David Kirke
Sir David Kirke (c. 1597 – 1654), also spelled David Ker,[1] was an adventurer, privateer and colonial governor. He is best known for his successful capture of Québec in 1629 during the Anglo-French War and his subsequent governorship of lands in Newfoundland. A favourite of Charles I, Kirke's downfall came with that of the Crown during the English Civil War and it is believed he died in prison.
Family
Kirke was a son of Gervase (Jarvis) Kirke, a rich merchant of the
While still in England, David married to Sara Kirke. They left for Newfoundland in 1638 and had a number of children, including their sons George, David the Younger, and Phillip.
Quebec campaign
An English fleet, consisting of six warships and three pinnaces, left
However, Champlain argued that the seizure of Quebec by the Kirkes was unlawful, as the war had already ended; and he worked to have the area returned to France. As part of the ongoing negotiations of their exit from the
As a consolation, Kirke was knighted in 1633.[6]
Governor of Newfoundland
Kirke is believed to have visited Ferryland, as he published a report on the island of Newfoundland in 1635.
Kirke was installed as the
Kirke seized the governor's mansion, then occupied by Hill. In January 1638, the king also granted Kirke a coat of arms, "For the greater honour and splendour of that Countrey and the people therein inhabiting … to be used in all such cases as Armes are wont to be by other nations and Countries."
Kirke was granted the rights to "the sole trade of the Newfoundland, the Fishing excepted."[6] The latter words resulted in considerable trouble. At the time the Grand Banks of Newfoundland were being fished by many European nations, and Kirke's 5% tax gave an advantage to the English fishermen in the area. A number of West Country merchants thrived on the fish trade. Represented in London by Kirke, Barkeley, and Company, with several of his brothers in control, Kirke used his land rights to support the fish trade, in conflict with the terms of his charter. By 1638, strong links between Ferryland and Dartmouth, Devon, had already been established. Kirke brought the entire trade network south of St. John's under the control of a growing family commercial empire.[6]
These actions aroused strong animosity from the West Country merchants. The planters and migratory fishermen agreed that Kirke was reserving the best fishing rooms for himself and his friends. In addition, he was accused of opening taverns, which were disruptive to the settlers' work. But before these charges could be investigated, in 1642 the English Civil War broke out between the king and parliament.[5]
Arrest and death
The Civil War ended in 1651, and the Kirkes, as royalists, were on the losing side. Although the merchants' complaints were put aside during the war, they were revived at the end of it, and the Kirkes were no longer protected by the crown.[8]
In 1651 a team of six commissioners, led by Maryland merchant John Treworgie, was sent to Ferryland to seize Kirke and bring him to England to stand trial.[10] His lands were acquired by the Commonwealth of England. Found not guilty, in 1653 Kirke re-purchased the title to his lands. His wife, Dame Sara Kirke, returned to Newfoundland to oversee his business and reclaim his property, but Cecil Calvert, Lord Baltimore, brought new charges against Kirke over the title of the lands around Ferryland.[8] Kirke is thought to have died in the original Southwark jail, The Clink, as early as January 1654, while awaiting trial.[5]
Treworgie was granted the governorship of Newfoundland in 1653; he was already in Ferryland, apparently never having left after 1651.[10] The next year, he and two other commissioners were arrested by James Kirke for holding possession of lands rightfully owned by the Kirkes, and an unpaid debt of £1,100.[5] Treworgie maintained that Kirke's possessions had been returned to his wife, but was found guilty in a first trial. A personal plea to Cromwell resulted in a second trial. The outcome is lost, but it appears that Treworgie was found not guilty, as he continued to serve as governor until 1660.[11] In 1660, Treworgie returned to England to ask for another term as governor and for six year's salary he claimed he was owed.[11] He never returned to Newfoundland.
Aftermath
After David's death, Lady Sara Kirke and her sons took control over the Pool Plantation for the next decades.
The
The
References
- ^ "The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents Volume 5". Archived from the original on 2015-05-29. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- ^ Herald's Visitation of the City of London dated 1 December 1631 (British Library Add MS 5533)
- ISBN 9780722267769.
- ^ a b Kirke, Henry (1908). The First English Conquest of Canada: With Some Account of the Earliest Settlements in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company. p. 42. – Also The First English Conquest of Canada, p. 42, at Google Books
- ^ a b c d e f g Moir, John S. (1979) [1966]. "Kirke, Sir David". In Brown, George Williams (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. I (1000–1700) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
- ^ a b c d e "Sir David Kirke and the Newfoundland Plantation". Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- ^ a b c "The Arms, Seals, and Emblems of Newfoundland and Labrador". Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- ^ a b c "Kirke, Sir David: Governor of Newfoundland, 1638-1651". Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-679-31220-8.
- ^ a b "Treworgie, John: Governor of Newfoundland, 1653-1660". Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- ^ a b Cell, Gillian T. (1979) [1966]. "Treworgie, John". In Brown, George Williams (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. I (1000–1700) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
External links
- Media related to David Kirke at Wikimedia Commons