Martin Frobisher

Sir Martin Frobisher was an English seaman and privateer who made three voyages to the New World to look for the Northwest Passage. All landed in northeastern Canada, around todays Resolution Island and Frobisher Bay. On his second voyage, Frobisher found what he thought was gold ore and carried 200 tons of it home on three ships, where initial assaying determined it to be worth a profit of 5.2 per ton. Encouraged, Frobisher returned to Canada with an even larger fleet and dug several mines around Frobisher Bay. He carted 1,350 tons of the ore back where, after years of smelting, it was realised that both that batch of ore and the earlier one he had taken were worthless iron pyrite. As an English privateerpirate, he collected riches from French ships. He was later knighted for his service in repelling the Spanish Armada in 1588.

Frobisher was born c. 1538, the son of merchant Bernard Frobisher of Altofts, Yorkshire. He was raised in London by a relative, Sir John York.

Source: Wikipedia