Ashley Billings

Early Life
Ashley Finnegan Billings was born in 1684 in the town of Aberdeen, Scotland. His parents, William and Sarah Billings, were bankrupt nobility who were constantly at the mercy of bankers and lawyers. They did not have any money to spoil their young child, much less his four older siblings. Ashley learned at a young age that money ruled the lives of the working class and fueled the power of the gentry and grew to have a lifelong distrust of attorneys and money men. Given a crude education with the few books his mother still possessed, Ashley was at least able to read and write, and more importantly had a fundamental grasp of mathematics. His one true joy was spending time at night with his father, looking through an old army telescope at the sky. There he learned the stars and constellations that would eventually allow him to identify his bearing at night and day without aid.

Life as a Highwayman
As time went on, young Ashley became more and more dull of his drab granite surroundings. This was finally driven home in 1694 when his parents were killed by a drunkard who had broken into their small home seeking plunder. The thief had laughed at the young boy and tossed him the empty pistols that he had used to do the deed. He only said "some day you can use those to kill me."

Ashley was sent to live with his oldest sister, Larnie, who constantly beat him and denied him food unless he performed the heavy labor at her household. Larnie had been fortunate enough to marry an English official who was overseeing bank reforms in the Scottish lands. In 1696, at the age of sixteen, Ashley grew tired of his surrogate guardians and revealed to them the pistols he was given. Leaving them tied up in their estate, he had escaped with all the jewels and coins that he could fit in his pockets.

Meeting a local fence, Ashley fell in with a band of highwaymen that prowled the roads of the Scottish frontier, taking particular pride in robbing English travellers as well as wealthy Scottish gentry that they considered as traitors to their cause. Ashley proved himself to be a great brawler, using seemingly endless physical strength to intimidate his marks and backing that up with his two dueling pistols if that failed to convince the hapless victims to give up their coin. Ashley took particular delight in having not killed a single person in his entire career.

However, in 1699, that all came to a crashing end. The leader of the brigand band Ashley took up with decided to assault the vicar of an Anglican church just inside the Welsh lands. The man handed over his money but the bandit chief shot the priest and assaulted his wife. Ashley did not stand for this and attacked his former boss. Knives were drawn and before Ashley knew it his blade was lodged in the heart of his foe. Faced with the hatred of his former allies and with no friends or family to turn to, Ashley made his way to the coast.

The Merchant Marine
In 1701, Ashley found a new home on ships of the East India Company. Assigned to one of the great Indiamen, he found himself locked in endless travel between Britain and her colonies in India. Trained in musket and signals, flint and steel, he assisted in the defense of convoys from relentless attacks by Spanish and French privateers. Even the Arabs attacked with their wicked xebecs, hoping to gain the vast riches from China and India. In less than five years, Mr. Billings was leading the artillery batteries on his ship and studying maps with the sail master. Recognizing he had a gift, the captain recommended Ashley to the Company as someone who should be leading men into battle rather than taking part in it. By 1710, Ashley was captain of a small escort frigate and made frequent mail runs in addition to providing escort for the larger convoys.

It was in India that Ashley met a young English businesswoman named Prudence Giles. She was the inheritor of a large shipping business that her father had left to her. He thought of her as being disagreeable and stuffy, but most certainly handsome. She could care less if he breathed. However, she made arrangements to have him protect her convoys and although they did not know it, they had created a relationship that would pay off to both in the future.

After capturing a number of enemy vessels, Ashley learned that quite a lot of money could me made from the task, and was more and more reluctant to pay the large levees that the Company placed on prizes. The Company would eventually call him a renegade and, with no resistance from his well paid crew, Ashley stole his vessel and sailed back to Europe.

Continental Europe
Ashley ended up in Malta, where he met a British Privateer. The captain asked him if his vessel would assist in the capture of a Spanish 72-gun frigate in the area and that the prize would be split down the middle. The two vessels made their way down to the coast of Algiers where they sighted the Spanish vessel under attack by Corsairs. The two ships raised Spanish flags to get close to the frigate and then let fly their colors, firing on both the Spaniard and the Corsair ships. Three corsairs burned and the Spanish frigate was taken in fierce boarding action. Upon their return the Board of Marque was happy to blacken the eyes of the East India Company and gave Ashley his letter of marque, enabling him to hunt the enemies of the crown in the Mediterranean.

Record of Achievement
January 19th, 1723 - Enlisted in the squadron February, 1723 - Made an Esquire of the British Crown

Notable action
 Under Review 

Privateering Record
May 23rd, 1723 - Assisted in the sinking of a Couronne Mastercraft south of Santiago. After destruction of the galleon, was forced to retire from battle.

May 27th, 1723 - Assisted naval personnel of the Squadron in a daring raid on the notorious pirate hideout of Cabo Raphael. Smuggling was shut down in the region and despite the efforts of several daring pirate captains, the region was effectively disrupted. Two confirmed pirate vessels were sunk while one was heavily damaged and forced to withdraw.

Active Command

 * HMHV Prudence Giles, Poseidon Fourth Rate
 * HMHV Expedient, Conquistador Sleek
 * HMHV Fairfax, Mignone Privateer Indiaman
 * HMHV Prometheus, Hercules Heavy Frigate
 * HMHV Repulse, Vengeance Privateer Frigate

Record of Crtical Actions
Records prior to January 1723 were lost as the result of negligent book keeping

{|
 * width="150" align="Left" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|Port
 * width="200" align="Left" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|Date
 * width="100" align="Left" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|Battle type
 * width="150" align="Left" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|Enemy
 * width="75" align="Left" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|Result
 * width="200" align="Left" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|Ship
 * width="300" align="Left" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|Role
 * width="300" align="Left" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|Role


 * Cartagena
 * May 25th, 1723
 * Offense
 * [[File:SPAIN.JPG]] Spain
 * Victory
 * HMHV Prometheus
 * Captain
 * Captain


 * Belle Island
 * May 25th, 1723
 * Offense
 * [[File:FRANCE.JPG]] France
 * Victory
 * HMHV Prometheus
 * Captain
 * Captain


 * Irish Point
 * May 28th, 1723
 * Defense
 * [[File:PIRATE.JPG]] Pirate
 * Victory
 * HMHV Prometheus
 * Captain
 * Captain


 * Santiago
 * June 1st, 1723
 * Offense
 * [[File:SPAIN.JPG]] Spain
 * Victory
 * HMHV Prometheus
 * Captain
 * Captain


 * St Johns
 * June 4st, 1723
 * Defense
 * [[File:SPAIN.JPG]] Spain
 * Loss
 * HMHV Prometheus
 * Captain
 * Captain