Ringwood the Rover, A Tale of Florida
Dublin Core
Abstract
**Warning: Some of the language or characterizations in this book are the product of the time when this book was written, and are no longer considered acceptable.**
[In both digital copies, the first few pages are missing.]
This tale opens with Pedro Menendez and companions, watching an unfolding sea battle between a Spanish and English ship. Menendez's son and daughter are aboard and he and his daughter's intended, Juan de Melendez, watch as the battle unfolds. When the English, led by Reginald Ringwood, turn on the Spaniards on-land, he calls for the surrender of St. Augustine and her forts. Menendez wants his children returned to him, but Ringwood wants revenge on Melendez, who proved a false friend in earlier years. In this Gothic dime novel-like melodrama, who will be the hero and who will be the knave?
It is hard to identify specific locations in this story. The descriptions of St. Augustine are vague and potentially inaccurate for the purported time period (1565-1574), but several forts are mentioned, the Old City Gates, and Mantanzas Bay/River (based on the descriptions envisioned, as larger than reality, or the sea battle may have been in the Atlantic meaning St. Augustine is correctly portrayed on Anastasia Island where it was located for a few years).
[In both digital copies, the first few pages are missing.]
This tale opens with Pedro Menendez and companions, watching an unfolding sea battle between a Spanish and English ship. Menendez's son and daughter are aboard and he and his daughter's intended, Juan de Melendez, watch as the battle unfolds. When the English, led by Reginald Ringwood, turn on the Spaniards on-land, he calls for the surrender of St. Augustine and her forts. Menendez wants his children returned to him, but Ringwood wants revenge on Melendez, who proved a false friend in earlier years. In this Gothic dime novel-like melodrama, who will be the hero and who will be the knave?
It is hard to identify specific locations in this story. The descriptions of St. Augustine are vague and potentially inaccurate for the purported time period (1565-1574), but several forts are mentioned, the Old City Gates, and Mantanzas Bay/River (based on the descriptions envisioned, as larger than reality, or the sea battle may have been in the Atlantic meaning St. Augustine is correctly portrayed on Anastasia Island where it was located for a few years).
Creator
Title
Ringwood the Rover, A Tale of Florida
Publisher
Philadelphia: W. H. Graham
Date
Language
English
Audience
Subject
Action or Adventure
Historical
Historical
Coverage
1st Spanish Period
Has Format
References
Gardner, Janette C. An Annotated Bibliography of Florida Fiction, 1801-1980. St. Petersburg, FL: Little Bayou Press, 1983.
Bibliographic Citation
Herbert, Henry William. Ringwood the Rover, A Tale of Florida. Philadelphia: W. H. Graham, 1843.
Collection
Citation
Henry William Herbert, “Ringwood the Rover, A Tale of Florida,” St. Augustine Fiction, accessed June 22, 2025, https://staugustinefiction.omeka.net/items/show/216.