1570's

Updated: June 20, 2025

Tobacco was probably first brought to the shores of England from Florida by Sir John Hawkins in 1565. Englishmen were growing it by the 1570's, and after the return of the daring Sir Francis Drake to England with a large quantity of tobacco captured in the West Indies in 1586, the use of tobacco in England was increased substantially.

G. Melvin Herndon - Tobacco in Colonial Virginia: "The Sovereign Remedy"