Ye Preposterous Plate of Brasse

Above, Sir Francis Drake, by Nicholas Hilliard, 1581.

An internal joke between members of the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus became, unintentionally, perhaps the greatest practical joke ever devised by the Order.

That was the forgery of the plate of brass by explorer Sir Francis Drake.

From Wikipedia:

The so-called Drake's Plate of Brass is a forgery that purports to be the brass plaque that Francis Drake posted upon landing in Northern California in 1579. The hoax was successful for 40 years, despite early doubts. After the plate came to public attention in 1936, historians raised questions regarding the plate's wording, spelling, and manufacture. The hoax's perpetrators attempted to apprise the plate's finders as to its origins. Many presumed the plate to be authentic after an early metallurgical study concluded it was genuine. In the late 1970s, scientists determined that the plate was a modern creation after it failed a battery of physical and chemical tests. Much of the mystery surrounding the plate continued until 2003, when historians advanced a theory about who created the plate and why, showing the plate to be a practical joke by local historians gone awry. The plate was acquired by and is often on display at the Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley.

The plate that came to light in the 1930s matched the description in the historical record in many ways. It was made of brass, with lettering that appeared to have been chiseled into its face. There was the hole for a sixpence coin, and the text contained all the content that Fletcher described:

BEE IT KNOWNE VNTO ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS.

IVNE.17.1579

BY THE GRACE OF GOD AND IN THE NAME OF HERR

MAIESTYQVEEN ELIZABETH OF ENGLAND AND HERR

SVCCESSORS FOREVER, I TAKE POSSESSION OF THIS

KINGDOME WHOSE KING AND PEOPLE FREELY RESIGNE

THEIR RIGHT AND TITLE IN THE WHOLE LAND VNTO HERR

MAIESTIEES KEEPEING. NOW NAMED BY ME AN TO BEE

KNOWNE V(N) TO ALL MEN AS NOVA ALBION.

G. FRANCIS DRAKE

(Hole for sixpence)

According to the 2002 account, the plate was intended to be a joke among members of a playful fraternity of California history enthusiasts, the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus ("ECV"). The ECV had originated during the 1849 California Gold Rush and was revived in the 1930s by Carl Wheat, George Ezra Dane, and Leon Whitsell as a fraternity of historians and Western lore enthusiasts. ECV describes itself as "dedicated to the erection of historical plaques, the protection of widows and orphans, especially the widows, and having a grand time while accomplishing these purposes." Pranks at fellow Clampers' expense were a regular part of the group's activities.

George Ezra Dane, an ECV leader, was blamed for initiating the hoax as a joke intended for fellow "Clamper" Herbert Bolton to find. The plate was likely made by George Clark in his workshop in 1917 working with Bolton's design.

Above, the Plate of Brass.

To read more, go here. 

Drake's Plate of Brass: A 70-Year Old ECV Hoax

Above, modern day Clampers Glenn Thornhill, Abe
Hoffman and yours truly in Amboy, California in 2007.

Almost ten and a half years ago, the mystery of Drake's Plate of Brass was finally solved.

The Los Angeles Times reported at the time:

BERKELEY — After 11 years of research, a group of California historians announced Tuesday they have unraveled one of the most bedeviling hoaxes in recent American history, answering the question, "Who Made Drake's Plate of Brass?" 

Four researchers released a 17-page journal article pointing the finger at an obscure society of drinking men known as E. Clampus Vitus. Seventy years ago, the group forged and inscribed "Drake's Plate" as a bit of whimsy on the historical record and on the story of Sir Francis Drake.

It just so happens I've been a member of E Clampus Vitus since 1984.  Since I came into the order about forty years later, long after the Drake's Plate hoax was perpetuated, I can claim no involvement.

Over the years, many scholars have argued whether the plate was authentic or not.  American Heritage.com posted this 1959 article, which reads in part:

The discovery of Drake’s “plate of brass,” if this indeed was it, was announced at a meeting of the California Historical Society in April, 1937, and a fund was collected by several society members to purchase the plate and present it to the university. Metallurgical examination subsequently confirmed the age of the plate, and one further objection to its authenticity—the fact that it turned up where it did, inland from the sea—was removed when William Caldeira, a chauffeur, came forward to announce that he himself had found it three years earlier and thrown it away near San Quentin when his employer showed no interest. The spot where he claimed originally to have come upon the plate was not far from the bend in the coast that is known—apparently with good reason—as Drake’s Bay.

Here's a photo of the plate:

Here's another interesting article on the plate.

In February 2003, the San Francisco Chronicle published an article revealing that the brass plate was a hoax by E Clampus Vitus members:

It involves the mysterious "Plate of Brasse" supposedly left by Sir Francis Drake in Marin County 424 years ago when he claimed what he called New Albion for England. The plate was discovered near San Quentin prison in 1936 and hailed by Professor Herbert Bolton as "one of the world's long-lost treasures. " He called it authentic "beyond all reasonable doubt." 

Bolton died in 1953, full of years and honors. The plate was accepted as genuine until 1977 when new tests showed it to be a forgery -- for one thing, the brass had been rolled in the 20th century, not the 16th. It was a huge embarrassment for the university and the historical community. 

There was one last mystery: No one knew who was behind the hoax or why. 

Now, four historians writing in the official magazine of the California Historical Society say they have figured it out -- the brass plate was a practical joke played on Bolton by several of his colleagues who were members of the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus, an organization that mixed history with strong drink and jokes. 

Bolton himself was a Clamper, with the title of Grand Royal Historian of the group's Yerba Buena chapter. 

 To read the full Chronicle article, go here.

Today, members of E Clampus Vitus erect plaques in various western state counties (where there's an ECV chapter).  The Los Angeles County chapter is Platrix Chapter No. 2.