Sir Thomas Crooke, 1st Baronet
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Sir Thomas Crooke, 1st Baronet, of Baltimore (1574–1630) was an English-born politician, lawyer and landowner in seventeenth-century Ireland. He is chiefly remembered as the founder of the town of
Baltimore, County Cork Baltimore (; , translated as "fort of the jewels") is a village in western County Cork, Ireland. It is the main village in the parish of Rathmore and the Islands, the southernmost parish in Ireland. It is the main ferry port to Sherkin Island, ...
, which he developed into a flourishing port, but which was largely destroyed shortly after his death in the Sack of Baltimore 1631. He sat in the
Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until the end of 1800. The upper house was the Irish House of Lords, House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, ...
as member for
Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
in the Parliament of 1613–1615. He was the first of the Crooke baronets of Baltimore, and ancestor of the Crooke family of Crookstown House.


Early life

He was born in Cransley, Northamptonshire, the eldest son of the Reverend Thomas Crooke; his mother was a Miss Samuel. His father was a
Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...
clergyman whose strong religious views often brought him into conflict with the English Crown, but who escaped serious censure, probably due to his position as the appointed preacher at
Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...
. Helkiah Crooke, Court physician to James I, was one of Sir Thomas's brothers, and Samuel Crooke, a preacher of some note, was another brother. Stephen Egerton, the leading Puritan preacher, married Thomas's sister Sarah. Egerton's niece, Margaret Tyndal Winthrop, was the third wife of
John Winthrop John Winthrop (January 12, 1588 – March 26, 1649) was an English Puritan lawyer and a leading figure in the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the second major settlement in New England following Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led the fir ...
, who became a coloniser with a much wider vision than Crooke's, being several times Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Crooke and Winthrop, although they must have been acquainted, are not known to have been particularly close friends, but Crooke's sister Sarah was a close friend of Margaret Winthrop and left her a substantial
legacy Legacy or Legacies may refer to: Arts and entertainment Comics * " Batman: Legacy", a 1996 Batman storyline * '' DC Universe: Legacies'', a comic book series from DC Comics * ''Legacy'', a 1999 quarterly series from Antarctic Press * ''Legacy ...
at her death in 1624. Thomas spent much of his childhood in
Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...
, where his father served for many years as vicar of
Great Waldingfield Great Waldingfield is a village and civil parish in the Babergh district of Suffolk, England about two miles (3 km) north-east of Sudbury and two miles (3 km) south-west of its sister village, Little Waldingfield. The village is spl ...
. The younger Thomas, on his father's petition, was admitted to Gray's Inn in 1597. He is said to have acquired a successful practice at the
English Bar Barristers in England and Wales are one of the two main categories of lawyer in England and Wales, the other being solicitors. Barristers have traditionally had the role of handling cases for representation in court, both defence and prosecutio ...
, but after his father's death in 1598 he turned his mind towards
colonisation 475px, Map of the year each country achieved List of sovereign states by date of formation, independence. Colonization (British English: colonisation) is a process of establishing occupation of or control over foreign territories or peoples f ...
. His motives appear to have been twofold: to establish a thriving commercial centre and to create a safe haven for those who shared his strong Calvinist views.


The Settlement of Baltimore

In about the year 1600 Crooke entered an agreement with Sir Fineen O'Driscoll, the
Gaelic Gaelic (pronounced for Irish Gaelic and for Scots Gaelic) is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". It may refer to: Languages * Gaelic languages or Goidelic languages, a linguistic group that is one of the two branches of the Insul ...
lord of Baltimore in County Cork, to establish an English
colony A colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule, which rules the territory and its indigenous peoples separated from the foreign rulers, the colonizer, and their ''metropole'' (or "mother country"). This separated rule was often orga ...
in Baltimore. Their agreement was disrupted by the closing stages of the
Nine Years War The Nine Years' War was a European great power conflict from 1688 to 1697 between France and the Grand Alliance. Although largely concentrated in Europe, fighting spread to colonial possessions in the Americas, India, and West Africa. Relat ...
. O'Driscoll throughout his long career had been an ally of the English Crown, and was something of a
royal favourite Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Roy ...
of Queen
Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...
; but his relatives persuaded him, against his own better judgement, to take the Irish side at the
Battle of Kinsale The siege of Kinsale (), also known as the battle of Kinsale, was the ultimate battle in England's conquest of Gaelic Ireland, commencing in October 1601, near the end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, and at the climax of the Nine Years' Warβ ...
. After the failure of the Irish cause at Kinsale most of his relatives fled the country, and Sir Fineen himself only obtained a
royal pardon In the English and British tradition, the royal prerogative of mercy is one of the historic royal prerogatives of the British monarch, by which they can grant pardons (informally known as a royal pardon) to convicted persons. The royal prerog ...
with difficulty. His daughter Eileen married into the prominent Coppinger family, who were to cause Sir Thomas much trouble throughout his career. In 1605 Crooke decided to regularise the matter: he surrendered the extensive lands granted to him by O'Driscoll to King
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 (1334β€ ...
and had them regranted back to him. James disapproved of Crooke's Calvinism, but he was pragmatic enough to see the advantages to the Crown of a strong English presence in West Cork. In 1607 the town was given the right to hold a weekly market and two fairs a year. In 1612 it was incorporated as a
borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...
, with a "sovereign" (Crooke himself) and twelve burgesses. Baltimore was given the right to return two members to the
Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until the end of 1800. The upper house was the Irish House of Lords, House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, ...
, with the franchise known as a
potwalloper A potwalloper (sometimes potwalloner or potwaller) or householder borough was a voter in a parliamentary borough in which the franchise was extended to the male head of any household with a hearth large enough to boil a cauldron (or "wallop a ...
(that is, a
constituency An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...
where every male householder with a
hearth A hearth () is the place in a home where a fire is or was traditionally kept for home heating and for cooking, usually constituted by a horizontal hearthstone and often enclosed to varying degrees by any combination of reredos (a low, partial ...
wide enough to boil or "wallop" a pot had the vote). Crooke himself sat in the Irish Parliament of 1613–15. He reached the high point of his fortune in 1624 when he was created a
baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
. At the same time, he renewed his legal practice and was called to the
Irish Bar The Bar of Ireland () is the professional association of barristers for Ireland, with over 2,000 members. It is based in the Law Library, with premises in Dublin and Cork. It is governed by the General Council of the Bar of Ireland, commonly c ...
. He became a member of the
King's Inns The Honorable Society of King's Inns () is the "Inn of Court" for the Bar of Ireland. Established in 1541, King's Inns is Ireland's oldest school of law and one of Ireland's significant historical environments. The Benchers of King's Inns aw ...
, but at the surprisingly late date of 1628, just two years before his death. His eldest son Samuel entered the Inns in the same year.


Development of Baltimore

The town of Baltimore thrived from the beginning: we are told that Crooke "divided the town into tenements with lots for gardens, and gave to each settler land convenient for building and grazing". It grew prosperous as a centre for the
pilchard Sardine and pilchard are common names for various species of small, oily forage fish in the herring suborder Clupeoidei. The term "sardine" was first used in English during the early 15th century; a somewhat dubious etymology says it comes ...
fisheries and the
wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...
trade. From the foundation of the colony however, there were repeated accusations that Baltimore's real prosperity depended on
piracy 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 valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...
, and that all its inhabitants, including Crooke himself, were pirates or the accomplices of pirates.


Charge of piracy

The coast of
West Cork West Cork () is a tourist region and municipal district in County Cork, Ireland. As a municipal district, West Cork falls within the administrative area of Cork County Council, and includes the towns of Bantry, Castletownbere, Clonakilty, Du ...
has many deep sheltered
coves A cove is a small bay or coastal inlet. They usually have narrow, restricted entrances, are often circular or oval, and are often situated within a larger bay. Small, narrow, sheltered bays, inlets, creeks, or recesses in a coast are often cons ...
which are suitable for
smuggling Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. More broadly, soc ...
, and the O'Driscolls had for years been widely believed to take advantage of this to engage in piracy. Not surprisingly similar accusations were made against Crooke, and in 1608 the Privy Council summoned him to London to answer a number of charges, including one that he slaughtered
cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...
in his own yard to victual the
pirate ships 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 valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...
. Ominously the charge was phrased in terms of a final verdict that he had been a "chief maintainer and abettor of notorious pirates". Crooke denied all the charges, and by now he had gained the goodwill of most of the influential men in
Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...
, including William Lyon,
Bishop of Cork The Bishop of Cork was a separate episcopal title which took its name after the city of Cork in Ireland. The title is now united with other bishoprics. In the Church of Ireland it is held by the Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, and in the Roman ...
,
Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork (13 October 1566 – 15 September 1643), also known as 'the Great Earl of Cork', was an English politician who served as Lord Treasurer of the Kingdom of Ireland. Lord Cork was an important figure in the continu ...
, and
Henry Danvers, 1st Earl of Danby Henry Danvers, 1st Earl of Danby (28 June 1573 – 20 January 1643/4) was an English soldier. Outlawed after a killing, he regained favour and became a Knight of the Garter. Life He was the second son of John Danvers, of Dauntsey, Wiltshire ...
,
Lord President of Munster The post of Lord President of Munster was the most important office in the English government of the Irish province of Munster from its introduction in the Elizabethan era for a century, to 1672, a period including the Desmond Rebellions in Munste ...
. His friends spoke up for him: Bishop Lyon in particular praised his extraordinary achievement in having created a well-ordered town out of nothing in less than 5 years. The Privy Council, despite what appeared to be a preliminary finding that he was guilty, in the end exonerated Crooke completely, but not everyone was satisfied: the authorities in Venice continued to call Baltimore "a nest of
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 valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...
s", and it was claimed that the entire population of the town were implicated in the illicit business. Historians are still divided as to whether or not, and if so to what extent Crooke condoned or engaged in piracy. The more cynical view is that the Privy Council was convinced of Crooke's guilt, but was unwilling to damage the growing prosperity of Baltimore by taking decisive action against him.


Conflict with Sir Walter Coppinger

From the start of his Irish career, Crooke was forced to contend with the increasing power of the wealthy Roman Catholic lawyer Sir Walter Coppinger. Coppinger came from one of the most prominent families in
Cork city Cork ( ; from , meaning 'marsh') is the second-largest city in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the county town of County Cork, the largest city in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the List of settlements on the island of Ireland ...
; though himself of
Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9β ...
rather than
Gaelic Gaelic (pronounced for Irish Gaelic and for Scots Gaelic) is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". It may refer to: Languages * Gaelic languages or Goidelic languages, a linguistic group that is one of the two branches of the Insul ...
descent, he was hostile to the English settlers, and he had a reputation for ruthlessness. In his defence, it must be said that his brother Richard had married Eileen O'Driscoll, daughter of Sir Fineen O'Driscoll, and the Coppingers may honestly have believed that they had a better right to Baltimore than Crooke did. From the foundation of the colony, Coppinger harassed the
settlers A settler or a colonist is a person who establishes or joins a permanent presence that is separate to existing communities. The entity that a settler establishes is a Human settlement, settlement. A settler is called a pioneer if they are among ...
with dubious legal claims to ownership of their lands. Eventually, in 1610 a compromise was reached: Crooke, Coppinger and Fineen O'Driscoll jointly granted a
lease A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the user (referred to as the ''lessee'') to pay the owner (referred to as the ''lessor'') for the use of an asset. Property, buildings and vehicles are common assets that are leased. Industrial ...
of Baltimore to the settlers for a term of 21 years. This gave the settlers a solid claim to their lands but Coppinger soon made it clear that he had no intention of observing the agreement. Crooke, with his wealth,
baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
, and influential friends, was personally secure enough, but the Baltimore settlers were subjected to constant harassment. In 1616 Crooke and his fellow settlers brought a lawsuit against Coppinger in the
Court of Castle Chamber The Court of Castle Chamber (which was sometimes simply called ''Star Chamber'') was an Irish court of special jurisdiction which operated in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It was established by Elizabeth I of England in 1571 to deal w ...
, the Irish equivalent of
Star Chamber The court of Star Chamber () was an English court that sat at the royal Palace of Westminster, from the late to the mid-17th century (), and was composed of privy counsellors and common-law judges, to supplement the judicial activities of the ...
, alleging numerous acts of aggression against them: Coppinger was found guilty on one count of
riot A riot or mob violence is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The p ...
but cleared of the other charges. However, Castle Chamber was not noted for providing effective remedies for litigants and this verdict did Crooke little good. In 1618 Crooke, despairing of obtaining justice in the Irish courts, appealed to the Privy Council in London to protect the settlers against Coppinger's "malicious and covetous desire to supplant them" both by "bloody riot" and by fraudulent claims to their titles. No firm decision was taken, and Crooke renewed his petition before the new King
Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...
in 1626. The King, noting that Castle Chamber was apparently divided on the issue, ordered a hearing before the Star Chamber. The case was still proceeding when Crooke died in 1630; it seems that the authorities were reluctant to decide finally either in favour of Coppinger or of the settlers.


Legacy- the Sack of Baltimore

In 1631 Algerian pirates raided Baltimore and carried away more than 100 settlers, who were later sold into
slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
in North Africa. A handful of them were eventually
ransom Ransom refers to the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release. It also refers to the sum of money paid by the other party to secure a captive's freedom. When ransom means "payment", the word ...
ed, but the vast majority never saw Ireland again. This dealt the town a blow from which it has never fully recovered. Whatever Sir Thomas Crooke's faults, most notably the charge, which is still widely believed, that he made Baltimore into a pirate's nest, it was his intelligence and energy which had made the town thrive, and, it has been said, it seems symbolically appropriate that it should collapse soon after his death.


Family

By his wife, Mary Jackson, Thomas had three sons: Sir Samuel Crooke, 2nd Baronet, Thomas, a
barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...
of
Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...
, who was still living in 1624 (although he is not mentioned in his father's 1629 will) and James, who was still living in 1634. They had at least two daughters: Judith, who married as his second wife the landowner and writer Sir Vincent Gookin, by whom she had at least seven children, and a second daughter, who is referred to in her brother Samuel's will (although curiously not in her father's), who married a Mr Salmon (this was probably James Salmon of
Castlehaven Castlehaven () is a civil parish in County Cork, Ireland. It is located in West Cork, approximately 45 miles south-west of Cork City on the coast. The civil parish includes the town of Castletownshend and the hamlets of Rineen and Tragumna. Th ...
, a prominent local landowner). In his will, Thomas refers to his "son-in-law" Arthur Jackson: the word son-in-law was then interchangeable with stepson, so Arthur was very likely Lady Crooke's son by a previous marriage. In his own will, Arthur refers to Lady Crooke as his mother. Thomas left his estate to his widow, with legacies to his daughter Judith, his stepson Arthur Jackson and his wife Mary, to Thomas' brothers Samuel, "dear Helkiah" and Richard ("for his kindness to my children"), his sister Rachel Rosse (described as "much impoverished"), who was the wife of Henry Rosse,
goldsmith A goldsmith is a Metalworking, metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Modern goldsmiths mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, they have also made cutlery, silverware, platter (dishware), plat ...
, his "dear sister in law" Judith, wife of Samuel, and "good old Aunt Hudson" (who was still living in 1635).Waters, Henry Fitz-Gilbert ''Genealogical Gleamings in England'' 1901 Vol.1 p. 325 The third baronet, also called Thomas, dropped the use of the title, apparently as a condition of his
marriage settlement A marriage settlement in England and Wales was a historical arrangement whereby, most commonly and in its simplest form, a trust of land or other assets was established jointly by the parents of a bride and bridegroom. The trustees were establish ...
with an heiress of the MacCarthy family. The family lived at Crookstown House for several generations: it later passed by inheritance to the
Warren baronets There have been two baronetcies created for persons with the surname Warren, one in the Baronetage of Great Britain and one in the Baronetage of Ireland. As of 2008 one creation is extinct while the other is dormant. The Warren Baronetcy, of Li ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crooke, Sir Thomas, 1st Baronet 1574 births 1630 deaths Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Cork constituencies Members of Gray's Inn People from Northamptonshire Baronets in the Baronetage of Ireland People from Baltimore, County Cork 17th-century Anglo-Irish people Irish MPs 1613–1615 People from Babergh District