Pirate Biographies

Pirate Biographies

Anstis	Ships were the "Buck", "Howel Davis", "Dennis Topping", "Walter Kennedy" and two more unnamed Began as a pirate in 1718 Sailed from Hispaniole, Jamaica and Martinique Pardon offered by English king and was accepted and retired as a pirate Eventually killed by own crew
John Avery	Born 1653 in Cat Down, Plymouth, Eng Died sometime just after 1696 in Bideford, Devonshire, England One of Britain's most famous pirates Began life of piracy in 1691 Elected captain of the ship "Fancy" Plundered the seas around Africa especially the mouth of the Red Sea Charged taxes in order for any ships to pass his blockade Also sailed the West Indies Ocean Ship was destroyed when driven up on shore during a storm Died in poverty after making a poor deal with Bristol merchants
Anne Bonny	Born in Ireland in 1698 Died April 25, 1782 Sailed around Jamaica with pirate Captain John Rackham Mary Read, another female pirate, joined their crew Lived the life of a male pirate Anne Bonny and Mary Read were the only pirates whose lives were spared after their ship was captured. Anne Bonny and Mary Read were put in prison Anne was released in the summer of 1721 Went to Williamsburg, Virginia where she married a friend of her father
John Callice	Born in Southeastern Wales Sailed as a pirate from 1586 - 1587 Sailed aboard the ship "Golden Chalice' Arrested in May 1577 and imprisoned in London Sentenced to be hung, but pardoned by Queen Elizabeth in 1577 In 1578 he was paroled in the month of July Patrolled English waters after his release from prison
Sir Francis Drake	Is thought to have been born in 1540 Died in 1596 Sailed mainly on the ship "Golden Hine" Led several trading voyages from England to the Caribbean Sea before becoming a pirate In 1577 he was sent on a secret mission to the Pacific coast of North America by Queen Elizabeth I. He was chosen for this mission because he was both a pirate and privateer. Several of Drake's ships were destroyed during this secret voyage while sailing through the Straight of Magellan. Claimed the land where San Francisco, California stands for Britain It was three years for Drake to complete this voyage and return to England.
Peter Easton	Referred to as one of the most notorious British pirates Looted much of Newfoundland and took about $100,000 Enlisted 500 men to join him Sailed in a convoy of 14 ships along the African Barbary coast in 1614 Is thought to be one of the most successful pirates to ever sail the oceans At first he fortified Ferryland and used it as his base. Later he also fortified the Grace Bay Harbor and used it as a second base.
James Ferguson	Was a man of Science Tended to the wounded on Sam Bellamy's ship Biggest problem for this pirate doctor was a shortage of medical supplies He treated many injuries by amputating an arm or leg in order to stop infection. This was a very painful process since no anesthetics was used. He simply had the patient bite a bullet, cut the limb off, and cauterized the wound with a red hot iron. He escaped punishment for participating in a rebellion against King George I by becoming a pirate.
John Julian	Part Mesquite Indian Joined Samuel Bellamy's crew Signed on as captain of the ship "Whydah" Believed that African slaves should be treated as equals on the trip over to the New World. This was very unusual as most captains did not care how the slaves were treated. He and his crew were captured and some think that he was sold as a slave himself to punish him for thinking that African slaves were equal to their masters. Sometimes called "Julian the Indian" It is suspected that the grandfather of United States President John Quincy Adams was John Julian's owner. He proved to be an unruly slave and tried to escape many times. Once he killed a bounty hunter who was sent to catch him during one of his escape attempts.
William Kidd	Not much is known about William Kidd's early life. He was sentenced to hang on May 23, 1701 for five major and one minor piracy charges. Many countries and even other pirates wanted to catch and kill him. He participated in many schemes to cheat pirates at their own game. His most famous scheme was to work with Robert Livingston and Richard Coote to get himself a privateering license. He wanted to use the privateering license to capture and plunder the ships of pirates. This made him very unpopular with the pirates who made a pact together to kill William Kidd if they managed to catch him. He did get the privateering license by making a promise to Richard Coote, a government official for England, that he would receive sixty percent of any loot that he managed to capture. This kind of privateering license is also called a Letter of Marque. He double crossed Richard Coote by promising that he would give him sixty percent of all loot that Kidd captured. He was lying to both of them and never planned to give them any of the captured loot. Eventually he was caught and killed in a very gruesome way. He was hung twice. The first time the rope broke and he had to be hung a second time. After he was finally killed his body was covered in tar, bound in chains, his head was covered with a metal harness, and he was hung at Tilber Point as a warning to other people who might become like him. His body was left until it was rotting and falling apart.
Jean Lafitte	Born in 1782 Also called the "Gentleman Pirate" and "Terror of the Gulf" Before becoming a pirate he was a blacksmith in New Orleans along with his brother Pierre. In 1807 he became a smuggler, pirate, and slave trader. His pirate base was in Barataria Bay located south of New Orleans. He commanded over fifty ships and one thousand pirates. He mainly patrolled the Caribbean. He had a lot of power with the governor of Louisiana. No government officials would punish him because Lafitte smuggled goods for them, making them rich. He was well liked and was able to walk freely around the city of New Orleans. In 1814 a British ship blocked Barataria Bay and offered him $30,000 to join the British navy and help defeat the Americans. He refused because he might have become a theif and pirate, but he loved his country and would not become a traitor to his America. He wrote to the United States government and told them about the English offer and asked to join the fight against the British. General Andrew Jackson was talked into letting Lafitte fight with him in the Battle of New Orleans. Lafitte fought in this battle and with the good shooting of his pirates defeated the British. His reward was very small. He received a letter of thanks from the United State. He was so disappointed and felt brushed aside, so he returned to being a pirate. He moved his pirate base from Barataria to Galveston, Texas.