Cornish Characters and Strange EventsBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
History
Cornish Characters and Strange Events
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Cornwall (England : County) -- Biography; Cornwall (England : County) -- History; Legends -- England -- Cornwall (County)
"Arrived to that shameful degree, Sir John, in point of honour and for
quietness of mind, found himself under a necessity to prosecute a
divorce from her in the Archbishop's Court, which lasted so many years
and [was] so very expensive, as quite ruined his estate, to the degree
of his being often put to very hard shifts to get home from London
upon the frequent recesses in the process, but at length obtained the
divorce in all its formal extent. This woman in such long contest was
in no degree protected by her family, but supported and cherished by
the town of Penryn, from their jealousy and hatred of Arwenack, as
specially appears to this day, by plate by her given to the Mayor and
Corporation of Penryn, when she came into her jointure, as an
acknowledgment for such protection.[11] Sir John did not long outlive
such his divorce, dying in 1632."
Hals says: "Jane Killigrew, widow of Sir John Killigrew, Knt., in the
Spanish wars in the latter end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, went on
board two Dutch ships of the Hans Towns (always free traders in times of
war) driven into Falmouth harbour by cross winds, laden with
merchandise, on account (as was said) of Spaniards, and with a numerous
party of ruffians, murdered the two Spanish merchants or factors on
board these ships, and took from them two barrels or hogsheads of
Spanish pieces of eight, and converted them to her own use."
"Now, though Fleta (lib. i. c. iii., temp. Edward II) tells us that it
is no murder except it be proved that the party slain was English, and
no stranger, yet afterwards by the statute 4 Edward III, the killing
any foreigner under the King's protection, out of evil design or
malice, is murder; upon which statute these offenders were tried and
found guilty at Launceston of wilful murder, both by the grand and
petty juries, and had sentence of death passed accordingly upon them,
and were all executed, except the said Lady Killigrew, the principal
agent and contriver of the barbarous fact, who, by the interest and
favour of Sir John Arundell, of Tolverne, Knt., and his son-in-law,
Sir Nicholas Hals, of Pengersick, Knt., obtained of Queen Elizabeth a
pardon or reprieve for the said lady, which was seasonably put into
the Sheriff of Cornwall's hands.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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