THE MOST SUCCESSFUL PIRATE: PETER EASTON

Captain Peter Easton was originally a British privateer who raided Spanish ships with the full blessing of his king. But when England made peace with Spain in 1604, Easton was left in Newfoundland with three ships and no official way to make money to pay for them. Easton became a pirate – one of the most successful to terrorize ships along the Newfoundland coast.

In 1612, he plundered 30 of his countrymen’s vessels in St. John’s harbour, and raided French and Portuguese fishing vessels off Ferryland, on Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula. At the height of his pirate career he commanded 40 ships and used Harbour Grace, Newfoundland as his base.

Easton was not a bloodthirsty rogue. He treated Newfoundland settlers, traders and governors with care, and tried to win a pardon from his King. Despite his desire for respectability, Easton never managed to shed his "arch-pirate" image. He eventually retired, with two million pounds of gold, to the French Riviera. Easton was never brought to justice and eventually used his fortune to buy the title, Marquis of Savoy.