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Sir Walter Ralegh (or Raleigh)*, was an Elizabethan explorer, poet and historian (and pirate, although that wasn't an official title, naturally). He was born around 1552, although the date is not quite certain, at the farmhouse of Hayes, on the coast of Devonshire in England.

Ralegh had a chequered career, beginning with his part in the suppression of the Desmond Rebellions in Ireland between 1579 and 1583. In December 1581, Ralegh came back to England from Ireland with despatches as his company had been disbanded. He became a fixture of Court life and a favourite of Queen Elizabeth the First. He was appointed Captain of the Guard, and as Lord Warden of the Stannaries of Devon and Cornwall and given Durham House in the Strand and the estate of Sherborne, Dorset. Ralegh was knighted in 1585.

In 1591, Sir Walter Ralegh secretly married Elizabeth ("Bess") Throckmorton (or Throgmorton), eleven years his junior, one of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting. When the unauthorized marriage was discovered, Queen Elizabeth I ordered Raleigh imprisoned and Bess Throckmorton dismissed from court. While he was eventually released, it would be several years before Raleigh returned to favour. Ralegh and Bess remained devoted to each other until his death, the marriage producing three sons.

After Queen Elizabeth the First's death in 1603, Sir Walter Ralegh was imprisioned and put on trial for treason due to his supposed involvement in a plot against King James. His life was spared, despite a guilty verdict, and he spent the next 13 years in the Tower of London, where he wrote the first volume of The Historie of the World. In 1616, Raleigh was released from the Tower of London in order to conduct a second expedition to Venezuela in search of El Dorado, during which, his men sacked the Spanish outpost of San Thome on the Orinoco. This outraged the Spanish ambassador in the UK, who demanded that King James reinstate Raleigh's death sentence.

Sir Walter Raleigh (or Ralegh)* was beheaded at Whitehall on 29 October 1618. "Let us dispatch," he asked his executioner. "At this hour my age comes upon me. I would not have my enemies think I quaked from fear."

Ralegh is best known for his exploration of the New World (the Americas) and his acts of piracy against the Catholic Spanish. His character, played by Clive Owen, features heavily in the film "Elizabeth: The Golden Age".

*Ralegh's name can be found spelled in over 70 different ways in contemporary documents. Ralegh himself signed it in many various ways, until finally settling on "Ralegh" - it should be noted, however, that Ralegh himself never spelled it with an "i", as "Raleigh". The spelling "Raleigh" was adopted by Sir Walter's widow, Bess, and has been commonly used since.

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Sir Walter Ralegh "H" Portrait T-shirts & Gifts Design by: shakespeareink This version of the portrait attributed to 'H' is presented here for those who prefer the "Ralegh" spelling of Sir Walter Ralegh's name. Available on a wide range of t-shirts and more.	Sir Walter Raleigh: My Kind of Pirate Gear Design by: shakespeareink "Sir Walter Raleigh: my kind of pirate" This original modern take on Sir Walter Raleigh's unofficial career using 16th Century type is available here on a wide range of products	Sir Walter Ralegh: it's an Elizabethan Thing Gear Design by: shakespeareink "Sir Walter Ralegh - it's an Elizabethan thing ..." A range of products with a rendering of Sir Walter Ralegh's name (as he spelled it) using 16th Century type and Shakespeare Shoppe's slogan.
Sir Walter Raleigh: it's an Elizabethan Thing Gear Design by: shakespeareink "Sir Walter Raleigh: it's an Elizabethan thing ..." A range of products with a rendering of Sir Walter Ralegh's name (as his widow spelled it) using 16th Century type and Shakespeare Shoppe's slogan.