Sir John Hawkins
Born in Plymouth in 1532, Sir John Hawkins was an English shipbuilder, naval administrator and commander, merchant, navigator. Following a trio trading voyages to the America’s he helped foil a plot to overthrow Queen Elizabeth the First in 1571 and became a Member of Parliament in the same year. In 1578 he became treasurer of the Royal Navy where he initiated a number of reforms, including a pay rise and better conditions for the enlisted men. Hawkins also instigated a number of technical developments to the fleet, making ships faster and more manoeuvrable. These modifications help defend Britain against the Spanish Armada and Hawkins received a Knighthood for his own role in the sea battles. He later devised the naval blockade to intercept Spanish treasure ships which he saw as vital in preventing Spain re-arming and threatening Britain again.
Hawkins was a charitable man and along with Drake, founded a charity for sick and elderly mariners in 1590 and founded two hospitals were founded in 1592 and 1594. The charitable work of the Sir John Hawkins Hospital continues today, caring for retired mariners in Chatham, Kent. Besides his hospital, Hawkins’s influence is still felt today. He imported both potatoes and tobacco from the Americas and his sailors are thought to have introduced the word “shark” into the English language in around 1569 having visited the Yucatan region of central America.
