Completed on May 30, 1588, the document leaves all of Drake’s land and belongings to his wife and brother. The document was made as he prepared to sail against the invading fleet.
A US collector is offering the will and testament through the dealership Moments in Time, which specialises in valuable autographs and letters. It is offered for $1.6m (£1.18m).
It reads in part: “For as much as I am now presently bound unto the seas for special service of her majesty and that during the time of my absence sundry things are to be done which I cannot supply in person, I have therefore thought good upon the singular trust and confidence which I have of Dame Elizabeth, my wife and Thomas Drake gent., my brother, to authorize and depute them.”
