in court that Frobisher had been part of an aborted plot to attack and plunder the Portuguese fortress of Mina where Frobisher had been held captive in 1555. On 30 September 1559 Frobisher married a Yorkshire widow, Isobel Richard, who had two young children and a substantial settlement from her previous marriage to Thomas Rigatt of Snaith. Little is known of their domestic life, but having spent all her inheritance to finance his ventures, Frobisher seems to have left her and her children by the mid-1570s; Isobel's death in a poorhouse in 1588 went unremarked by the ambitious captain. In 1563, Frobisher became involved in a privateering venture with his brother, John Frobisher, and a fellow Yorkshireman, John Appleyard. Appleyard was licensed to seize ships of the French Catholic party and financed a fleet of three vessels. Martin Frobisher captained one vessel and may have been fleet commander. By May 1563, they had seized five French ships and brought them to Plymouth harbour. Frobisher was promptly arrested by officers of the Privy Council because his ship had also participated in the seizure of a Spanish ship which resulted in the death of 40 Englishmen. The leader of this attack was the pirate Thomas Cobham, who gave Frobisher the Spanish cargo of tapestries and wine. Possession of these goods was sufficient evidence to land Frobisher in prison. Frobisher was released from prison in 1564 and 1565 he purchased two ships, the Mary Flower and William Baxter. His stated intention was to outfit the ships for a trading expedition to the Guinea coast. Based on previous experience, officials were skeptical of his motives and when a storm drove him into Scarborough, he was seized along with the William Baxter. His brother, John Frobisher, was captain of the Mary Flower and escaped arrest. Martin Frobisher was once again imprisoned briefly by the admiralty court. On 31 October 1566, Frobisher was again set free on the condition that he refrain from going to sea without a license. In 1568 he commanded the Robert in service to the exiled Cardinal of Chatillon who licensed at least six vessels to prey on French shipping. For a brief time Frobisher associated with other notable privateers including John Hawkins and William Winter. However, Frobisher refused to limit his depredations to French Catholic vessels and also seized Protestant ships carrying English goods. In 1569 he was again arrested by