Armada hero Sir Francis Drake has been cancelled by a primary school named after him over his links to the slave trade. Sir Francis Drake Primary School in Deptford, south east London, has changed its name to Twin Oaks Primary School following a poll of parents, teachers and pupils.
The school was originally named after the famous explorer who was knighted in Deptford in 1581 before helping defeat the Spanish Armada’s invasion of England in 1588. Headteacher Karen Cartwright said she was “thrilled” with the name change which she described as an “exciting new chapter.”
The school said 89 per cent of 450 parents, staff, pupils and local residents had voted in favour of changing its name. The new name was originally suggested by pupils because two oak trees grow around its entrance.
The links associated with the school's former name had been "at odds" with its values, according to governors who decided to launch a consultation over a change of name. Pupils will take part in a competition to design a new logo and once this has been done the school’s building will receive a new sign.
In a letter the head said costs would be kept to a minimum, adding pupils would be able to continue wearing their current uniform until they outgrew it and non-branded jumpers could still be worn. For those needing a new uniform, the school hoped a new one would be available from September.
Drake was knighted in 1581 in Deptford for his successful travels around the world. As well as being credited for defeating the Spanish Armada's invasion of England in 1588, he also became the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe.
Following his career as naval officer, he drifted into piracy and was also one of the earliest slave traders, bringing African men and women to work in the English colonies of North America in the 16th Century.
Born in Tavistock, Devon, Drake was Member of Parliament (MP) for three constituencies; Camelford in 1581, Bossiney in 1584, and Plymouth in 1593.
Elizabeth I awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581 which he received on the Golden Hind in Deptford. In the same year, he was appointed mayor of Plymouth. As a vice admiral, he was second-in-command of the English fleet in the victorious battle against the Spanish Armada in 1588. After unsuccessfully attacking San Juan, Puerto Rico, he died of dysentery in January 1596.[6]
Drake's exploits made him a hero to the English, but his privateering led the Spanish to brand him a pirate, known to them as El Draque, "The Dragon". King Philip II of Spain allegedly offered a reward of 20,000 ducats for his capture or death,[8] equivalent to around £7,207,135.56 in 2022.
Between 1560 and 1568 Drake served as a seaman on a series of voyages on the ships of his second cousin, Sir John Hawkins, with whom he had been brought up. On these voyages Hawkins is widely acknowledged to have begun the English slave trade.
The West African slave trade was at this time a Portuguese and Spanish monopoly, but John Hawkins devised a plan to break into that trade, and in 1562, enlisted the aid of colleagues and family to finance his first slave voyage. Drake, 12 years junior to Hawkins, was part of the crew and is mentioned by name in the records. They carried slaves, cloth, manufactured goods and contraband.
Scholar Kris Lane lists Drake as one of the first English slave traders.
Hawkins set up a new slave voyage with a relative of his, John Lovell, in command. Drake accompanied Lovell on this voyage. In 1566–1567, Lovell attacked Portuguese settlements and slave ships on the coast of West Africa and then sailed to the Americas and sold the captured cargoes of enslaved Africans onto Spanish plantations. The voyage was unsuccessful and more than 90 enslaved Africans were released without payment.
Drake accompanied Hawkins on his next slave voyage. The crew attempted to capture and kidnap the inhabitants of a village near Cape Verde, but had to retreat. Hawkins recruited a local king in Sierra Leone to help him forcibly kidnap people, capturing and enslaving over 500 people before setting sail for the Spanish West Indies.
