Peter Carew (died 1580) facts for kids
Sir Peter Carew (who died on August 25, 1580) was a brave English soldier. He was killed during a battle in Ireland. Peter Carew came from an important family in Devon, England.
People sometimes called him Sir Peter Carew the younger. This helped to tell him apart from his older cousin, also named Sir Peter Carew (who lived from about 1514 to 1575).
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Family Background
Peter Carew was the oldest son of George Carew. His father was a church leader, serving as the Dean of Windsor and Exeter.
His grandfather was Sir Edmund Carew. The family lived at Mohuns Ottery in Devon. Peter's mother was Catharine Huddesfield. Her father, Sir William Huddesfield, was a top lawyer for Kings Edward IV and Henry VII.
Peter also had a younger brother named George Carew. George later became an important leader, the 1st Earl of Totnes. Peter's sister, Mary Carew, married Walter II Dowrich. You can still see a special metal plaque for Mary in Sandford Church.
Military Career in Ireland
Sir Peter Carew took over a large area of land in Ireland called the Barony of Idrone. This land was about 6,360 acres, or one-fifth of County Carlow. He inherited it from his cousin, Sir Peter Carew.
In September 1579, Peter Carew was made a knight. This was a great honor for a soldier.
The Battle of Glenmalure
On August 25, 1580, Sir Peter Carew was fighting in the Second Desmond Rebellion. He was leading the first group of soldiers for Arthur Grey, 14th Baron Grey de Wilton.
Their army was marching through a narrow valley called Glenmalure in the Wicklow Mountains. Suddenly, Irish rebels attacked them. The English soldiers tried to climb the steep sides of the valley.
Sir Peter Carew was wearing heavy armor and was very tired from running. He was captured by the rebels. They took his weapons and planned to hold him for money. But then, one of the rebels sadly killed him with a sword.
Sir Peter's brother, George, was also in the battle. He was very sad and angry about his brother's death. George wrote to Sir Francis Walsingham, saying he would get revenge. He later found and killed two people involved in his brother's death.
Sir Peter's Family Life
Sir Peter Carew married a woman named Audrey Gardiner. She was the daughter of William Gardiner.
Peter and Audrey had a son, also named Peter, but he died when he was young. They also had a daughter named Anne. Anne first married William Wilford, and later, in 1605, she married Sir Allen Apsley.
After Sir Peter died, Audrey married again. Her second husband was Sir Edmund Verney.
Remembering Sir Peter
There is a very fancy tomb monument in Exeter Cathedral that is linked to Sir Peter Carew. This monument has two levels and was built to remember his uncle, Sir Gawen Carew, and Sir Gawen's wife, Elizabeth. Elizabeth was a special helper to Queen Elizabeth I.
The monument was put up in 1589. It was fixed up in 1857. It shows statues of Sir Gawen and Elizabeth. It also has many decorations and family symbols, called coats of arms. These symbols show the long history and connections of the Carew family.
There used to be a Latin message on the monument that clearly remembered Sir Peter. It said, "Here too lies the illustrious man Peter Carew, knight..." This makes some people wonder if his body, or a part of it, was brought back from Ireland to be buried in Exeter.
At the bottom of the monument, there is another statue of a knight in armor. This knight is posed with his legs crossed, which was a style from the 1300s. Many people believed this statue was Sir Peter, shown as a fallen warrior. Another message on the monument also mentions "... Sir Peter Carew Knyght, under figured ...".
However, this message was added later, after 1605. It is now thought that the cross-legged statue actually represents Adam Montgomery de Carew. He is believed to be the very first ancestor of the Carew family.
