Thomas Doughty (explorer)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Doughty was an English
nobleman
, soldier, scholar and personal secretary of Christopher Hatton
. His association with Francis Drake
, on a 1577 voyage to interfere with Spanish treasure fleets, ended in a shipboard trial for treason and witchcraft and Doughty's execution.
Although scholars doubt the validity of the charges, and question Drake's authority to try and execute Doughty, the incident set an important precedent: According to a history of the English Navy
, titled To Rule the Waves: How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World by Arthur Herman
, Doughty's execution established the idea that a ship's captain was its absolute ruler, regardless of the rank or social class of its passengers.
, England
in 1577, purportedly on a simple trip to Alexandria. Drake's real mission was to interfere with Spanish treasure fleets in the New World; whether he proceeded with full knowledge and sanction of Queen Elizabeth I, and whether his original intent was the circumnavigation of the globe are still topics of scholarly debate (see Kelsey, "Sir Francis Drake: the Queen's Pirate.") The three men apparently shared responsibility for the voyage but Drake soon assumed the role of commander of the expedition, a matter which caused friction between Drake and the aristocratic Doughty.
Doughty was given command of a captured Portuguese
ship, the Santa Maria (renamed Mary). Tensions between Drake and Doughty worsened when Doughty caught Drake's brother, Thomas Drake, stealing from the captured cargo of the vessel. Drake assumed command of the Mary and reassigned Doughty to command his flagship the Pelican. During the long voyage across the Atlantic, Drake's hostility increased, fueled by the rancor of his brother. Drake eventually demoted Doughty to command of a tiny supply vessel named Swan. This insult proved too much for Doughty to take, and he began to complain bitterly about "the Captain General."
, a natural harbour in Patagonia
in the Santa Cruz Province
of Argentina
on June 20. Doughty's trial began on the 30th; Drake charged Doughty with not only mutiny
, but treason
. Doughty first appealed to be taken with the fleet as a prisoner and tried upon return to England, but Drake refused. Doughty next demanded that Drake show his commission from the Queen allowing him such jurisdiction, which Drake again refused, to which lawyer and friend of Doughty, Leonard Vicary, responded, "This is not lawe nor agriable to justice." Drake responded, "I have not...to do with you crafty lawyars, neythar care I for the lawe, but I know what I wyll do."
The main body of evidence against Doughty is referenced in manuscripts found in the British Library
and compiled in William Sandys Wright Vaux
's edition of The World Encompassed. This material contains a number of statements by Doughty that may have been made in the heat of anger. The statements could be interpreted as seditious, but would not be likely to be judged mutinous by a court of law (examined at length in Robinson and Hannay; the charges are reproduced in Vaux). There were two very damning pieces of evidence: the testimony of Edward Bright, the ship's carpenter, which alone of the accusations Doughty openly denied, and Doughty's own admission that he had disclosed the true purpose of their voyage to Lord William Burghley, a staunch advocate of avoiding trouble with the Spanish. Drake painted the disclosure to Burghley as a betrayal of Queen Elizabeth; nevertheless, the jury of crewmen convicted Doughty of mutiny only, rejecting the charge of treason, and only after Drake prevaricated about whether he would seek Doughty's death.
After obtaining the guilty verdict, Drake convened the jury and produced various documents from English nobility in support of Drake; he did not, however, produce a royal commission, which he claimed to have left on board his ship. Arguing that Doughty was a threat to his life and the expedition in general, Drake demanded execution. The men eventually agreed although some reluctantly; Drake then asked if there were any reasonable proposals of alternate solutions. Doughty himself suggested that he be set loose once the fleet reached Peru
, but Drake refused, claiming that Doughty would alert the Spaniards to their mission. John Wynter volunteered to keep Doughty prisoner on his ship, Elizabeth, to which Drake initially agreed, but qualified the statement by saying that the ship would then have to return to England with no share of the treasure they would gain from attacking Spanish ships. Wynter was soon shouted down by his crewmen, and Doughty's fate was sealed.
Doughty requested that he and Drake receive Communion
together, and as reported by the contemporary account of Francis Fletcher, "And after this holy repast, they dined also at the same table together, as cheerfully, in sobriety, as ever in their lives they had done aforetime, each cheering up the other, and taking their leave, by drinking each to other, as if some journey only had been in hand." On July 2, 1578, Thomas Doughty was beheaded. Shortly thereafter, Drake changed the name of his flagship from The Pelican to The Golden Hind
purportedly to honor Christopher Hatton
, whose crest was the hind, perhaps as an attempt to smooth over the Doughty incident.
Analysis indicates, however, that not all of the men wished to be a part of what was swiftly becoming a pirate raid; John Wynter specifically spoke against it. Kelsey concludes that Drake wanted to set a stern example against indiscipline in the crew; his choice to hold Doughty's trial on the same spot where Ferdinand Magellan
had executed his mutineers was hardly coincidental. Nevertheless, the rest of the circumnavigation was plagued by bouts of dissent. In January of 1580, when Drake became stranded upon a reef off the Celebes Sea
, the ship's chaplain Francis Fletcher gave a sermon connecting their woes to the unjust demise of Doughty. For this action, Drake not only relieved Fletcher of his duties but chained him to a hatch cover and, despite his obvious lack of authority to do so, pronounced him excommunicated.
The Doughty incident continued to haunt Drake upon his return to England. There, John Doughty, brother of the deceased, sought legal recourse
, but the action was dismissed upon a technicality. There was also gossip about the inexplicable promotion of the carpenter, Edward Bright, to the position of master of the ship Marigold, which was inevitably read as a payment for falsifying testimony against Doughty. Drake was never able to produce documents showing he had clear authority to act as he did. There was even a rumor, almost certainly false, that Drake was under hire by the Earl of Leicester
to kill Doughty. According to the contemporary screed Leicester's Commonwealth
(1584), Leicester desired Doughty's death because Doughty could incriminate him in the alleged murder of Walter Devereux, Earl of Essex
. John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester
, refers to the Doughty incident in his poem "Portsmouth's Looking Glass," as if it is a casual reference to judicial malfeasance that his readership will immediately recognize.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
nobleman
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
, soldier, scholar and personal secretary of Christopher Hatton
Christopher Hatton
Sir Christopher Hatton was an English politician, Lord Chancellor of England and a favourite of Elizabeth I of England.-Early days:...
. His association with Francis Drake
Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also carried out the...
, on a 1577 voyage to interfere with Spanish treasure fleets, ended in a shipboard trial for treason and witchcraft and Doughty's execution.
Although scholars doubt the validity of the charges, and question Drake's authority to try and execute Doughty, the incident set an important precedent: According to a history of the English Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, titled To Rule the Waves: How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World by Arthur Herman
Arthur Herman
Arthur L. Herman is an American Ph.D., author and lecturer. His father had been a professor and had once spent a semester at Edinburgh University...
, Doughty's execution established the idea that a ship's captain was its absolute ruler, regardless of the rank or social class of its passengers.
Source of conflict
Doughty befriended Drake during Drake's military actions in Ireland. Drake, Doughty and a third man, John Wynter left PlymouthPlymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1577, purportedly on a simple trip to Alexandria. Drake's real mission was to interfere with Spanish treasure fleets in the New World; whether he proceeded with full knowledge and sanction of Queen Elizabeth I, and whether his original intent was the circumnavigation of the globe are still topics of scholarly debate (see Kelsey, "Sir Francis Drake: the Queen's Pirate.") The three men apparently shared responsibility for the voyage but Drake soon assumed the role of commander of the expedition, a matter which caused friction between Drake and the aristocratic Doughty.
Doughty was given command of a captured Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
ship, the Santa Maria (renamed Mary). Tensions between Drake and Doughty worsened when Doughty caught Drake's brother, Thomas Drake, stealing from the captured cargo of the vessel. Drake assumed command of the Mary and reassigned Doughty to command his flagship the Pelican. During the long voyage across the Atlantic, Drake's hostility increased, fueled by the rancor of his brother. Drake eventually demoted Doughty to command of a tiny supply vessel named Swan. This insult proved too much for Doughty to take, and he began to complain bitterly about "the Captain General."
Charges
When the Swan became separated from the rest of the fleet during a severe storm, Drake became convinced that Doughty was practising witchcraft. On May 17, 1578, upon the reunion of the fleet, Drake and Doughty had a final quarrel; Drake struck Doughty and ordered him tied to the mast. By June 3 both Doughty and his brother, John Doughty were under house arrest, the men being forbidden to interact with them entirely. Drake accused Doughty of being "a conjurer and a seditious person" and his brother of being "a witch and a poisoner".Trial and execution
The fleet arrived at Puerto San JulianPuerto San Julián
Puerto San Julián, also known historically as Port St Julian, is a natural harbour in Patagonia in the Santa Cruz Province of Argentina located at . In the days of sailing ships it formed a stopping point, south of Puerto Deseado...
, a natural harbour in Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
in the Santa Cruz Province
Santa Cruz Province (Argentina)
Santa Cruz is a province of Argentina, located in the southern part of the country, in Patagonia. It borders Chubut province to the north, and Chile to the west and south. To the east is the Atlantic Ocean...
of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
on June 20. Doughty's trial began on the 30th; Drake charged Doughty with not only mutiny
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
, but treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
. Doughty first appealed to be taken with the fleet as a prisoner and tried upon return to England, but Drake refused. Doughty next demanded that Drake show his commission from the Queen allowing him such jurisdiction, which Drake again refused, to which lawyer and friend of Doughty, Leonard Vicary, responded, "This is not lawe nor agriable to justice." Drake responded, "I have not...to do with you crafty lawyars, neythar care I for the lawe, but I know what I wyll do."
The main body of evidence against Doughty is referenced in manuscripts found in the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
and compiled in William Sandys Wright Vaux
William Sandys Wright Vaux
William Sandys Wright Vaux FRS , was a celebrated British antiquary of the 19th century.-Biography:Vaux, only son of William Vaux , prebendary of Winchester Cathedral and vicar of Wanborough, Wiltshire, was born on 28 February 1818...
's edition of The World Encompassed. This material contains a number of statements by Doughty that may have been made in the heat of anger. The statements could be interpreted as seditious, but would not be likely to be judged mutinous by a court of law (examined at length in Robinson and Hannay; the charges are reproduced in Vaux). There were two very damning pieces of evidence: the testimony of Edward Bright, the ship's carpenter, which alone of the accusations Doughty openly denied, and Doughty's own admission that he had disclosed the true purpose of their voyage to Lord William Burghley, a staunch advocate of avoiding trouble with the Spanish. Drake painted the disclosure to Burghley as a betrayal of Queen Elizabeth; nevertheless, the jury of crewmen convicted Doughty of mutiny only, rejecting the charge of treason, and only after Drake prevaricated about whether he would seek Doughty's death.
After obtaining the guilty verdict, Drake convened the jury and produced various documents from English nobility in support of Drake; he did not, however, produce a royal commission, which he claimed to have left on board his ship. Arguing that Doughty was a threat to his life and the expedition in general, Drake demanded execution. The men eventually agreed although some reluctantly; Drake then asked if there were any reasonable proposals of alternate solutions. Doughty himself suggested that he be set loose once the fleet reached Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, but Drake refused, claiming that Doughty would alert the Spaniards to their mission. John Wynter volunteered to keep Doughty prisoner on his ship, Elizabeth, to which Drake initially agreed, but qualified the statement by saying that the ship would then have to return to England with no share of the treasure they would gain from attacking Spanish ships. Wynter was soon shouted down by his crewmen, and Doughty's fate was sealed.
Doughty requested that he and Drake receive Communion
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
together, and as reported by the contemporary account of Francis Fletcher, "And after this holy repast, they dined also at the same table together, as cheerfully, in sobriety, as ever in their lives they had done aforetime, each cheering up the other, and taking their leave, by drinking each to other, as if some journey only had been in hand." On July 2, 1578, Thomas Doughty was beheaded. Shortly thereafter, Drake changed the name of his flagship from The Pelican to The Golden Hind
Golden Hind
The Golden Hind was an English galleon best known for its circumnavigation of the globe between 1577 and 1580, captained by Sir Francis Drake...
purportedly to honor Christopher Hatton
Christopher Hatton
Sir Christopher Hatton was an English politician, Lord Chancellor of England and a favourite of Elizabeth I of England.-Early days:...
, whose crest was the hind, perhaps as an attempt to smooth over the Doughty incident.
Aftermath and analysis
The conditions of the case - the initial close friendship of the men, the unlikely amicability of Doughty upon his demise - have inspired numerous theories as to what may have truly transpired between Doughty and Drake. Drake's own family eventually perpetuated the rumor that Doughty had been intimate with Drake's wife, Mary. Other historians have speculated that Doughty was a spy in the employ of Burghley throughout the voyage.Analysis indicates, however, that not all of the men wished to be a part of what was swiftly becoming a pirate raid; John Wynter specifically spoke against it. Kelsey concludes that Drake wanted to set a stern example against indiscipline in the crew; his choice to hold Doughty's trial on the same spot where Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer. He was born in Sabrosa, in northern Portugal, and served King Charles I of Spain in search of a westward route to the "Spice Islands" ....
had executed his mutineers was hardly coincidental. Nevertheless, the rest of the circumnavigation was plagued by bouts of dissent. In January of 1580, when Drake became stranded upon a reef off the Celebes Sea
Celebes Sea
The Celebes Sea of the western Pacific Ocean is bordered on the north by the Sulu Archipelago and Sulu Sea and Mindanao Island of the Philippines, on the east by the Sangihe Islands chain, on the south by Sulawesi, and on the west by Kalimantan in Indonesia...
, the ship's chaplain Francis Fletcher gave a sermon connecting their woes to the unjust demise of Doughty. For this action, Drake not only relieved Fletcher of his duties but chained him to a hatch cover and, despite his obvious lack of authority to do so, pronounced him excommunicated.
The Doughty incident continued to haunt Drake upon his return to England. There, John Doughty, brother of the deceased, sought legal recourse
Legal recourse
A legal recourse is an action that can be taken by an individual or a corporation to attempt to remedy a legal difficulty.* A lawsuit if the issue is a matter of civil law* Many contracts require mediation or arbitration before a dispute can go to court...
, but the action was dismissed upon a technicality. There was also gossip about the inexplicable promotion of the carpenter, Edward Bright, to the position of master of the ship Marigold, which was inevitably read as a payment for falsifying testimony against Doughty. Drake was never able to produce documents showing he had clear authority to act as he did. There was even a rumor, almost certainly false, that Drake was under hire by the Earl of Leicester
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, KG was an English nobleman and the favourite and close friend of Elizabeth I from her first year on the throne until his death...
to kill Doughty. According to the contemporary screed Leicester's Commonwealth
Leicester's Commonwealth
Leicester's Commonwealth is a scurrilous tract that circulated in Elizabethan England and which attacked Queen Elizabeth I's favourite, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester...
(1584), Leicester desired Doughty's death because Doughty could incriminate him in the alleged murder of Walter Devereux, Earl of Essex
Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex
Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex, KG , an English nobleman and general. From 1573 until his death he fought in Ireland in connection with the Plantation of Ulster, where he ordered the massacre of Rathlin Island...
. John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester
John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester
John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester , styled Viscount Wilmot between 1652 and 1658, was an English Libertine poet, a friend of King Charles II, and the writer of much satirical and bawdy poetry. He was the toast of the Restoration court and a patron of the arts...
, refers to the Doughty incident in his poem "Portsmouth's Looking Glass," as if it is a casual reference to judicial malfeasance that his readership will immediately recognize.