Sir Walter Ralegh, writer, explorer and naval commander, was born at Hayes Barton near Budleigh Salterton in South Devonshire, the youngest son of the tenant farmer and privateer Walter Ralegh (1496?-1581) and his third wife Katharine, née Champernowne. In 1569, while still a teenager, Ralegh volunteered for the Huguenot army in France; the war developed into the violent civil dispute known as the French Wars of Religion. In 1572 Ralegh spent time at Oriel College at the University of Oxford. Like many of his contemporaries, he left without taking a degree. From there he proceeded to the Inns of Court in London, the training ground for young men ambitious to serve at court. Ralegh probably never trained as a lawyer, but his first experim

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First published 25 November 2001

Citation: Craik, Katharine. "Sir Walter Ralegh". The Literary Encyclopedia. 25 November 2001.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3700, accessed 9 February 2010.]