John Killigrew Conspiracy Essay

The Killigrews were the backbone of piracy, John was the Commissioner of Peace at the time and used his role as the Commissioner over Piracy to maintain a trade with them, he was also an infamous cattle thief, had even been known to corrupt the outcomes of the quarter sessions. His call to Commissioner over Piracy was surprising as his reputation for fraternizing with pirates was already under suspicion. He and his wife received and stored stolen goods at their home Arwennecke House. The Lady Killigrew had also been accused of boarding a ship and murdering someone for two barrels of pieces of eight. She was arrested but eventually she was pardoned, but not before her son secured her release by substantial bribes, leading to the debate of whether she was truly innocent. Lady Killigrew was known as a harsh and unprincipled woman with a voracious greed and aspiration for power. She was quite capable of managing Arwennecke House, personally overseeing the concealing of pirate treasure, revelling in her involvement with piracy maybe more than her husband. So great was John Killigrews influence in
Aid from the community was imperative in insuring the continuation of piracy, but there were other factors that enabled piracy to prosper. One indication was that Elizabeth I was the Pirate Queen of a pirate nation. It is essential to look beyond the myths and look at the maritime climate of the era. It was evident that there were questions as to Elizabeth’s involvement in the sponsoring of pirate ventures, the significance of her pardoning who were viewed to be her favourite pirates was causing her kingdom to become a societal pariah. There was a general tradition of maritime lawlessness, these conditions produced confusion and uncertainty at