19/05/2026
🗺️ John Davis: Who boldly went where no Devon man had gone before.
Sandridge, Stoke Gabriel. A small farm up the river from Dartmouth. Not exactly where you’d expect to find the home of one of the greatest explorers of his time.
In summer 1585, John Davis sailed out of Dartmouth harbour chasing a dream: was there a Northwest Passage through the Arctic connecting the Atlantic to the Pacific? Find it, and England’s merchants could reach the fabled riches of China and the East Indies.
Each summer for three years he pushed further north than any known European had ever been, exploring the coasts of Greenland, Baffin Island, Labrador, deep into the Arctic. In 1587 he wrote back with confidence: the sea was open, the passage was real.
He was also a decent human being. Where other explorers brought fear and distrust, Davis brought curiosity; learning the language of the Inuit people he met, treating them with respect, and coming home with almost all his ships and men intact.
His life took another course, so he never made it back to the Arctic. But the Davis Strait carries his name, a permanent mark on the map for the Devon boy from the banks of the Dart who became a great explorer.
And that passage he staked his reputation on? He was right. In 2025, the Scott Polar Institute recorded 465 transits of the Northwest Passage, opened up by melting ice.
📸: DHRG
