Peter Easton: The Pirate Admiral Who Ruled Newfoundland
If you’d been walking the rocky shoreline of Harbour Grace in the summer of 1612, you might’ve looked out at the bay and thought you were seeing a small navy. Ten or more ships—heavily armed, rich with stolen treasure, and under the command of one man: Peter Easton, the ‘Pirate Admiral.’
Today, he's remembered as one of the most successful pirates to ever sail under an English flag, and for a brief but memorable stretch, Newfoundland was his base of operations.
Easton's is not your typical pirate story. He didn’t die in battle, swinging from a mast with a sword in his teeth. He didn’t hang from the gallows, or vanish mysteriously in a storm. No, Easton lived to enjoy his riches—and even bought himself a palace. But long before that, he carved out a kingdom of his own, right here on this rocky edge of the North Atlantic.
Privateer to Pirate
Little is known about Peter Easton’s early life. Some believe he came from privilege—he certainly moved comfortably in elite circles. Others say he rose from humbler beginnings, climbing the ranks through grit and ambition.
What we do know is that by the early 1600s, he was commanding ships under the banner of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the beginning Easton sailed not as a pirate, but as a privateer—a kind of legal pirate commissioned by the Crown. His mission was to defend English interests at sea, including the valuable fishing fleets off Newfoundland. He did this by attacking the ships of enemy nations. It was piracy with paperwork—and Easton took to it with enthusiasm and considerable success.
But when James I took the English throne in 1603, he cancelled those privateering commissions.
Easton, having developed a taste for the lifestyle, kept going. What had been crown-sanctioned plundering quickly became outright piracy. Easton was no longer a loyal servant of the state—he was an outlaw. And a wildly successful one.
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I come from a small Newfoundland town called Happy Adventure.
Local legend says it was named after Peter Easton’s ship. But like many Newfoundland place names, the real story is a bit murkier. Some say it came from the earliest settlers, happy to find such a peaceful, sheltered harbour. Others say it was the brainchild of a British surveyor. You can read more about it here.
Whatever the truth, growing up I leaned heavily into the pirate connection — and the town hasn’t let go either, with its annual pirate festival and a pirate ship proudly sailing on the town sign. It brought a certain magic to my youth. I liked to imagine Goonies-style adventures lurking around every corner: hidden treasure, secret caves, and maybe even a pirate curse or two.
It made for great playtime adventures — even if I never actually found a treasure map.
Flying the St. George’s Cross from the mast of his flagship Happy Adventure, Easton prowled the Mediterranean and the West Indies, attacking Spanish treasure ships, collecting gold, and even shaking down English vessels for "protection money."
By 1610, he was bold enough to take control of the Bristol Channel itself, bringing England’s western ports to a standstill. It was an act that got the crown’s full attention. Lord Nottingham sent another former privateer, Henry Mainwaring, to hunt Easton down. But Easton slipped away—first to Africa, then across the Atlantic, and back to a place he’d come to know well: Newfoundland.
Pirate Paradise
Thanks to his days as a privateer, Easton knew the waters of Newfoundland well. More importantly, he knew what they offered: hundreds of seasoned fishermen, sturdy ships, and well-provisioned storehouses. He didn’t come looking for gold—he came looking for men.
By 1612, he had set up shop in Harbour Grace. He built a fort, repaired his ships, and recruited. Some volunteered for the thrill and promise of riches; others had to be “persuaded.” According to some estimates, he took as many as 1,500 men from the Newfoundland coast.
Colonist John Guy, writing from Cuper’s Cove that July, described Easton’s exploits with a mixture of alarm and curiosity:
“He purposes to have five hundred out of the land before he goeth… Two several companies of 180 men each being discontented have stolen away from him in two ships of Barnstable and Plimmoth that they tooke.”
A short while later Guy, himself, narrowly avoided capture by Easton’s men during their hunt for new crew. His barque, en route to Renews, was fired upon and one of the crew was injured. When the pirates realized who they’d shot at, they backed off. One of Easton’s crew had wintered with Guy previously, and vouched for him. They apologized and sailed on.
Easton’s relationship with Newfoundland’s settlers was complicated. He protected John Guy’s colony at Cuper’s Cove, but refused to allow the establishment of another at Renews. He harassed ships at St. John’s and Ferryland, but also kept Basque and Portuguese pirates at bay.
One man who got to know him well—perhaps too well—was Sir Richard Whitbourne, who Easton captured and held prisoner for eleven weeks. Easton offered him treasure and command, hoping to recruit Whitbourne to his cause, but Whitbourne refused:
“Famous Arch-Pirate, Peter Easton, came there… I was kept eleven weeks under his command, and had from him many golden promises…”
Eventually, Easton let him go on the condition that he’d return to England and seek a pardon on Easton’s behalf.
Ironically, that pardon had already been granted. But word hadn’t reached Newfoundland — and by the time it did, he was gone again.
Riches & Retirement
Some historians question the more dramatic accounts leading to Easton’s final days in Newfoundland, but tradition holds that in 1614, he sailed south to Puerto Rico and captured a richly laden Spanish ship, the San Sebastian. When he returned to Harbour Grace, he found his fort had been seized by Basque pirates. Easton retaliated swiftly — retaking the fort, destroying the Basque force and running their flagship aground. He met his goal but not without a cost — nearly 50 of his own men were killed in the battle.
And there may be some physical evidence to support that story.
The Conception Bay Museum notes that a mass grave was uncovered during construction of a new sewer line beside Coughlan United Church in Harbour Grace. The remains appeared to match the early 17th century, and the site’s location—just across the street from where Easton’s fort once stood—adds weight to the theory that these could be the casualties of that bloody confrontation.
After that, Easton moved his base to Ferryland, a more easily defended harbour. He sent another request to James I for clemency. While he waited for an answer, he led one final daring raid — commanding 14 pirate ships and 500 men he sailed to the Azores, where he captured a Spanish fleet from the West Indies loaded with silver. Easton brought the treasure to Tunisia and remained there for a year.
From there, he sailed to Villefranche, Savoy — a free port, or safe haven for pirates. There, Easton did something few pirates ever managed: he retired rich.
The Duke of Savoy welcomed him. He bought a palace, lived in luxury, and was even granted the title Marquis of Savoy.
One English agent described meeting Easton in Savoy:
“This Easton hath since beene with me: hee seemeth to have the age of 40 yeares: his countenance is rude and savadge (which the Duke tooke notice off), his speech and carriage is slow, subtile, and guilty…”
His “rude and savadge countenance” didn’t seem to hold him back. Easton remained in Savoy, married well, and by 1620 had quietly vanished from the historical record.
It was about as happy an ending as a pirate could hope for. No final battle. No dramatic death. Just a man once feared across the Atlantic, slipping into comfortable obscurity.
The Pirate Kingdom
Most pirate stories end in betrayal or bloodshed. Not Peter Easton’s. He broke the rules, shook the world, and when he’d had his fill, he walked away with gold in his pockets and a title to his name.
Newfoundland was only one chapter in Easton’s story — but it was an important one. It set the stage for his success. It was a place where fishermen became outlaws, where colonists dodged musket fire, and fleets of pirate ships rode high in the harbour.
In the era of early English outposts and fishing stations, Newfoundland may have been synonymous with codfish but for a time, it was something more —the beating heart of a pirate kingdom, and at its centre was Peter Easton.
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E. Hunt, “Easton, Peter,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed July 10, 2025
Clive Malcolm Senior, An Investigation of the Activities and Importance of English Pirates, 1603–40, University of Bristol, PhD thesis, 1973
D. Prowse, A history of Newfoundland from the English, colonial, and foreign records, 1895
John Guy Letter, July 29, 1612, Heritage NL
A letter about Peter Easton, Pirate Admiral, John S. Mitchell Ph. D< Newfoundland Quarterly, Spring/Summer, 1999
Peter Easton, The Canadian Encyclopedia
No Colony for Old Men: Peter Easton in Conception Bay, Conception Bay Museum
Peter Easton, Real Canadian pirates : buccaneers & rogues of the North, G. Telfer, 2007
Pirates & Outlaws of Canada, Harold Horwood and Ed Butts, 1984
True Newfoundlanders : early homes and families of Newfoundland and Labrador, Margaret McBurney, 1997
Beachy Pond, Oderin Island and Easton's Pirate Gold, John S. Mitchell Ph.D., Newfoundland Quarterly, Summer 1995
Peter Easton ruled Newfoundland’s seas as the legendary “pirate admiral.” Discover his daring exploits, pirate kingdom, and lasting legacy in this thrilling tale of maritime adventure.