Lady Sara Kirke was the wife of Sir David Kirke

David Kirke

Sir David Kirke was an adventurer, colonizer and governor for the king of England. Kirke was the son of Gervase Kirke, a wealthy London-based Scottish merchant, who had married a Huguenot woman, Elizabeth Goudon, and was raised in Dieppe, in Normandy.In 1627 Kirke's father and several London...

 (1597–1654), the governor of Newfoundland between 1638 and 1651. She is considered to be North America's "first and foremost entrepreneur".

History

Lady Sara Kirke arrived at the Province of Avalon

Province of Avalon

Province of Avalon was the area around the settlement of Ferryland, Newfoundland and Labrador, in the 17th century, which upon the success of the colony grew to include the land held by Sir William Vaughan and all the land that lay between Ferryland and Petty Harbour.Sir George Calvert had acquired...

, in what is now the area surrounding Ferryland, Newfoundland and Labrador

Ferryland, Newfoundland and Labrador

Ferryland is a town in Newfoundland and Labrador on the Avalon Peninsula. According to the 2006 Statistics Canada census, its population is 529. Addresses in Ferryland use the alphanumerically lowest postal codes in Canada, starting with A0A....

, in 1638, with her husband, Sir David Kirke, following his appointment as Proprietary Governor

Proprietary Governor

Proprietary Governors were individuals authorized to govern proprietary colonies. Under the proprietary system, individuals or companies were granted commercial charters by the King of England to establish colonies. These proprietors then selected the governors and other officials in the colony....

. When David Kirke was recalled to England in 1651, under a cloud of allegations of financial impropriety, Lady Kirke continued to reside in Avalon, conducting the family businesses.

Upon the death of Sir David in 1654, allegedly while imprisoned in England, Lady Sara inherited a third of her husband's estate, based on dower rights

Dower

Dower or morning gift was a provision accorded by law to a wife for her support in the event that she should survive her husband...

. This protection from creditors and personal wealth allowed her to become one of North America's earliest and most successful entrepreneurs. Lady Sara ran the largest plantation that existed at that time, the Pool Plantation of Ferryland

Ferryland

Ferryland is a town in Newfoundland and Labrador on the Avalon Peninsula. According to the 2006 Statistics Canada census, its population is 529. Addresses in Ferryland use the alphanumerically lowest postal codes in Canada, starting with A0A....

. According to the 1660 census, she was the largest planter in Newfoundland and owned more stages, boats, and train (cod liver oil) vats than any other planter.

The Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATAAlliance) presents a Sara Kirke Award for Woman Entrepreneurship in memory of Lady Kirke, awarded annually to Canada's leading female high tech

High tech

High tech is technology that is at the cutting edge: the most advanced technology currently available. It is often used in reference to micro-electronics, rather than other technologies. The adjective form is hyphenated: high-tech or high-technology...

entrepreneur.

External links

• CATAAlliance
• Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage: A letter from Lady Kirke begging the King for dower rights.
• Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage: Sir David Kirke and the Colony of Avalon.