors to assemble ships and victuals in Plymouth, but his largest ship deserts the fleet shortly after departure due to rampant illness.

Taking possession of Newfoundland The fleet arrives in St. John's harbor, where Gilbert displays his commission, levies provisions from English and foreign merchants, and establishes land grants under English law.

The promise of silver Daniel, a Saxon refiner, presents Gilbert with a metal sample he guarantees to be silver, prompting Gilbert to hide the discovery and fix his future plans entirely on the north.

Shipwreck at Sablon The largest remaining vessel, the Delight, runs aground on shoals off the coast due to negligence, sinking with nearly one hundred men, vital provisions, and the mineral specimens.

Retreat amidst hardship Faced with freezing weather, dwindling food, and desperate pleas from ragged crew members, Gilbert orders a return voyage to England while promising a grand return in spring.

The Admiral's end A violent storm overtakes the returning ships, and Gilbert's tiny frigate, the Squirrel, founder in the night with all hands after he bids a final resolute farewell to his fleet.

The survivor returns The Golden Hind navigates severe ocean storms to dock safely in Falmouth, where Hayes reports the tragic losses to Gilbert's brother, Sir John Gilbert.

The People

• Sir Humphrey Gilbert

The expedition's General and patent holder, driven by a desire to plant an English colony, secure his expiring royal patent, and claim American territory. He faces financial ruin, severe supply shortages, mutinous crew members, and harsh Atlantic weather. He evolves from an open explorer into a resolute leader obsessed with northern silver, ultimately choosing to share the extreme physical dangers of his smallest vessel until his death at sea.

• Edward Hayes

The author of the narrative, captain and owner of the Golden Hind, and Rear-Admiral of the fleet. He seeks to complete the voyage safely while documenting its occurrences to vindicate the colonial cause. He contends with terrifying fogs, navigation risks, missing ships, and the despair of his crew, emerging as the sole surviving captain to deliver a balanced judgment on Gilbert's virtues and tragic errors.

• Daniel the Saxon

An honest refiner and mineral expert tasked with searching the wilderness for valuable metals. He seeks to prove the financial worth of the new territory to Gilbert and his followers. Though he successfully identifies what he claims is silver ore, he loses his life along with his samples in the wreck of the Delight.

• Stephen Parmenius

A Hungarian poet from Buda who joins the expedition out of piety and scholarly zeal. He aims to compose a grand Latin history of the English discoveries. He perishes during the destruction of the Delight, taking his unwritten chronicle down with him.

In Its Own Voice

"The frigate was near cast away, oppressed by waves, yet at that time recovered; and giving forth signs of joy, the General, sitting abaft with a book in his hand, cried out to us in the Hind, so oft as we did approach within hearing, We are as near to heaven by sea as by land!"

Gilbert offers these famous words of Christian fortitude from the deck of his failing ship shortly before it is consumed by the storm.

"Touching the ore, I have sent it aboard, whereof I would have no speech to be made so long as we remain within harbour; here being both Portugals, Biscayans, and Frenchmen, not far off, from whom must be kept any bruit or muttering of such matter."

Gilbert cautions Hayes to keep their potential silver discovery secret from the international crews fishing alongside them in Newfoundland.

"Into which having thus made re-entry, he could not yield again to withdraw, though he saw no encouragement to proceed; lest his credit, foiled in his first attempt, in a second should utterly be disgraced."

Hayes reflects critically on Gilbert's fatal refusal to abandon a compromised expedition out of fear of public dishonor.

What It's Really About

The text explores the collision between high-minded religious idealism and the pragmatic, often grim realities of maritime expansion. Hayes frames colonial exploration as a divine test, arguing that success depends on pure intentions rather than worldly greed. Beneath this providential argument lies an acute study of human error, financial desperation, and executive misjudgment. The narrative examines how leaders make critical decisions under pressure, balancing personal honor and investor expectations against severe environmental hazards. It also captures the competitive European rush for global territory, highlighting how English ambition was fueled by anti-Spanish rivalry, economic opportunism, and the desperate search for precious metals to justify immense capital losses.

Why Read It Today

This narrative offers a striking, unvarnished window into the Elizabethan age of exploration, free from modern romanticism. Readers who enjoy naval history, early American studies, or classic survival literature will appreciate its vivid, authentic detail. Hayes writes with a remarkable balance of piety, tactical observation, and tough-minded critique, presenting a portrait of early colonization that is simultaneously courageous and deeply flawed.

The text presents very few barriers for modern readers beyond Elizabethan spelling conventions, early modern vocabulary, and period-typical religious framing. Rather than presenting a smooth tale of triumph, the work leaves a haunting impression of the sheer fragility of early transatlantic voyages. The images of Gilbert sitting on a plunging deck with a book in his hand, and the sudden disappearance of his ship's lights into a stormy midnight ocean, remain among the most enduring and poignant scenes in early colonial literature.