Gilbert, who had by the mid-1570s begun…
1578 CE
Gilbert, who had by the mid-1570s begun to apply his Irish colonization schemes to North America, had in 1577 put forth a plan for seizing the Newfoundland fishing fleets of Spain, Portugal, and France; occupying Santo Domingo and Cuba; and intercepting the ships carrying American silver to Spain.
The queen ignores his proposal but in 1578 grants him a six-year charter to settle “heathen lands not actually possessed of any Christian prince or people.”
Straining his means to the utmost, Gilbert finally outfits a seven-ship expedition and on November 19, 1578, sets sail.
He probably intends to cross to North America, but his ill-equipped, badly disciplined force quickly breaks up.