Elizabeth Trewinnard
| Elizabeth Trewinnard | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Before 1525 St Erth, Cornwall |
| Died |
After 1582 St Budock, Cornwall |
| Nationality | English |
| Ethnicity | Cornish |
| Known for | pirate, aristocrat |
| Religion | Anglican |
| Spouse(s) | Sir John Killigrew |
| Children | 10 (five sons and five daughters) |
| Parent(s) |
James Trewinnard Philippa Carminow |
Elizabeth Trewinnard, Lady Killigrew (b. before 1525; died after 1582), (sometimes referred to as Lady Mary Kelligrew) was an aristocratic Cornish woman and an accused pirate during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England. She was the wife of John Killigrew of Arwenack, Cornwall. She and her husband received and stored stolen goods at their home, Arwenack House. In 1582, she was arrested and sentenced to death after she sent her servants to seize the cargo aboard a ship anchored in Falmouth harbor. Queen Elizabeth eventually pardoned her, and she was released from prison.
Elizabeth was also known as "Old Lady Killigrew".
Family and marriage
Elizabeth was born on an unknown date in St Erth, Cornwall, the second eldest daughter of James Trewinnard (1490-1523), of St Erth, and Philippa Carminow (died 9 August 1563).
She married Sir John Killigrew (died 5 March 1584) of Arwenack (Arwenack was sited within the present town of Falmouth which was not founded until 1613), by whom she had a total of ten children:
- Sir John Killigrew MP (c.1547-1605),[1] married Mary Wolverston (1540-before 1571), by whom he had issue.
- Peter Killigrew, married Ellen Higgins
- Thomas Killigrew
- Sir Henry Killigrew, married firstly Katherine Cooke, by whom he had issue; married secondly, Jael de Peigne, by whom he had issue.
- Sir William Killigrew, married Margery Saunders, by whom he had issue
- Jane Killigrew, married John Michell
- Anne or Amy Killigrew
- Grace Killigrew, married John Tretherffe
- Alice Killigrew, married Richard Bonython
- Margaret Killigrew, married Sir Francis Godolphin MP, Governor of the Scilly Isles, by whom she had issue.
Piracy
In the 1540s, Pendennis Castle was built for King Henry VIII on Sir John's lands and the latter became the first hereditary captain of the castle which meant he controlled all of the shipping in the Falmouth area; however, he used his privileged position to prey on the cargoes of the ships that came within his reach. In 1567, Arwenack House was fortified as a stronghold and used to store merchandise stolen in raids on ships. Elizabeth and her husband paid large fees to harbour and city officials, bribing them to look the other way when carrying out their illicit activities. Elizabeth played an active role in the piracy, and apparently enjoyed the adventure more than her husband.[2]
Historian Neville Williams described Elizabeth as a "tough and unprincipled businesswoman" who managed Arwenack House and oversaw the burial of treasure in her garden.[3]
Her husband died in 1567.
In January 1582, Elizabeth, by that time in her 60s, heard a rumour that there was treasure aboard the Hanseatic ship Marie of San Sebastian anchored in Falmouth harbour, and she sent her servants to seize the ship and search the cargo. Despite rumours to the contrary, it's not likely she ever personally went on a raid; however she was arrested for having received and fenced stolen goods after the seizure of Marie of San Sebastian where a factor was murdered when the ship was boarded by her raiding party.[3] Her sons, Sir John, Peter, and Thomas, her grandson John, as well as her daughter-in-law, Mary Wolverston, and her grandson's wife, Dorothy Monk, were also charged with having engaged in acts of piracy. Elizabeth was brought to trial and sentenced to death. Though two of her assistants were executed, she eventually received a pardon from Queen Elizabeth.[4][2] Two of Elizabeth's sons, Sir Henry and Sir William, secured her release from prison after having paid substantial bribes.
Legacy
Elizabeth died on an unknown date in the parish of St Budock, Cornwall.
One of her many descendants, Elizabeth Killigrew, became a mistress of King Charles II of England, to whom she bore a daughter in 1650. Other notable descendants were dramatist Thomas Killigrew, poet Sidney Godolphin, Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin, Hugh Boscawen and Edward Boscawen.
In fiction
Lady KiIligrew is arguably the dominant character in the historical novel The Grove of Eagles by Winston Graham: her grandson, who narrates the novel, describes her as a woman of insatiable greed and desire for power, "she knew all she wanted and wanted all she knew". Another character condemns her as "that harsh and evil woman".
Her husband appears in Rafael Sabatini's The Sea-Hawk as well as in a series of German sea-adventures "Seewölfe, Korsaren der Weltmeere". He is usually depicted as a villain.
References
- ↑ Gardiner, Juliet. ed. The History Today Who's Who in British History. (London: Colins & Brown Ltd., 2000) p. 478
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sharp, Anne Wallace (2002). Daring Pirate Women. Lerner Publications. pp. 45–46.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Kathy Lynn Emerson, A Who's Who of Tudor Women
- ↑ Schmitt, Carl (1942). Land und Meer. Klett-Cotta. pp. 48–9. ISBN 9783608941975.
- Kathy Lynn Emerson, A Who's Who of Tudor Women