5. Queen Elizabeth Spared the Life of This Murderous Pirate
When the Spanish captain and his crew returned to Arwenack and discovered what had happened, they were understandably upset. They complained to the local authorities, but the local judge was Lady Killigrew’s son, so the complaint went nowhere. Enraged, the foreign seamen went to London, where they enlisted the Spanish ambassador’s help. Lady Killigrew’s latest foray proved too reckless for the authorities in London. Instead of discrete piracy carried out far away, she had carried out a brazen act of piracy in English waters that threatened to cause a diplomatic crisis.
Officials were sent from London to investigate. When it was discovered that Lady Killigrew’s son, the judge, had tampered with the local investigation, she and her chief accomplices were arrested. Some of the stolen goods from the Marie of San Sebastian were discovered in her house, so she was charged as a fence for the reception of stolen goods. She was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. Two of her accomplices were executed, but Lady Killigrew received a commutation from Queen Elizabeth, and was later released from prison after her son doled out lavish bribes.
