William Borough (1536–1599) was a British naval officer who was

Comptroller of the Navy The post of Controller of the Navy (abbreviated as CofN) was originally created in 1859 when the Surveyor of the Navy's title changed to Controller of the Navy. In 1869 the controller's office was abolished and its duties were assumed by that of ...

and the younger brother of Stephen Borough. He participated in the British attack on

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

in 1587. He was responsible for the drawing of several early maps including one of Russia.University of Toronto Press – Journal Article
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Early life

Borough was born at Borough House, Northam Burrows, Northam,

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, and his childhood experiences of voyages were those accompanying his older brother Stephen Borough and their uncle John Borough.R. C. D. Baldwin, 'Borough, William (bap. 1536, d. 1598)', ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Jan 2008
Retrieved 27 June 2008 In 1580 Borough was appointed

, which post he shared initially with

William Holstocke Vice Admiral William Holstocke (died 1589) was an English naval commander who became the first Comptroller of the Navy in its original role. Naval career Holstocke first went to sea in 1534 as page to Richard Gonson's voyages to Crete and Chios, ...

. In June 1583 he took ten pirate ships into custody and ensured that all ten masters were hanged at

Wapping Wapping () is a district in East London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Wapping's position, on the north bank of the River Thames, has given it a strong maritime character, which it retains through its riverside public houses and steps, ...

. In 1587 he sailed with Sir

Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake ( – 28 January 1596) was an English explorer, sea captain, privateer, slave trader, naval officer, and politician. Drake is best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580 (t ...

and was indicted for mutiny and cowardice but later acquitted and given command of the galley ''Bonavolia''.

Family

In 1571 he married Judith Jones; they had one son and one daughter. He later married Lady Jane Wentworth.

Works

* ''A Discourse of the Variation of the Cumpas or Magneticall Needle'' (1581) �
Internet Archive
(bound with ''New Attractive'' by

Robert Norman Robert Norman was a 16th-century-English mariner, compass builder, and hydrographer who discovered magnetic inclination, the deviation of the Earth's magnetic field from the vertical. Work Robert Norman is noted for ''The Newe Attractive'' ...

)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Borough, William 16th-century Royal Navy personnel 1536 births 1599 deaths

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

Military personnel from Devon Royal Navy officers