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Peter Easton | |
|---|---|
| Peter Eston | |
| Born | c. 1570 Scotland |
| Died | c. 1620 Savoy |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation | Pirate |
| Years active | 1602–1620 |
| Piratical career | |
| Allegiance | Kingdom of England  Duchy of Savoy |
| Rank | Captain |
| Base of operations | Newfoundland, Caribbean |
| Commands | Happy Adventure |
Peter Easton (c. 1570 – 1620 or after) was an English privateer and later pirate in the early 17th century. Conflicting accounts exist regarding his early life. By 1602, Easton had become a highly successful privateer, commissioned to protect English interests in Newfoundland. The 'most famous English pirate of the day', his piracies ranged from Ireland and Guinea to Newfoundland.[1][2] He is best known today for his involvement in the early English settlement of Newfoundland, including the settlements at Harbour Grace and Ferryland from 1611 to 1614. One of the most successful of all pirates, he controlled such seapower that no sovereign or state could afford to ignore him, and he was never overtaken or captured by any fleet commissioned to hunt him down.[3] However, he is not as well known as some of the pirates from the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
- ^ Clive Malcolm Senior, An Investigation of the Activities and Importance of English Pirates, 1603–40 (University of Bristol, PhD thesis, 1973), p. 88
- ^ Clive Senior, A Nation of Pirates: English Piracy in its Heyday (Newton Abbot, 1976), pp. 68–70
- ^ Hunt, E. (1979) [1966]. "Easton, Peter". In Brown, George Williams (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. I (1000–1700) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press. Retrieved 24 September 2013.