‘Courten claims the whole island of Barbadoes; and, more particularly, the Corn Plantation, the Indian Bridge Plantation, the Fort Plantation, the Indian Plantation eastwards, and Powell’s plantation. Sir William Courten’s ships discovered the island in the year 1626, and left fifty people there. Captain Henry Powell landed there in February, 1627, built [houses] for Courten’s colony, and left more than forty inhabitants there. John Powell erected Plantation Fort, and remained until he was surprised in 1628 by a force under Charles Wolverton, by which the fort was captured. |Colonial Correspondence, vol. xiv, §§ 37, 39, 42.| In 1629, Sir William Courten sent eighty men with arms, in the ‘Peter and John,’ and they retook the fort in the name of the Earl of Pembroke, Trustee for Courten, according to the royal grant.’ And then the Petition recites the recapture, under the conflicting Patent of the Earl of Carlisle, as I have described it already.
There is, of course, no foundation for the statement that Barbadoes was ‘discovered’ by the ships of Courten. In other respects, the details here set forth appear to be sustained by the evidence.
Domestic Corresp., Charles II, vol. xx, § 77; and xlviii, § 48.
In order to the recovery of the debt from the Crown, Carew suggested, in another petition, and quite in the fashion of the day, that the Petitioners should have ‘leave to raise the money’ due to the Courten Estate from the estates of John Lisle, Thomas Scott, Thomas Andrews, and others, concerned in the murder of the late King. In a third petition, he prayed that ‘a blank warrant for the dignity of a baronet’ might be granted, in order to sell it to the best bidder, and to apply the proceeds in partial satisfaction of the debt.
The Case of the East India Ships.
But it was to the prosecution of the claim upon the Dutch Republic for the unwarranted seizure, in 1643, of the rich ships of the East India Fleet that Carew devoted his best energies. The damages were put at £163,400. The main facts of the case were fully substantiated. And a royal letter was addressed to the States General on the 21st of March, 1662, claiming full satisfaction.
A Memorial was delivered at the Hague in the April following, by the English Ambassador, Sir George Downing, in which, after a general statement of the case at issue, he went on to say: ‘Whereas it may seem strange that this matter may be set on foot at this time, whereas in the year 1654 Commissioners were sent to England who did end several matters relating to the East Indies, and whereas in the year 1659 several matters of a fresher date were also ended, and thereby a period put to all other matters of difference which had happened about the same time, and were known in Europe before the 20th of January in the same year, it is to be considered that the persons interested in these ships were such as, for their singular and extraordinary activity to His Majesty, ... father to the King my master, were rendered incapable of obtaining or pursuing their just rights, at home or abroad. |Memorial delivered to the States General, at the Hague, 19 April, 1662.| And upon that account it is that the business of the two ships remains yet in dispute, though several matters of a much fresher date have been ended.’
When these proceedings were initiated by Sir George Downing at the Hague, Courten himself was still in his minority. But it is probable that he had already returned to England.
Courten’s first personal appearance upon the scene was also made in the way of presenting a petition to the King. |MS. Sloane 3515.| In July 1663, he thus alleged that the steps which had been taken were without his concurrence or knowledge, ‘and, as is feared, with intention to deprive him of his claims.’ The King referred the petition to Sir Geoffrey Palmer, who pronounced in Courten’s favour.
His position was one of great embarrassment. |The Agreement between Courten and Carew.| Some of his family connexions had already suffered much annoyance from litigation about the Courten Estates at home, and were little inclined to incur further risk or trouble on behalf of a relative whose inheritance was certain to yield abundance of immediate vexation and anxiety, and very uncertain in respect to its prospects of any better harvest in the end. |1663.| He was advised to sell the remnant of his entailed estates, to put the product of the sale out of danger from any adverse issue of pending claims, and to come to terms with Carew for the prosecution of the latter—or of some of them—on a joint account. In accordance with this advice, an agreement was made, in the course of 1663, by which Carew was empowered to pursue the claims against the Netherlands, as well on Courten’s behalf as on his own and that of other creditors. The remaining landed estates in Worcestershire and other counties—or nearly all that remained of them—were sold, and a life income was secured.