Most Wanted

Anstis, Thomas


Active: 1718-1723 - English - Ship: Good Fortune

In 1718, Anstis left the Bahamas with Howell Davis. After Davis' murder in June 1719, Anstis sailed with Bartholomew Roberts. When Roberts captured an 18 gun brigantine in the West Indies (renaming her the "Good Fortune") he made Anstis captain of her.

Anstis and his crew deserted from Bartholomew Roberts in 1721. As they approached Africa in April 1721, Anstis made off with the Good Fortune. Anstis went to the Caribbean, where he plundered 3 or 4 small merchant ships. According to Daniel Defoe in his "General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates", the pirates were especially brutal to the passengers of an English ship taken off Martinique. The pirates beat and wounded one man who tried to save a woman from rape. They then forced the woman each in turn, afterwards breaking her back and flinging her into the sea. Later, Anstis captured a large ship, giving her command to John Fenn.

Fenn and Anstis could not get along so they decided to quit pirating. They petitioned the king claiming that they were forced by Bartholomew Roberts. They camped on an uninhabited island off Cuba waiting for a response. For nine months they waited before returning to piracy August 1722.



The pirates put in at Tobago in April, 1723, intending to careen their new vessels, and having just started the task, they were surprised by the British man-of-war Admiral Sir John Flowers HMS Winchelsey. Antis and his men were forced to burn the ship and the sloop and flee into the island's interior, but the Winchelsey's marines overtook and captured them.

Anstis escaped again in his swift brigantine Good Fortune, but his crew, discouraged by their losses, murdered him as he slept in his hammock, and took prisoner all who remained loyal. The mutineers then surrendered to Dutch authorities in Curaçao, where they received amnesty and their prisoners were hanged.

Archer, John Rose
Active: 1718-1724 - English

Sailed under Edward Teach (Blackbeard) in 1718. In 1723, Archer was on a merchantman captured by John Phillips. He enlisted with Phillips' gang, became quartermaster, and was captured in April 1724. He and William White were hanged on June 12, 1724. John Jameson wrote, in “Privateers and Piracy in the Colonial Period’, that the Boston theologian "Cotton Mather ministered to them in their last days, adding, one would think a new horror to death."

Auger, John
Active: ?-1718 - English

Auger was one of those, pardoned by Governor Woodes Rogers, when Rogers arrived at New Providence Island in the Bahamas in July, 1718.

Two days after leaving New Providence Island, Auger joined in a mutiny led by Phineas Bunce. The mutineers forced William Greenway (one of those pardoned) to join them. Henry White (also pardoned) as well as several others were stripped naked and marooned on Green Cay Island. Auger would anchor off Green Cay and at various times would retrieve the marooned and beat them. The marooned were rescued after seven weeks. Auger and crew leaving Green Cay would encounter Spanish coast guards off Long Island. The coast guard captured the pirates ships. Auger escaped to the island only to be captured in December by Benjamin Hornigold. Auger was taken to New Providence Island where he was hanged.

Bellamy, Charles
Active: 1717-1720 - English

Because both men marauded in the Atlantic about 1717, he often is confused with Samuel Bellany. Charles Bellamy raided with three ships off New England and New Brusnwick during the summer of 1717. He set up a fortified camp at the Bay of Fundy, probably at Saint Andrew's, and plundered fishing and raiding ships off Newfoundland's southern coast. A French warship, attacked by mistake in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, badly mauled the pirate vessel and killed 36 men. Bellamy raided fishing vessels for some years from a new camp at Placentia Bay.



Bonnet, Stede
Active: 1717 - 1718 - Barbados (Bridgetown)

Bonnet was an early 18th-century Barbadian pirate, sometimes called "the gentleman pirate" because he was a moderately wealthy landowner before turning to a life of crime. Bonnet was born into a wealthy English family on the island of Barbados, and inherited the family estate after his father's death in 1694. In 1709, he married Mary Allamby, and engaged in some level of militia service. Because of marital problems, and despite his lack of sailing experience, Bonnet decided to turn to piracy in the summer of 1717. He bought a sailing vessel, named it Revenge, and traveled with his paid crew along the Eastern Seaboard of what is now the United States, capturing other vessels and burning other Barbadian ships.

Bonnet set sail for Nassau, Bahamas, but he was seriously wounded en route during an encounter with a Spanish warship. After arriving in Nassau, Bonnet met Edward Teach, the infamous pirate Blackbeard. Incapable of leading his crew, Bonnet temporarily ceded his ship's command to Blackbeard. Before separating in December 1717, Blackbeard and Bonnet plundered and captured merchant ships along the East Coast. After Bonnet failed to capture the Protestant Caesar, his crew abandoned him to join Blackbeard aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge. Bonnet stayed on Blackbeard's ship as a guest, and did not command a crew again until summer 1718, when he was pardoned by North Carolina governor Charles Eden and received clearance to go privateering against Spanish shipping. Bonnet was tempted to resume his piracy, but did not want to lose his pardon, so he adopted the alias "Captain Thomas" and changed his ship's name to Royal James. He had returned to piracy by July 1718. In August 1718, Bonnet anchored the Royal James on an estuary of the Cape Fear River to repair and careen the ship. In late August and September, Colonel William Rhett, with the authorization of South Carolina governor Robert Johnson, led a naval expedition against pirates on the river. Rhett and Bonnet's men fought each other for hours, but the outnumbered pirates ultimately surrendered. Rhett arrested the pirates and brought them to Charleston in early October. Bonnet escaped on October 24, but was recaptured on Sullivan's Island. On November 10, Bonnet was brought to trial and charged with two acts of piracy. Judge Nicholas Trott sentenced Bonnet to death. Bonnet wrote to Governor Johnson to ask for clemency, but Johnson endorsed the judge's decision, and Bonnet was hanged in Charleston on December 10, 1718.

Bonnet is believed to have been born in 1688, as he was christened at Christ Church parish on July 29, 1688. His parents, Edward and Sarah Bonnet, owned an estate of over 400 acres (1.6 km2) southeast of Bridgetown, which was bequeathed to Bonnet upon his father's death in 1694. It is not known where Bonnet received his education, but many who knew him described him as bookish, and Judge Nicholas Trott alluded to Bonnet's liberal education when sentencing him. Bonnet married Mary Allamby in Bridgetown on November 21, 1709.[9] They had three sons—Allamby, Edward, and Stede—and a daughter, Mary. Allamby died before 1715, while the other children survived to see their father abandon them for piracy. Edward's granddaughter, Anne Thomasine Clarke, was the wife of General Robert Haynes, for 36 years Speaker of the Assembly of Barbados.

In A General History of the Pyrates, Charles Johnson wrote that Bonnet was driven to piracy by Mary's nagging and "incomforts he found in a married State." Details of Bonnet's military service are unclear, but he held the rank of major in the Barbados militia. The rank was probably due to his land holdings, since deterring slave revolts was an important function of the militia. Bonnet's militia service coincided with the War of the Spanish Succession, but there is no record that he took part in the fighting.

Bonney, Anne (a.k.a. Anne Cormac)
Active: 171?-1720 - Irish female - ship: William

Bonney is one of the few women pirates in European history. With Mary Reade she was captured in 1720, as John Rackham raided along Jamaica's northern coast.

Early in November, a government ship siezed Rackham's sloop which carried the two women and 9 men. Rackham and the other men were hanged. Because everyone knew they were women. Bonney and Read were tried seperately. Their victims testified that they wore female clothing except during battles. Both joined in assaults carrying guns. The witnesses added that, "they were both very profligate, cursing and swearing much, and very ready and willing to do anything."

After they were convicted, the judge asked if there was any reason they should not be hanged as sentenced. "My Lord, we Plead our Bellies," Bonney and Read replied - the customary plea of pregnant women. Since hanging would also kill the unborn child (who had committed no crime), women were reprieved until they gave birth. Bonney and Reade were jailed, and nothing is known about their later fate.

The presence of two women on Rackham's sloop was highly unusual. Some articles specifically banned women and young boys, since the men fought to obtain their sexual favours. In this case it seems the pirates tolerated the women because they may have made themselves available to anyone in Rackham's small crew. Anne was born in Ireland, the illegetimate child of a lawyer and his servant. Her father was forced to emigrate to South Carolina, along with Anne and her mother. The only heiress to a large fortune, Anne gave it all up to run away with James Bonney.

The two lovers went to the Bahamas, where Bonney was pardoned by Woodes Rogers in 1718. Anne, who liked both money and men, soon began to sleep around. She eventually met John Rackham, who won her favour by lavishly spending booty. When Governor Rogers threatened to whip Anne and Rackham, they stole a sloop and turned pirate together.

Putting on seaman's clothes, Anne fought beside the other pirates, who were convinced she was a man. She took shore leave in Cuba to have a baby, but rejoined the ship soon after. By this time, Mary Reade, also wearing male attire, had joined the crew. Mary learned Anne's secret when Anne seduced her, thinking her a pretty fellow.

When the Jamaicans caught the pirate ship, only the women resisted, and Anne viciously condemned Rackham as a coward. Victims testified that she retained her feminine character, and donned men's clothing only when in action, but otherwise dressed as women.

Black Bart
...see Bartholomew Roberts

Brown, Nicholas
Active: 16??-1726 - English

Brown was a pirate who was active of the coast of Jamaica during the early 18th century. Although accepting a royal pardon, he continued raiding shipping until his capture by pirate hunter and childhood friend Captain John Drudge.

He eventually died of wounds during his capture and - following his death - Drudge had Brown's body decapitated and his head pickled for which he would use to collect his reward.

Cobham, Eric
Active: 1720-1740 – English

A pirate in the early 18th century who with his wife, Maria Lindsey, practiced piracy in the Gulf of St. Lawrence from their base in Newfoundland.

They were both born in England – Eric Cobham from Poole and Maria Lindsey from Plymouth. The Cobhams were among the first St. Lawrence pirates to become known for giving “no quarter”, meaning all the captured crews were killed and the ships sunk. They were famous for their sadism and cruelty, including using survivors for target practice.

They were pirates between 1720 and 1740 after which they relocated to Le Havre, France. They became members of the community and Eric was appointed a judge. Maria could not make the adjustment and went insane, finally committing suicide. Eric had an attack of conscience after her death and confessed his sins to a priest and requested the true story of his life be published. This book was printed after his death.

Condent, Edmund (Congdon, Conden)
Active: 1718-1720 – English - Ship: Flying Dragon



From Plymouth, Condent was second-in-command of a pirate sloop that fled New Providence, when Woodes Rogers became governor in 1718.

When an Indian, beaten up by the other crewmen, threatened to blow up the ship, Condent leaped into the hold and shot him. Soon after, the pirates captured a merchant ship. They quarreled, and the captain and half the crew left in the prize, while the rest chose Condent as captain. At the Cape Verde Islands, he took a Portuguese wine ship, an entire squadron of small boats, and a Dutch warship, which he kept and renamed the Flying Dragon. Condent marauded along the Brazilian coast, seizing many merchantmen. Hearing that the Portuguese had imprisoned a pirate crew. After taking more prizes along the West African coast, he reached Madagascar in June or July 1719.

At the Saint Mary's Island, he picked up some of John Halsey's old crew. Condent cruises in the Red Sea and along the Indian coast for more than a year. Near Bombay in October 1720, he captured a large Arab ship carrying treasure and precious cargo valued at 150,000 pounds. To avoid the East India Company's wrath, he ordered his men not to abuse the passengers and crew. The rich haul was shared out at Saint Mary's, each man receiving about 2,000 pounds. Condent and about 40 others went to Reunion Island and negotiated with the governor for a French pardon. About 20 settled on the island. Condent married the governor's sister-on-law, migrated to France, and became a wealthy merchant in Brittany.

Condon, William (a.k.a. Billy One-Hand)
'''Active: ? - 1721 - - English - Ship: Fiery Dragon'''

Only his ship was found by Barry Clifford off the coast of Sainte-Marie, Madagascar, where it had caught fire and sunk in 1721.

England, Edward


Active: 1717-1720 - English - Ship: Fancy, Pearl, Victory

He was born in Ireland. His real name was Edward Seegar. Edward England's career as a pirate began while he was working on a sloop as a first mate. During a trip from Jamaica to Providence, the ship was taken by a pirate Captain Winter. Soon after, he gained pirates confidence and became one of them. While the other pirates from his crew surrendered to King's pardon, Edward England refused and he was forced to leave the Caribbean. It was a former privateer and the governor of Bahamas that Attacked his stronghold. So the Irishman was forced to sail to the Africa and continue his plundering.

He was successful and took several ships there. Particularly interesting was the "Cadogan", ship from Bristol, commanded by Captain Skinner. That man had owned debts and had been in bad blood with some of England 's crew. Therefore, he was insanely tortured and killed afterwards. Edward also encountered Howell Davis on that ship, who became a very famous and successful pirate later.

England saw a lot of potential in Davis and gave the command of the "Cadogan" to him. Some time after, Captain England made his first exchange of the flagships. He swoop his sloop for a ship called the " Pearl ". The new flagship was fitted and renamed to the "Royal James". It was a good decision because pirates were even more successful in this powerful ship. Soon, he built a whole fleet.

In spring of 1719, the pirates returned to the Africa, and seized several ships at the coast of Cape Corso. Some of them were just robbed and allowed to leave, some of them were added to pirate's fleet, and the others were burned. During that period, the two ships from pirate fleet, the "Queen Anne's Revenge" and the "Flying King" were separated from England 's flagship and sailed to the Caribbean. Once again, Edward England exchanged his flagships. The "Fancy" replaced the Royal James. It was even a more powerful Dutch ship. Captain England 's next harassment took place in Madagascar where he had a couple of successful "actions" and increased his power. It was 1720 in Johanna, an island not far from Madagascar when the pirates encountered and attacked two English and one Dutch ship. Those ships belonged to the East Indies Company.

Two of the ships managed to escape. However, the Captain James Macrae's "Cassandra", stayed to engage Captain England 's force. The battle lasted for hours, even when ships ran aground. Finally, Captain Mecrae was forced to escape to the shore, leaving his precious ship behind. The "Fancy" was totally demolished, and pirates had much more casualties.

After a few days starving in woods, Captain Mecrae finally surrendered to the pirates who were waiting for him. England 's first mate, John Taylor wanted to kill him, in order to revenge around 90 men from the "Fancy". However, Captain England did not agree. He knew Mecrae was a couraged man and wanted to spare him. After hours of persuading and several shots of rum, Captain Taylor finally agreed. The pirates took the "Cassandra" as a consolation.

However, Captain England 's crew was not so happy about this decision. They were pirates after all, and to let Captain Macrae was something imaginable to them. Mutiny was raised against England and they marooned him on Mauritius with three Captains' loyal followers. England somehow managed to make a boat and sailed to the Saint Augustine 's Bay, Madagascar. Nevertheless, Edward England died as really poor men in a short time period. Perhaps he did not deserve the cruel destiny, as he was the most generous pirate who had ever lived.

Evans, John
Active: ?-1722 - English

John Evans started upon his pirate career in September of 1722. Up to that time he had been legitimately involved in a variety of sailing jobs from master of a sloop belonging to Nevis to work as a mate sailing from Jamaica. Due to a lack of berths on ships at the time he and a band of three or four others rowed out of Port Royal in a canoe.

Their first illegal acts were simple robbery of houses near the shore, but this was not entirely to their liking and they greatly desired to secure a true ship and move their work out to sea. They made good their plans when they encountered a sloop, belonging to Bermuda, lying at anchor in Dunns Hole. Having taken the ship they put into at a little village and proceeded to ransack a local tavern of any and all goods that they desired.

The next day they set sail for Hispanola in the sloop, which they renamed the Scowerer. Their first true prize as pirates was a Spanish sloop. After this they set coarse for the Windward Islands, where they captured the Dove, a ship bound from New England to Jamaica, off Puerto Rico, captained by a Captain Diamond. They forced the Dove's mate into service and added three others to the crew. After releasing the Dove, they set into one of the islands for fresh water and supplies. The next prize was the 200 ton Lucretia and Catherine, Captain Mills, off the island of Disseada on January 11th. This done they went to the little island of Avis, intending to careen their hull and clean.

However, before they could begin they sighted a sloop and gave chase, but failed to catch the ship, being slowed by the Lucretia. They were then nearer the island of Ruby, and so decided to careen there. This design was again forestalled as they ran up with a Dutch sloop and captured her. This new sloop being more to their liking than the Lucretia, they released the Lucretia and kept the sloop. The Scowerer and captured sloop set sail for the north coast of Jamaica and soon captured a sugar drover, before driving to the Grand Caymans, again with the intention of cleaning their hulls. Prior to making landfall, the boatswain and Captain Evans exchanged ill language, and the boatswain taking offense challenged Evans to a duel. When the sloop arrived, however, the boatswain refused to go ashore and pursue the duel.

Captain Evans, angered by the man's cowardice, beat him about the shoulders and back with his cane, upon which the boatswain drew his pistol and shot Evans in the head. The boatswain then jumped overboard and tried to swim to shore, but he was soon picked up by the Scowerer's crew. The crew, so angered at the death of the captain, resolved to torture the man, but were unable to fulfill the threat as two of the crew shot him first. Lacking a willing candidate to take over as captain, the crew set ashore at the Caymans with 9,000 pounds to be split among the 30 crew members.

Fenn, John
Active: 1721-1723 - English

Fenn was an early 18th century English pirate who sailed with Captain Bartholomew Roberts and later had a brief partnership with Thomas Anstis. Although much of his early career is unrecorded, he was a member of Captain Roberts's fleet during the late 1710s, until leaving with fellow member Thomas Anstis, who was awarded command of the 21-gun Morning Star shortly before leaving the West Indies for the West African coast during the night of April 18, 1721.

Remaining with Anstis in the Caribbean, Fenn participated in the capture of three or four merchant ships near Hispanola, Jamaica and Martinique during the month of June before being given command of the 21-gun Morning Star. After quarrelling for some time, Anstis and Fenn decided to end their piratical careers and petitioned King George I for a royal pardon claiming they had been forced into piracy by Roberts.

After nine months camped in an uninhabitied island off the coast of Cuba, having received no response from the British government, they decided to resume their piracy in August 1722. However, running into a violent storm shortly after their departure, Fenn's ship was wrecked on Grand Cayman Island (it may have been during this storm and wreck that Fenn lost his right hand). Anstis rescued Fenn and some of his crewn the process of rescuing Fenn and his crew, but many pirates were still ashore when two British warships hove into sight.

Chased by the Royal Navy men-of-war, the pirates were able to escape after the winds died down to a dead calm, rowing the Good Fortune to safety. After their flight to the Bay of Honduras, a frigate was captured to replace the lost Morning Star and the two met with success capturing several ships in the Bahamas during the next several months. However, while careening their ships at Tobago in April 1723, they were surprised by the British warship HMS Winchelsea during which Fenn's ship was lost. Forced to run into the wooded inlands of Tobago, he was captured a day later and brought back to Antigua where he was found guilty of piracy and hanged with six of his crew the following month.

Fly, William
Active: ?-1726 - English

Fly raided New England shipping until he was captured by some of the crew of a seized ship. He was hanged in Boston, Massachusetts. Reportedly, Fly approached the hanging with complete disdain and even reproached the hangman for doing a poor job, remaking the noose and placing it about his neck with his own two hands.

His body was hung in chains (gibbeted) on Nixes Mate Island in Boston Harbor, to serve as a warning to other sailors not to turn to piracy. His last words were, roughly, a warning to captains to treat their sailors well and pay them on time. Cotton Mather had tried, and failed, to get Fly to publicly repent. William Fly's career as a pirate began with a mutiny on the slave ship "Elizabeth", sailing from Jamaica for West Africa. Having captured the ship, the mutineers sewed a Jolly Roger flag, renamed the ship "Fames' Revenge", elected William Fly as captain, and sailed to the coast of North Carolina and north toward New England. They captured five ships in about two months before being captured themselves.

Gow, John (a.k.a. John Smith)
Active: 1724-1725 - English - Ship: The Revenge

Smith often used the alias John Gow. While sailing from Morocco to France in November 1724, Smith and several others mutinied and seized a merchant ship. The rebels murdered the captain and three other officers and elected Smith captain.

After looting British ships off Portugal, Smith visited Madeira, seized the governor, and forced him to provide supplies. In February 1725, he made for the Orkney Islands near Scotland-solely to visit his girl friend according to some reports. Some of his prisoners escaped and raised an alarm. The pirates raided several villages, but wrecked their ship on one of the islands. A local landowner turned down a bribe, and Smith and his crew were captured. Following a trial that aroused intense public interest, Smith and eight others were hanged in London.

Harris, Charles
Active: 16??-1723 - English

Harris joined the Barbary corsairs. He later turned Mohammedan, and captained a Moorish pirate vessel. He sailed off the coast of Ireland, but was then taken prisoner by an English ship, and hanged at Wapping.

Julian, John
Active: 16??-1733



Julian was the first recorded black pirate to operate in the New World, as the pilot of the pirate ship Whydah. Pirates threw the law of the land overboard. That was good news for John Julian, a half-blood Mosquito Indian who joined Samuel Bellamy early in his brief, brilliant career.

While on land, Julian's skin made him nobody, on water, his skill made him important. He eventually piloted the Whydah, which was the leading ship of Bellamy's fleet. Julian was one of 30 to 50 people of African descent in the pirate crew, all were treated as equals. Julian's life took a nosedive after he survived the Whydah wreck in 1717.

He was jailed in Boston but apparently never indicted. More likely, he was sold into slavery. He was probably the "Julian the Indian" bought by John Quincy, whose grandson, President John Quincy Adams, became a staunch abolitionist. If so, he suffered. A purported "unruly slave," Julian the Indian was sold to another owner and tried often to escape. During one attempt he killed a bounty hunter who was trying to catch him. He was executed in 1733.

Next page (K-Z)

Credits
All texts and pictures are open source material (like Wikipedia), without copyright-restrictions, publically available without limitations. If I should have used copyrighted material, this is unintended. A great inspiration was the webpage http://www.thewayofthepirates.com/, where you can find few pictures but tons of information about british pirates.

Seth Seaborn, SGS