History of Piracy in Nassau - Pirate Jeep Tours, Nassau, The Bahamas (2024)

Blackbeard

So, you think you know him? The most blood thirsty pirate of the age? He may have been scary but bloodthirsty, definitely not! Read on and discover the real Blackbeard.

Known in his younger days as Edward Teach or Thatch (and that may not have been his real name!). Pirates habitually used fictitious surnames while engaged in piracy, so as not to tarnish the family name, and this makes it unlikely that Teach’s real name will ever be known. He could read and write and may therefore have been born into a respectable, wealthy family. It is believed he was born in 1680 in Bristol, England and died in battle, November 22nd 1718. Not much is known about his early life.

During 1708, Teach was a sailor operating fromJamaica on privateer ships. On August 12th, he witnessed along with Henry Jennings and Charles Vane, the destruction of Jamaica by a hurricane. 54 ships sink and 400 sailors die. As the War of the Spanish Succession was still raging, work onboard privateer’s ships was available. Employment ended suddenly when thousands of sailors were put out of work as the war ended in March 1714.

Unable to find employment, Edward Teach joined Benjamin Hornigold and his recruits and sailed to themostly uninhabited island of New Providence, to useas a base for their piratical operations. It was within easy reach of the Florida Straitsand its busy shipping lanes, which were filled with European vessels crossing the Atlantic. New Providence’s harbor could easily accommodate hundreds of ships but was too shallow for theRoyal Navy’s larger vessels. They organized themselves into 3 bands of 25 men and a periagua (sailing canoe) for each band.

Events turn to the benefit of the Nassau pirates when in July 1715, a Spanish treasure fleet is sunk by a hurricane in the Florida Straits in shallow water. Governor Lord Archibald Hamilton sends privateers from Jamaica including Henry Jennings and Charles Vane to the Spanish wrecks. Afterwards, Jennings and Vane head to Nassau. In Nassau, Teach and the other pirates don’t intervene when Henry Jennings (200+ men under his command) steals one of Benjamin Hornigold’s (100 men) ships and sails to Jamaica with Charles Vane.

Later in July, Benjamin Hornigold and Edward (Blackbeard) Teach meet Samuel (Black Sam) Bellamy and Paulsgrave Williams for the first time and they join Benjamin Hornigold’s crew. Hornigold is so impressed with Bellamy’s betrayal of Henry Jennings that he gives him command of one of his ships ahead of Edward (Blackbeard) Teach (what was he thinking?), although Teach had expected to be given that command himself.

Benjamin Hornigold and Edward Teach were reluctant to attack British and Dutch ships and were deposed by Bellamy and Williams in June 1716 who take 170 men leaving only 26 for Benjamin Hornigold and Edward Teach (ever loyal to his captain).

Later that year, Edward Teach is given a ship by Benjamin Hornigold and starts being called Blackbeard By March 1717, Blackbeard has 70 men making him the fourth most powerful pirate after Benjamin Hornigold, Henry Jennings and Josiah Burgess.

After many piratical successes, Benjamin Hornigold (and Blackbeard) once again becomes the undisputed leaders of the pirate republic.

Later in August, Stede Bonnet on the Revenge, enters Nassau harbor. Benjamin Hornigold gives him sanctuary and places Blackbeard in charge of the Revenge, a substantial warship. Then in September 1717, Blackbeard has his first independent command and sails out of Nassau.

A royal proclamation on September 5th 1717 decrees that any pirate who surrenders to a British governor within one year would be pardoned for all piracies committed before January 5th 1718. Nassau’s pirates promptly broke into two contending factions. The group that was happy included Henry Jennings, who had never intended to become a pirate in the first place and Benjamin Hornigold. The anti-pardon group included Paulsgrave Williams (Samuel Bellamy had drowned in a hurricane), “Calico Jack” Rackham and their leader Charles Vane. Blackbeard wasn’t in Nassau at the time.

Free of Benjamin Hornigold’s rule of not attacking English ships, during November 1717, Blackbeard is on the lookout to capture a ship-of-force so that he could even take on the ships of the Royal Navy. Blackbeard comes across a ship, La Concorde that meets his needs. This ship was big and powerful. He renames it Queen Anne’s Revenge.

Blackbeard doesn’t hear about the pardons until December 5th 1717. By May 1718, Blackbeard is back in Nassau and hears that a fellow Bristolian, Woodes Rogers, is to be the new Governor of The Bahamas. Blackbeard doesn’t stay long and sails north to North Carolina to meet Governor Eden to accept the King’s pardon.

This begs the question, “Why did Blackbeard leave Nassau knowing that Woodes Rogers was coming (July 24th) with the pardons?” (On the Pirate Jeep Tour, you will be told the possible explanation for this. You will be surprised!).

On his voyage to North Carolina he was in desperate need of supplies and blockades Charleston and takes hostages. Even though deadlines pass he remained patient and didn’t mistreat his hostages and released them when eventually the supplies arrived (a man of his word!).

After receiving his pardon, it didn’t take long for him to return to his piratical ways (with the help of the Governor and other officials). This led to a showdown with the Governor of Virginia and Blackbeard dies in battle November 22nd 1718.

Despite his ferocious reputation, there are no verified accounts of him ever having murdered or harmed those he held captive. Despite his infamy, Blackbeard was not the most successful of pirates.Henry Averyretired a rich man, andBartholomew “Black Bart” Robertstook an estimated five times the amount Blackbeard stole.

Did you know that in the only recorded documentation, it was noted that Blackbeard flew a black flag with a skull on it along with a blood red flag rather than the horned skeleton flag (horned skeleton spearing a bleeding heart while toasting the devil) which is commonly attributed to him was never actually used. The first time this flag design appears is in aMariner’s Mirror article published in 1912, and was only associated with Blackbeard much later.

Benjamin Hornigold

Which pirate founded the Pirate Republic? The name of that pirate was Benjamin Hornigold. Not much is known about his early life but is believed to have been born in England in 1680. Operating out of Jamaica as the captain of a privateer’s ship, employment came to a sudden end when the War of the Spanish Succession was over. Hornigold along with Edward Teach (later known as Blackbeard) and others re-located to the mostly uninhabited island of New Providence (Nassau). They organized themselves into 3 bands of 25 men and a periagua (sailing canoe) for each band.

Despite his apparent maritime supremacy, as a former British privateer, Hornigold attacked only his old enemies and remained careful not to attack British-flagged ships, apparently to maintain the legal defense that he was a privateer operating against England’s enemies. His crew eventually grew tired of the tactic and Hornigold was voted out as captain in June 1716. He was replaced as captain by Samuel (Black Sam) Bellamy whose friend Paulsgrave Williams was elected quartermaster. Hornigold and his supporters (including Blackbeard) were left with a captured sloop.

After re-establishing himself as one of the pirate leaders, Hornigold accepted the King’s pardon from governor Woodes Rogers, in July 1718.

Rogers then commissioned him to hunt down other pirates, including his former second in command, Teach (Blackbeard). Hornigold was to spend the next eighteen months cruising The Bahamas, hunting his former associates.

In late 1719, Hornigold’s ship was caught in a hurricane somewhere between New Providence and New Spain, and was wrecked on an uncharted reef. The specific location of the reef remains unknown. Other “experts” claim that Hornigold privateering for Woodes Rogers, was caught by the Spanish and not heard of again.

Charles Vane

If ever there was a pirate that lived up to the image of a pirate being cruel and devilish, then Charles Vane was the guy. He made Blackbeard look like a benevolent parent in comparison. Vane was known for his cruelty, often beating, torturing and killing sailors from ships he captured.

Not much is known about his early life but is believed to have been born in England in 1680. He operated out of Jamaica on Henry Jennings’ privateering ship. Vane was with Jennings when he was involved in the attack on the salvage camp for the wrecked Spanish 1715 treasure fleet off the coast of Florida. Vane first operated as an independent captain in the summer of 1717. By the end of that year he had become one of the leaders of the Pirate Republic and led the anti-pardon group of pirates.

The Royal Navy ship HMS Phoenix arrived in Nassau harbor, February 23rd 1718, bringing details of the pardons that were coming later with Governor Woodes Rogers. The pro-pardon group of pirates disliking Vane, indicated to the captain of the Phoenix where Vane could be found. Vane is captured but is released to show goodwill. On March 21st 1718, Vane turns pirate again and attacks a trading sloop and outfits it as a pirate ship. He escapes from the surveillance of the Phoenix and on April 4th 1718, Vane sails out of Nassau. Four days later, HMS Phoenix sails to New York, leaving Nassau once again controlled by the pirates.

Knowing that HMS Phoenix has left Nassau, Vane temporarily returns on April 28th 1718 but is back at sea by late May (with Jack “Calico Jack” Rackham). He leaves with one sloop but returns with nine ships consolidating his power in Nassau.

On July 24th 1718, the first Royal Governor of The Bahamas, Woodes Rogers, arrives in Nassau trapping Charles Vane in the western section of the harbor. Vane makes a dramatic escape by taking the pirate Charles Yeats’ ship and sets his own alight and directs it towards Rogers’ fleet. In the commotion Vane escapes across the sandbar (Potters Cay) separating Hogg Island (now called Paradise Island) from the mainland to the east side of the harbor. Rogers’ ships are too big to sail across the shallows of Potters Cay unlike the shallow drafted boat that Vane was sailing.

In November 1718, Vane meets (Outer Banks of North Carolina) with Blackbeard and tries to persuade him to join forces for an attack on Nassau. Blackbeard declines! It is not known why. Maybe he was wary of Vane as he and Henry Jennings had years earlier stolen one of Hornigold’s (and his) ships. Vane was of a different temperament and character. It seems though, that Blackbeard had other plans, of accepting the King’s pardon and settling in North Carolina.

On November 23rd 1718 (actually the day after Blackbeard’s death), Vane was unsuccessful in attacking a French frigate. The next day he was accused of cowardice by his crew and Jack Rackham was voted in as the new captain. Vane was put in a boat with 16 others and sent on his way.

In February 1719, Vane was caught in a hurricane and was wrecked on an uninhabited island. When English ships arrived to collect water near the island, Vane tried to join one of the crews under a false name. He was recognized by an old acquaintance, and arrested. Vane was taken to Jamaicaand held in prison for some time. On March 22nd 1721, he was tried for piracy and found guilty. Vane was sentenced to death, and on March 29th he was hanged at Gallows Point in Port Royal.

Black Sam

Do you know who was one of the richest pirates of all time, capturing over 53 ships? Samuel Bellamy was that pirate; also called “Black Sam” or the “Prince of Pirates”. The “Black”, not referring to his character but to tying back his long black hair with a simple band and wearing black coats. Bellamy became known for his mercy and generosity toward those he captured on his raids. He was born in England, February 23rd 1689.

He began sailing for the British Royal Navy as a teenager, eventually traveling to the colony of Massachusetts around 1715.

This is the nearest we have of a pirate love story! According to local folk lore, it is believed that he fell in love with a local girl, Mary Hallett, but her parents did not think a poor sailor was husband material. It seems it was Bellamy’s intent to seek his fortune and then return.

He left Massachusetts in early 1716 with a group of men to seek the treasures on the Florida coast from the Spanish wrecks of the 1715 Treasure Fleet. Wealthy silversmith Paulsgrave Williams,son of Rhode Island Attorney General John Williams, joined Bellamy and funded their expedition. After Bellamy left, Hallett was found to be pregnant.

The expedition was unsuccessful and they turned to piracy. Off the coast of Cuba, four ships flying British colors started to bear down on them and they ran for cover. These ships actually belonged to the privateer Henry Jennings and as his ship came along side, Bellamy, Williams and their crew, escaped in sailing canoes.

Jennings and his fleet find an uninhabited cove and to his surprise find a large French merchant ship already there and decided to turn pirate. All this time Bellamy and Williams were observing from a distance and realized that the British ships were not acting as legitimate merchants. They decide to make themselves known; Jennings, Vane, Bellamy and Williams meet for the first.

They soon realized they needed each other if they were to capture the powerful French ship. Working together the French ship was overpowered and the pirates discovered a fortune onboard. They spent many days at the location dividing the booty and interrogating the French.

Near the end of their stay, they spotted an armed ship approaching, flying a black pirate flag; Benjamin Hornigold and Blackbeard were approaching. Hornigold realizing Jennings was ahead, turns around to avoid a confrontation. Jennings chases after Hornigold, leaving Bellamy and Williams aboard the French ship. With Jennings out of sight, opportunity the two men could see, had come knocking! Bellamy and Williams take over, grab the booty and leave. Bellamy and Williamsend up in Nassau and join the crew of Benjamin Hornigold and Blackbeard.

Hornigold attacked only his old enemies and remained careful not to attack British-flagged ships. His crew eventually grew tired of the tactic and Hornigold was voted out as captain in June 1716. He was replaced as captain by Bellamy whose friend Paulsgrave Williams was elected quartermaster. Hornigold and his loyal supporters (including Blackbeard) were left with a captured sloop.

Upon capturing a second ship, Bellamy took it as his own and assigned his friend Paulsgrave Williams as captain of the previous ship.

During early 1717, Bellamy spots the Whydah Gally, a large fairly new ship. Bellamy chased it for three days before getting close enough to fire. After a single shot, the Whydah surrendered by lowering its flag. True to his reputation for generosity, Bellamy rewarded the lack of resistance by trading his own ship for the Whydah.

As captain, his leadership style was almost democratic. His crew was very fond of him, sometimes even referring to him as the “Robin Hood of the Sea” and themselves as “Robin Hood’s Men”. Bellamy was also a good tactician. Usually, he had two ships under his control. His flagship was powerful with many cannons and the second one was light but fast, which made a good balance. With coordinated attacks, they managed to capture ships easily without harming them.

Two months after acquiring the Whydah, Bellamy and Williams decide to sail separately to New England agreeing to meet up later. This is the last they see of each other.

It is believed that Bellamy was sailing north to visit Mary Hallett but the Whydah got caught in a violent storm off the coast of Massachusetts. At midnight, on April 26th 1717, the Whydah was driven onto a sand bar in 16 feet of water some 500 feet from the coast. At 15 minutes past midnight, the masts snapped and drew the heavily loaded ship into 30 feet of water where she capsized and quickly sank, taking Bellamy and all but two of the Whydah’s 145-man crew with her.

Williams waited for Bellamy at the pre-assigned rendezvous. When Bellamy never appeared, Williams realized what had happened, and sailed south to Nassau.

In 1982, the wreckage of the Whydahwas found and became the first authenticated pirate shipwreck ever discovered in North America. At the time of its sinking, the Whydah was the largest pirate prize ever captured and the treasure in its hold amassed roughly 4.5 to 5 tons.

Paulsgrave Williams

Paulsgrave Williams was an unlikely pirate. He was 39 when he met Samuel Bellamy (Black Sam). He was a silversmith from an influential family, with a wife and two children. His father was the attorney general of Rhode Island. However, after the death of his father, his mother re-married and his stepfather had family connections to smugglers and black marketeers. Through his sisters he had connections to the pirate Captain William Kidd.

In Boston he met Samuel Bellamy and they became friends. In 1716, Williams financed a Bellamy expedition to the Spanish wrecks off Florida. The expedition was unsuccessful and they turned to piracy. Off the coast of Cuba, four ships flying British colors started to bear down on them and they ran for cover. These ships actually belonged to the privateer Henry Jennings and as his ship came along side, Bellamy, Williams and their crew, escaped in sailing canoes.

Jennings and his fleet find an uninhabited cove and to his surprise find a large French merchant ship already there and decided to turn pirate. All this time Bellamy and Williams were observing from a distance and realized that the British ships were not acting as legitimate merchants. They decide to make themselves known; Jennings, Vane, Bellamy and Williams meet for the first.

They soon realized they needed each other if they were to capture the powerful French ship. Working together the French ship was overpowered and the pirates discovered a fortune onboard. They spent many days at the location dividing the booty and interrogating the French.

Near the end of their stay, they spotted an armed ship approaching, flying a black pirate flag; Benjamin Hornigold and Blackbeard were approaching. Hornigold realizing Jennings was ahead, turns around to avoid a confrontation. Jennings chases after Hornigold, leaving Bellamy and Williams aboard the French ship. With Jennings out of sight, opportunity the two men could see, had come knocking! Bellamy and Williams take over, grab the booty and leave.

Jennings was unable to catch Hornigold and returns to the French ship to find that Bellamy and Williams have taken off with the treasure. Bellamy and Williams had made friends with and then enemies of two of the wickedest pirates in record time!

Bellamy and Williamsend up in Nassau and join the crew of Benjamin Hornigold and Blackbeard. Hornigold attacked only his old enemies and remained careful not to attack British-flagged ships. His crew eventually grew tired of the tactic and Hornigold was voted out as captain in June 1716. He was replaced as captain by Bellamy and Paulsgrave Williams was elected quartermaster. Upon capturing a second ship, Bellamy took it as his own and Paulsgrave Williams takes command of the previous one. Williams and Bellamy work together attacking ships then temporarily part agreeing to meet later. This never happens. While waiting off Maine in May 1717 Williams learned that Bellamy’s ships had been caught in a terrible storm that April and were wrecked off the coast with almost all hands lost.

Williams returned to Nassau and eventually accepted the King’s pardon.

However, Williams was soon back at sea as a pirate, serving first under William Moody and then as quartermaster under his old accomplice Olivier Levasseur in 1720 off the coast of Africa. He was said to be unhappy no longer being in command and sailors were advised to continue calling him “Captain” to get on his good side. By 1723 he had retired from piracy, settling down most likely in Madagascar.

Henry Jennings

Was it greed or a sense of adventure that led Henry Jennings to become a pirate? His birthdate is not known. Jennings was from Bermuda of British descent and operated as a privateer out of Jamaica during the War of the Spanish Succession. He was well-off and it seems there was no reason to turn to piracy.

After the War, he was granted a privateering commission by the governor of Jamaica, Lord Archibald Hamilton. He had been sanctioned to attack pirates only with explicit instructions not to attack anyone except pirates. However, it seems that Hamilton had invested in the ships and endorsed a plan for them to attack the Spanish wrecks off the coast of Florida as well.

By the time Henry Jennings and Charles Vane arrived at the Spanish Wrecks, most of the treasure from the 1715 Treasure Fleet sinking had already been returned to Havana. However, Jennings found the rest awaiting shipment on the beach in a lightly guarded camp. Jennings’ first recorded act of piracytook place when, with three vessels and 150-300 men, his fleet ambushed the Spanish salvage camp.

On his way back to Jamaica to give Governor Hamilton his share of the booty, Jennings and Vane stopped at Nassau. Here they stole a ship off Benjamin Hornigold and Blackbeard to relieve overcrowding on their ships.

In April 1716, off the coast of Cuba, Jennings and his fleet find an uninhabited cove and to their surprise find a large French merchant ship already there and decided to turn pirate. Samuel Bellamy and Paulsgrave Williams are also in the vicinity and make themselves known to Jennings and Vane for the first time. On April 4th 1716, they combine their forces to overpower the French ship. While dividing the booty, Hornigold and Blackbeard appear on the horizon but are chased away by Jennings and Vane who are unable to catch them. Returning to the French ship after their failed attempt to catch Hornigold and Blackbeard, they find that Bellamy and Williams have taken off with the treasure. Jennings was furious at the loss of the treasure. Jennings’ ruthlessness was evidenced in the brutal slaying of more than 20 Frenchmen and Englishmen. Afterwards, he ordered his fleet sail to Nassau to divide the remaining spoils. He was declared a pirate by Governor Lord Archibald Hamilton, therefore Jennings couldn’t return to Jamaica, and so he established Nassau as his base for further raids. The Pirate Republic was dominated by Hornigold and Jennings, both famous pirates who were bitter rivals. Despite their rivalries, the pirates worked together.

In 1718, Jennings sailed to Bermuda to accept the King’s pardon. He was one of 400 pirates who took advantage of the amnesty, and afterwards retired to Bermuda to live the rest of his life as a wealthy, respected member of society. Heis one of very few pirates said to have enjoyed a successful retirement. It is not known what his ultimate fate was but is believed to have died in 1745.

John Rackham

He is more commonly known as Jack Rackham or Calico Jack. His nickname was derived from thecalico clothing that he wore. He is most remembered for having two female crew members, Mary Readand his lover, Anne Bonny as well as his association with Charles Vane.

Little is known of Rackham’s upbringing or early life, except for the fact that he was English and born around the year 1682. The first record of him is as quartermaster on Charles Vane’s ship in 1718, operating out of Nassau. On one voyage, Vane and his crew encountered a large French vessel. The ship was at least twice as large as Vane’s and it immediately pursued them. Vane commanded a retreat from battle, claiming caution as his reason. Jack Rackham contested the decision, suggesting that they fight the man-of-war because it would have plenty of riches. In addition, he argued, if they captured the ship, it would place a much larger ship at their disposal. Of the approximately ninety-one men on the ship, only fifteen supported Vane in his decision. Vane declared that the captain’s decision is considered final and they fled the French ship. On November 24th 1718, Rackham called a vote in which the men branded Vane a coward and removed him from the captaincy, making Jack Rackham the next captain. Rackham gave Vane and his fifteen supporters the other ship in the fleet.

Eventually, Rackham and his men made their way back to Nassau, where they appeared before Governor Woodes Rogers and asked for the royal pardon, claiming that Vane had forced them to become pirates. Rogers hated Vane and chose to believe them, granting them the pardon and allowing them to stay. Their time as honest men however, did not last long.

While in Nassau, Rackham began an affair with a married woman, Anne Bonny. Her husband, James Bonny, learned of the affair and reported her to Woodes Rogers for adultery. This caused Rackham and Anne Bonny to flee Nassau by stealing a ship, causing the voiding of his pardon. The new crew included Mary Read. Bonny and Read became two of the most notorious female pirates. Rackham was eventually captured and hanged in Jamaica on November 18th 1720.

Woodes Rogers

At the time, Woodes Rogers was more famous than any of the pirates. He was born in about 1679, heir to a thriving merchant shipping business. While he was young, the family moved to Bristol, England, the home town of Blackbeard. During the War of the Spanish Succession he included privateering in his business model as some of his ships had been attacked by the enemy. One of his privateering enterprises was to sail two of his ships into the Pacific, an area that the Spanish had control of.

In three years, Rogers circumnavigated the world, capturing several ships in the Pacific Ocean. En route, the expedition rescued Alexander Selkirk, finding him on Juan Fernandez Island on February 1st 1709. Selkirk became the inspiration for the classic novel Robinson Crusoe written by Rogers’ friend, Daniel Defoe. The expedition made Rogers a national hero, but his brother was killed and Rogers was badly wounded in fights in the Pacific.

Rogers had influence at the highest level of government and was instrumental in the September 5th 1717 proclamation announcing clemency for all piratical offences, provided that those seeking what became known as the “King’s Pardon” surrendered not later than January 5th 1718. Colonial governors and deputy governors were authorized to grant the pardon. Rogers was officially appointed Royal Governor of The Bahamas by George l on January 6th 1718.

On July 24th 1718, Woodes Rogers arrived in Nassau harbor, trapping Charles Vane in the western section of the harbor. Vane made a dramatic escape by taking the pirate Charles Yeats’ ship and sets his own alight and directed it towards Rogers’ fleet. In the commotion Vane escaped across the sandbar (Potters Cay) separating Hogg Island (now called Paradise Island) from the mainland to the east side of the harbor. Rogers’ ships were too big to sail across the shallows of Potters Cay unlike the shallow drafted boat that Vane was sailing.

On landing in Nassau, Rogers was greeted by Benjamin Hornigold. Rogers organized a government, granted the King’s Pardon to those pirates willing to give up their old ways and started to rebuild the island’s fortifications. Less than a month into his residency in Nassau, Rogers was faced with many threats. Charles Vane wrote to him, threatening to join with Blackbeard to retake the island and Rogers learned that the Spanish also planned to drive him out of The Bahamas. Also, an unidentified disease killed almost a hundred of his expedition members. The three navy vessels included in Rogers’ fleet, having no orders to remain, left for New York. Ships sent to Havana to conciliate the Spanish governor, never arrived, their crew revolting and becoming pirates mid-voyage. Rogers’ position was very precarious and the future wasn’t looking good. He declared martial law, gave privateering licenses to Benjamin Hornigold and other ex-pirates to chase after those pirates that didn’t accept pardons. Hornigold captured ten pirates and Rogers hangs eight of them on December 12th 1718. By doing this, he cemented his authority over Nassau, effectively ending The Pirate Republic. Woodes Rogers died in Nassau on July 15th 1732.