Peter Easton ( – 1620 or after) was a

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

in the early 17th century. The 'most famous English pirate of the day', his piracies ranged from Ireland and Guinea to

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

. He is best known today for his involvement in the early English settlement of Newfoundland, including the settlements at

Harbour Grace Harbour Grace is a town in Conception Bay on the Avalon Peninsula in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. With roots dating back to the 16th century, it is one of the oldest towns in North America. It is located about northwest ...

and Ferryland from 1611 to 1614. One of the most successful of all pirates, he controlled such seapower that no sovereign or state could afford to ignore him, and he was never overtaken or captured by any fleet commissioned to hunt him down. However, he is not as well known as some of the pirates from the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

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 The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...

. The Eastons also distinguished themselves against the

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (a.k.a. the Enterprise of England, es, Grande y Felicísima Armada, links=no, lit=Great and Most Fortunate Navy) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, an a ...

. The Historic Rose Manor based in

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

, is in close proximity to the fort that once housed Peter and his crew . In 1602, Easton was in command of a convoy as a

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

with a commission from

Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...

to protect the

fishing fleet. During these times, fishing vessels would carry arms and small cannons to protect the valuable cargo of fish from pirates and foreign vessels. Under his commission, he could legally press-gang local fishermen into service for him. He could also attack the ships and wharves of the enemy as much as he wished, especially the much hated Spanish. Easton's flagship was ''Happy Adventure'' from which he flew the

Saint George's Cross In heraldry, Saint George's Cross, the Cross of Saint George, is a red heraldic cross, cross on a white background, which from the Late Middle Ages became associated with Saint George, the military saint, often depicted as a crusades, crusader. ...

at the masthead.

Becoming a pirate

On 23 June 1604, after Elizabeth I was succeeded by

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) * James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) * James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu * James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334� ...

, 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. Easton attacked Spanish ships for gold in the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Great ...

and the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

, while in the meantime demanding and receiving protection money from English ships. In 1610, he blockaded the

Bristol Channel The Bristol Channel ( cy, Môr Hafren, literal translation: "Severn Sea") is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River S ...

, effectively controlling the shipping entering and leaving the western English ports. For the most part, he was acting on behalf of the powerful family of the Killigrews from Falmouth, Cornwall. They financed his expeditions and also took shares in his profits. Easton arrived in the

colony of Newfoundland Newfoundland Colony was an English and, later, British colony established in 1610 on the island of Newfoundland off the Atlantic coast of Canada, in what is now the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. That followed decades of sporadic Englis ...

in 1612 with ten pirate ships and had his headquarters at

. He raided and plundered both English and foreign vessels and the harbours of Newfoundland, press-ganging fishermen into his service along the way. 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 A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...

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 John Guy's colony at Cuper's Cove but did not allow him to establish another colony at

Renews Renews–Cappahayden is a small fishing town on the southern shore of Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland, south of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's. The town was incorporated in the mid-1960s by amalgamating the formerly inde ...

. On one of his raids, Easton headed for the

Azores ) , motto= ( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem=( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

. 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 ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

loaded with treasure and four Spanish ships in tow.

Retirement to Savoy

Early in 1613 the

Duke of Savoy The titles of count, then of duke of Savoy are titles of nobility attached to the historical territory of Savoy. Since its creation, in the 11th century, the county was held by the House of Savoy. The County of Savoy was elevated to a duchy at th ...

issued a proclamation making

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

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 The Strait of Gibraltar ( ar, مضيق جبل طارق, Maḍīq Jabal Ṭāriq; es, Estrecho de Gibraltar, Archaism, Archaic: Pillars of Hercules), also known as the Straits of Gibraltar, is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. 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. 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..." Easton ingratiated himself with the Duke of Savoy by taking part in a raid on the

Duchy of Mantua The Duchy of Mantua was a duchy in Lombardy, northern Italy. Its first duke was Federico II Gonzaga, member of the House of Gonzaga that ruled Mantua since 1328. The following year, the Duchy also acquired the March of Montferrat, thanks to ...

. 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 A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman ...

of the

Duchy of Savoy The Duchy of Savoy ( it, Ducato di Savoia; french: Duché de Savoie) was a country in Western Europe that existed from 1416. It was created when Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, raised the County of Savoy into a duchy for Amadeus VIII. The du ...

. Despite this, he remained known at court as 'Il cosaro Inglese' (the English corsair). 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 Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

later in 1613, he commanded French crews and ships. 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.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Easton, Peter 1570s births 17th-century deaths 1610 crimes 16th-century English people 17th-century English people 17th-century Canadian people 17th-century pirates English pirates English privateers People of British North America Newfoundland Colony people People from Harbour Grace Canadian folklore Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) Recipients of English royal pardons People from Alpes-Maritimes 17th-century people from Savoy Margraves of Italy English expatriates in Italy Pardoned pirates