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Prince Charles, His Detractors, and the Future of the Monarchy

5/17/2022

 
PicturePrince Charles
Prince Charles has been sometimes 
criticised for the way he expresses his views 
on matters of personal interest to him such 
as environmental affairs. However, a 
monarch being involved in political affairs 
is hardly something that would doom a 
constitutional monarchy. Charles’s image is 
really bound-up with the drama of his two 
marriages rather than his personality. 

The politician from across the Commonwealth who has really
trash talked Charles the most, is perhaps Maxime Bernier, at
least in recent times. Bernier in his days as a cabinet minister
never revealed any republican sentiment but as the
momentum of his right-wing populist movement has grown,
he has become more vocal over the issue. At this point,
Maxime is unlikely to return to Ottawa anyway even if the
PPC vote does increase by a large margin, but, this still could
put pressure on the Tories.
Picture
The monarchy in Canada has actually proven to be a pretty
resilient thing however controversial it may be. This might be
attributed to the Monarchist League of Canada having been
able to stay focused on presenting the argument for monarchy
in a non-partisan way and working to maintain a degree of
influence, to the extent of perhaps having the chairman sit
next to the leader of the opposition at a state dinner, or having
the deputy prime minister attend one of their events.

But the biggest threat to the monarchy in Canada is the
perception of Prince Charles being political. However, the
monarchy’s European counterparts show that this does not
need to be so. The other monarchies in Europe appear to
generally be suffering less controversy than that of the House
of Windsor despite being perceived as being more political. It
is also important to remember that whilst the financing of the
monarchy in the UK is part of the debate, Canada does not
send a single penny to Buckingham Palace. It would be
difficult for any politician like Bernier to use “taxpayers
money” as ammunition against it.

It feels pretty unrealistic that there will be any real appetite to
skip Charles, even if we had the option. It is important to
remember that constitutional monarchy can be refereed by
the public fairly easily. The royal houses have proved to be
highly sensitive to public opinion. In the UK this was
famously the case with Edward VIII’s controversial choice of
wife but more recently in Spain when their king was
humiliated into abdication by his own scandals. Spain appears
to be the only other European monarchy to be suffering the
same level of crisis in public image as the UK has. Despite
what tabloids like to shake up in the English speaking world,
such a “royal crisis” appears to be bigger in Spain than it is in
the UK, to the extent that quite a few mainstream Spanish
politicians have actually advocated a republic in contrast to
the very small number of British republicans in Westminster
and even smaller number of them who actually have tried to
campaign for a republic. Charles doesn’t face the same
pressure as Juan Carlos did.

People have at times raised an eyebrow over Prince Charles
(and his sons) acting ‘woke’. But Dutch royalty has been able
to work pretty well with ‘wokeness’, advocating LGBT,
immigration, environmental affairs, and other such things
related to social justice.  This does frustrate some
conservatives but not to the extent of fanning republican
sentiment. The widespread support for the royalty continues
to be preserved.
Picture
Prince Charles speaking at COP21
With the more recent generation of royals, marrying
commoners has become increasingly natural. The Nordic
royals have been doing this for some time now but even in the
very conservative Japan it’s now been accepted. Charles’ wife
Camilla has not used the title “Princess of Wales” but this
reflects the sensitivity related to Diana. There shouldn’t be
any similar reason why Camila won’t be Queen consort.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s behaviour is hardly doing
the monarchy any favours but their antics do not appear to be
damaging Charles specifically.

Many heirs to the thrones have faced skepticism during their
early royal careers both before and after ascending to the
throne. But the best news for Prince Charles is that his public
image has improved no doubt as a result of his own efforts to
downplay his more controversial interests . People are already
forgetting about the bizarre portrayals of him of the past and
are starting to view him as a benign figurehead. A few in the
UK have proposed becoming a copycat Republic of Ireland
but Charles alone does more public engagements than the
Irish President despite Charles not being the Head of State.
He is just that committed.

With Prince Charles filling in for the Queen more than ever
due to concerns over her health, for example stepping in for
the Queen at the recent state opening of Parliament, some
people have felt the need to stir up debate over his position
but, it seems this has been received very favourably by the
British public. The British public likes what they are seeing
and respect for Charles is growing at the right time.

Loyally Yours,
Lord Ludichris

Monarchist Profile: Elizabeth May

10/12/2017

 
Picture
Elizabeth May was born in Hartford,
Connecticut to Stephanie and John May in
1954. While both parents were born in New
York, her father was raised in England. Her
father's influence on his daughter's turn to
monarchism can only be guessed at. He 
served in both the British Home Guard and
US Army Air Corps. Later in life he took to
immersing himself in the culture of his
Highland Scottish ancestors and creating
miniature armies from the Napoleonic
Wars. Elizabeth May is a practicing Anglican has even said
her long term goals include being ordained as an Anglican
Priest.

First elected as a Member of Parliament in 2011 Elizabeth
May has been both vocal and eager about her support for
Canada's monarchy. Her tribute to Her Majesty on the
occasion of her Diamond Jubilee remains one of the most
detailed defences of the Canadian Crown ever given in the
​House of Commons.

Of particular concern to Ms. May has been the slow move
towards a more 'presidential' prime minister. In May of 2015
she noted that the government of the day had tried to find a
new place to greet foreign dignitaries and heads of state other
than Rideau Hall (the Governor General's residence). This
concern about presidentialism seems to be a key part of Ms.
May's monarchism. In her book Losing Confidence: Power,
Politics and the Crisis in Canadian Democracy
published in
​2010 May wrote:
Picture
Elizabeth May has also spoken favourably about the Royal
Family of Jordan (even if in the context of questioning having
closer economic ties with the kingdom):
"​Jordan has many things to recommend it but democracy is not among them. It is a
monarchy. However, the late King Hussein of Jordan was always seen as someone
of enormous wisdom. I must say that I was always impressed by his sense of
wisdom and by his wife, Queen Noor, who was a strong advocate for the
environment. I had the great honour of serving on the earth charter commission,
which was co-chaired by Mikhail Gorbachev and Maurice Strong. I had the good
fortune to get to know Princess Basma of Jordan, who was King Hussein's sister.
As I approach this, I have a sense of Jordan's place in the world and a sense of,
albeit small, personal connection."
Indeed her remarks in Parliament have been peppered with
references to the monarchy to an extent few others compare
to. But just because Elizabeth May has been eager has not
meant she has always been effective.

Recently she tweeted (and using Twitter to express herself
was probably the first mistake) a congratulatory message to
Jagmeet Singh, the new leader of the NDP, in which she
reminded him that Canada does not elect prime ministers and
that the presidentalization of the office was a worrying trend.
Mr. Singh had commented that "I'm officially launching my
campaign to be the next Prime Minister of Canada"
. While
Ms. May was correct the response was panned by nearly
everyone as condescending. This is unfortunate as Mr. Singh
has not been supportive of the monarchy. One would
hope as a fellow parliamentarian Elizabeth May could help
Mr. Singh see the monarchy in a new light. Her tweet did not
​do this.

Last year I had the chance to meet her in person and express
my 
appreciation for her support for Canada's monarchy. 
Small missteps aside she remains one of the few federal
politicians who I believe would give a full-throated defence of
​the monarchy if it were ever to be seriously threatened.   

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

9/11/2016

 
PicturePicture Credit: Quaco Museum
Over the last year the Quaco Museum
in St. Martins, New Brunswick, has
been trying to raise money to buy a
long-lost ship's figurehead. Earlier
this month they succeeded in their
quest to bring the figurehead home.

There is a little bit of a dispute over
who the figurehead actually depicts.
The Quaco Museum claims it is a
representation of Prince Albert
Victor, the grandson of Queen
Victoria. However, Ronald J. Jack
over at The Lost Valley Blog has put
together a good argument for a
different candidate:

PicturePrince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Article One
Article Two
​Article Three
​
Article Four

Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg was the nephew of
Queen Victoria. As a child he found school irksome and after
​receiving an undeserved punishment from his tutor he ran
away. However, he quickly ran out of money and was hauled
back. Queen Victoria, after hearing about her nephews desire
for adventure, suggested he join the Royal Navy to see the
world. He became an officer in the Royal Navy in 1848. He
served in the Mediterranean and Far East before retiring from
active service in 1866.

At that point in time he took up sculpting and became quite
​skilled. Wikipedia maintains a good listing of his works.
But his most famous work is probably the statue of Alfred the
​Great:
Picture
It is unfortunate that the Quanco Museum seems opposed to
the idea that the figurehead just might represent Prince Victor
of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.
 He led an interesting life and
deserves a bit more attention.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Monarchist Profile: Elsie Wayne

8/29/2016

 
Picture
On Saturday the body of Elsie Wayne was
laid to rest. During her life she served as
Mayor of Saint John and later as Member
of Parliament representing the same city.
Like many Maritimers Elsie Wayne was
fiercely proud of her community and her
country. She was also a strong monarchist
and a vocal one at that. In tribute to this
great lady I would like to take a look back
​at some of her statements in Parliament. 

"I heard the hon. member from the NDP say how sorry he was that we were
referring to the monarchy. I am so pleased and proud that the monarchy is still part
of our citizenship oath. I represent Canada's first city to be incorporated by royal
charter. We and our people played a major role in building all of this country. We
date back to 1783. There are those who say they want to eliminate our ties to the
monarchy. I cannot believe that the people who say that sit in the House of
Commons."
~Debate on Citizenship of Canada Act, February 3rd, 1999

Elsie Wayne often made reference to the fact Saint John was
the first city incorporated by royal charter. It was a particular
point of pride that she had had the chance to represent her
​city of Saint John. 
"Mr. Speaker, for 40 years Canada has shared with Australia and New Zealand in
seconding a public servant to serve in Her Royal Majesty's press office at
Buckingham Palace. It is once again Canada's turn. However, the Prime Minister
has unilaterally refused to send a representative. I was told today by the London
press that the PMO's press officer said they knew nothing about the monarchy or
any ties. My question is for the Prime Minister. Is he denouncing Canada's ties with
the monarchy? Will he reconsider his position and second a public servant to
continue this important longstanding tradition?"
~Question Period, March 18th, 1998
Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s there was a slow
degradation of royal symbols and traditions. This process of
erosion has become known as 'republicanism by stealth'. To
carry this process out successfully it helps if no one bothers to
point it out. Elsie Wayne was not one to let even the smallest
thing slide. She would ask similar questions of the
​government. I believe that this helped make 'republicanism by
stealth' much harder for the government. It certainly annoyed
them. After the above question was asked Prime Minister
Jean Chretien remarked that if Elsie Wayne wanted to go he
would be happy to send her!

Elsie Wayne had far less patience for those who openly
expressed republican sympathies.
"Mr. Speaker, the Deputy Prime Minister is scheduled to be the official escort to Her
Majesty the Queen when her royal tour brings her to the nation's capital, this
notwithstanding that on Friday last he told reporters in Montreal that he favours
severing all ties with the monarchy after the Queen's reign ends. By my count, the
Deputy Prime Minister has sworn an oath of loyalty and service to Her Majesty no
fewer than four times in the last two years, yet he has used his position as a
minister of the Crown as a podium from which to rail against our history and our
heritage. The minister says that instead of the monarchy he would prefer an
entirely Canadian institution, but he fails to recognize that the monarchy is as
Canadian as the House of Commons itself. I pray that the Deputy Prime Minister
will apologize to the Queen when he hosts her. In fact, he should go to the Prime
Minister and say that he should not be her host and that the Prime Minister should
put someone else in his position when the Queen comes to Ottawa."
~Statements by Members, October 8th, 2002
It is my profound wish that the politicians we have today
would be granted a double share of Elsie Wayne's passion for
our monarchy.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Queen Victoria's Humour

5/7/2015

 
Picture
There is a certain impression that
Queen Victoria did not have a sense
of humour. This is in fact false. The
impression was gained for three
primary reasons.

Most of the pictures people see of the
Queen show her with a blank
expression. The first thing to 
consider is that photography was still
in its infancy at the time. Camera
exposure times were long meaning
one had to keep still for extended
periods of time. Smiling was only good if you wanted a blurry
picture.

The second consideration was that the Queen felt that if she
smiled in public the people might think her frivolous. She was
anxious to avoid this as she was unpopular during the early
part of her reign. In private she is said to have often "roared
 with laughter". Indeed a photo from 1887 shows her to be in
much better spirits in public:  

Picture
The third reason is due to to a phrase often attributed to her; "We are not amused." Supposedly it was said at Windsor
Castle after a particular male attendee at her court told a
somewhat lewd joke in front of the Queen and the other women present. Speaking for all the women present (hence the 'we') she replied with the famous phrase. While an
interesting account there is little hard evidence the Queen
ever said it or, for that matter, that the event even occurred.  

This raises the interesting question of why the story gained
such traction. One possibility is that it was commenting on
the changed decorum of the court. Her predecessors had been
somewhat lacking in the morals department and it is possible
such raunchy humour was common then. The Queen, in her
efforts to re-create the monarchy as a role model for society
would be disinclined to tolerate the same kind of behavior
her father had. The men at the court were perhaps not pleased
with such a development. If so, the Queen got the last laugh as
she reigned for 63 years.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Princess Alberta

12/31/2014

 
By: Mr. Windsor

I remember I was taking the Alberta Legislature guided tour for the third time when I first got interested in the Monarchy and its effects and influences on Canadian politics. I stood beside the fountain of the rotunda looking at all the old flags mounted on the marble walls. Our tour guide talked about the massive paintings of our current and past monarchs through the centuries and how they helped carve the identity and image of the culture and traditions of Canadians today. I then realized there was a missing jewel in Canadian politics that I’d completely overlooked. Today, I would like to boast about how my province was named after a member of the Canadian Royal Family.
Picture
Princess Louise was the Duchess of Argyll and the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. She was born on March 18th 1848 at Buckingham palace as Princess Louise Caroline Alberta. She would later marry John Campbell the Marquess of Lorne on March 21st 1871. The Marquess of Lorne would later become Canada’s fourth Governor General and the couple would both take a great interest in Canada. They hosted countless balls, dinners, ice skating parties and even tobogganing parties while helping encourage the arts and sciences in Canada. Louise became a patroness for various organizations including the Ladies Educational Association, Women’s Protective Immigration Society, and the Society of Decorative Arts showing how she was a strong supporter of the feminist movement. In the winter of 1880 Louise and Lorne were victims of a sleigh accident. The carriage they were riding in was overturned and both coachmen fell off. The horses then panicked and dragged the overturned cart 370 meters until they calmed down from another carriage ahead. Princess Louise was knocked unconscious and her earring got caught on the carriage walls cutting her ear lobe in half. However, the accident didn't stop the couple from being active in Canadian politics and activities. In 1881 the couple visited the North-West Territories and two years later the territory was split into four districts Assiniboia, Athabasca, Saskatchewan and Alberta. The district of Alberta was named by the Marquess of Lorne in a famous poem he wrote which compared the beauty of the district to the beauty of his wife. In 1905, Alberta would become a province. Princess Louise died on December 3rd 1939 in Kensington Palace, London. Today, countless locations and organizations have been named after the couple. Alberta’s famous Lake Louise, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Also known as Princess Louise's), 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise's), The Princess Louise Fusiliers, and Mount Alberta all have been named honouring Princess Louise.

Profiles of the Canadian Royal Family: Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

11/7/2014

 
Picture
Today Canada enjoys the advantages of being a constitutional monarchy with a monarch who is above the partisan politics of the day. It was not always like this and for centuries monarchs had been heavily involved in political concerns. The transition from a partisan, executive monarchy to a non-partisan, ceremonial one is a long complicated series of events. However, one man certainly helped cement this change: Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Born in 1819 in the Saxon duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld he would marry his first cousin, Queen Victoria, at the age of twenty. Prince Albert was not initially popular with the British public but after an assassination attempt on him and the Queen he was praised in the newspapers for his courage & calmness under fire. His reputation began to improve.
Prince Albert was not made a peer (due to his initial unpopularity) but insisted he did not want to be made one. Indeed he would eventually refine a model of 'soft power' and moral suasion for the Royal Family. While Prince Albert found the position of consort to be constraining early on he eventually realized it was an opportunity to define the position in wider terms. He took on several public roles within the first few months of his marriage including the presidency of the Society for the Extinction of Slavery. Early on he would also express his support for eliminating child labour, improved schooling, and freer trade. He also found various ways to help his queen carry out her duties including assisting with government paperwork and modernizing the royal finances. The revenues from the Duchy of Cornwall would steadily increase under his watch. 
PictureChrystal Palace interior
A champion of science he was the committee chairman of the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations of 1851. The famed 'Chrystal Palace' was built to hold the exhibition. The entire event was a great success selling over 6 million tickets in five and a half months. It realized a profit of £186,000 which was used to help purchase land in South Kensington where the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum stand today.

Before Queen Victoria's marriage in 1840 she had supported the Whigs and even blocked a Tory Prime Minister (although given the circumstances I would have too). After her marriage it is suggested Prince Albert advised her to be less partisan in her dealing with Parliament. This may be why only one member of the Royal Family was identified with a political party during this time. Indeed, by the end of Queen Victoria's reign the principle that the monarch 'reigns but does not rule' was firmly established. That is not to say Prince Albert, or the Queen, thought the Royal Family shouldn't have a strong voice, as demonstrated above.
Picture
Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, & 5 of their 9 children
Before and after Prince Albert's untimely death at the age of 42 many places were named after him. Albert County (NB), Prince Albert (SK), and the Victoria & Albert Mountains (NU) are just some of the more prominent places named for him in Canada. The province of Alberta is not, however, instead being named for his daughter Princess Louise Caroline Alberta.
Prince Albert was an example of a royal that could have a prominent role in the nation without governing it and created the template future members of the Royal Family would follow. His early death prevented him from fully realizing this new model for the Royal Family and one wonders what he would have accomplished had he been able to. It is an interesting question to consider. 

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Monarchist Profile: Lt. Richard Wilson

6/16/2014

 
PictureUniform of the 22nd of Foot
Born in Ireland in the year 1740. Richard Wilson joined the British Army around 1757 at the age of 17. He was made a sergeant of his Majesty's 22nd Regiment of Foot. The 22nd had been formed in 1689 by the Duke of Norfolk but had yet to receive any battle honours. Richard Wilson would serve in the regiment for eight years and participate in the sieges of Louisbourg (1758) and Quebec (1759). The regiment next moved to the Caribbean to fight against the Spanish. With the capture of Havana in 1762 the French and Spanish sued for peace and brought The Seven Years War to an end.

Richard Wilson went with the regiment to the newly acquired Louisiana territory. In August of 1765 the regiment was ordered back to the British Isles. However, before they left they discharged any colonists who had enlisted in the regiment as well as any men who had reached the end of their terms and wished to stay in the colonies. Richard Wilson decided to stay and settled in North Carolina. It is possible he had been there around 1760 as two companies were detached from his Majesty's 22nd Regiment of Foot to deal with an uprising by the Cherokee in nearby South Carolina. However, since records indicate him being present at the capture of Dominica and Martinico this is questionable. Whatever the reason, Richard was happy to make North Carolina his home.

Richard Wilson re-enlisted in 1771 and was made a Lieutenant of a Company of Artillary by Governor Tryon. He fought in the final battle against a group of North Carolina rebels known as the 'Regulators' at Alamance. Afterwards he was given a commission as a Lieutenant of the Garrison at Fort Johnston, where he would serve until the 18th of July, 1775. 

By the time the first rumblings of the revolution had started Lt. Richard Wilson was doing well for himself having a plantation, two houses, two lots in the town of Brunswick, and one house in the town of Crosscreek. He later built another house at Fort Johnston. He was married in 1767 and had four children. His wife died around 1776 from an unrecorded cause.
Picture
The only good public domain map of North Carolina I could find.
In 1775 the rebels stirred up his tenants to stop paying rent unless he accepted a commission in the rebel army; an offer he reported refused "with horror and contempt". At this point he probably realized he stood to lose everything he had built in his new home. It would have been very easy to side with the rebels or simply desert and remain neutral. However, he was not going to betray his oath to his king nor his support for the legitimate governing authority in the colonies. He would pay a high price for his principles as would others like him.

Lt. Richard Wilson and Captain John A. Collet were ordered by Governor Martin to dismantle the fort and transport the guns to Boston as the fort's defence could not be guaranteed due to lack of supplies and desertions (some likely due to the same ultimatum given to Wilson). They managed to save the guns, and embark for Boston. As the men waited for transport they watched their property being burned by the rebels. They arrived in Boston on July 21, 1775, delivering to General Gage "a very valuable and costly set of artillery, arms, stores, and ammunition belonging to the Crown". Both Lt. Richard Wilson and Captain John A. Collet would join the Royal Fencible Americans, a loyalist regiment, serving under Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Gorham at Fort Cumberland, Nova Scotia. Richard Wilson would serve in the regiment until 1782 eventually rising to the rank of captain.
PictureFort Beausejour (aka Fort Cumberland)
The revolution wasn't quite done with Richard Wilson however, and in late 1776 Fort Cumberland was attacked by rebels led by Jonathan Eddy. The British were outnumbered 2-1 and endured a siege from November 10-29th. Matters were only made worse by the fact that the regiment had not received their uniforms and warm clothes were scarce. Thus the men were "permitted to wear the barrack ruggs and blankets". It must have been a miserable time.

PictureBelt buckle and uniform button
However the regiment's courage to hold out despite some close calls helped greatly. The effect of the failed siege was the dampening of revolutionary sympathies in Nova Scotia. The colony would remain loyal throughout the rest of the American Revolution. The years following the failed siege were chaotic as the rebels brief control of the region and reprisals against their supporters afterwards resulted in a wave of litigation that crippled the judiciary in Cumberland County.

Richard Wilson would build a new life for himself in the nearby town of Sackville. He married Ann Harper, daughter of Christopher Harper. Christopher Harper himself had lost property during Eddy's Rebellion and it is easy to imagine the two men becoming quick friends through shared experiences and values.

Richard Wilson would continue his military career when he was made Lt. Col. of the Westmorland County Regiment of Militia consisting of two battalions. Militia drills were conducted on the field behind his house and provided a day of entertainment for the townspeople as the militiamen went through their maneuver.

Lt. Col. Richard Wilson died in 1810 having served king and country faithfully and well.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Monarchist Profile: Michael Valpy

6/12/2014

 
Picture
Born in Toronto to a family Michael Valpy described as "strongly Tory monarchist British imperialist-quite right wing". Perhaps as a reaction to that Valpy's political views are consistently leftist. Remarkably (and it is sad I need to use that term) he maintained a strong belief in monarchy as the best fit for Canada.

Valpy started what was to be a long career in journalism in 1961 which only recently ended in 2012 with his retirement from the Globe and Mail. He used his position to expound upon the many positive aspects of retaining the monarchy and upbraided republicans for having unrealistic plans for establishing a republic. It would take awhile to go through all of his articles, stories, and opinion pieces on the monarchy so I'll let you do the leg work.
He famously described the monarch's constitutional role as being that of a "national fire extinguisher" by providing a source of non-partisan legitimacy in times of crisis.

In 2000 Valpy ran for Parliament in the riding of Trinity—Spadina under the NDP banner. Sadly, he didn't win. It would be nice for there to be a monarchist on the Dipper's bench to educate misinformed MPs such as Pat Martin and Nathan Cullen. Perhaps more importantly it would show the party membership that being a socialist and a monarchist are not incompatible beliefs and that there is no reason to hide that you are one. That is an entire article by itself though.

While retired Michael Valpy still writes articles on a freelance basis. He has been a steadfast champion of the monarchy in his writings and we could use more journalists like him. 

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Monarchist Profile: Sir David Kirke

5/28/2014

 
Picture
Sir David Kirke was born in Dieppe, France in 1597 to an English father and a French mother. Kirke is an interesting character in Canadian history not least because of his daring plan to rescue King Charles I from execution.

In 1627 some London merchants formed a company with the intent to trade and found settlements along the St. Lawrence River. When war broke out later that same year between England and France (as tended to happen in those days) the company financed an expedition to the New World under Kirke in order to drive out the French. Accompanied by his brothers he set out with three ships. The campaign went well with a quick capture of Tadoussac as well as a supply ship headed for Quebec. Kirke had surrender conditions delivered to Champlain (then in charge of the outpost). Champlain, confident in the settlement's defences and expecting supplies from France, refused to surrender. Kirke for his part decided not to attack the well-armed outpost. However, Champlain just couldn't catch a break. The French supply ships were captured by the English and Champlain was eventually forced to come to terms.

A small wrinkle in all this was that peace had been declared in April and Quebec captured in July. It would be several years of negotiation before the French colony was returned in 1632. In 1633 for his service to his king (and perhaps as compensation for having to give Quebec back) Kirke was knighted.

In 1637 he was made co-proprietor of Newfoundland along with the Marquis of Hamilton and the earls of Pembroke and Holland. He would become Governor of the island in 1639. He was given a grant of arms that in the intervening period would fall into obscurity only to re-emerge later and be adopted as Newfoundland's coat of arms. He had an unenviable position as governor as he had to contend with a foreign fishery that did not want local settlement on the island. Nevertheless he brought about 100 colonists to the settlement of Ferryland where he also erected fortifications.

PictureKing Charles I
During the English Civil War Sir David Kirke sided with the Royalists. This is when a most daring plan was concocted. He implored King Charles to seek sanctuary at the Ferryland settlement. This is not as far-fetched as it sounds since, when well supplied, the settlement was virtually unassailable by sea. Sir David began improving the colony's defences and outfitting a fleet. In 1648 the plan became even more feasible when a large part of the English Navy deserted to the Royalists. Prince Rupert, a leader on the Royalist side, wanted to use the fleet to rescue the King who was being held on the Isle of Wright. It is an open question whether the two men were actively working together but Cromwell did fear the island would be used as a Royalist base to strike at English shipping and kept it under strict monitoring. Alas, the planning and preparation of both men came to naught and King Charles was murdered by the Cromwell regime in early 1649.

It seems Sir David may have intended to continue the fight as he hired 400 sailors, ostensibly as fishermen, in 1649. However, Cromwell had access to the colony too strictly controlled and Sir David was forced to make peace with him. The remains of the Royalist fleet commanded by Prince Rupert was reduced to a handful of ships by 1653.

Sir David was recalled to England where he died of natural causes but his family would remain at the Ferryland settlement for some time. It would take a raid on the settlement in 1673 and another in 1696 to finally dislodge the Kirkes from Newfoundland.

It is interesting to speculate on what might have been had King Charles made his escape to Newfoundland. It is unlikely Parliament would have recalled a man they had just fought a bitter war with. It is indeed possible that the centre of of what was at the time still a modest empire would have shifted to Canadian shores.

Regardless, Sir David Kirke showed loyal service to his king and the fledgling colony of Newfoundland.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour
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