Richard Grenville
Sir
Richard Grenville, b. June 6,
1542, was an Elizabethan sailor, explorer, and soldier. Cousin of Sir
Walter Raleigh. Contemporary of Sir
Francis Drake and
Thomas Cavendish. Founded
Roanoke Island off the coast of
North Carolina. Was originally preparing to circumnavigate the globe in the late 1570's, but
Queen Elizabeth gave the honor to Drake instead. Grenville died in
1592 in the
Azores while on a sailing expedition.