A HISTORY OF DORSET 



officials to use Portland Castle as a storehouse for his plunder."' He is next 

 heard of on the coast of Suffolk, but in November, 1555, was in the Tower. 

 No harm came to him of this, and it is quite certain that many of these 

 adventurers, including Strangeways, were in secret communication with 

 dignitaries of State, who, sitting in council, offered rewards for their bodies."* 

 In one state paper or another Strangeways' name is seldom missing for a 

 month during these years. In September, 1559, he was taken with eighty 

 of his crew, tried in London and condemned to death, but reprieved 

 at the last moment."*^ After the accession of Elizabeth he seems to 

 have determined to go further afield, and, with a partner, planned to sail 

 from Plymouth ' to take an island of the king of Spain's.' "' A declaration 

 that they were only sailing as merchants brought permission to leave, but as. 

 he was in prison in December, 1560, we may suppose that Spanish merchant- 

 men were found easier to reach than one of Philip's islands."' That, after 

 his career, he was then liberated on promise of good conduct points to some 

 powerful protection and former political services. It is an interesting 

 example of heredity or family tendency to find, from 1587 onwards, a 

 Melchior Strangeways continually proclaimed for piracy, although he 

 was probably more of a privateersman. While Melchior was ' wanted,' 

 John Strangeways was a deputy-lieutenant for Dorset. 



The plague of piracy was bad enough during the reign of Elizabeth, 

 but many of the cases which the sufferers so regarded were really seizures, 

 of enemy's goods in neutral ships and were questions for the judge of the 

 Admiralty Court. In 1561 general directions to watch the coast were 

 issued to the vice-admirals, for the great difficulty in extirpating the pirates 

 lay in the help and sympathy extended to them everywhere."^ The peace 

 of 1564 and the protests of the continental states forced Elizabeth to more 

 energetic action ; a circular letter to the vice-admirals called their attention 

 to the suggestive fact that although many pirates had been taken not one 

 had been executed."' A year later, recognizing that stronger measures were 

 necessary — ' the inconvenience not yet being removed,' in the placid language 

 of the commission — especial piracy commissioners with large powers were 

 nominated for each county, and they were to appoint deputies at every creek 

 and landing-place."' As the pirates had friends and receivers in nearly every 

 port these proceedings were not of much avail ; the business became still 

 more difficult to handle when the Prince of Orange issued letters of marque, 

 many of which were taken out by Englishmen, while many Dutch ships had 

 Englishmen on board. The Orange privateers were an element of high state 

 policy, and Elizabeth did not hold it advisable entirely to crush them even if 

 it had been in her power to do so. Subsequently the Spanish Netherlands 

 followed the example of the Dutch and sent out privateers, the beginning 

 of the affliction of ' Dunkirkers ' which plagued the coast for more than a 

 century, while Englishmen also obtained letters of marque from the Huguenot 



leaders in France. 



% 



'^ Marsden, Selict Pleas of the Court of AJmiralfj, ii, 85. George Strangeways was captain of Port'and. 

 '» Ced/MSS. (Hist. MSS. Com.), i, 489. '"' Machyn's Diary (Camd. Soc), 206. 212, 213. 



"» jicls of B.C. 28 April, 1559. "« Ibid. 2 May, 1559 ; S.P. Dom. Eliz. xiv. No. 60. 



'" S.P. Dom. Eliz. xviii, No. 23. "» Jcti ofP.C. 23 Dec. 1564. 



'" Ibid. 8 Nov. 1565 ; S.P. Dom. Eliz. xxxviii. No. 9. For Dorset, Sir Wm. Paulet, Sir Hen. Ashley, 

 Geo. Rogers, and Robert Coker. 



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