Peter Easton
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Peter Easton | |
---|---|
Peter Eston | |
Born | c. 1570 Scotland |
Died | c. 1620 Savoy |
Nationality | English |
Occupation | Newfoundland, Caribbean |
Commands | Happy Adventure |
Peter Easton (c. 1570 – 1620 or after) was an English
Loyal service
Peter Easton, who was also known by Eston, had been a loyal servant of the English Crown. His ancestors had served in the Crusades.[citation needed] The Eastons also distinguished themselves against the Spanish Armada.[citation needed]
The Historic Rose Manor based in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland and Labrador, is in close proximity to the fort that once housed Peter and his crew [citation needed].
In 1602, Easton was in command of a convoy as a
Becoming a pirate
On 23 June 1604, after Elizabeth I was succeeded by James I, the king sued for peace with Spain and canceled all letters of commission to privateers. On hearing the news, Easton continued his attack on vessels as though nothing had changed. In so doing, he had crossed the line into piracy.
In his flagship, Happy Adventure, Easton flew the
Easton arrived in the
On one expedition, he plundered thirty ships in St. John's and held Sir Richard Whitbourne prisoner, releasing him on the condition that Whitbourne would go to England and obtain a pardon for Easton. The pardon was granted, but by this time, Easton had moved on to the Barbary Coast to harass the Spanish.
While in Newfoundland, Easton is estimated to have taken as many as 1,500 fishermen for his ships, most voluntarily. Easton continued to protect
On one of his raids, Easton headed for the Azores. Stationing his fleet south and west of the islands, he planned to intercept the Spanish silver fleet. No details of the battle are known except that a few days later, Easton arrived in Tunis loaded with treasure and four Spanish ships in tow.
Retirement to Savoy
Early in 1613 the Duke of Savoy issued a proclamation making Nice and Villefranche free ports and offering asylum and safe conducts to all pirates. On 20 February 1613 Easton sailed into Villefranche at the head of four ships and 900 soldiers, leaving eight more vessels outside the Strait of Gibraltar. Easton met with the duke and agreed to invest 100,000 crowns in Savoy, offering to the duke a percentage of the proceeds in return for an annual income.[5] William Parkhurst, an English agent in Savoy, wrote of him:
"This Easton hath since beene with me: hee seemeth to have the age of 40 yeares: his countenance is rude and savadge (which the Duke tooke notice off), his speech and carriage is slow, subtile, and guilty..."[6]
Easton ingratiated himself with the Duke of Savoy by taking part in a raid on the Duchy of Mantua. Easton was granted a pension of £4000 a year and was sworn to faithful service, becoming a Catholic, marrying an heiress and being created a Marquis of the Duchy of Savoy. Despite this, he remained known at court as 'Il cosaro Inglese' (the English corsair).[7]
Within a month of Easton's arrival in Savoy he had dismissed most of his company. Although he took part in a Savoyard naval attack on Venice later in 1613, he commanded French crews and ships.[8] The expedition was not successful and after this Easton took little part in maritime affairs. Nevertheless, he remained in the Duke's employ till at least 1620.[9]
References
- ^ Clive Malcolm Senior, An Investigation of the Activities and Importance of English Pirates, 1603-40 (University of Bristol, PhD thesis, 1973), p. 88
- ^ Clive Senior, A Nation of Pirates: English Piracy in its Heyday (Newton Abbot, 1976), pp. 68-70
- ^ Hunt, E. (1979) [1966]. "Easton, Peter". In Brown, George Williams (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. I (1000–1700) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
- ^ "How a loyal English seaman became Newfoundland's most notorious pirate | SaltWire".
- ^ Clive Malcolm Senior, An Investigation of the Activities and Importance of English Pirates, 1603-40 (University of Bristol, PhD thesis, 1973), p. 88-91
- ^ Clive Malcolm Senior, An Investigation of the Activities and Importance of English Pirates, 1603-40 (University of Bristol, PhD thesis, 1973), p. 390
- ^ Clive Malcolm Senior, An Investigation of the Activities and Importance of English Pirates, 1603-40 (University of Bristol, PhD thesis, 1973), p. 88-91
- ^ Clive Malcolm Senior, An Investigation of the Activities and Importance of English Pirates, 1603-40 (University of Bristol, PhD thesis, 1973), pp. 91-92
- ^ Hunt, E. (1979) [1966]. "Easton, Peter". In Brown, George Williams (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. I (1000–1700) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press. Retrieved 24 September 2013.