William Parker (privateer)

This article uses bare URLs, which are uninformative and vulnerable to link rot. Please consider converting them to full citations to ensure the article remains verifiable and maintains a consistent citation style. Several templates and tools are available to assist in formatting, such as reFill (documentation) and Citation bot (documentation). (August 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

William Parker (died 24 September 1618) was an English captain and

He was born near Plymouth and was a member of the lesser gentry but he became one of the owners of the Merchants house

In the 1590s Captain Parker sailed the West Indies taking several prizes. He also plundered

Captain Parker next captured Portobello in February 1601. Portobello was a very important port being the departure point from which Peruvian treasure left for Spain. Captain Parker then sailed to Panama and plundered Saint Vincent in the Cape Verdes. He also captured and held for ransom the Cubagua pearl-boats and captured a Portuguese slave ship. His successes secured for him a prominent position in Plymouth, where he was looked upon as a hero of sorts and elected mayor in 1601. He became a founding member of the Virginia Company in 1606.

Captain Parker was made Vice-Admiral and left on an expedition to the East Indies, but died on the voyage to Bantam on 24 Sept. 1618.

References

• "Parker, William (d.1618)" . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.