White Bear

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First Reading

Second Reading

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

L&M: The White Bear (usually called the Bear), built c. 1563, 1,000 tons; one of the most famous Elizabethan ships, and one of the two largest of the fleet which defeated the Armada.

This engraving is probably of the Bear, by one of the Visschers: https://collections.rmg.co.uk/col…

Christopher and Peter Pett's father, Phineas, was the master-shipwright at Chatham, 1605-1629.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

J.D. Davies is working on another book about the Elizabethan navy, and became intrigued by the names she chose for her warships. The White Bear, Antelope, and the Rainbow are not particularly warlike.

Then he looked at the crests of some of her heroes:
The White Bear is emblazed on that of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.
The Antelope appeared on the coats-of-arms of the Lancastrian kings, especially of the famous hero-king Henry V.

And the Rainbow? It was a symbol for the queen as a bringer of peace, or of God's promise to the world and Elizabeth's role as His representative.

For more about Elizabeth's naming choices, which carry forward to the Royal Navy's ships today, see: https://jddavies.com/2020/02/24/t…

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References

Chart showing the number of references in each month of the diary’s entries.

1667