Claude de Saint-Étienne de la Tour
Encyclopedia
Claude de Saint-Étienne de la Tour (c.
1570 – d.
after 1636) was born in the province of Champagne, France and came to Acadia
in 1610 after suffering heavy losses as a ship's captain.
Claude arrived in Acadia to assist Jean de Biencourt de Poutrincourt et de Saint-Just
in establishing a permanent colony at Port-Royal, N.S.
. He was accompanied by his son, Charles de Saint-Étienne de la Tour
, and they were initially occupied with the construction of buildings and planting crops.
After the initial colonization effort, it is known that Claude engaged in fur-trading activities in the Penobscot area. It is believed that Fort Pentagouet, a combined trading post and fishing station which he built, was the first permanent settlement in present day New England. We know that about 1626, Claude de La Tour had to abandon the area to the Plymouth colony.
Claude returned to France and upon returning to his son's fort at Cap de Sable in the spring of 1628, the ships were captured by the British, under the command of Sir David Kirke
, and sent as a prisoner to England. He returned to Acadia in 1630 with an English wife and briefly switched allegiance to the British. There was a siege of Fort la Tour by Claude with his son resisting and winning.
Claude eventually petitioned his son Charles to return to Cap de Sable and French allegiance. He lived his remaining years in that area. He was in receipt of a large land grant and Fort Pentagouet itself by the French Crown although it does not appear that he took residential possession of it.
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
1570 – d.
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
after 1636) was born in the province of Champagne, France and came to Acadia
Acadia
Acadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empire of New France, in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern-day Maine. At the end of the 16th century, France claimed territory stretching as far south as...
in 1610 after suffering heavy losses as a ship's captain.
Claude arrived in Acadia to assist Jean de Biencourt de Poutrincourt et de Saint-Just
Jean de Biencourt de Poutrincourt et de Saint-Just
Jean de Biencourt de Poutrincourt et de Saint-Just was a member of the French nobility best remembered as a commander of the French colonial empire, one of those responsible for establishing the most successful among early attempts to establish a permanent settlement in the North American...
in establishing a permanent colony at Port-Royal, N.S.
Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia
Annapolis Royal is a town located in the western part of Annapolis County, Nova Scotia. Known as Port Royal until the Conquest of Acadia in 1710 by Britain, the town is the oldest continuous European settlement in North America, north of St...
. He was accompanied by his son, Charles de Saint-Étienne de la Tour
Charles de Saint-Étienne de la Tour
Charles de Saint-Étienne de la Tour, the French King's appointed Governor of Acadia from 1631–1642 and again from 1653–1657, was born in France in 1593 and died at Cap de Sable in 1666...
, and they were initially occupied with the construction of buildings and planting crops.
After the initial colonization effort, it is known that Claude engaged in fur-trading activities in the Penobscot area. It is believed that Fort Pentagouet, a combined trading post and fishing station which he built, was the first permanent settlement in present day New England. We know that about 1626, Claude de La Tour had to abandon the area to the Plymouth colony.
Claude returned to France and upon returning to his son's fort at Cap de Sable in the spring of 1628, the ships were captured by the British, under the command of Sir David Kirke
David Kirke
Sir David Kirke was an adventurer, colonizer and governor for the king of England. Kirke was the son of Gervase Kirke, a wealthy London-based Scottish merchant, who had married a Huguenot woman, Elizabeth Goudon, and was raised in Dieppe, in Normandy.In 1627 Kirke's father and several London...
, and sent as a prisoner to England. He returned to Acadia in 1630 with an English wife and briefly switched allegiance to the British. There was a siege of Fort la Tour by Claude with his son resisting and winning.
Claude eventually petitioned his son Charles to return to Cap de Sable and French allegiance. He lived his remaining years in that area. He was in receipt of a large land grant and Fort Pentagouet itself by the French Crown although it does not appear that he took residential possession of it.