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Thursday, January 05, 2006

Dutch Captain: Quirijn van der Kerckhoff (UPDATED)

I need to revise this, as Carl Stapel had pointed out that Quirijn van der Kerckhoff had fought in the Battle of Lowestoft in 1665, and had other milestones after 1653. Quirijn van der Kerckhoff was the brother of captain Paulus van der Kerckhoff. They both served the Admiralty of the Maze (or Rotterdam), as did their father, Jan Jansz van de Kerckhof. At the beginning of the First Anglo-Dutch War, Quirijn commanded the hired ship Maria (26 guns and a crew of 110 men). His ship was one of the "100 Hundred ships" to be hired by the Admiralties, after the Directors had hired their 50 ships. He took part in Tromp's voyage to the Shetlands in July and August 1652. He seems to have missed the Battles of the Kentish Knock and Dungeness. There is a mention of him operating with Augustijn Balck, who commanded the convoy to the Sound in the fall of 1652. In any case, he took part in the Battle of Portland and was reported killed on the first day, 28 February 1653. Dr. Ballhausen says that he was assigned to Tromp's squadron. Reports had said that his brother had been killed, but there was a record that Quirijn was buried on 6 April 1653. That must have been someone different. A careful reading of Dr. Elias shows that Quirijn Pouwelszoon van den Kerckhoff was killed in the Battle of Portland. In fact, Quirijn van der Kerckhoff (perhaps Quirijn Janszoon van der Kerckhoff) brother of Paulus, seems to have survived, as he was promoted to kapitein-ordinaris, in place of his brother Paulus on 23 July 1658. Paulus had died in May 1658. We also know that a "Crijn Cerckhove" (an alternate spelling) commanded the Wapen van Rotterdam (50 guns) in the Battle of Lowestoft in 1665. Carl Stapel says that he eventually moved to North Holland and died there. Sources:
  1. C. T. Atkinson, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.IV, 1910.
  2. Dr. Carl Ballhausen, Der Erste Englisch-Höllandische Seekrieg 1652-1654, 1923.
  3. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de Geschiedenis van ons Zeewezen, Vol.IV, 1927.
  4. Johan E. Elias, De Vlootbouw in Nederland 1596-1655, 1933.
  5. Frank Fox, A Distant Storm: the Four Days' Battle of 1666, 1996.
  6. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.I, 1898.
  7. Dr. S.R. Gardiner, Ed., The First Dutch War, Vol.II, 1900.
  8. Hendrik de Raedt, Lyste van de schepen van Oorloge onder het beleyt Admirael Marten Harpersz. Tromp, 1652.
  9. Carl Stapel, personal communication "crijn van den kerckhove", 2006.
  10. Carl Stapel, personal communication "krijn kerkhove", 2005.
  11. Carl Stapel, unpublished manuscript "Paulus van den Kerckhoff of Paulus van de Kerkhoven", 2005.

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