Peter Love
Encyclopedia
Peter Love was an English pirate, said to have been born in Lewes
, Sussex
. He was the captain of the Priam, and for a time occupied a base on the island of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, when he entered into an agreement with the Hebridean outlaw Neil MacLeod. From his base of operations on Lewis, Love captured numerous ships and seized their cargo. MacLeod, however, betrayed Love, and handed him over to the Scottish authorities. As a result, Love and several members of his crew were found guilty of piracy and condemned to be hanged, in 1610. MacLeod did not much outlive Love, since he was betrayed by his kinsman, Rory Mor MacLeod of Harris and Dunvegan
, and executed for high treason
three years later.
, Sussex
, England
, some time in the 16th century. He was a notable pirate of his era; his ship was called the Priam.
when he dropped anchor near Bernera, within Loch Roag, Lewis
. The Priam was full of cargo which consisted of cinnamon
, ginger
, pepper
, cochineal
, sugar
, 700 Indian hides, and 29 pieces of silver plate which had been looted from an English ship; a box, containing various precious stones of great value, which had been looted from a Dutch ship; as well as a large number of musket
s. During this time a Hebridean outlaw dwelt in the immediate area. His name was Neil MacLeod, the son of Old Ruari, the late chief
of the MacLeods of Lewis. MacLeod had for years been fighting various invading forces on Lewis. At the turn of the 17th century, the Fife adventurers
had attempted to colonise the island, and later Kenneth Mackenzie of Kintail
took over where they had left off. Mackenzie of Kintail was granted a commission of fire and sword by the government
, and successfully took control of Lewis. However, MacLeod, and a small band of followers, took refuge and fortified themselves on the remote stack
on the tiny island of Bearasaigh
within Loch Roag
. Bearasaigh is located at: .
The pirate Love and the outlaw MacLeod soon struck up a working friendship; after setting up a base in the area, and an agreement with MacLeod, the pirates resumed their trade and captured a (Lowland
) Scottish ship, owned by Thomas Fleming (Ritchieson) of Anstruther
, whom they detained as a prisoner. They also captured a Flemish
ship, and transferred five of her crew to work as slaves, and replaced them with a similar number of pirates on board. This Flemish ship was later driven by bad weather onto the coast of Shetland, where the crew was forced to go ashore. Mackenzie related of one account which stated that the friendship between Love and MacLeod was so strong that Love was about to marry a daughter of Torquil Blair MacLeod, who is described as Neil MacLeod's aunt. Mackenzie noted that this is obviously an error of some sort (as Torquil
is a masculine name), and proposed that Torquil Blair may have been an illegitimate son of Old Ruari, the late chief of the MacLeods of Lewis. Later, the 20th-century clan historian Alec Morrison stated that Neil actually married the daughter of Torquil Blair MacLeod.
.
According to tradition, there was an abundance of money aboard the Priam which was divided and lotted amongst MacLeod and his followers by using the helmet of Donald Cam Macaulay. Mackenzie noted that there is no mention of money in the official records found on board the Priam. Her cargo of spices were of little use to outlaws—but money was of great use. Mackenzie noted that MacLeod's capture of Love would have served two purposes: providing him with a wealth of money; and giving him a means of reconciliation with the Government.
MacLeod sent a messenger to inform the Privy Council. MacLeod's version of events, related to the Privy Council, was that he was not personally present during the seizure of Love and the Priam. According to Mackenzie, the reason that MacLeod distanced himself from the actual event was so that he could not be held responsible if his men were thought to have helped themselves to the loot. Mackenzie also considered it quite likely that when the Priam was finally handed over to representatives of the Government, that anything of use to Neil and his men, would not have been found on board.
Love and nine of his men were handed over to Patrick Grieve and were tried in Edinburgh on 8 December 1610. The men were a mixture of nationalities: Englishmen Johnne Cokis, Williame Hollane, Anthony Colenis, and Abraham Mathie; Welshmen Dauid Howart, and Nicolas Phillopes; and Irishman Jasperd Staffurd. Mackenzie stated that the other two men handed over to Grieve appeared to have died of their wounds, before the trial. The pirates were all found guilty and were condemned to be hanged on the sands of Leith
("To be tane to ane Gibbet
vpone the Sandis of Leyth, within the fflodes-mark, and thair to be hangit quhill thay be deid ... ").
MacLeod did not last much longer than Love. In 1613, he was forced from his fortified stack
and fled to Harris and the protection of his kinsman, chief Rory Mor MacLeod of Harris and Dunvegan
. MacLeod of Harris and Dunvegan promised to take MacLeod to London, where MacLeod hoped he could obtain a pardon from the king. But upon reaching Glasgow, MacLeod of Harris and Dunvegan gave up MacLeod and his son, Donald, to the authorities. According to Mackenzie accounts, MacLeod of Harris and Dunvegan had only taken MacLeod to Glasgow under the pretence of taking him to the king. In the end, MacLeod was found guilty of high treason
and hanged in April 1613; his son was banished to England.
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
. He was the captain of the Priam, and for a time occupied a base on the island of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, when he entered into an agreement with the Hebridean outlaw Neil MacLeod. From his base of operations on Lewis, Love captured numerous ships and seized their cargo. MacLeod, however, betrayed Love, and handed him over to the Scottish authorities. As a result, Love and several members of his crew were found guilty of piracy and condemned to be hanged, in 1610. MacLeod did not much outlive Love, since he was betrayed by his kinsman, Rory Mor MacLeod of Harris and Dunvegan
Roderick Macleod of Macleod
Sir Roderick Macleod of Macleod, also known as Rory Mor, was the 15th chief of Clan MacLeod. His seat as Clan Chief was Dunvegan Castle.-Biography:...
, and executed for high treason
High treason
High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's government. Participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps...
three years later.
Background
Peter Love was stated to have been born in LewesLewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, 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...
, some time in the 16th century. He was a notable pirate of his era; his ship was called the Priam.
Allegiance with the outlaw Neil MacLeod
According to early 20th-century historian William Cook Mackenzie, Love and the Priam had narrowly escaped capture off the coast of IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
when he dropped anchor near Bernera, within Loch Roag, Lewis
Lewis
Lewis is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The total area of Lewis is ....
. The Priam was full of cargo which consisted of cinnamon
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods...
, ginger
Ginger
Ginger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family . Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal....
, pepper
Black pepper
Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...
, cochineal
Cochineal
The cochineal is a scale insect in the suborder Sternorrhyncha, from which the crimson-colour dye carmine is derived. A primarily sessile parasite native to tropical and subtropical South America and Mexico, this insect lives on cacti from the genus Opuntia, feeding on plant moisture and...
, sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
, 700 Indian hides, and 29 pieces of silver plate which had been looted from an English ship; a box, containing various precious stones of great value, which had been looted from a Dutch ship; as well as a large number of musket
Musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
s. During this time a Hebridean outlaw dwelt in the immediate area. His name was Neil MacLeod, the son of Old Ruari, the late chief
Scottish clan chief
The Scottish Gaelic word clann means children. In early times, and possibly even today, clan members believed themselves to descend from a common ancestor, the founder of the Scottish clan. From its perceived founder a clan takes its name. The clan chief is the representative of this founder, and...
of the MacLeods of Lewis. MacLeod had for years been fighting various invading forces on Lewis. At the turn of the 17th century, the Fife adventurers
Fife adventurers
The Gentleman Adventurers of Fife or Fife Adventurers were a group of 12 Scottish Lowlander colonists awarded lands on the Isle of Lewis by King James VI in 1598 following the forfeiture of all MacLeod lands in 1597 when they failed to produce the title-deeds proving their ownership which had been...
had attempted to colonise the island, and later Kenneth Mackenzie of Kintail
Kenneth Mackenzie, 1st Lord Mackenzie of Kintail
Kenneth Mackenzie, the first Lord Mackenzie of Kintail , was a Highland clan chief who secured for himself and his heirs the entirety of the island of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides and successfully pursued a bloody feud with the Macdonells of Glengarry.-Origins:Mackenzie was the son of Colin Cam...
took over where they had left off. Mackenzie of Kintail was granted a commission of fire and sword by the government
Government of Scotland
Prior to 1707, the Kingdom of Scotland was a sovereign state, governed by the monarch, the privy council, and the parliament. As a result of the Treaty of Union agreed in 1706, the Parliaments of England and Scotland each passed Acts of Union to create the Kingdom of Great Britain.-History:Between...
, and successfully took control of Lewis. However, MacLeod, and a small band of followers, took refuge and fortified themselves on the remote stack
Stack (geology)
A stack is a geological landform consisting of a steep and often vertical column or columns of rock in the sea near a coast, isolated by erosion. Stacks are formed through processes of coastal geomorphology, which are entirely natural. Time, wind and water are the only factors involved in the...
on the tiny island of Bearasaigh
Bearasaigh
Bearasaigh or Bearasay is an islet in outer Loch Ròg, Lewis, Scotland. During the late 16th and early 17th centuries it was used as a pirates' hideout and the remains of various buildings from that period still exist...
within Loch Roag
Loch Ròg
Loch Ròg or Loch Roag is a sea loch on the west coast of Lewis, Outer Hebrides.The waters of Loch Roag are pristine and clear, and are today the source of farmed organic salmon and organic mussels...
. Bearasaigh is located at: .
The pirate Love and the outlaw MacLeod soon struck up a working friendship; after setting up a base in the area, and an agreement with MacLeod, the pirates resumed their trade and captured a (Lowland
Scottish Lowlands
The Scottish Lowlands is a name given to the Southern half of Scotland.The area is called a' Ghalldachd in Scottish Gaelic, and the Lawlands ....
) Scottish ship, owned by Thomas Fleming (Ritchieson) of Anstruther
Anstruther
Anstruther is a small town in Fife, Scotland. The two halves of Anstruther are divided by a small stream called Dreel Burn. Anstruther lies 9 miles south-southeast of St Andrews. It is the largest community on the stretch of north-shore coastline of the Firth of Forth known as the East Neuk,...
, whom they detained as a prisoner. They also captured a Flemish
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
ship, and transferred five of her crew to work as slaves, and replaced them with a similar number of pirates on board. This Flemish ship was later driven by bad weather onto the coast of Shetland, where the crew was forced to go ashore. Mackenzie related of one account which stated that the friendship between Love and MacLeod was so strong that Love was about to marry a daughter of Torquil Blair MacLeod, who is described as Neil MacLeod's aunt. Mackenzie noted that this is obviously an error of some sort (as Torquil
Torquil
Torquil is an Anglicised form of the Norwegian and Swedish masculine name Torkel, and the Scottish Gaelic name Torcall. The Scottish Gaelic name Torcall is Gaelicised form of the Old Norse name Þorketill. The Scandinavian Torkel is a contracted form of the Old Norse Þorketill...
is a masculine name), and proposed that Torquil Blair may have been an illegitimate son of Old Ruari, the late chief of the MacLeods of Lewis. Later, the 20th-century clan historian Alec Morrison stated that Neil actually married the daughter of Torquil Blair MacLeod.
No honour among thieves
Neil MacLeod, however, betrayed Love, and during a feast attempted to seize the pirates. Some of the pirates were killed during a desperate scuffle, but Love and the Priam were captured by MacLeod and his men. The four Dutchmen would had been enslaved by the pirates were freed and sent across Lewis, and a Scotsman who was also enslaved was detained by MacLeod, who waited for instructions from the Privy CouncilPrivy Council of Scotland
The Privy Council of Scotland was a body that advised the King.In the range of its functions the council was often more important than the Estates in the running the country. Its registers include a wide range of material on the political, administrative, economic and social affairs of Scotland...
.
According to tradition, there was an abundance of money aboard the Priam which was divided and lotted amongst MacLeod and his followers by using the helmet of Donald Cam Macaulay. Mackenzie noted that there is no mention of money in the official records found on board the Priam. Her cargo of spices were of little use to outlaws—but money was of great use. Mackenzie noted that MacLeod's capture of Love would have served two purposes: providing him with a wealth of money; and giving him a means of reconciliation with the Government.
MacLeod sent a messenger to inform the Privy Council. MacLeod's version of events, related to the Privy Council, was that he was not personally present during the seizure of Love and the Priam. According to Mackenzie, the reason that MacLeod distanced himself from the actual event was so that he could not be held responsible if his men were thought to have helped themselves to the loot. Mackenzie also considered it quite likely that when the Priam was finally handed over to representatives of the Government, that anything of use to Neil and his men, would not have been found on board.
Love and nine of his men were handed over to Patrick Grieve and were tried in Edinburgh on 8 December 1610. The men were a mixture of nationalities: Englishmen Johnne Cokis, Williame Hollane, Anthony Colenis, and Abraham Mathie; Welshmen Dauid Howart, and Nicolas Phillopes; and Irishman Jasperd Staffurd. Mackenzie stated that the other two men handed over to Grieve appeared to have died of their wounds, before the trial. The pirates were all found guilty and were condemned to be hanged on the sands of Leith
Leith
-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....
("To be tane to ane Gibbet
Gibbet
A gibbet is a gallows-type structure from which the dead bodies of executed criminals were hung on public display to deter other existing or potential criminals. In earlier times, up to the late 17th century, live gibbeting also took place, in which the criminal was placed alive in a metal cage...
vpone the Sandis of Leyth, within the fflodes-mark, and thair to be hangit quhill thay be deid ... ").
MacLeod did not last much longer than Love. In 1613, he was forced from his fortified stack
Stack (geology)
A stack is a geological landform consisting of a steep and often vertical column or columns of rock in the sea near a coast, isolated by erosion. Stacks are formed through processes of coastal geomorphology, which are entirely natural. Time, wind and water are the only factors involved in the...
and fled to Harris and the protection of his kinsman, chief Rory Mor MacLeod of Harris and Dunvegan
Roderick Macleod of Macleod
Sir Roderick Macleod of Macleod, also known as Rory Mor, was the 15th chief of Clan MacLeod. His seat as Clan Chief was Dunvegan Castle.-Biography:...
. MacLeod of Harris and Dunvegan promised to take MacLeod to London, where MacLeod hoped he could obtain a pardon from the king. But upon reaching Glasgow, MacLeod of Harris and Dunvegan gave up MacLeod and his son, Donald, to the authorities. According to Mackenzie accounts, MacLeod of Harris and Dunvegan had only taken MacLeod to Glasgow under the pretence of taking him to the king. In the end, MacLeod was found guilty of high treason
High treason
High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's government. Participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps...
and hanged in April 1613; his son was banished to England.