Daniel Elfrith | |
|---|---|
| Born | fl. 1607 |
| Died | 1641 |
| Piratical career | |
| Type | Privateer |
| Allegiance | England |
| Years active | 1610s–1640s |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Base of operations | Bermuda |
| Commands | The Robert The Treasurer |
| Later work | Colonist |
Daniel Elfrith (fl. 1607–1641) was a 17th-century English privateer, colonist and slave trader. In the service of the Earl of Warwick, Elfrith was involved in privateering expeditions against the Spanish from his base in Bermuda. He was particularly known for capturing Spanish slave ships bound for the Spanish Main and selling the slaves himself to rival colonies in the Caribbean and the American colonies.
He and John Jope[1] were the first men to arrive in the English Colony of Virginia to sell slaves. Arriving only four days ahead his partner, Jope had sold the first African slaves in the American colonies in exchange for provisions, however Elfrith's arrival sparked considerably more controversy and was turned away by the colony.
He is also one of the earliest Englishmen, along with Sussex Camock, to discover and later take part in the initial settlement of the Providence Island colony in 1629. A personal friend of the Earl of Warwick, his son-in-law Philip Bell became the colony's first governor while he assumed the position of its admiral.[2]