Peter Carew
Encyclopedia
Sir Peter Carew was an English adventurer, who served during the reign of Queen Elizabeth of England and took part in the Tudor conquest of Ireland.
He is to be distinguished from another Sir Peter Carew (d. 1580), a younger cousin who was killed at the Battle of Glenmalure
.
shire gentleman, and was born at Ottery Mohun (now Mohun's Ottery) in the parish of Luppitt
. He attended grammar school in Exeter, where he was a frequent truant, and at St Paul's School. By his own account (set down in his biography) he once climbed a turret on Exeter city wall and threatened to jump if his master came after him. His father then had him led back to his house on a leash, like a dog, and for punishment coupled him to one of his hounds for a time.
Carew was placed in the service of a French friend of his father's, but suffered demotion to muleteer and was only saved in February 1526, when a family relation, on his way to the siege of Pavia
in the service of King Francis I of France
, heard Carew's companions call the young man by name. On the way to the siege, the relation died and Carew took up with a marquis, who died in battle. Carew would later serve the Prince of Orange
, after whose death he was sent by Orange's sister to King Henry VIII of England
with letters in despatch; the king noted his proficiency in riding and French and took him into service.
In 1540, he travelled abroad with his cousin and visited Constantinople
, Venice
, Milan
and Vienna
, where his cousin died. He served in the war against France on land and at sea; in 1544, leading a company of foot apparelled in black at his own expense, with his brother George Carew — who was to command the Mary Rose
when it sank — serving as commander of horse. For his service in the campaign he was knighted in 1545.
He then served as Member of Parliament
in 1545 for Tavistock
, in 1547 for Dartmouth
, in 1553 and 1559 for Devon
and in 1563 for Exeter
, having served as High Sheriff of Devon
in 1547.
Carew was reprimanded for the vigour of his response to the rising occasioned by the issue of the reformed Book of Common Prayer
. In 1553, he proclaimed Queen Mary of England in the west but conspired against her proposed marriage to Crown Prince Philip II of Spain
, later escaping to the European mainland but was arrested in Antwerp and sent back to England in a fishing boat. He was held in the Tower of London
until December 1556, his release being secured upon payment of an old debt due by his grandfather to the crown.
Under Elizabeth I, Carew was sent to settle a dispute between Lord Grey
and the Earl of Norfolk, which had arisen while they were commanding an army against the French in Scotland. When Norfolk was eventually convicted of treason in 1572, he found that Carew was his gaoler, having been appointed Constable of the Tower
.
, who became convinced - after travelling to Ireland - that the documents established Carew's hereditary entitlement to extensive properties in that country. It was shown that King Henry II of England
(the first Lord of Ireland, a title assumed in 1172 at the beginning of the Cambro-Norman conquest) had granted lands to one Robert Fitzstephen, whose daughter had married a Carew ancestor. Carew's claim existed by letter of the law contained in antique parchment under crown seal.
Carew obtained leave of the queen to prosecute his claims and sailed for Ireland from Ilfracombe
in August 1568. His first proceedings were against Christopher Cheevers for possession of the lordship of Maston in County Meath
; Carew claimed he couldn't get a fair trial at common law before a jury and went instead before the lord deputy, Sir Henry Sidney
, sitting in council, whereupon Cheevers agreed to a compromise of the claim. Then he secured a decree of Sidney and council for the barony of Idrone in County Carlow
, which was then in the possession of the Kavanagh clan, and was appointed captain of Leighlin castle (in succession to Sir Thomas Stukley
) in the centre of the barony.
Carew's claim became complicated when it appeared to encroach upon the possession and authority of the Butler family, an Anglo-Norman dynasty with wide influence in Ireland, whose principal was Sir Thomas Butler, 10th Earl of Ormonde.
Butler's younger brother, Edmund, held the castle of Clogrenan a few miles north of Leighlin
— it had been seized from the Kavanaghs by his father - and in protest at this encroachment, which he expected would extend to his own lands, he launched an attack on Carew, who retaliated by storming Clogrenan and seizing it with little difficulty. The land seizure caused great disquiet locally and eventually led to the Butler Wars, which contributed to a wider insurrection, the first of the Desmond Rebellions
.
Carew fought an effective campaign against the Butlers, but their influence overwhelmed his efforts. Not content to pursue the acquisition of Irish lands by right of inheritance, he extended his ambitions with a scheme for plantation. In April 1569, the privy council at London approved in principle a proposal by him, along with Sir Warham St Leger, Sir Humphrey Gilbert
and Sir Richard Grenville
, for a corporate settlement by confiscation of lands at Baltimore on the coast of the province of Munster (see Plantations of Ireland
) to be accomplished via legal proceedings for the purpose of exposing defective titles, expelling rebels and introducing English colonists. Carew's solicitor, John Hooker, had by then become a prominent New English member (for Athenry
) in the Irish Parliament in Dublin.
The ensuing first Desmond Rebellion
(1569-73) saw the rebels under James FitzMaurice FitzGerald
engaged in bloody conflict along the coast of Munster
, besieging the city of Cork, amongst others, with the demand that all efforts at colonisation cease. Both sides laid waste to the hinterland, and it was soon recognised that Carew had reached too far. The Earl of Ormond managed to bring his followers in from their rebellion against the Crown. After the earl's return to court the queen decided to recall Carew to England. Carew returned to Ireland in 1574 having refused the queen's request to retake his seat in parliament. He found Lords Courcy and Barry Oge and the O'Mahons (and others) willing to acknowledge his claims and agree tenancies with him. Once this part of his plans had been settled he ordered a house to be prepared for him at Cork but died of illness on the way, on 27 November 1575, at Ross in County Waterford
.
. His will is dated 4 July 1574. Two portraits of him by Gerlach Flicke
survive: one is in the Royal Collection
, and is held at Hampton Court Palace
; the other is in the National Gallery of Scotland
.
. This is a remarkably early date for a life of a commoner, and the work is described by J.P.D. Cooper as "a milestone in the English biographical genre". It was published, edited by Sir John Maclean, in 1857, as The Life and Times of Sir Peter Carew.
There is a modern full-length biography of Carew by John Wagner (1998).
He is to be distinguished from another Sir Peter Carew (d. 1580), a younger cousin who was killed at the Battle of Glenmalure
Battle of Glenmalure
The Battle of Glenmalure took place in Ireland in 1580 during the Desmond Rebellions. An Irish Catholic force made up of the Gaelic clans from the Wicklow Mountains led by Fiach MacHugh O'Byrne and James Eustace, Viscount Baltinglas of the Pale, defeated an English army under Arthur Grey, 14th...
.
Early life and career
Carew was the third son of Sir William Carew, a DevonDevon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
shire gentleman, and was born at Ottery Mohun (now Mohun's Ottery) in the parish of Luppitt
Luppitt
Luppitt is a village and civil parish in East Devon situated about due north of Honiton....
. He attended grammar school in Exeter, where he was a frequent truant, and at St Paul's School. By his own account (set down in his biography) he once climbed a turret on Exeter city wall and threatened to jump if his master came after him. His father then had him led back to his house on a leash, like a dog, and for punishment coupled him to one of his hounds for a time.
Carew was placed in the service of a French friend of his father's, but suffered demotion to muleteer and was only saved in February 1526, when a family relation, on his way to the siege of Pavia
Pavia
Pavia , the ancient Ticinum, is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It is the capital of the province of Pavia. It has a population of c. 71,000...
in the service of King Francis I of France
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
, heard Carew's companions call the young man by name. On the way to the siege, the relation died and Carew took up with a marquis, who died in battle. Carew would later serve the Prince of Orange
Prince of Orange
Prince of Orange is a title of nobility, originally associated with the Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France. In French it is la Principauté d'Orange....
, after whose death he was sent by Orange's sister to King Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
with letters in despatch; the king noted his proficiency in riding and French and took him into service.
In 1540, he travelled abroad with his cousin and visited Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
and Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, where his cousin died. He served in the war against France on land and at sea; in 1544, leading a company of foot apparelled in black at his own expense, with his brother George Carew — who was to command the Mary Rose
Mary Rose
The Mary Rose was a carrack-type warship of the English Tudor navy of King Henry VIII. After serving for 33 years in several wars against France, Scotland, and Brittany and after being substantially rebuilt in 1536, she saw her last action on 1545. While leading the attack on the galleys of a...
when it sank — serving as commander of horse. For his service in the campaign he was knighted in 1545.
He then served as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
in 1545 for Tavistock
Tavistock (UK Parliament constituency)
Tavistock was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Devon between 1330 and 1974. Until 1885 it was a parliamentary borough, consisting solely of the town of Tavistock; it returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1868, when its...
, in 1547 for Dartmouth
Dartmouth (UK Parliament constituency)
Dartmouth, also at some times called Clifton, Dartmouth and Hardness, was a parliamentary borough in Devon which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons in 1298 and to the Commons of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom from 1351 until 1832, and then one member from...
, in 1553 and 1559 for Devon
Devon (UK Parliament constituency)
Devon was a parliamentary constituency covering the county of Devon in England. It was represented by two Knights of the Shire, in the House of Commons of England until 1707, then of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and finally the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from...
and in 1563 for Exeter
Exeter (UK Parliament constituency)
Exeter is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
, having served as High Sheriff of Devon
High Sheriff of Devon
The High Sheriff of Devon is the Queen's representative for the County of Devon, a territory known as his bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, he holds his office over the duration of a year. He has judicial, ceremonial and administrative functions and executes High Court...
in 1547.
Carew was reprimanded for the vigour of his response to the rising occasioned by the issue of the reformed Book of Common Prayer
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
. In 1553, he proclaimed Queen Mary of England in the west but conspired against her proposed marriage to Crown Prince Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
, later escaping to the European mainland but was arrested in Antwerp and sent back to England in a fishing boat. He was held in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
until December 1556, his release being secured upon payment of an old debt due by his grandfather to the crown.
Under Elizabeth I, Carew was sent to settle a dispute between Lord Grey
William Grey, 13th Baron Grey de Wilton
William Grey, 13th Baron Grey de Wilton KG, was an English baron and military commander serving in France in the 1540s and 1550s, and in the Scottish wars of the 1540s.He was the thirteenth Baron Grey de Wilton....
and the Earl of Norfolk, which had arisen while they were commanding an army against the French in Scotland. When Norfolk was eventually convicted of treason in 1572, he found that Carew was his gaoler, having been appointed Constable of the Tower
Constable of the Tower
The Constable of the Tower is the most senior appointment at the Tower of London. In the middle ages a constable was the person in charge of a castle when the owner - the king or a nobleman - was not in residence...
.
Ireland
In 1568, Carew undertook his greatest adventure, when he laid claim to lands in the south of Ireland. He had sent ancient documents for examination by John HookerJohn Hooker (English constitutionalist)
John Hooker, John Hoker or John Vowell was an English writer, solicitor, antiquary, civic administrator and advocate of republican government. He wrote an eye-witness account of the siege of Exeter that took place during the Prayer Book Rebellion in 1549...
, who became convinced - after travelling to Ireland - that the documents established Carew's hereditary entitlement to extensive properties in that country. It was shown that King Henry II of England
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
(the first Lord of Ireland, a title assumed in 1172 at the beginning of the Cambro-Norman conquest) had granted lands to one Robert Fitzstephen, whose daughter had married a Carew ancestor. Carew's claim existed by letter of the law contained in antique parchment under crown seal.
Carew obtained leave of the queen to prosecute his claims and sailed for Ireland from Ilfracombe
Ilfracombe
Ilfracombe is a seaside resort and civil parish on the North Devon coast, England with a small harbour, surrounded by cliffs.The parish stretches along the coast from 'The Coastguard Cottages' in Hele Bay toward the east and 4 miles along The Torrs to Lee Bay toward the west...
in August 1568. His first proceedings were against Christopher Cheevers for possession of the lordship of Maston in County Meath
County Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
; Carew claimed he couldn't get a fair trial at common law before a jury and went instead before the lord deputy, Sir Henry Sidney
Henry Sidney
Sir Henry Sidney , Lord Deputy of Ireland was the eldest son of Sir William Sidney of Penshurst, a prominent politician and courtier during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI, from both of whom he received extensive grants of land, including the manor of Penshurst in Kent, which became the...
, sitting in council, whereupon Cheevers agreed to a compromise of the claim. Then he secured a decree of Sidney and council for the barony of Idrone in County Carlow
County Carlow
County Carlow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Carlow, which lies on the River Barrow. Carlow County Council is the local authority for the county...
, which was then in the possession of the Kavanagh clan, and was appointed captain of Leighlin castle (in succession to Sir Thomas Stukley
Thomas Stukley
Thomas Stukley was an English mercenary who served in combat in France, Ireland, and at the Battle of Lepanto, before his death at the Battle of Alcácer Quibir. It was alleged that he was an illegitimate son of Henry VIII of England...
) in the centre of the barony.
Carew's claim became complicated when it appeared to encroach upon the possession and authority of the Butler family, an Anglo-Norman dynasty with wide influence in Ireland, whose principal was Sir Thomas Butler, 10th Earl of Ormonde.
Butler's younger brother, Edmund, held the castle of Clogrenan a few miles north of Leighlin
Old Leighlin
Old Leighlin is a small town in County Carlow, Ireland, 3.5 km west of Leighlinbridge. The site was at one time one of the foremost monastic houses in Leinster, with 1500 monks in residence...
— it had been seized from the Kavanaghs by his father - and in protest at this encroachment, which he expected would extend to his own lands, he launched an attack on Carew, who retaliated by storming Clogrenan and seizing it with little difficulty. The land seizure caused great disquiet locally and eventually led to the Butler Wars, which contributed to a wider insurrection, the first of the Desmond Rebellions
Desmond Rebellions
The Desmond Rebellions occurred in 1569-1573 and 1579-1583 in the Irish province of Munster.They were rebellions by the Earl of Desmond – head of the FitzGerald dynasty in Munster – and his followers, the Geraldines and their allies against the threat of the extension of Elizabethan English...
.
Carew fought an effective campaign against the Butlers, but their influence overwhelmed his efforts. Not content to pursue the acquisition of Irish lands by right of inheritance, he extended his ambitions with a scheme for plantation. In April 1569, the privy council at London approved in principle a proposal by him, along with Sir Warham St Leger, Sir Humphrey Gilbert
Humphrey Gilbert
Sir Humphrey Gilbert of Devon in England was a half-brother of Sir Walter Raleigh. Adventurer, explorer, member of parliament, and soldier, he served during the reign of Queen Elizabeth and was a pioneer of English colonization in North America and the Plantations of Ireland.-Early life:Gilbert...
and Sir Richard Grenville
Richard Grenville
Sir Richard Grenville was an English sailor, sea captain and explorer. He took part in the early English attempts to settle the New World, and also participated in the fight against the Spanish Armada...
, for a corporate settlement by confiscation of lands at Baltimore on the coast of the province of Munster (see Plantations of Ireland
Plantations of Ireland
Plantations in 16th and 17th century Ireland were the confiscation of land by the English crown and the colonisation of this land with settlers from England and the Scottish Lowlands....
) to be accomplished via legal proceedings for the purpose of exposing defective titles, expelling rebels and introducing English colonists. Carew's solicitor, John Hooker, had by then become a prominent New English member (for Athenry
Athenry
Athenry is a town in County Galway, Ireland. It lies east of Galway city, and one of the attractions of the town is its medieval castle. The town is also well-known by virtue of the song "The Fields of Athenry".-History:...
) in the Irish Parliament in Dublin.
The ensuing first Desmond Rebellion
Desmond Rebellions
The Desmond Rebellions occurred in 1569-1573 and 1579-1583 in the Irish province of Munster.They were rebellions by the Earl of Desmond – head of the FitzGerald dynasty in Munster – and his followers, the Geraldines and their allies against the threat of the extension of Elizabethan English...
(1569-73) saw the rebels under James FitzMaurice FitzGerald
James FitzMaurice FitzGerald
James Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald was a member of the 16th century ruling Geraldine dynasty in the province of Munster in Ireland. He rebelled against the crown authority of Queen Elizabeth I of England in response to the onset of the Tudor conquest of Ireland and was deemed an archtraitor...
engaged in bloody conflict along the coast of Munster
Munster
Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...
, besieging the city of Cork, amongst others, with the demand that all efforts at colonisation cease. Both sides laid waste to the hinterland, and it was soon recognised that Carew had reached too far. The Earl of Ormond managed to bring his followers in from their rebellion against the Crown. After the earl's return to court the queen decided to recall Carew to England. Carew returned to Ireland in 1574 having refused the queen's request to retake his seat in parliament. He found Lords Courcy and Barry Oge and the O'Mahons (and others) willing to acknowledge his claims and agree tenancies with him. Once this part of his plans had been settled he ordered a house to be prepared for him at Cork but died of illness on the way, on 27 November 1575, at Ross in County Waterford
County Waterford
*Abbeyside, Affane, Aglish, Annestown, An Rinn, Ardmore*Ballinacourty, Ballinameela, Ballinamult, Ballinroad, Ballybeg, Ballybricken, Ballyduff Lower, Ballyduff Upper, Ballydurn, Ballygunner, Ballylaneen, Ballymacarbry, Ballymacart, Ballynaneashagh, Ballysaggart, Ballytruckle, Bilberry, Bunmahon,...
.
Legacy
Carew had no issue. He was buried in Waterford church, on the south side of the chancel. There is a mural monument to him in the south transept of Exeter CathedralExeter Cathedral
Exeter Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter at Exeter, is an Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter, in the city of Exeter, Devon in South West England....
. His will is dated 4 July 1574. Two portraits of him by Gerlach Flicke
Gerlach Flicke
Gerlach Flicke , Latin name Gerbarus Fleccius, and at least once referred to as "Garlicke", was a German portrait painter who is known for his work in London as an artist of the Tudor court. Flicke was imprisoned in London and he made a portrait miniature whilst there...
survive: one is in the Royal Collection
Royal Collection
The Royal Collection is the art collection of the British Royal Family. It is property of the monarch as sovereign, but is held in trust for her successors and the nation. It contains over 7,000 paintings, 40,000 watercolours and drawings, and about 150,000 old master prints, as well as historical...
, and is held at Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace is a royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Greater London; it has not been inhabited by the British royal family since the 18th century. The palace is located south west of Charing Cross and upstream of Central London on the River Thames...
; the other is in the National Gallery of Scotland
National Gallery of Scotland
The National Gallery of Scotland, in Edinburgh, is the national art gallery of Scotland. An elaborate neoclassical edifice, it stands on The Mound, between the two sections of Edinburgh's Princes Street Gardens...
.
Biography
Carew's biography was written shortly after his death by his legal adviser and friend, John HookerJohn Hooker (English constitutionalist)
John Hooker, John Hoker or John Vowell was an English writer, solicitor, antiquary, civic administrator and advocate of republican government. He wrote an eye-witness account of the siege of Exeter that took place during the Prayer Book Rebellion in 1549...
. This is a remarkably early date for a life of a commoner, and the work is described by J.P.D. Cooper as "a milestone in the English biographical genre". It was published, edited by Sir John Maclean, in 1857, as The Life and Times of Sir Peter Carew.
There is a modern full-length biography of Carew by John Wagner (1998).