John Killigrew (c. 1557 – 1605) of Arwenack, near Falmouth in Cornwall, was three times MP for Penryn in 1584, 1586 and 1597, although he rarely attended Parliament. He was Vice-Admiral of Cornwall and like his father and grandfather was Governor of Pendennis Castle (1584–98), but was removed from office due to grave suspicions about his loyalty to the Crown. He was heavily in debt throughout his adult life, and died a ruined man. Life Like both his parents, he had notorious dealings with local pirates, in particular with Captain Elliott, perhaps the most infamous Cornish buccaneer of his time. In 1587 he was accused of imprisoning the crew of a Danish ship which had put into Falmouth harbour, and seizing its cargo. He was threatened with arrest and with being outlawed, but escaped punishment, due to the influence of his uncle Sir Henry Killigrew, a noted diplomat who enjoyed the full confidence of Queen Elizabeth I. He was also accused of frustrating legal proceedings for piracy against his mother Mary Wolverston, whose reputation as a pirate was so notorious that she was briefly imprisoned on a charge of piracy in 1582. During the war with Spain, his loyalty to the English Crown was questioned, although it is possible that he was guilty only of neglect of his official duties. There were rumours that a Cornish-born page at the Spanish Court, whose name was Killigrew, was his natural son, and acted as an intermediary between his father and the Spanish Government. The English Government, which by now had grave doubts about his loyalty, may have found these rumours all too credible. When the Spanish raided the Cornish coast in 1595, it was found that Killigrew had made no efforts to fortify Pendennis Castle (it was said there were "not two barrels of gunpowder in the castle"). This led to allegations that he had been bribed to leave the castle undefended, although the charge of bribery was never proved; again it seems that the influence of his uncle Henry was strong enough to protect him from punishment.

From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Overview

John Killigrew (c. 1557 – 1605) of Arwenack, near Falmouth in Cornwall, was three times MP for Penryn in 1584, 1586 and 1597, although he rarely attended Parliament. He was Vice-Admiral of Cornwall and like his father and grandfather was Governor of Pendennis Castle (1584–98), but was removed from office due to grave suspicions about his loyalty to the Crown. He was heavily in debt throughout his adult life, and died a ruined man. Life Like both his parents, he had notorious dealings with local pirates, in particular with Captain Elliott, perhaps the most infamous Cornish buccaneer of his time. In 1587 he was accused of imprisoning the crew of a Danish ship which had put into Falmouth harbour, and seizing its cargo. He was threatened with arrest and with being outlawed, but escaped punishment, due to the influence of his uncle Sir Henry Killigrew, a noted diplomat who enjoyed the full confidence of Queen Elizabeth I. He was also accused of frustrating legal proceedings for piracy against his mother Mary Wolverston, whose reputation as a pirate was so notorious that she was briefly imprisoned on a charge of piracy in 1582. During the war with Spain, his loyalty to the English Crown was questioned, although it is possible that he was guilty only of neglect of his official duties. There were rumours that a Cornish-born page at the Spanish Court, whose name was Killigrew, was his natural son, and acted as an intermediary between his father and the Spanish Government. The English Government, which by now had grave doubts about his loyalty, may have found these rumours all too credible. When the Spanish raided the Cornish coast in 1595, it was found that Killigrew had made no efforts to fortify Pendennis Castle (it was said there were "not two barrels of gunpowder in the castle"). This led to allegations that he had been bribed to leave the castle undefended, although the charge of bribery was never proved; again it seems that the influence of his uncle Henry was strong enough to protect him from punishment.

From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

John Killigrew (c. 1557 – 1605) of Arwenack, near Falmouth in Cornwall, was three times MP for Penryn in 1584, 1586 and 1597, although he rarely attended Parliament. He was Vice-Admiral of Cornwall and like his father and grandfather was Governor of Pendennis Castle (1584–98), but was removed from office due to grave suspicions about his loyalty to the Crown. He was heavily in debt throughout his adult life, and died a ruined man.