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Here are some links to some of Charleston's favorite pirates.
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Anne Bonney
Anne was born in County Cork, and her father was an Attorney-at-Law, who practised his profession in that city, her mother being lady's maid to the attorney's lawful wife. Her father, the attorney, having lost a once flourishing legal practice, sailed from Ireland to Carolina to seek a fortune there, taking his little daughter Anne with him. In new surroundings fortune favored the attorney, and he soon owned a rich plantation, and his daughter kept house for him. Anne was now grown up and a fine young woman, but had a "fierce and courageous temper," which more than once led her into scrapes, as, on one occasion, when in a sad fit of temper, she slew her English servant-maid with a case-knife.
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Ed Teach "Blackbeard"
A Bristol man who settled in Jamaica, sailing in privateers, but not in the
capacity of an officer. In 1716, Teach took to piracy, being put in
command of a sloop by the pirate Benjamin Hornigold. In 1717, Hornigold and
Teach sailed together from Providence towards the American coast, taking a
billop from Havana and several other prizes. After careening their vessels on
the coast of Virginia, the pirates took a fine French Guineaman bound to
Martinico; this ship they armed with forty guns, named her the Queen Ann's
Revenge, and Blackbeard went aboard as captain. Teach now had a ship that
allowed him to go for larger prizes, and he began by taking a big ship called
the Great Allen, which he plundered and then set fire to.
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Richard Worley
His reign was short, lasting but six months from start to finish. He was first
heard of in September, 1718, when he set out, in company with eight other
desperadoes, from New York in a small open boat "upon the account." They were
provided with a few biscuits, a dried tongue, and a keg of water, half a dozen
old muskets and some ammunition. They sailed down the coast for 150 miles,
entered the river Delaware, and rowed up to Newcastle, and there seized a shallop.
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William Kidd
In the whole history of piracy there is no name that has so taken the world's fancy than has that of William Kidd. And yet, if he be judged by his actions as a pirate, he must be placed amongst the second- or even third-rate masters of that craft. He took but two or three ships, and these have been, after two
hundred years, proved to be lawful prizes taken in his legal capacity as a privateer. Kidd was born at Greenock in Scotland about the year 1655, and was the son of the Rev. John Kidd
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Stede Bonnet
The history of this pirate is both interesting and unique. He was not brought up to the seafaring life; in fact, before he took to piracy, he had already retired from the Army, with the rank of Major. He owned substantial landed property in Barbadoes, lived in a fine house, was married, and much respected by the quality and gentry of that island. His turning pirate naturally greatly scandalized his neighbours, and they found it difficult at first to imagine whatever had caused this sudden and extraordinary resolution, particularly in a man of his position in Society.
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Mary Read
Born in London of obscure parentage; all that is known for certain is that her
mother was a "young and airy widow." Mary was brought up as a boy, and at the
age of 13 was engaged as a footboy to wait on a French lady. Having a roving
spirit, Mary ran away and entered herself on board a man-of-war. Deserting a few
years later, she enlisted in a regiment of foot and fought in Flanders, showing
on all occasions great bravery, but quitted the service to enlist in a regiment
of horse.
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Bart Roberts
Roberts's speech to his fellow-pirates was short but to the point, saying "that
since he had dipped his hands in muddy water, and must be a pyrate, it was
better being a commander than a common man," not perhaps a graceful nor grateful
way of expressing his thanks, but one which was no doubt understood by his
audience.
Roberts began his career in a bright manner, for to revenge the perfectly
justifiable death of their late captain he seized and razed the fort, bombarded
the town, and setting on fire two Portuguese ships so as to act as torches,
sailed away the same night. Sailing to Brazil they found in the Bay of Bahia a
fleet of forty-two Portuguese ships ready laden and on the point of leaving for
Lisbon, and Roberts, with the most astounding boldness, sailed right in amongst
them until he found the deepest laden, which he attacked and boarded, although
his was a much smaller ship.
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Calico Jack
Roberts's speech to his fellow-pirates was short but to the point, saying "that
since he had dipped his hands in muddy water, and must be a pyrate, it was
better being a commander than a common man," not perhaps a graceful nor grateful
way of expressing his thanks, but one which was no doubt understood by his
audience.
Roberts began his career in a bright manner, for to revenge the perfectly
justifiable death of their late captain he seized and razed the fort, bombarded
the town, and setting on fire two Portuguese ships so as to act as torches,
sailed away the same night. Sailing to Brazil they found in the Bay of Bahia a
fleet of forty-two Portuguese ships ready laden and on the point of leaving for
Lisbon, and Roberts, with the most astounding boldness, sailed right in amongst
them until he found the deepest laden, which he attacked and boarded, although
his was a much smaller ship.
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Captain Henry Morgan
This, the greatest of all the "brethren of the coast," was a Welshman, born at
Llanrhymmy in Monmouthshire in the year 1635. The son of a well-to-do farmer,
Robert Morgan, he early took to the seafaring life. When quite a young man
Morgan went to Barbadoes, but afterwards he settled at Jamaica, which
was his home for the rest of his life.
Morgan may have been induced to go to the West Indies by his uncle, Colonel
Morgan, who was for a time Deputy Governor of Jamaica, a post Sir Henry Morgan
afterwards held.
Morgan was a man of great energy, and must have possessed great power of winning
his own way with people. That he could be absolutely unscrupulous when it suited
his ends there can be little doubt. He was cruel at times, but was not the
inhuman monster that he is made out to be by Esquemeling in his "History of the
Bucaniers."
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