Peter Easton had been a loyal servant …

Years: 1610 - 1610
July

Peter Easton had been a loyal servant of the English Crown whose ancestors had served in the Crusades and had recently distinguished themselves against the Spanish Armada.

Easton had in 1602 commanded of a convoy as a privateer with a commission from Queen Elizabeth to protect the Newfoundland fishing fleet.

Fishing vessels carry arms and small cannons during this period to protect the valuable cargo of fish from pirates and foreign vessels.

Under his commission, Easton could legally press-gang local fishermen into service for him and could also attack the ships and wharves of the enemy, especially the much hated Spanish, at his pleasure.

Peter Easton's flagship is the Happy Adventure, from which he flies the St. George's Cross at the masthead.

When James succeeded Elizabeth in 1603, the king had sued for peace with Spain and canceled all letters of commission to privateers, but Easton, who had had continued his attack on vessels as though nothing had changed, had crossed the line into piracy.

Easton attacks Spanish ships for gold in the West Indies and the Mediterranean while in the meantime demanding and receiving protection money from English ships.

He blockades the Bristol Channel in 1610, effectively controlling the shipping entering and leaving the western English ports.

For the most part, he is acting on behalf of the powerful family of the Killigrews of Falmouth, Cornwall, who finance his expeditions and share in his profits.

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