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An engraving from Holland's Hweerologia, titled "Thomas Candish, Armiger. Animum fortuna sequatur," (The soul follows chance).

Sir Thomas Cavendish (or Candish) (1555-1592) was born in Trimley St. Martin near Ipswich, Suffolk, England. He was a descendant of Roger Cavendish, brother to Sir John Cavendish from whom the Dukes of Devonshire and the Dukes of Newcastle derive their family name of Cavendish.

Thomas Cavendish was known as "the Navigator". Cavendish was the first deliberate circumnavigator. While others had preceded Cavendish in circumnavigating the globe, this had not been their intent at the outset of their voyages. For example, Cavendish circumnavigated the globe shortly after Francis Drake, but Drake's circumnavigation was completed only as the safest and most expedient route home.

Cavendish inherited a fortune from his father, but spent it all on luxurious living. He determined to make another fortune at sea. He purchased a ship and took part in Sir Richard Grenville's 1585 expedition to Virginia.

The following year, in July 1586 Cavendish sailed with three ships for the Pacific, where he burned three Spanish towns and thirteen ships. In 1587 he visited the ruins of the failed Spanish settlement of Rey Don Felipe and renamed it Port Famine. Cavendish went on his journey just to find land.

He captured the galleon Santa Anna off Cabo San Lucas, looting the ship of its valuable cargo (which included 122,000 silver dollars). He then sailed across the Pacific, through the Indian Ocean and around the Cape of Good Hope, reaching England on 9 September 1588 with only one of his ships, the Desire. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I for his actions against the Spanish. Off Cabo, Cavendish took with him two Japanese adventurers, only known by their Christian names, Christopher and Cosmas, who accompanied him during his expeditions between 1587 and 1591.

He sailed on a second expedition in August 1591 on the Lester, accompanied by John Davis on the Desire. They reached the Brazil harbour port of Santos, which they looted. Going further south to the Strait of Magellan, the Lester nearly foundered. Cavendish then returned to Brazil, where he lost most of his crew in a battle against the Portuguese. He set off across the Atlantic towards Saint Helena with the remainder of the crew, but died off Ascension Island. John Davis continued on and discovered the Falkland Islands, before returning to England with most of his crew lost to starvation and illness.

• History of Thomas Cavendish

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