Life

Born about 1551, he was son of Alexander Carleill, citizen and vintner of London, by his wife Anne, daughter of Sir George Barne

George Barne II

Sir George Barne II was the Sheriff of London between 1545–1546, Lord Mayor of London in 1552, Alderman of the London wards Portsoken between 1542–1546 and Coleman Street between 1546–1558, a chief proponent of trade with Russia, and son of George Barne, a citizen of London and alderman...

. He was educated in the University of Cambridge

University of Cambridge

The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...

. In 1572 he went to Flushing

Flushing, Netherlands

Vlissingen is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren. With its strategic location between the Scheldt river and the North Sea, Vlissingen has been an important harbour for centuries. It was granted city rights in 1315. In the 17th century...

, and was present at the siege of Middelburg

Middelburg

Middelburg is a municipality and a city in the south-western Netherlands and the capital of the province of Zeeland. It is situated in the Midden-Zeeland region. It has a population of about 48,000.- History of Middelburg :...

. Lodewijk van Boisot, the Dutch admiral, had a high opinion of his advice. Afterwards he went with one ship and a vessel of smaller size to La Rochelle

La Rochelle

La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...

 to serve under Henri I de Bourbon, prince de Condé

Henri I de Bourbon, prince de Condé

Henri de Bourbon-Condé was a French Prince du Sang and Huguenot general like his more prominent father, Louis I, Prince of Condé....

, who was about to send supplies to the town of Brouage, then besieged by Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne

Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne

Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne , or Charles de Guise, was a French nobleman of the house of Guise and a military leader of the Catholic League, which he headed during the French Wars of Religion, following the assassination of his brothers at Blois in 1588...

. Condé had intended to attack the royal fleet in person, but on the arrival of Carleill the command was given to him.

Having discharged this duty he went to serve at Steenwick in Overyssel, then besieged by the Spanish. He was then placed at the head of the English troops at the fortress of Zwarte Sluis. When leading troops there to the army he was surprised by a body of the enemy consisting of two thousand foot and six hundred horse. He vigorously resisted them, inflicting heavy losses. As inconvenience arose from the great number of foreigners in the camp of the Prince of Orange

William the Silent

William I, Prince of Orange , also widely known as William the Silent , or simply William of Orange , was the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish that set off the Eighty Years' War and resulted in the formal independence of the United Provinces in 1648. He was born in the House of...

 the sole command was given to Carleill. After the siege of Steenwick was raised he went to Antwerp, and he was on the point of returning to England, when he was sent for by the prince and the confederate states again to assume the sole command of the camp until Sir John Norris should arrive to share the command with him. Altogether he served the Prince of Orange for five years, without receiving pay.

He conveyed the English merchants to Russia in 1582, when Frederick II of Denmark

Frederick II of Denmark

Frederick II was King of Denmark and Norway and duke of Schleswig from 1559 until his death.-King of Denmark:Frederick II was the son of King Christian III of Denmark and Norway and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg. Frederick II stands as the typical renaissance ruler of Denmark. Unlike his father, he...

 was at war with the Russians. The Danish fleet met them, but, observing his squadron of eleven ships, did not venture on an engagement. The Russian envoy got on board at the port of St. Nicholas, and was conveyed to England. By the interest of his stepfather (the old DNB says "father-in-law", a term that meant "stepfather" in the 16th century; Carleill was unmarried), Sir Francis Walsingham, Carleill received £1,000 subscribed at Bristol

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

 for an attempt to discover the coast of America lying to the south-west of Cape Breton

Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia

Cape Breton Regional Municipality often shortened to simply CBRM, is a regional municipality in Nova Scotia's Cape Breton County.According to the 2006 Census of Canada, the population within the Cape Breton Regional Municipality is 102,250...

, and proposed to the Russian merchants to raise more in London, and to settle one hundred men in their intended plantation. The project appears to have been unsuccessful, but Carleill wrote a summary on its advantages.

In 1584 Sir John Perrot, lord-lieutenant of Ireland, appointed Carleill commander of the garrison of Coleraine

Coleraine

Coleraine is a large town near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is northwest of Belfast and east of Derry, both of which are linked by major roads and railway connections...

 and the district of Route, County Antrim

Route, County Antrim

Route, Reuta, Rowte, or , was a medieval territory in County Antrim, Northern Ireland consisting of the baronies of Dunluce Upper, Dunluce Lower, Toome Lower, and the North East Liberties of Coleraine . It also formed part of the more ancient kingdoms of Dál Riata and Dál nAraidi, as well as the...

. Being recalled to England in 1585 in consequence of disputes with Perrot, he was, through the influence of Walsingham, made lieutenant-general of the land forces, consisting of above 2,300 troops, in the expedition to Santo Domingo

Santo Domingo

Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...

, Sir Francis Drake being at the head of the fleet, consisting of twenty-one sail. Carleill was captain of the Tiger. In this expedition the cities of St. Domingo, St. Iago, Carthaginia, and St. Augustine were taken.

On 26 July 1588 he was appointed constable of Carrickfergus

Carrickfergus

Carrickfergus , known locally and colloquially as "Carrick", is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is located on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 27,201 at the 2001 Census and takes its name from Fergus Mór mac Eirc, the 6th century king...

, County Antrim. In 1588 he was governor of Ulster. On 10 June 1590 he wrote to Lord Burghley, requesting a commission from the queen to seize for lawful prize any goods which might be found in England belonging to Spanish subjects, and complaining of his monetary losses in her service.

Carleill died in London on 11 November 1593. John Stowe said he utterly abhorred piracy; Sir John Perrot entertained a different opinion of Carleill's views of piracy.

Works

He is the author of:

• ‘A Brief Summary Discourse upon a Voyage intending to the uttermost parts of America.’ Written in 1583 and printed in Hakluyt's ‘Voyages,’ iii. 182.

Left in manuscript were:

• ‘Christopher Carleill's suit to Lord Burghley for a commission to seize Spanish goods,’ 1590.
• ‘A Discourse on the Discovery of the hithermost parts of America, written by Capt. Carleill to the Citizens of London.’
• ‘Account of advantages to the realm from a sudden seizure of books, letters, papers, &c. of the Low Country people residing and inhabiting under the obedience of the king of Spain, with answers to objections.’