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The Sack of Baltimore 1631

baltimore-castleDespite the aggressive O'Driscoll influence, a group of English settlers arrived in Baltimore in 1607, having fled from south west England where piracy was punished by hanging. (Perhaps they felt safer in a place which appeared to condone it!) In 1609 the double-dealing Sir Fineen O'Driscoll leased the harbour to Sir Thomas Crooke who attempted to organise the newcomers. However, Sir Fineen also owed money to Sir Walter Coppinger, another large landowner, and Sir Walter claimed the harbour in lieu of the debt.

The infamous Sack of Baltimore took place whilst the argument was continuing, on June 20th 1631. Algerian pirates were guided into the harbour by a Dungarvan man named Hackett. The Algerians killed two people and took more than a hundred away with them to North Africa as slaves. Baltimore hit its lowest point after the Sack when, it is said, many people moved up river to Skibbereen, where they felt less exposed to the vagaries of piracy. Thereafter, Baltimore became important only as a rotten borough, returning two seats to the British Parliament. The seats were in the gift of Lord Carbery who received £15,000 when they were abolished following the Act of Union.