MASTER JOHN DAVIS

Summary

In the year of grace 1585, certain honourable personages and worthy gentlemen of the court and country, together with divers worshipful merchants of London and the west country, moved, it is said, by the desire of advancing God's glory and the good of their native land, associated themselves to consult on the probability of discovering the muchdesired passage to the North-west. They decided, that the efforts hitherto made had failed, not from the impracticability of the design, but through neglect of the main objects of the enterprise; and they therefore determined to renew the attempt.

To carry into effect this determination, two barks were purchased. One of them, named The Sunshine, of fifty tons burden, had a crew of twenty-three persons on board, including four musicians; the other, called The Moonshine, of thirty-five tons, had a complement of nineteen hands. Master John Davis, of Sandridge in Devonshire, “a man well grounded in the principles of the Arte of Navigation”, was selected “for Captaine and chiefe Pilot of this exployt”; and he had William Eston for his master. The captain of the Moonshine was William Bruton: his master, John Ellis.

The Sunshine and her consort sailed from Dartmouth on the 7th of June. For some time foul winds were encountered, which opposed the progress of the vessels, and compelled them, twice, to put into Scilly. On the second occasion they were detained twelve days; but the time cannot be considered to have been unprofitably spent.