Sir Humphrey Gilbert arrives in Newfoundland

February 9, 2017

Sir Humphrey Gilbert, 1802. Library and Archives Canada, C-151720

1583

In 1578, the adventurer Sir Humphrey Gilbert (half-brother of Sir Walter Raleigh) was given royal authority to colonize the East Coast of North America. His first attempt was thwarted before it could really begin, but in 1583 Gilbert finally landed in Newfoundland, which he duly claimed for England — the nation’s first possession in North America. He had little time to enjoy his triumph. On the return voyage, Gilbert’s fleet ran into trouble and he was lost when his ship — HMS Squirrel — went down in heavy seas.

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