1724 by Daniel Defoe

• English Sea Dogs - Francis Drake 1577-79 circumnavigation of globe (1940 film Sea Hawk starred Errol Flynn as Drake-like pirate/sea dog Captain Geoffrey Thorpe for Queen Elizabeth)
• Dutch Sea Beggars
• pilot Simon Fernandes of Roanoke 1586
• French Fort Carolina 1564 on St. Johns, but destroyed 1565

• but West Indies "beyond the line"
• Brit colonies of Barbados 1627, Nevis 1628, Jamaica 1655 (Port Royale)

• servants & slaves who escaped from Spanish, gathered in bands, hunted cattle
• "boucan" = French word for barbecue frame
• "vrijbuiter" = Dutch for plunderer - corrupted by Brit into freebooter
• "joli rouge" - Fr. for "pretty red" flag of buccaneer - corrupted into Jolly Roger
  • also slang for Devil was "old Roger
  • also muslim name for Indonesian pirates "Ali Raja" = King of the Sea
• were "marginal men" - were from lower classes with little hope of advancement - were not wronged nobles or convicts - were antisocial, grouping & re-grouping in ad hoc bands rather than united in a long-term group - were multi-ethnic, multi-religious, voted democratically, hated authority, value of vengeance - were more petty thieves than villains or heroes - were not wealthy and 8 of 9 ships raided were worthless - did not bury treasure but spent it as quickly as possible in ports such as Nassau and Port Royal - were not revolutionaries and lacked political ideology - preferred short-range weapons such as pistol and ax and cutlass rather than muskets

• subject of half of book written by Esquemelin in 1700 (1961 Italian film Morgan the Pirate starred Steve Reeves)
• from Wales - went to Jamaica & was helped by Brit Gov Th. Modyford vs. Spain
• 1668 - Puerto Principe on Cuba
• July - Porto Bello in Panama with 460 from land side - put priests on ladders - killed by Sp - captured 250,000 pieces of 8 (400 share) - base at Vaca Isle west end of Hispaniola - fireship ag. 3 Span. ships - captured 250,000 pieces of 8
• Dec. 21, 1669 - began operation against Panama City - 4 ships ag. San Lorenzo fort on Chagres - Aug. 1670 march overland 10 days - burned city - betrayed his men - kept most of loot himself - gave share of only 200 pieces
• July 1670 - Treaty of Madrid - Eng. got West Indies claims
• Morgan became Lt. Gov. of Jamaica - died 1688 rich - buried in Port Royal

• expansion of trade & empire - huge merchant fleets - rise of sea power
• beginning of global War for Empire 1688-1756
• many discontented seamen - sought freedom, vengeance, avoid cruelties
• "a merry life and a short one" according to Bart. Roberts - most would live only 2-3 years

• from Newport, RI - ship "Amity" privateer ag. French until 1692
• 1693 captured rich Mogul ship - L100,000 - 1200 each share
• returned home triumphant - Gov. Benj. Fletcher of NY - but killed 1695

• from Plymouth, England - poverty - joined Navy - math skill - became navigator & ships officer - mutiny on evil Capt. Gibson's "Charles II" - renamed "Fancy" - flag of 4 silver chevrons on red field - completely selfish but self-disciplined
• took "Fateh" (Tew killed) & "Gang-I-Sawai = L325,000
• 1696 to Bahamas - secretly back to England & disappeared

• daughter of Lt. Gov. Wm. Markham of Pa. married James Brown, one of Every's men & was elected to Pa. leg.
• Gov. Caleb Carr of RI; Gov. Seth Sothel of NC
• Jamaica Gov. Th.Vaughan: "These Indies are so vast & rich, And this kind of rapine so sweet"
• esp. NYC a center of pirate trade - Fred. Philipse with Madagascar bought rum for 2 shillings in NY, sold for L3 in Madag. ledger shows beer sold for

• tried to urge England to enforce Nav. Acts, stop pirates
• but King kept fleet at home - def. by France at Beachy Head 1690 but won at La Hogue 1692 - needed to control Med. Sea

• Bellomont replaces Fletcher as Gov. of NY
• idea to send out a privateer to defeat pirates rather than use Navy
• Aug. 10, 1695 - Robt. Livingston visits Bellomont in London - f. syndicate
• Livingston a Scot - m. Alida Rensselaer - quartermaster to Gov. Thos. Dongan

• Thos. Wharton, Halifax, Romney, Oxford, Shrewsbury, Lord Somers
• rise of small gp of ministers - beg. of Cabinet govt
• new finances of state - lottery loan, Bank of England

• from Scotland, son of Presbyt. minister, went to Caribbean as privateer 1689 war
• joined Nevis Gov. Codrington & Navy Capt Hewetson ag. French - powerful patrons impt
• but ship "Blessed William" stolen by mate Robt. Culliford
• went to NY - helped Col. Henry Sloughter defeat Leisler
• m. Sarah Oort, only 11 days after John Oort's death May 5, 1691
• house at 119 Pearl St.
• donated block & tackle to help build Trinity Church on Wall St.
• Oct. 10, 1695 signed contract with syndicate
• 1696-99 - 3 yr. voyage in "Adventure Galley" - 46 oars, flush deck, 34 guns - returned in Indian-built "Adventure Prize"
• took "Quedah Merchant" - belonged to Great Mogul Aurangzeb favorites - esp. diamonds:
  1. Peacock Throne of Shah Jahan
  2. Great Mogul diamond 1650 - 787 carats - cut 1665 to 280 carats for Auraungzeb
  3. Koh-i-noor since 1304 - 191 carats when taken by British 1849 to London 1851 (may have been part of Great Mogul that had disappeared) - 108 carats for Queen's Crown 1853 - recut 1937
  4. 1905 Cullinan 3106 carats cut - 516 in sceptre, 309 in King's crown
  5. Hope diamond of 112 carats to L-14, cut to 68 - lost 1792 theft reppeared 1830 as 44 carat blue - to Smithsonian 1958
• East India Co. - Mogul halted all trade1701 & seized factories - Co. trade declining in 1690's - French war & 1689 defeat by Auran. - Whig textile interests opp'd Indian imports - London riots 1696 - bill passed 1701 - 1698 New East India Co. by interloper Thos Papillon
• June 1699 - returned to NY - betrayed by Gov. Bellomont - in Boston prison 7 months
• Feb. 16, 1700 - sailed for Eng. & trial with 30 of crew
• Apr. 11 - newly elected Tory majority in Parliament recessed
• in Newgate Prison for 1 year
• Mr. 27, 1701 - testified before House of Commons - defended himself - not a pirate
• May 8, 1701 - trail - French passes given to Bellomont missing - found guilty by jury
• May 23 - execution - was drunk - rope broke 1st attempt - body tarred & on gibbet for years
• Sarah married NJ politician 18 mos later - d. 1746 - both daughters married & raised families

• no conscious, deliberate outlaw ag. society
• no more "renaissance bravado" of sea dogs
• growing "web of rules, laws, treaties, dilomacy" would end piracy
• new laws - trials in colonial Admiralty Cts., not by jury in England
• King Wm issued general amnesty 1699 (but excluded Kidd & Every)
• 1699 - 4 warships under Comm. Th. Warren to Indian Ocean - cleaned out St. Marys & Madag.

• coastal guard - forced Philipse out of business (died 1702 rich - 90,000 acres)
• trade ended with Madagascar merchant Adam Baldridge - retired in NY - d. in his 70's in bed
• Bellomont died Feb. 1701 - 3 mos before Kidd's execution

• sent forces into Pa ag. pirates sheltered by Gov. Wm. Markham - later recalled

• Queen Anne allowed use of privateers - took 2000 prizes - could keep all cargo (no kings 10%)
• John Churchill, of Marlborough won at Blenheim - Fr. lost 40,000
• England became dominant power at Peace of Utrecht

• Bahamas new base - New Providence Island - Henry Jennings & 2000 pirates
  • Nassau been sacked 1703 - most civilians fled - good opp. for pirates to take over
  • became new "outlaw nation" - "New Madagascar" - "republic of rogues"
  • stench carried far out to sea - unwashed bodies, rum, rotting garbage
  • black flag now universal symbol
  • large number of runaway blacks - unrest among slaves in West Indies due to pirates
• Pirates:
  • Charles Vane & Edward England - were leaders of the Raid on Spanish Silver 1716
  • Stede Bonnet - to escape his wife - was successful Barbados planter - ship "Revenge"
  • "Calico Jack" Rackam - with Anne Bonny & Mary Read
  • Ben Hornigold
• Navy patrols, but ineffective
  • refused to work with colonials - sought profit from merchants - convoy fee of 12%

• new Gov. of Bahams, due to syndicate of merchants who leased colony from King
• was Bristol sea capt - had picked up Alex. Selkirk 1709 on Juan Fernandes islands - 600 mi west of Chile - marooned 4 yrs - long wild hair & skins - Defoe 1720 bk Robinson Crusoe - but no money to Selkirk - lived in cave in backyd Largo
• had been privateer - pub'd bk of his 3 yr. circumnav. 1708-11 with L170,000 - gained global perspective - need for secure sealanes & bases - made proposals to Bard of Trade
• tolerant approach - win key leaders (Hornigold, Tom Burgess) - became militia leaders
• held own trial of pirates Dec. 10, 1718 on his own authority rather than Jamaica VA Ct.

• brutal - forced captive to eat own ears
• 14 teenage wives - would lock them in room to starve
• May 1718 - blockaded Charleston Harbor - hostage for medicine for syphilis
• Sept 1718 - Ocracoke Isl, NC with Chas Vane week-long orgy
• Nov. 22 - Gov. Alex. Spotswood w/ 2 Navy ships under Lt. Robt Maynard attacked at Ocracoke - killed B. - head on bow - body thrown overbd - swam around

Links:

• map of West Indies
• Wars for Empire outline
• Captain Blood