In the year 1655 England seized a weakly guarded Spanish Island: Jamaica, and converted it into an English colony. The guards defending the Island were generally taken from the streets, and represented the worst criminal elements. The guards were thieves, murderers, and cheats. From this band of criminals formed many groups of buccaneers who terrorized the region. At this time Henry Morgan began his overwhelming pirate career.

This gives the reader a background of what was to come of Henry Morgan: from an ordinary soldier, to a never crowned king of Jamaica. Morgan earned fame and respect among his friends and enemies alike thanks to his successful (and profitable) attacks on Vilahermosa (Capital of the Mexican province Tobasco), and Gran Granada (the silver mining center of Nicaragua).

Gran Granada, for those times considered a large and prosperous city, was located 200 kilometers inland on the shore of Nicaragua Lake. Access to the town was restricted by dense wild Jungle. Henry Morgan embarked on a difficult and daring escapade involving a long and dangerous journey through the unexplored jungle. This expedition was followed by a triumphant lightning assault on Gran Granada. The attack yielded enormous spoils, and was considered a great success for Henry Morgan.

Henry Morgan was pleasantly surprised upon his return to Jamaica: the island had a newly appointed commander of all English troops in the west Indies, this commander was Henry Morgan’s uncle.

So the continuing pirate career of Henry Morgan was so secured. After the death of Henry Morgan’s uncle (Edward Morgan), the governor of Jamaica chose Henry Morgan to become the commander of the militia in Port Royal. By 1668 Henry Morgan was already an English vice admiral of a fleet of 15 ships. At the same time pirates elected Henry Morgan to become the successor to Edward Mansfield (leader of all pirate activities in Jamaica). As an English officer and pirate general: Henry Morgan became the terror of all Spaniards in the West Indies.

In 1668 Morgan made two pirating ventures. Morgan’s attack on the inland city of Peurto Principe (pwert-o PREEN-the-pay), Cuba, was considered his first Major attack. Unfortunately for Morgan, his crew of pirates were ambushed along the way, and only took the city with bitter struggle and great loss. Things got worse for Morgan when word came that the city’s treasure had been hidden. Morgan and his crew were forced to settle for 50,000 pieces of eight in return for sparing their captives. Half of Morgan’s crew quit after the attack on Puerto Principle. Morgan was not discouraged, and announced plans for attacking the great treasure city of Porto Bello, Panama. Experienced sea pirates scoffed at the plan: Porto Bello was larger, better fortified, and had an army troop when compared to Puerto Principle. Morgan, however, had a plan. When he attacked Porto Bello, he arrived on canoes, silently, and under the cover of darkness, Morgan’s men slipped into the harbor before anyone knew they were there. The first two forts of Porto Bello both fell quickly, but the third withstood each attack the pirates implemented. Morgan finally devised a sinister plan: he used captured catholic priests and nuns to shield his crew as they climbed the walls of the fort. It was only a matter of time before the city fell into the hands of Henry Morgan, along with 250,000 pieces of eight, and 300 slaves. When word of this attack spread, Morgan’s force swelled to 15 ships and 900 men. Henry Morgan was quickly known by the nickname: Morgan "the terrible".

A year later Morgan led an expedition of 8 ships and 650 buccaneers to attack the Venezuelan cities of Marcaibo (a coastal city located at the mouth of an inland lake) and Gilbraltar (located on the other side of the lake). Compared with his last venture, the plunder was not comparable, and Morgan found the cities virtually deserted. The result: 50,000 English pounds, and slaves and goods of the same value. When the pirates tried to sail from the lake, they found that their exit had been blocked. Maracaibo’s powerful fort had their gun trained on Morgan, and three huge Spanish men-o-war stood just outside the channel. Morgan offered the Spanish the option of surrender, instead of accepting, the Spanish laughed. Morgan decided to teach them a lesson they would, indeed, never forget. Morgan had his lead ship (a small sloop, covered with pitch, tar, and brimstone.) loaded with kegs of gunpowder, and had dummies (made of pumpkins and wood, dressed as buccaneers) placed at battle stations throughout his ship. While the Spanish still laughed the small vessel slowly approached them and suddenly burst into flames, it then exploded: sinking the first man-o-war, and burning the second to the hull. The remaining man-o-war was easily captured by the pirates. Once again Morgan offered the Spanish the option of surrender: once again the Spanish refused. Shrugging his shoulders Morgan had his crew embark for shore with longboats: upon seeing this the Spanish assumed the pirates were massing for a land attack. As a result the Spanish moved their cannon to the other side of the fort. Before the Spanish had a chance to move the cannon back into place, Morgan took advantage of the opportunity by safely sailing past the fort that night. Only then did the Spaniards finally realize that they had been tricked: instead of landing on the other side of the jetty, Morgan’s men had simply crouched below the gunwale and returned to their ships. After this battle, Henry Morgan was the undisputed king of the buccaneers.

In January 1670, Morgan set out after the largest venture of his career, to plunder the gold of Panama. Answering his call, 2000 buccaneers on 36 ships assembled to prepare for an attack on Panama. Once Morgan took over Fort San Lorenzo, he led his crew on a rough 16-day journey through dense almost impassable Jungle. The Spaniards were prepared for Morgan, and six hundred cavalry swooped down on the pirates. Thousands of muskets fired; both sides took their loses, but the pirates held their ground. A stampede of 2,000 Spanish bulls did not deter the pirates, and the Spanish finally fled in retreat. The city belonged to the buccaneers, and yielded 100,000 English Pounds. Unfortunately, at that time, England was no longer at war with Spain. Morgan was recalled to England and thrown into the dungeons to stand trial as a pirate. However, King Charles II, learning about Morgan’s great deeds, knighted him instead in 1673, making him lieutenant governor of Jamaica. Morgan was ordered to rid the seas from all buccaneers.

Morgan had done well in executing the Kings orders. When he died in 1688 there were almost no buccaneers left.

Henry Morgan was one of the most ruthless of pirates, his daring, brutality, and intelligence made him the most feared, and respected buccaneer of all time. Henry Morgan really was the king of all pirates.

Count Maurycy Beniowski (also known as Baron Maurice de Benyowski) was born in Poland to a noble family. At that time Poland was partitioned into three parts, Beniowski was born in the Russian part. As a youngster he took part in the Polish uprising to liberate Poland from the Russian rule (Konfederacja Barska) and after being captured by Russians was sent into exile to Siberia. However he managed to escape and after some tumultuous years he found himself leading an armed expedition headed toward Madagascar. On an African Island near Madagascar he managed to establish a stronghold, and pronounced himself the king of Madagascar. We can easily classify him as a pirate because he was not above attacking shipping around lanes around Madagascar, and he didn’t represent any authority. One of the nearby islands (Mauritius) was named after this Polish adventurer and to this day he is remembered there.

One of the most well known Pirates of all times was Captain Kidd, who had originally been employed to rid the seas of pirates.

Kidd was born around 1645 (the exact date is unknown). He found employment as an English Privateer who found such success in New York and the West Indies that he was called back to serve England. The King’s officers asked Kidd to captain a new powerful ship: the Adventure Galley. The Adventure Galley was equipped with 34 cannons and a crew of 80. Its mission was to capture all French ships, and the pirates of Madagascar. Kidd accepted the proposition.

Kidd thought his ship could use a better crew so he recruited a gang of cutthroats in New York and sailed for Madagascar. Once there, a good portion of his new crew left Kidd’s ship in order to join the pirates. The remaining portion of pirates on Kidd’s crew, threatened him with mutiny, unless Kidd would attack any and all ships. Kidd refused. Mutiny was close at hand, and a fight between him and the ship gunner erupted. Kidd killed the man, and the crew did not pursue the revolt further; however, after that incident, Kidd was a changed man. Plundering ships of all kinds along India’s Malabar coast: Kidd had become a pirate. The holds of the Adventure Galley were already full when Kidd decided to plunder the Quedagh Merchant. The Quedagh Merchant was a huge treasure ship of 400 tons (the Adventure galley weighed only 284 tons). As the pirates approached the merchant, the captain of the vessel gave the sign of surrender; however, the captain of the merchant was secretly preparing for battle.

Sails were trimmed, sand was poured for better footing, ammunition was readied, and buckets were filled for fire fighting. As the pirates neared, the merchant vessel fired- but due to a sudden ocean swell, the shot missed its mark. The pirates immediately threw their grappling hooks, bringing the two ships together. The pirates rapidly boarded the ship, and soon Captain Kidd was in the possession of one of the greatest pirate treasures ever. With this final accomplishment under his belt: he ordered his crew to set sail for New York. Kidd thought he could fool the New Yorkers into believing that all his plunder had been taken only from French and pirate vessels.

Unfortunately for him, he was very mistaken: a great deal of the booty belonged to the powerful British East India Company. Kidd was clapped into chains and shipped to England were he was sentenced to death. Kidd experienced a terrible death: the hangman’s rope broke twice, the third time it held. Once Drake was dead: his body was dipped in tar and hung by chains along the Thames River. Kidd’s body served as a warning to all would-be pirates for years to come. Kidd's farewell speech:

My name was Captain Kidd, when I sail'd, when I sail'd, And so wickedly I did, God's laws I did forbid, When I sail'd, when I sail'd. I roam'd from sound to sound, And many a ship I found, And then I sunk or burn'd, When I sail'd. I murder'd William Moore, And laid him in his gore, Not many leagues from shore, When I sail'd. Farewell to young and old, All jolly seamen bold, You're welcome to my gold, For I must die, I must die. Farewell to Lunnon town, The pretty girls all round, No pardon can be found, and I must die, I must die, Farewell, for I must die. Then to eternity, in hideous misery, I must lie, I must lie.

Captain Kidd experienced a short-lived pirating career: but in it he managed to have a great many people killed, some of which he himself murdered in cold blood.

Anne Bonny’s life was by far not as adventurous as Mary’s, but it had been a hard life. She was a bastard daughter of an attorney of Cork in Ireland, whose wife had left him because of his loose way of life. Her mother was a maid in his father’s household. In the beginning she was dressed as a boy, pretending to be the son of her father’s friends, who had been apprenticed to him to learn the legal business. Her father later put aside all pretensions and decided to live openly with his former maid. Needless to say this was at the time deleterious to his legal carrier, and he was forced to search for work elsewhere.

Her father, her mother, and she sailed for Carolina, where he was successful as a lawyer and merchant, and was thus able to buy a plantation. When her mother died, she took over the duties of her father’s housekeeper.

She grew up to be a hardy girl with a "fierce and courageous temper". She had a very fiery disposition, and was said to have killed a serving girl with a knife during one of her fits of rage, granted this was never proven. But it was common knowledge that she had thrashed a young man, who attempted to make uncalled-for advances. He was so badly injured that he was confined to his bed for several weeks.

Anne married James Bonny, a young soldier, for which she was turned out of her father’s home, for whom the young man was "not worth a Groat". Her husband’s ambitions of inheriting a fortune were lost, and he took his wife to the West Indies looking for employment.

She met Jack Rackham on New Providence, who swept her away from her husband, and the two made their way to the sea, with Anne disguised in men’s clothing. After several months she became pregnant, and Rackham took her to friends in Cuba, who saw her through the pregnancy until term. Immediately after the child was born, she rejoined her lover at sea, there is no record of what became of her baby.

Despite their sex, Mary and Anne both made fierce pirates, and as many of their ship mates claimed, were "resolute and ready to board or undertake anything that was hazardous" in the time of action. A witness at their trial stated that the both of them cursed and swore with the best of males, and never cringed at murder. Their sex became known to the rest of their fellow crew, and the two would dress in women’s attire during moments of peace, and dressed in men’s jackets, trousers, with handkerchiefs tied around their heads, when the possibility of action arose. This costume after all was more suitable for fighting.

The two were captured on the ship of John Rackham, by a Captain Burnet, and tried under St. Jago de la Vega. When asked if there should be any reason why sentence of death should not be passed on them, the two (still dressed in male clothing) plead pregnancy as a reason for temporarily escaping the noose. Pregnancy saved Mary Read from the gallows, but she died soon afterwards with a violent fever, and died in prison. Anne Bonny also found to be an expectant mother, was given a reprieve. She remained in prison until the baby was delivered, after which she was reprieved from time to time until she disappeared, thus never hanged.

William Dampier led a life of controversy. He spent many years travelling the world with buccaneering parties, and was involved in looting, violence and general piracy. He published journals recording his travels, mixing tales of pillage and arson with exceptionally detailed accounts of wildlife, geography and navigation. Despite his known piracy when at home he was much in demand by polite English society and he was a popular figure invited to many high brow functions. Although his name struck fear into the Spanish many of his shipmates and associates seem to have had a low opinion of Dampier, and the way in which he managed his expeditions.

Dampier was born the son of a Somerset Farmer in 1652. He went to sea at 17 working as a deck hand on a merchant ship bound for Newfoundland. Having acquired a taste for the nautical life he joined the Royal Navy in 1673. England was then at war with the Dutch and as a seaman on board the Royal Prince he had his first taste of combat in the two battles of the Schooneveld. Illness forced him to leave the navy, and whilst recovering at home he was offered the chance to manage a plantation in Jamaica for a neighbour of the family.

Dampier worked as a seaman to get a passage to Jamaica and left London in 1674. After a year on the plantation he travelled to the Bayia de Campeche in the Gulf of Mexico and worked as a logger for a year. Having soon had enough of this hard work he returned to England and got married. His history in the following years shows him not to have been the most dutiful of husbands!

He was soon travelling again and from 1679-1681 was a member of the crew of the buccaneer Captain Bartholomew Sharp. At this time England was at peace with Spain, this didn’t stop the buccaneers capturing and destroying 25 Spanish ships, and plundering towns along the coast of South America including Portobello. One of the captured ships was the San Pedro taken off the coast of Chile laden with wine, gunpowder and 37,000 pieces of eight, these were distributed amongst the crew at 245 per man. The Spanish were outraged with the conduct of the pirates, and assumed that they would be brought to justice on their return. They were disappointed though, the pirates had managed to loot a book of sea charts and plans of the South Seas, and these were of such strategic importance that when presented to King Charles II they received a free pardon instead!

In 1683 Dampier joined another buccaneering expedition lead by Captain John Cook. They sailed from Virginia to the Guinea Coast of Africa, back to South America around Cape Horn to Chile and then on to the Galapagos Islands. After 2 years he returned to Panama and joined Captain Swan who sailed to the East Indies, among the Philippines explored the coast of China and then Australia where they careened. In his journal of the voyage he records eating many different creatures, and includes a recipe for Flamingo’s tongue, which he considered a great delicacy!

In the early 1700’s Dampier travelled to NW Australia as the commander of HMS Roebuck. Poor relations with his crew marred this trip, as did his abusive and violent treatment of his first lieutenant, finally the ship sprung a leak on the way home and sank. On his return Dampier was court-martialled and declared unfit to command a ship.

Despite these problems his wealth of experience of two circumnavigations made him much in demand as a pilot. He was commissioned to lead an expedition of 2 ships the St George and the Cinque Ports and left England for the South Seas in 1703. From the start he fell foul of the trip’s backers spending considerable time and money refitting in Ireland. Agents alarmed the backers by reporting back that he was spending money in a reckless manner! Before long the crew became disillusioned with the expedition, which they felt lacked clear objectives. Dampier had allowed a number of captured Spanish ships to go free, presumably accepting a ransom himself rather than sharing the loot with the crew. He was also accused of cowardice in an action against a French ship, remaining well out of the way of any fighting, and ordering the ship to clear out when the fight was nearly over! Not long after this the two ships were separated, Dampier continued the voyage on board the St George.

Meanwhile travelling on the Cinque Ports was Alexander Selkirk, he fell out with his captain and was marooned on the deserted Island of Juan Fernandes 350 miles west of the coast of South America. He was alone on the island from 1704 until 1709 with only the wild goats, rats and feral cats for company!

On Dampier’s return the backers of the voyage began to ask many awkward questions about the damage to both ships, and the lack of returns in the form of booty. However he quickly left on a further privateering party lead by Captain Woodes Rogers. On this trip Juan Fernandes was revisited and Selkirk was rescued, his story inspiring Daniel Defoe’s tale “Robinson Crusoe”.

Meanwhile Elizabeth Crosswell the sister of one of the original backers funded an investigation into Dampier’s command of the original voyage. On his return Selkirk gave evidence, as did many of the original crewmembers. The evidence told a tale of mismanagement, incompetence, cowardice and greed (many of the profits finding their way into Dampier’s pockets), furthermore it was alleged that Dampier’s failure to sheath the ships lead to their virtual destruction by the rampant Toredo worm that was very active in warm oceans. The evidence was never presented in court, and Dampier died not long after at 63.

All in all Dampier lead a controversial life. Despite all this his journals remain a wealth of information about the life of buccaneers, and particularly the difficulties of navigation at that time. His 2 published journals include:- “A New Voyage around the World” (1697), and “Voyage to New Holland” (1709).

Sir Francis Drake was born around 1540 as the son of a puritan farmer and preacher. He taught himself the art of sailing as the navigator of a small merchant sail vessel. Later in the beginning of his career, he served as an officer aboard West African slave ships.

Sailing from the Caribbean Sea to the Gulf of Mexico in 1567 Drake and his cousin John Hawkins were attacked and defeated by a Spanish Armada. They lost all of their vessels, and barely left with their lives. From that time on Drake would have a deep hatred for Catholic Spaniards. In the years 1570 and 1571 Drake familiarized himself with the Caribbean territory, and made many friends amongst escaped African slaves. Soon Drake led battles against the Spanish with the help his African friends.

In 1572 Drake was equipped with 2 ships and 73 sailors by his cousin Hawkins, and his associates. Queen Elizabeth also commissioned Drake as a privateer, to sail for America. In 25 days Drake crossed the Atlantic and found himself in the Caribbean Sea. After an unsuccessful attack on the Spanish port Nombre de Dios (today’s Nicaragua), Drake started to make new plans on plundering a Spanish caravan transporting gold. From the beginning the entire escapade seemed to be another loss for Drake. However, with certain setbacks, the enterprise brought Drake success and fame. Bringing his plunder to queen Elizabeth, he was selected to be the head of an expedition that was to sail around the world. Drake was flattered with this appointment, and made new more extravagant and hazardous plans.

On December 13th 1577, Drake began his expedition. Drake set sail with 3 ships, accompanied by two supply ships (Which he later planned to abandon). Drake sailed with the queen’s courtesan and his friend Thomas Doughty. After harsh weather, and tough sailing, Thomas Doughty, a mutineer, convinced Drake’s exhausted crew to revolt against their captain. Drake’s reaction was ruthless. When Drake reached his destination on the West Coast of South America, Drake had Doughty convicted to be beheaded in a court-martial. After the incident, Drake changed his ship’s name to "Golden Hind".

Sailing to Valparaiso, Drake encountered rain, and storms. His three-mast ship was devastated by the journey. No Spaniards were able to identify the Golden Hind as a pirate ship (make link to ship page), and fell victim to Drakes attacks. Drake plundered a Spanish war-ship, and the port of Callo. Drake’s real treasure was the information on the heading of Spanish galleon named "Nuestra Senora de la Conception", popularly named by the Spanish sailors "Cacafuego" ("Fireball"). The Spanish galleon sailed smoothly to the coast of Panama unaware of the impending danger.

On the 3rd of March 1579 with the first sign of the "Cacafuego" on the horizon, Drake commanded all sails to be prepared. Around 6:00 p.m., the Golden Hind met the Spanish Galleon with cannon fire, in short the Galleon was forced to surrender. Drake plundered unimaginable wealth. The task of relocating the Galleons hold took Drake’s crew four days. Drake acquired 80 pounds of gold, 20 tons on silver, 13 cases of silver coins, and cases full of pearls and precious stones. On the 26th of September 1580, the Golden Hind burdened with the holds heavy and precious cargo, sailed to the port of Plymouth after three years of adventures around the world.

Upon Drake’s return in 1580, Queen Elizabeth knighted him on the deck of the "Golden Hind", and made him the mayor of Plymouth. Queen Elizabeth had a good deal to be grateful for with Drake’s journey, as for each pound used to finance it, she earned 47.

Although Drake established fame for his bravery and courage, he wasn’t well liked by his contemporaries. Drake was; however, liked by Queen Elizabeth, and she placed him in command of a fleet of ships with which he inflicted a great deal of damage on the oversea Spanish Empire.

On the 28th of January 1596, 16 years after Drake was knighted, he began his last journey against the Spanish strongholds of the West Indies where after successfully accomplishing his objectives Drake passed away. As a farewell, Drake’s crew ignited two captured vessels, and while the cannon’s did solute him, the water of the Caribbean Sea had engulfed him.

Maj. Thomas Jones, like the rest of my family ever since, had a knack for choosing the wrong side in a political dispute. His own heritage was Welsh, but as a young man, he joined the Irish who fought unsuccessfully for James the 2nd against the British King William the 3rd at the Battle of Boyne in 1690. He was exiled with his manservant to a dismal Irish "estate" which was little more than a damp hovel.

Soon after, however, the exiled Jones saw a way out of his dilemna. With insurrections in both Ireland and Scotland now successfully put down, King William turned his attention to the French, against whom he would wage war for many years. Jones offered his services to the Crown, and received a "Letter of Marques," which was basically a license to steal -- as long as it was from the French or other enemies of England. This was a clever move by the King for two reasons: Not only was commissioning these "privateers" a good way to harass the French, but it was a handy way to get talented but suspect military men out of the country.

Thomas Jones commissioned a ship and was in Jamaica by 1692 (witnessing the "Great Port Royal Earthquake" of that year, according to his journals.) His journals stopped for a time and his activities over the next four years are murky. He evidently operated out of secluded coves along various islands in the West Indies. He emerged on the other side in 1696 with a Fortune (for its day) and bought a large estate in what is now Massapeaqua, on Long Island. It included a long stretch of the coast.

Jones Inlet on the South Bay, and the long sandy beach known as Jones Beach (once a big day-trip destination for New Yorkers), are both named for him.

Thomas Jones evidently was a mysterious Gatsby-esque character in his later years, while in Long Island. Little was said about the sources of his wealth, other than the occasional reference to his "shipping" interests.

But Jones was accepted into Society because he was rich, and the actual source of his fortune was discussed only in whispers. Now in the good graces of the Crown, the Jones family prospered. One of Thomas Jones' sons was appointed official Counsel of the Colony of New York. Others became prominent businessmen and politicians. Daughters married into the upper reaches of New York society. But most of them continued the tradition of choosing the wrong side in political disputes and the family backed the British during the American Revolution (The French also had not forgotten Jones the Pirate, and the family feared retaliation if the French gained influence in America. They were particularly concerned about Lafayette.) During the war, the Jones estate was widely rumored to be a sanctuary for British spies operating out of Long Island.

After the war, the new Congress passed the "Act of Attainder," allowing the confiscation of all property owned by Loyalists. The Joneses were a prime target. All of the family's land and belongings were about to be seized. Many of the Joneses took what they could and left for Nova Scotia or returned to England.

However, one branch of the family ended up retaining a prominent place in the new country, thanks to an interesting combination of love, legal maneuvering and political intrigue:

One of the Joneses' neighbors was William Floyd, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Despite their political differences, the families had remained personally on good terms. Floyd's son David had in fact fallen in love with one of the Jones girls. The two families struck a deal -- David could marry his beloved, if he changed his name to Floyd-Jones. William Floyd then used his influence to have a special Act of Congress enacted to exempt the "new" Floyd-Jones estate from the Act of Attainder. (And they complain about "special-interest legislation" today!)

The young couple thus had the Floyd's political influence and most of the Jones money. The newly named Floyd-Jones family continued its leading role in New York. David eventually became speaker of the New York State Assembly. His children and grandchildren included a member of Congress, a state treasurer, and a prominent Civil War general. One son, Charles Floyd-Jones, ventured West into what was then the frontier, and established my own branch of the family based in St. Louis and San Francisco.

The Long Island estate is now part of the National Park System, thanks to William Floyd's leading role in the Revolution. The original Floyd mansion is still there, along with several thousand acres of protected wetlands and shoreline facing Fire Island.

For more than 100 years after Thomas Jones' death, there were persistant rumors on Long Island that his pirate "treasure" was buried somewhere on the family estate. In some accounts, it was in an old well; in others, it was in his tomb itself. Trespassers were caught repeatedly, digging in both places.

One disappointed treasure seeker scratched this bit of doggerel on his gravestone:


Beneath this Stone
Repose the bones
Of Pirate Jones

This briny well
Contains the shell
The rest's in Hell!

Samual Bellamy, later to be called "Black Bellamy", was known to be one of the most active freebooters. As legend has it that he was a young English sailor, who traveled to the new world colonies to seek his fortune. He found a wealthy sponsor to finance an expedition South, to search for sunken Spanish treasure. This proved to be unsuccessful, and Bellamy returned home empty-handed, and married.

He soon however, left his wife and family behind in a town near Canterbury to sail the seas once more. As many notorious pirates before him, Bellamy served as an apprentice with Benjamin Hornigold, who was known for his generosity to prisoners, and reluctance to plunder English ships. Bellamy was elected as captain when Hornigold was deposed.

Bellamy proved to be a most successful pirate, mainly in the West Indies. He was known to entertain his crew with flowery orations, of which he considered himself quite the master. The concerned for the well-being of his prisoners, but he favored his crew’s well-being above all else, not to evoke any sinister feelings among them.

His growing carrier came to an abrupt end in April 1717, off Cape Cod, when his fleet was hit by an intense storm, completely capsizing and destroying his ship, the Whydah. Two men survived this tragedy, one disappeared in history, while the other, Thomas Davis, lived on to pass down the intense account of the shipwreck to Cape Cod folklore.

John Rackham is also known as "Calico Jack" by many due to his preference for calico coats and britches. Though not among the most notorious pirates of the seas, he is most renown for his association with Anne Bonny and Mary Read, the world’s best known female pirates.

Rackham acquired command of his ship the Treasure through the incompetence of its former leader, captain Vane, in neglecting to attack a auspicious French man-of-war, to the dismay of its crew. Rackham’s protest towards the decision won him the support of the crew, who put Vane to the vote, and ultimately deposing him of command. In this way, the former quartermaster of Vane’s vessel, became its captain, and Vane was cast off on a smaller sloop with the members of the crew who had voted against Rackham.

Eventually, Rackham turned over control of his ship to the two female pirates Mary Read, and Anne Bonny, the latter of which he had whisked away willingly from her husband, and who had fought at his side in battle after battle.

His ship was captured in November 1720, and brought to Jamaica. Nearly the entire crew, including Rackham himself were sentenced to hang.

Jean Laffite, thought to have been born in France, was more of a businessman than seafarer. Along with his brother, Laffite practiced pirating and privateering out of Barataria Bay, south of New Orleans. With over 10 vessels he and his crew raided among others, British, American, and Spanish vessels. Due to his frequent trips to various worldwide coastal ports, many in New Orleans traded with his band of pirates.

Laffite was renown for working his way out of trouble, when arrested by a certain governor, he failed to show up at the trial. The governor set a bounty for him at $750, in return, Laffite offered double that price for the capture of the governor.

British officials offered Laffite monetary rewards among others, in 1814, in return for his help in their attack on New Orleans. Laffite notified New Orleans officials, who paid no head to his warnings. A few weeks later a small Naval fleet attacked, before which Laffite and his crew slipped out of town. Later that same year, General Andrew Jackson accepted Laffites aid in combat with the British. In return for his help, he and his crew were pardoned for their maritime crimes, but lost their pirate privileges in Barataria Bay.

During an increase in naval activity, Laffite and his crew sailed towards Spanish occupied territory of Texas. He took over Galveston, from where he established his pirating activities. Being run out of Galveston, he left, but only after burning the entire settlement. With his brother, Laffite continued pirating around Central American ports until he died around 1821.

One of the sea’s strangest, and most unlikely pirates, from the Virginia coast. He was originally a high ranking individual, known as Major Stede Bonnet. Bonnet came from an upright English family. He himself possessed a liberal education, and was known to be "a man of Letters". In his middle age he seemingly had everything needed in life to settle down, and live a comfortable life of a successful planter. His sugar plantation brought him reasonable wealth, and he found himself among the best society of Bridgetown on the island of Barbados.

Therefore, it was a great shock to the high society of Barbados, when for no apparent reason, Major Bonnet left his life as a gentleman planter, to become a pirate. Doing so he mortified his neighbors who excused his actions as the result of some "disorder in his mind", a thought, not utterly unreasonable. There were also those who insinuated that it was his aversion toward respectability, that drove him to such an extreme change of career.

As a pirate, Bonnet was merely an amateur. Unlike stealing or capturing a ship, as any respectable pirate would do, he purchased his own, which was completely unheard of in the archives of piracy. This fast little ship was purchased in early 1717. It had ten pieces of artillery, secured to her single gun deck. For unknown reasons, he renamed her the Revenge. Bonnet did another unheard of thing by paying his crew out of his own pocket, instead of drawing up a contract for them to sign. It was this strategy however, that kept him from being deposed by the crew, and let him remain in command. He found his band from the taverns and grogshops of Bridgetown, and ended up signing on about seventy destitute seamen.

For several days after its purchase, the Revenge remained in the Bridgetown harbor, which Bonnet explained as his intention of pursuing an inter-island trade. But one night, he cast off without a word to his friends or his wife. He set his course for the Virginia Capes, where he captured a few vessels, the first of which were only plundered, and the last of which, the ship known as the Turbes, which was burned. After this every Barbadian ship taken by Bonnet was burned, as if to inurn his trail.

After sailing, and capturing prizes off the New England Coast, and some in the northern waters, he returned to the south. At this time however, there was trouble brewing. His inexperience began to manifest itself to the crew, who were slowly becoming hostile, and began whispering amongst themselves. During the increasing hostilities, Bonnet dropped anchor in the Bay of Honduras, where he met up with the Queen Anne’s Revenge, along with her captain, the fearsome Edward Teach, nicknamed "Blackbeard". The two quickly befriended each other, and this strange duo, a veteran and an amateur decided to cruise together.

This alliance however, soon proved a big mistake on the part of Bonnet. Teach became aware of his inexperience, and invited Bonnet aboard the Queen Anne’s Revenge, where Bonnet became pretty much a prisoner. Teach tried to convince him that a man of his education and mannerisms, should not be forced to the rigors of commanding a ship like the Revenge, and to transfer himself to the more comfortable and spacious quarters of the Queen Anne’s Revenge. There was little Bonnet could do or say, and soon one of Blackbeard’s lieutenants, by the name of Richards, took over command of the Revenge, and quickly stifled the threat of mutiny by imposing stern discipline, and gaining the crew’s confidence.

Eventually Bonnet convinced Blackbeard to allow him to command the Revenge again. Soon after, the two parted, and Bonnet left his ship for the town of Bath and surrendered himself as a reformed pirate to the Governor of North Carolina, Charles Eden. This act however did not subside Bonnet’s desire for Piracy, and he continued to scour the sea for vessels until his capture by Colonel William Rhett, from whom he escaped only to be recaptured, and brought to trial under a Court of Vice-Admiralty in Charles Town (Charleston), South Carolina. Sir Nicholas Trott Esq., who at that time was the judge of the Vice-Admiralty Court, sentenced Bonnet to death on the gallows. Stede Bonnet was hung for piracy on December 10, 1718.

Mary Read was born in London, England in the late seventeenth century to the wife of a sea captain. Some historical documents claim that Mary Read was disguised as a boy so that her father would believe that she was his son, whom had died while Mary’s father was at sea, asserting that Mary Read was supposedly the by-product of an illicit affair that her mother had engaged in with an unknown man. Other documents state that Mary’s mother was a widow, and simply wished for her daughter to have all of the advantages offered to a man. Either way, history agrees that Mary Read lived her entire childhood as a boy.

Mary Read’s mothers’ deception apparently paid off, for after the death of her husband she was able to secure his company and holdings as an inheritance for his “son”, Mary. The little family was able to survive nicely for some time, until Mary’s early teen years, when the money ran out. At this time Mary was forced to procure employment in order to support herself and her mother. Still disguised as a boy, Mary found a job as a footboy to a wealthy French woman living in London. Mary was not happy in her position, and soon managed to run away. Being a girl who longed for excitement, Mary found new employment aboard a Man-o-War, but life on such a ship was not what she had expected.

After a few years of gruelling hardship and abuse, Mary managed to jump ship and joined the British military. At first a lowly foot soldier, Mary showed true bravery at the battle of Flanders and was soon promoted to the Horse Regiment. While in the Horse Regiment Mary became friends with another soldier, who believed her to be a man, and soon she found herself in love. Mary confessed her true gender to the man and he accepted her gladly. The two were wed posthaste. They bought out their commission in the military and together opened an inn by the name of The Three Horseshoes.

the first time Mary lived life as a woman, and she and her husband prospered and were happy for a time, but it was not to last. Mary’s husband died and, once again, Mary became a man. She left her inn and joined the military again, but the life of a soldier no longer brought her pleasure, perhaps because of sentiment for her deceased husband. Leaving the military, Mary hopped aboard a ship bound for the West Indies. While enroute, the ship she was on was attacked and captured by Captain Calico Jack Rackham and his pirate mistress, Anne Bonny.

Anne Bonny, a lusty woman if there ever was one, spied Mary Read in her men’s clothing and marked her as a new sexual conquest. Approaching what she thought was the young man, Anne was surprised to find another woman like herself, and the two became fast friends, with Anne swearing to keep Mary’s secret. The secret could not be kept for long, however. Captain Jack had become suspicious of all the time Anne had been spending with the young sailor and confronted the two, cutlass drawn. Mary Read was once again forced to reveal herself. Fortunately, the idea of two female pirates on his crew appealed to Rackham, and so Mary Read became the newest member aboard the ship.

During her tour aboard Rackham’s ship, Mary managed to fall in love once more, this time with a young sailor from a vessel captured by Rackham’s crew. The sailor soon had trouble on his hands, however, in the shape of a large, burly pirate of longstanding. Mary feared for her lover’s life when he was challenged to a duel by the strapping seaman, and so she took matters into her own hands. She challenged the big pirate to a duel herself, demanding satisfaction immediately. Pirate law was clear on this matter, and the quartermaster promptly rowed the two combatants ashore. Mary and the other pirate, armed with both cutlass and pistol, discharged their pistols first thing, both missing the other, then proceeded with an ambitious clash of blades. The larger pirate was the stronger of the two, but Mary was a quick girl, and brilliantly cunning. She studiously avoided the other pirate’s attacks, all the while waiting for him to make a mistake. It came when the pirate stumbled while lunging at her, and Mary immediately seized the opportunity. She ripped her shirt open, exposing her breasts to the man’s incredulous gaze. While he stood gaping, Mary swung her own cutlass and nearly decapitated him, killing him instantly.

With no one to duel but a dead man, Mary’s sailor love proposed to her and the two were married. Their wedded bliss did not last long, however, for soon after their nuptials Captain Jack, Anne Bonny, and Mary Read were taken prisoner. They were all tried for the charges of piracy at St. Jago de la Vega and subsequently sentenced to hang.

Mary Read and Anne Bonny were both pregnant at the time, and managed to receive stays of execution until after the births of their children. While this probably saved Anne Bonny’s life, it mattered nought for Mary Read, for she died while in prison in 1720, her unborn babe with her, of a fever causing malady.

Before she died Mary made a last statement to the court. She was heard proclaiming “As to hanging, it is no great hardship. For were it not for that, every cowardly fellow would turn pirate and so unfit the sea, that men of courage must starve." For Mary Read, who had always been a woman in a man’s world, in the end it all came down to courage.

Bartholomew Roberts, referred to as the " Great Pirate Roberts", roamed the seas in the early eighteenth century. He traveled the coasts of North and South America. His reputation had grown so immense that guard ships stationed in the West Indies were reluctant to get involved with him, and even seemed to sail out of their way to avoid confrontation.

Roberts was known as a tall, dark, and attractive man, with "personal Bravery, though he applied it to such wicked purposes". He was a popinjay among his fellow pirates dressing in rich crimson waistcoat, and breeches, a hat with a red feather, and a diamond cross hanging from a golden chain around his neck. In time of action, he was known to carry two pairs of pistols at the end of a silk sling across his shoulder.

;His boldness was reflected in his reliance on the unusual, relying on the both surprising and awesome. For example he was recalled to have sailed into Trepassey in Newfoundland, in a sloop of ten guns manned by sixty men, with "black colors flying, drums beating and trumpets sounding." The crews of the twenty-two ships in anchor in the harbor, immediately withdrew from the site and fled to safety off shore.

Roberts held so much hatred for the people of the islands of Martinique and Barbados, that he created his black flag to illustrate it. On it was an image of himself holding a flaming sword in one hand, and dagger in the other. His feet resting on two human skulls. Under one the initials A.M.H., for A Marinican’s Head, and beneath the other, A.B.H., for A Barbadian Head.

Roberts career came to an end when he was killed at sea in a conflict off the coast of Africa.

Edward "Blackbeard" Teach was undoubtedly was one the most feared and most despised pirates of all time. Edward Teach is thought to have lived in England before his pirate career, although his exact origins are unknown. He was named "Blackbeard", for his large black beard that almost covered his entire face. To strike terror in the hearts of his enemies Blackbeard would weave hemp into his hair, and light it during battle. Edward Teach was an unusually large man, carrying two swords, numerous knives, and pistols- he was feared by his own crew.

At the sight of this pirate, many of his victims were quick to surrender without a fight. If they did, he would often times just take their valuables, rum, and weapons— allowing them to sail away. However, if the vessel resisted capture, he would either kill the crew, or maroon them. Blackbeard needed to maintain his devilish image in order to maintain the respect of his crew (very few members of the crew doubted that he was the devil himself, very few didn’t fear him, and therefore they obeyed him).

Blackbeard began his pirating career sometime after 1713, as an ordinary crewmember aboard a Jamaican sloop commanded by the pirate Benjamin Hornigold. In 1716, Hornigold supplied Teach with a small crew, and a small captured vessel to command. By 1717 Hornigold and Teach were sailing in alliance, and together were feared throughout the seas. In November 1717, Hornigold and Teach were able to capture a 26 gun French vessel called the Concorde (recent research has shown that the vessel had originally been built in Great Britain). Blackbeard’s pirate partner, Hornigold, decided to take advantage of a recent offer of general amnesty from the British Crown- and retire in comfort. Teach rejected the offer and resolved to convert the captured French vessel Concorde into his flagship. Teach increased her armament to 40 guns, and re-named her the Queen Anne's Revenge.

Soon Teach and the Queen Anne's Revenge met another pirate vessel. She was the ten-gun pirate sloop Revenge from Barbados, commanded by Stede Bonnet. Soon after agreeing to sail together, Blackbeard thought that Bonnet was a poor leader and an incompetent sailor. He promptly appointed a different pirate to command the Revenge, and made Bonnet a "guest" aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge , where he remained until the ship finally wrecked six months later.

In the winter of 1717-1718, Blackeard sailed the Caribbean with his two ships. While plundering vessels, Teach decided to add two more captured vessels to his group of pirating watercraft. in the Spring of 1718 Blackbeard was in command of four pirate ships, and well over 300 pirates.

In late May, Blackbeard’s flagship was lost at Beaufort Inlet, and a smaller vessel of his fleet was lost that same day while trying to assist the stranded Queen Anne's Revenge . Before leaving Beaufort Inlet, Blackbeard left twenty-five members of his crew on a deserted rocky ledge, and stripped the Revenge of her provisions. Stede Bonnet helped the marooned men, and in return they agreed to obey his commands. Together with his crew, Bonnet resumed his lawless ways aboard the Revenge, which he re-named the Royal James.

Meanwhile, Teach and his crew had sailed to Bath, and then to the capital of North Carolina, where Governor Charles Eden pardoned them. Blackbeard; however, did not stop his pirate habits, and continued to take ships after the period of amnesty had expired. A government official spotted him and thus a fleet of Royal Navy ships surprised Blackbeard at Ocracoke Inlet on November 22, 1718, where he was killed. Although it was a short battle, it was one of the most bloody in Blackbeard’s pirating career. Before he fell, he had a reported 5 bullet wounds and more than twenty sword cuts before dying. As a show of victory, the Royal Navy captain decapitated Blackbeard, and hung his head on the ships rigging. Blackbeard had captured over 40 ships during his piratical career, and had been the cause of the deaths of hundreds of people. Although Blackbeard's lawless career lasted only a few years, his fearsome reputation has long outlived him.