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officials to use Portland Castle as a storehouse for his plunder. 133 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. 134 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. 135 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. ' 136 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 merchantmen were found easier to reach than one of Philip's islands. 137 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. 137 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. 138 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. 139 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. 133 Marsden, Select Pleas of the Court of Admiralty, ii, 85. George Strangeways was captain of Portland. 200 ^ back to top ^ |