Kyrle, Sir Richard
He was knighted and received a landgraveship in Carolina, which entitled him to twelve thousand acres in the fledgling province. The Lords Proprietors commissioned Kyrle governor of Carolina on April 29, 1684.
Governor. Born in Ireland, Kyrle was the son of James Kyrle and Ann Waller. He was knighted and received a landgraveship in Carolina, which entitled him to twelve thousand acres in the fledgling province. The Lords Proprietors commissioned Kyrle governor of Carolina on April 29, 1684. A few documents in the proprietary-era public records attest that he received petitions and made some provincial appointments prior to his departure for Charleston. Kyrle landed in the province sometime after July 28 but died on August 30 or 31, 1684, slightly more than a month after his arrival. His will is dated August 18, 1684, and was proved September 19, 1684. He was survived by his wife Dame Margaret (or Mary) Kyrle, who perished early the next month, leaving as orphans a minor son, Robert; five daughters, Mary, Elizabeth, Katherine, Penelope, and Barbara; and another son, William, probably from a previous marriage, who was executor of Margaret Kyrle’s estate. Prior to Kyrle’s appointment, the governorships of Carolina had been in the hands of rival political factions living in the province. Historians speculate that the proprietors appointed Kyrle to alleviate some of the political chaos that plagued their province in the late 1670s and 1680s. However, Kyrle’s death soon after his arrival did little to alleviate the political battles. Kyrle was succeeded in the governorship by Robert Quary.
Lesser, Charles H. South Carolina Begins: The Records of a Proprietary Colony, 1663–1721. Columbia: South Carolina Department of Archives and History, 1995.
Lesser, Charles H. South Carolina Begins: The Records of a Proprietary Colony, 1663–1721. Columbia: South Carolina Department of Archives and History, 1995.
