Permanent historical records ยท Updated 2026-11-03

1580 in England

Explore 12 historical events and records for England in 1580.

Historical records for England in 1580

Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 12 of 12 unique records.

12Unique records
1 of 1Page
8Named events on this page
8Named people on this page
6Places on this page

April

Knighthood

Drake, Francis ยท Deptford ยท Admiral ยท Exploration / Exploration and Discovery

Knighted for circumnavigation of the globe. Elizabeth I knights Drake on the deck of the Golden Hind at Deptford, London

Knighthood

Elizabeth I ยท Deptford ยท Exploration / Exploration and Discovery

Knighted for circumnavigation

June

Circumnavigation

Drake, Francis ยท Cape Good Hope ยท Admiral ยท Exploration / Exploration and Discovery

Rounds the Cape of Good Hope

August

Circumnavigation

Drake, Francis ยท Cape Good Hope ยท Admiral ยท Exploration / Exploration and Discovery

1st person to complete the circumnavigation of the World

November

Papal Force Besieged at Smerwick

Grey, Arthur ยท Smerwick ยท Lord Deputy of Ireland ยท House / House of Tudor

Grey's royal army besieges the foreign-backed garrison at Smerwick after papal troops land to support the Desmond rebellion.

Ralph Sherwin Arrested in London

Sherwin, Ralph ยท London ยท Seminary Priest ยท House / House of Tudor

Ralph Sherwin is arrested after returning to England as a Catholic seminary priest and is imprisoned for his clandestine ministry.

Other events (month unknown)

Bishop

Watson, John ยท Winchester ยท Bishop of Winchester ยท Religion / Church of England

Appointed Bishop of Winchester

Chronicles of England

Stow, John ยท London ยท Historian ยท Humanities / History

Stow publishes The Chronicles of England.

Circumnavigation

Drake, Francis ยท Exploration / Exploration and Discovery

Drake returns with treasure from Spanish ships, Elizabeth's share is 160,000

Circumnavigation

Elizabeth I ยท Exploration / Exploration and Discovery

Drake returns with treasure from Spanish ships, Elizabeth's share is 160,000

Conversion

Allen, William ยท Father ยท Religion / Roman Catholic Church

The 1st Jesuit Priests land in England

Dean

Wilson, Thomas ยท Durham ยท Dean of Durham ยท Religion / Church of England

Appointed Dean of Durham

How these records were prepared

Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.