Lady Elizabeth Killigrew
The Killigrews were a force to be reckoned with in 16th century Cornwall, and even Queen Elizabeth I steered clear of crossing the couple wherever possible. She turned a blind-eye to their piratical antics in the waters off Falmouth on the understanding that they never bothered anyone with the ear of the queen. However, Lady Elizabeth loved a challenge, and when she crossed the queen one too many times, she found her neck in the noose.
In late 16th century Cornwall, England, lived Sir John and Lady Elizabeth Killigrew. Being members of the English aristocracy the Killigrews were naturally very rich, but their fortune was not necessarily comprised of family heirlooms and landholdings. In fact, the Killigrews were also pirates, using their unique coastal setting to operate as outlaws. Unusually it wasn’t Sir John that afforded the name Killigrew a place in pirate history, but it was his wife, Elizabeth. The legend of Lady Killigrew has been muddled somewhat over time, she is referred to as ‘Mary’ as much as ‘Elizabeth’. One things for certain, Lady Killigrew was an aristocrat with a rather unladylike difference.
Sir John and Lady Elizabeth lived in Arwenack House, overlooking Falmouth Harbour. From here Sir John controlled whole fleets of pirates. He had been given numerous royal titles over the years, and although piracy was illegal, the authorities turned a blind eye if bribed appropriately, especially where nobility were concerned. There was also an unspoken agreement with Queen Elizabeth I, if the Killigrews did not target her or her associates, and could be relied on as privateers in a war situation, they could carry on their business. This suited everyone, apart from their victims. The Killigrews lived a lavish lifestyle and used their dodgy dealings to support it. Lady Elizabeth was the daughter of a pirate and so had grown up in the trade. She knew how to sail and wasn’t afraid to play rough, legend has it she enjoyed piracy more than her husband.
In 1581 a Spanish ship, Marie of San Sebastián, was caught in a tempestuous gale. The crew managed to navigate the ship to Falmouth harbour to take refuge. Seeing the battered-looking ship, the Killigrews rushed out to see if they could help. The captain and his first mate were offered a room at the castle and Lady Elizabeth spoilt them with her hospitality. They became so comfortable enjoying the decadence of the castle that they decided to stay a few days longer, after all, the gale was still raging so sailing would have been very dangerous. What they didn’t realize, was that while they were relaxing, Lady Elizabeth was using various opportunities to assess the ship and work out whether it was worth looting. Unfortunately for the Spaniards, it was.
Looting the Marie of San Sebastian
One night, while her guests were enjoying the company of Sir John, Lady Elizabeth excused herself. She went and changed out of her expensive clothes and put on something less special. She then rounded up Arwenack House’s staff, which doubled as her pirate crew. She led them down the secret tunnel that connected the house to a concealed spot on the shore. Here, they climbed into rowing boats and surrounded the ship. Since the gale was causing so much noise, the pirates were able to climb aboard undetected. Lady Elizabeth’s men stormed the decks and quickly killed all the Spanish crew, throwing their bloody corpses overboard. The pirates then went about emptying the ship of its cargo, and loading their rowing boats with treasure. Once they’d taken all the valuables, Lady Elizabeth rowed back to shore and crept back through the secret passageway. Once home she put on her expensive clothes again, and rejoined her husband and guests. In the meantime, her pirates were busy sailing the ship out of sight and sinking it, then sailing back to the castle. This operation took less than two hours.
The next day the weather had subsided and their guests decided it was time to head back out to sea. Walking down to the docks they were shocked to discover their ship had disappeared. Initially the Spaniards were suspicious of the Killigrews. Many were sure Lady Elizabeth was guilty, but without any evidence nothing could be proved. When this incident was reported, Queen Elizabeth I decided to overlook it. This was a close call for Lady Elizabeth, the queen would not be able to ignore another high-profile act of piracy.
In 1582 a similar circumstance occurred. A German merchant ship anchored at Falmouth harbour. Lady Elizabeth knew it to be full of gold, silver and jewels. She could not resist. Selecting a small crew of her best pirates, they rowed up to the ship as they had before, killed all that were onboard and stole the contents. It can be assumed that Lady Elizabeth thought she’d be let off this crime of greed and murder, but what she didn’t know was that the German ship had close ties with Queen Elizabeth I, and when word reached her, she was furious. She immediately ordered the apprehension and execution of Lady Elizabeth and two of her pirates. As the date of Lady Elizabeth’s hanging approached the queen suddenly pardoned her, and instead sentenced her to a long prison term. It is unknown why the queen changed her mind. It is most widely assumed that despite her powerful position, the Killigrew clan were not a family one particularly wanted to cross. Lady Elizabeth was eventually released from prison and rejoined Sir John at Arwenack House. Whether they lived out their final years as pirates is unknown.