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Hero or villain? Ask the Spanish what they thought of Sir Francis Drake (c1541 - 1596), and they'll definitely say "villain."

But Queen Elizabeth I loved him - and you can't blame her, as she was one of the main beneficiaries of his high seas plundering.

In fact, Tavistock's most famous son has been dubbed the Queen's Pirate because of his habit of pinching other people's treasure.

Drake was born in Tavistock some time between 1541 and 1543, and went on to become a daring seafarer.

He first went to sea at the age of just 13, and he successfully circumnavigated the world between 1577 and 1580 on board the Golden Hind - a real achievement in those days.

Only Magellan had done this before - and he had not lived to tell the tale.

The statue of Drake in his home town, Tavistock

But it wasn't Drake's maritime achievements which endeared him to the Queen - it was the treasure he presented to her after he'd raided Spanish and Portuguese ships.

Queen Elizabeth I dined with him on board the Golden Hind, and afterwards, she knighted him - much to the annoyance of the King of Spain.

But then, Drake did a lot to antagonise the Spanish.

He helped to see off the Spanish Armada in 1588, and, according to legend, he even had time to play bowls on Plymouth Hoe while preparing for battle.

He died at sea on his final voyage, off the coast of Panama. He had been suffering from dysentery for several days and in January 1596, he died.

His body was placed inside a lead casket and he was slipped overboard.

Historian Harry Kelsey reckons Drake was a "ruthless, arrogant, self-willed, covetous, money-minded, and amoral" man. He goes on to label him a bully and sociopath.

Not that Drake would have cared. His plundering paid for Buckland Abbey - his home in Buckland Monachorum, West Devon, which is now run by the National Trust.

And he's still regarded as a hero by many Devonians. He was the contractor of Drake's Leat, a 17-mile waterway which brought fresh water from Dartmoor to Plymouth.

He was appointed Mayor of Plymouth without being a member of the council, and his statue stands tall and proud in Tavistock and on Plymouth Hoe.

And there's even a replica of the Golden Hind at Brixham Harbour, as an added reminder of Drake's role in helping to expand the British Empire.