35 Facts About Richard Grenville

Sir Richard Grenville, spelt Greynvile, Greeneville, and Greenfield, was an English privateer and explorer.

Richard Grenville subsequently participated in the plantations of Ireland specifically the Munster plantations, the English colonisation of the Americas and the repulse of the Spanish Armada.

Richard Grenville served as Member of Parliament for Cornwall, High Sheriff for County Cork and Sheriff of Cornwall.

In 1591, Richard Grenville died at the battle of Flores fighting against an overwhelmingly larger Spanish fleet near the Azores.

Richard Grenville was the grandfather of Sir Bevil Richard Grenville, a prominent military officer during the English Civil War.

The ancient Richard Grenville family were lords of the manors of Bideford in Devon and of Stowe, Kilkhampton in Cornwall.

Richard Grenville was a cousin of Sir Walter Raleigh and the privateer and explorer Humphrey Gilbert.

At age 17, Richard Grenville began law studies at the Inner Temple.

Richard Grenville was appointed High Sheriff of Cork in 1568.

At about this time Richard Grenville seized lands for colonisation at Tracton, to the west of Cork harbour.

Richard Grenville sided with the Earl of Arundel and the Duke of Norfolk in 1569 against the Queen's secretary.

Richard Grenville was elected MP for Cornwall in 1571 and appointed High Sheriff of Cornwall for 1576.

Richard Grenville finished remodeling the rest of the interior of Buckland Greynvile Abbey into a suitable home for his growing family.

Richard Grenville decorated it with navigational themes in the plaster on the ceilings, the Greynvile coat of arms on the mantle pieces, as well as a knight in repose against a tree.

Richard Grenville played a major role in the transformation of the small fishing port of Bideford in north Devon into what became a significant trading port with the new American colonies, later specialising in tobacco importation.

Richard Grenville was again elected as MP for Cornwall in 1584.

Richard Grenville's renewed efforts beginning in 1588 yielded little success, and Grenville returned to England late in 1590.

That same year Richard Grenville received thanks of the Privy Council and the Earl of Bedford, then Lieutenant of Cornwall, in Ireland for raising troops against Sir Thomas Stukely, styling himself the Duke of Ireland.

In 1585, Richard Grenville was admiral of the seven-strong fleet that brought English settlers to establish a colony on Roanoke Island, off the coast of modern-day North Carolina in North America.

Richard Grenville was heavily criticised by Ralph Lane, general of the expedition, who referred to Richard Grenville's "intolerable pride and insatiable ambition".

On his return, Richard Grenville captured a Spanish ship, Santa Maria de Vincente, which he later brought to Bideford to be converted into Galleon Dudley.

In 1586 Richard Grenville returned to Roanoke to find that the surviving colonists had departed with Drake.

Richard Grenville left 15 of his own men to defend Raleigh's New World territory.

Richard Grenville brought with him a Native American from Roanoke Island to Bideford after returning from a voyage to America that same year.

Richard Grenville named the Native American tribesman Raleigh after his cousin Sir Walter Raleigh.

Richard Grenville's interment was at the same church five days later along with Grenville's daughter, Rebecca.

In 1587, Richard Grenville was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of the West Country by the Privy Council, to organize the defences of Devon and Cornwall in preparation for the expected attack by the Spanish Armada the following year.

Richard Grenville equipped seven ships at Bideford with supplies and more colonists for Raleigh's "Planters" Colony settled at Roanoke the previous year.

Richard Grenville led five of these ships to Plymouth to join the English defences and returned to Bideford where he provisioned the remaining two ships for Roanoke, a voyage that later turned back after being raided by the French.

Later that year, Richard Grenville was commissioned to keep watch at sea on the western approaches to the Bristol Channel in case of the return of the Spanish Armada.

Richard Grenville was appointed Vice-Admiral of the Fleet under Thomas Howard.

Richard Grenville was charged with maintaining a squadron at the Azores to waylay the return to Spain of the South American treasure fleets.

Richard Grenville took command of Revenge, a galleon considered to be a masterpiece of naval construction.

Richard Grenville's crew was reduced by nearly 100 men due to sickness on shore, but he chose nonetheless to confront the far superior Spanish force.

Richard Grenville died of his wounds several days later, screaming that his men were "traitors and dogs", but the Spanish were not to enjoy their success, nor would Richard Grenville's men survive their deliverance.