David Kirke
Encyclopedia
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
merchants formed a company to encourage trade and settlement on the St. Lawrence River. France
and England
were at war
and the Kirke family took it upon themselves to expel the French from North America
.
Kirke and his brothers captured Tadoussac in 1628 and demanded that Samuel de Champlain
surrender Quebec
. When their demand was refused they left, but captured a French supply fleet near Gaspé
, putting Quebec into precarious condition. Kirke returned in 1629 and received the French surrender of Quebec. In return for capturing Nova Scotia
and Quebec for the English in 1628, Sir David Kirke was granted a Coat of Arms. His arms were lost, but were rediscovered by London archivists after World War I, and in 1928 became the official Coat of Arms of Newfoundland and Labrador
in 1928.
Kirke was ordered to return the colony to France in 1632 as King Charles I of England
had agreed to return France's territories after Louis XIII
paid his wife's dowry
. As a consolation, Kirke was knight
ed in 1633 and in 1637 he and his partners were given a royal charter
giving them possession of Newfoundland with Kirke as Proprietary Governor
. This charter superseding an earlier charter that granted the Avalon Peninsula
of the island to George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore
as Baltimore was deemed to have abandoned his colony.
Kirke took possession of Ferryland
ejecting William Hill
, who had been proprietary governor on behalf of Cæcilius Calvert
, who had succeeded as Baron Baltimore
on the death of his father. In 1639, Kirke renamed the colony the Pool Plantation. Kirke, as governor of Newfoundland, soon came into conflict with the fishing merchants of western England, who were intent on preserving their control of the Grand Banks fisheries by excluding settlement from the island. Using the labours of about 100 colonists, Kirke erected forts at Ferryland
, St. John’s
, and Bay de Verde
, and collected tolls from all fishing vessels. Kirke was recalled to England
in 1651 on charges of violating the charter and not handing over taxes he had collected on behalf of the government. He was found not guilty. Calvert, meanwhile, went to court to challenge Kirke's charter and his seizure of the Province of Avalon
. Kirke was imprisoned and is thought to have died in jail.
His wife and three sons persevered and became Newfoundland's frostfish barons. During raids by Dutch ships from New Amsterdam, they lost property in 1665 and 1672.
|width="25%" align="center"|Preceded by:
William Hill
|width="25%" align="center"|Governor of Newfoundland
1638–1651
|width="25%" align="center"|Followed by:
John Treworgie
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. 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
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
.
In 1627 Kirke's father and several London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
merchants formed a company to encourage trade and settlement on the St. Lawrence River. France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
were at war
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
and the Kirke family took it upon themselves to expel the French from North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
Kirke and his brothers captured Tadoussac in 1628 and demanded that Samuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain , "The Father of New France", was a French navigator, cartographer, draughtsman, soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnologist, diplomat, and chronicler. He founded New France and Quebec City on July 3, 1608....
surrender Quebec
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
. When their demand was refused they left, but captured a French supply fleet near Gaspé
Gaspé, Quebec
Gaspé is a city at the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula in the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region of eastern Quebec, Canada. As of the 2006 census, the city had a total population of 14,819....
, putting Quebec into precarious condition. Kirke returned in 1629 and received the French surrender of Quebec. In return for capturing Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
and Quebec for the English in 1628, Sir David Kirke was granted a Coat of Arms. His arms were lost, but were rediscovered by London archivists after World War I, and in 1928 became the official Coat of Arms of Newfoundland and Labrador
Coat of arms of Newfoundland and Labrador
The coat of arms of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador was originally granted by King Charles I of England on 13 November 1638-History:...
in 1928.
Kirke was ordered to return the colony to France in 1632 as King Charles I of England
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
had agreed to return France's territories after Louis XIII
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...
paid his wife's dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
. As a consolation, Kirke was knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed in 1633 and in 1637 he and his partners were given a royal charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
giving them possession of Newfoundland with Kirke as Proprietary Governor
Proprietary Governor
Proprietary Governors were individuals authorized to govern proprietary colonies. Under the proprietary system, individuals or companies were granted commercial charters by the King of England to establish colonies. These proprietors then selected the governors and other officials in the colony....
. This charter superseding an earlier charter that granted the Avalon Peninsula
Avalon Peninsula
The Avalon Peninsula is a large peninsula that makes up the southeast portion of the island of Newfoundland.The peninsula is home to 257,223 people, which is approximately 51% of Newfoundland's population in 2009, and is the location of the provincial capital, St. John's. It is connected to the...
of the island to George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore
George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore
Sir George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore, 8th Proprietary Governor of Newfoundland was an English politician and colonizer. He achieved domestic political success as a Member of Parliament and later Secretary of State under King James I...
as Baltimore was deemed to have abandoned his colony.
Kirke took possession of Ferryland
Ferryland
Ferryland is a town in Newfoundland and Labrador on the Avalon Peninsula. According to the 2006 Statistics Canada census, its population is 529. Addresses in Ferryland use the alphanumerically lowest postal codes in Canada, starting with A0A....
ejecting William Hill
William Hill (governor)
William Hill was the Proprietary Governor of the Province of Avalon in Newfoundland from 1634 to 1638. He was appointed to the position by Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore...
, who had been proprietary governor on behalf of Cæcilius Calvert
Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore
Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, 1st Proprietor and 1st Proprietary Governor of Maryland, 9th Proprietary Governor of Newfoundland , was an English peer who was the first proprietor of the Province of Maryland. He received the proprietorship after the death of his father, George Calvert, the...
, who had succeeded as Baron Baltimore
Baron Baltimore
Baron Baltimore, of Baltimore Manor in County Longford, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1625 for George Calvert and became extinct on the death of the sixth Baron in 1771. The title was held by several members of the Calvert family who were proprietors of the palatinates...
on the death of his father. In 1639, Kirke renamed the colony the Pool Plantation. Kirke, as governor of Newfoundland, soon came into conflict with the fishing merchants of western England, who were intent on preserving their control of the Grand Banks fisheries by excluding settlement from the island. Using the labours of about 100 colonists, Kirke erected forts at Ferryland
Ferryland, Newfoundland and Labrador
Ferryland is a town in Newfoundland and Labrador on the Avalon Peninsula. According to the 2006 Statistics Canada census, its population is 529. Addresses in Ferryland use the alphanumerically lowest postal codes in Canada, starting with A0A....
, St. John’s
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
, and Bay de Verde
Bay de Verde, Newfoundland and Labrador
Bay de Verde is an incorporated town in Conception Bay on the northern tip of the Bay de Verde Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The first recorded inhabitants at Bay de Verde arrived in 1662. Bay de Verde became an incorporated town in 1950.-Geography:Bay de Verde is the northern...
, and collected tolls from all fishing vessels. Kirke was recalled to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1651 on charges of violating the charter and not handing over taxes he had collected on behalf of the government. He was found not guilty. Calvert, meanwhile, went to court to challenge Kirke's charter and his seizure of the Province of Avalon
Province of Avalon
Province of Avalon was the area around the settlement of Ferryland, Newfoundland and Labrador, in the 17th century, which upon the success of the colony grew to include the land held by Sir William Vaughan and all the land that lay between Ferryland and Petty Harbour.Sir George Calvert had acquired...
. Kirke was imprisoned and is thought to have died in jail.
His wife and three sons persevered and became Newfoundland's frostfish barons. During raids by Dutch ships from New Amsterdam, they lost property in 1665 and 1672.
|width="25%" align="center"|Preceded by:
William Hill
William Hill (governor)
William Hill was the Proprietary Governor of the Province of Avalon in Newfoundland from 1634 to 1638. He was appointed to the position by Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore...
|width="25%" align="center"|Governor of Newfoundland
1638–1651
|width="25%" align="center"|Followed by:
John Treworgie
John Treworgie
John Treworgie was the last Proprietary Governor of Newfoundland. Treworgie had worked as an agent at a Kittery, Maine trading post from 1635 to 1650...