John Oxenham ( "John Oxnam", died ) was the first non-Spanish European explorer to cross the

Isthmus of Panama The Isthmus of Panama, historically known as the Isthmus of Darien, is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North America, North and South America. The country of Panama is located on the i ...

in 1575, climbing the coastal cordillera to get to the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

, then referred to by the Spanish as the ''Mar del Sur'' ('Southern Sea'). Departing from Acla (in modern Darién Province), he descended to the Chucunaque River, which Vasco Núñez de Balboa had also used in 1513 to cross the isthmus, first following the coast to the town of Careta, then receiving assistance from the Cimarrones for the crossing itself.

Voyages to the New World

First expedition

In May 1572, John Oxenham joined Francis Drake's expedition to Central America, along with Drake's brothers John and Joseph (both of whom died on the voyage). They left

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

with a total of 73 men in the ''Pasha'' (70 tons) and ''Swanet'' (25 tons), set up an operating base in a creek in the Isthmus of Panama, and raided the Isle of Pines, Cartagena, and Nombre de Dios to divert the attention of the Spanish. With the help of the Cimarrones, they set an ambush on the route for transporting silver across Panama and captured a mule train that was passing during the night. The small guard fled, and Drake sailed back to Plymouth in August 1573 with a significant treasure.La Poesie Espagnole, par John Arthur RAY
site de Archive Internet, consulté le 11 avril 2010.

Second expedition

After participating in Drake's successful voyage, Oxenham launched his own expedition to Panama, leaving Plymouth on 9 April 1576 with an 11-gun frigate (100–140 tons, name unknown) and 57 men,James Seay Dean, ''Tropics Bound: Elizabeth's Seadogs on the Spanish Main,'' The History Press, 2010. Chapter "Undone by Chicken Feathers and a Lady." and after taking some prizes and prisoners, hid his ship and prizes and proceeded on the Panama mainland. The Cimarrones guided Oxenham and his men across the Cordillera de San Blas to the head of the Chucunaque River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean. During the winter, Oxenham's men and their Cimarron allies felled and milled cedar trees to build a shallow-draft 45 foot, oared boat, that they then floated down the river and into the ocean, making Oxenham the first Englishman to build a vessel in the

New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...

; he wasn't the first to sail in the Pacific as Magellan's master gunner was an Englishman. The Spanish were taken completely by surprise, not expecting an enemy vessel in Pacific waters, and Oxenham's crew was able to capture two unguarded

barque A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel with three or more mast (sailing), masts of which the fore mast, mainmast, and any additional masts are Square rig, rigged square, and only the aftmost mast (mizzen in three-maste ...

s with 160,000 pesetas of silver and gold along with other supplies. However, the Spanish eventually pursued Oxenham up the Tuira River, where trash discarded by Oxenham's men and floating down the river gave them away. Oxenham buried the treasure, but the Spanish eventually recovered most of it. Oxenham was wounded in the Spanish attack, but managed to escape with a few crew members and survive several months on the run, until the Spanish captured him, and 17 others, who were taken to

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

in 1578; three boys were spared and 12 others were hanged. He was executed by hanging at

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

on 30 September 1580, along with John Butler and Thomas Sherwell, while his former commander, Francis Drake, was himself in the Pacific on his famous raids in the '' Golden Hind''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oxenham, John 16th-century English explorers English sailors English privateers People of the Elizabethan era 1580 deaths People executed by Spain by hanging