Tom Souville (24 February 1777,
Calais – 31 December 1839, Calais), was 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 ...
and "rescue of Calais", causing the first "rescue boat" from Calais, lateen-rigged in 1819 with the support of society to Agriculture Calais. He was
Freemason.
History
Thomas Souville, the English called him ''Cap'n Tom'', was the son of a doctor. Yet nothing predestined to be
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 ...
, it was to the spirit of adventure and risk appetite, he made this choice. Tom was educated at
Dover, then he goes to sea as a ship's boy, he's only 11 years. Captivated by the sea, he will choose to serve on warships. Many envy his experience, and yet he's only 18. Several naval battles under his belt, three wounds, exchanged prisoner. Promoted ensign, Tom asks a
letter of marque, we not given. His youth will be for many. It will therefore serve another master until the age of majority. Reached his majority, Thomas will prove incredibly effective.
Letter of Marque
Tom Souville is one of the most illustrious of the
race system, the financial stakes for the time. Between 1811 and 1815, it reported more than 5 million francs to city of Calais, and from 1793, active from the ports of the Channel and North Sea. Tom Souville as a privateer in the city of Calais, sported on his ship, "the flag of Calais". Indeed, Calais was one of five cities in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
to be allowed to have its own flag, by "Royal Order", with
Dunkirk,
Boulogne-sur-Mer
Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the C ...
,
Le Havre
Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very ...
and
St Malo
Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, on the English Channel coast.
The walled city had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the Alli ...
. Calais is the flag which floated so «Le Vieux Beffroi», at the head of town bands and of course, the mast of the privateers of the city.
See also
*
Letter of marque
*
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 ...
Bibliography
* Henri Chevalier, ''Vie et Aventures du Capitaine de Corsaire Tom Souville : ses combats, ses évasions, 1777-1839'', Paris, Éditions Plon, Nourrit et Cie, 1895
* Henri Lemoine, ''Les Corsaires Calaisiens, Mémoires de la Société Historique du Calaisis''
References
External links
*
List of privateer*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Souville, Tom
People from Calais
1777 births
1839 deaths
French privateers