Lady Mary Killigrew, a friend of Queen Elizabeth I, was no stranger to piracy as it was rumoured that her father and other family members had been involved in stealing ships and cargo for many years.
Mary killigrew’s most famous exploit occurred in 1583 in her native Cornwall. On the first of January a Spanish ship, the Maria, berthed at Arwenack Castle and the officers were entertained by the Killigrew’s.
During the officer’s stay, Lady Killigrew slipped away from them for a while and boarded the Maria. She and her men killed all aboard and stole the cargo and hid the ship.
Upon returning to the dock, the Spanish captain was furious at the disappearance of the Maria but there was little to no proof that Mary Killigrew had been involved in either the disappearance of the vessel or the killing of his men.
A Spanish contingent travelled to London to lobby for justice and an investigation was begun. However, when it was discovered that the judge behind the investigation was Killigrew’s son, the Spanish exerted political pressure on the Queen’s court.
This led to a trial at which Killigrew and two of her cohorts were found guilty and sentenced to death. The other two were executed but Lady Mary Killigrew was pardoned by her friend, Queen Elizabeth I.
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