Thomas Tew was one of the most well-known Red Sea pirates active in the 1690s. It is thought he was born in 1649, but it is unsure exactly where. Suggestions include Rhode Island in the American colonies and Northamptonshire in England, although evidence seems to be lacking for the latter. Whether from Rhode Island or not, it is believed Tew had family in Rhode island. He was thought to have been married with two daughters, one of whom was named Amity, living in Newport, Rhode Island. He is best known, along with other infamous pirates such as Henry Avery and William Kidd, for sailing the Pirate Round, a sailing route followed by certain pirates during the late 17th century leading from the western Atlantic, running parallel to the Cape Route around the southern tip of Africa until Madagascar. From there one could reach targets in the Red Sea and India.
Tew’s early career
Author Matthew Frick claimed in his book A Gold Chain, a Wooden Leg, and a Treasure Chest – The True Story of Thomas Tew that Tew was on the Bachelor’s Delight that sailed to the South Sea with William Dampier and Edward Davies. It is also believed that Tew was convicted of an unspecified crime early in his life and served a sentence of hard labour in the West Indies. Whatever the case, he was known for his hard drinking and swearing, and originally being a privateer who became a pirate. In 1691, Tew moved to Bermuda, possibly already having piratical intentions. He developed a close relationship with fellow pirate Richard Want. Want is said to have become Tew’s first mate on his first pirate cruise, and then commanding his own vessel Dolphin alongside Tew’s Amity on the second voyage. He was one of the pirates Captain Kidd was commissioned to hunt down, but was already dead by the time Kidd set sail. Tew undertook two voyages in his pirating career, dying on the second one.
The first pirate voyage
In 1692, Tew obtained a commission from the corrupt Governor of Bermuda, Isaac Richier. Bermudian backers provided him with the 8-gun, 70-ton sloop Amity and a crew of 46 men. He also obtained a privateer’s commission from the lieutenant governor of Bermuda to attack a French fort in Gambia. Instead of attacking the fort, Tew and his men decided to turn to piracy. His crew allegedly shouted “A gold chain or a wooden leg, we’ll stand with you!” when Tew asked them to join him. Turning pirate might have seemed less risky to them than attacking a French fort. Tew sailed towards Africa with George Dew who commanded the sloop Amy, but they were separated in a storm on the way. Tew’s damaged ship arrived alone in Saldanha Bay in South Africa, where he was arrested by the Dutch.
In 1693, after his release, Tew reached the Straight of Bab el Mendeb in the Red Sea, where he took a large Ghanjah dhow by surprise, which was en route from India to the Ottoman Empire. The dhow surrendered without much resistance despite having 300 soldiers on board. The pirates plundered the ship, seizing treasure worth £100,000 in gold and silver, a phenomenal amount at the time, as well as ivory, spices, gemstones, and silk. Tew wanted to continue robbing the other ships in the Indian convoy, but was persuaded to set course back to the Cape of Good Hope, on the way stopping at the pirate settlement of Sainte Marie on Madagascar, run by ex-pirate Alan Baldridge, to careen his vessel. He finally returned to Newport, Rhode Island in April 1694, although half his crew had chosen to remain in Madagascar. Richard Want returned to his family in the Carolinas.
Between voyages
While in Rhode Island, Tew secured a commission from Governor Cranston to raid French shipping, as the Nine Years War between England and France was being waged at the time. He accepted the commission in exchange for £500 and began privateering off the coast of British North America. He later sailed to New York, where he became good friends with Benjamin Fletcher, the governor of the Province of New York. In November 1694, Tew bought a new commission from Fletcher and set sail for the Indian Ocean a second time.
The second Pirate voyage
Tew left North America with a crew of between 30 and 40 men, increasing it to almost 60 by the time he reached Madagascar. John Ireland, another pirate who was active in the Indian Ocean, acted as his navigator. When Ireland was caught, he claimed that he and Tew had been forced to commit piracy by the crew. In 1695, they arrived once more in the Straight of Bab el Mendeb, where Tew found several other pirates hoping to repeat his success, in particular Henry Avery in the Fancy, as well as fellow Rhode Island pirate captains Joseph Faro, Thomas Wake, William May, and Richard Want. They all decided to sail together in search of prizes. In September 1695, the pirates discovered a Mughal convoy attempting to slip past them during the night, so they set off in hot pursuit. The Amity attacked the Fateh Muhammed, but Tew was killed in the assault, possibly being disembowelled by a cannon ball. His demoralized crew promptly surrendered, although they were later freed when Avery captured the Fateh Muhammed. The Amity returned to Sainte Marie under John Ireland’s command for repairs. He later swapped the Amity for Richard Glover’s Charming Mary and continued to plunder ships in the Indian Ocean under captain Richard Bobbington.
Tew’s legacy
Thomas Tew died September on 7th September 1695 at the aged of 46. He had become known as the Rhode Island pirate. Tew’s flag is often depicted as being black with a white arm holding a white cutlass, but there is no contemporary evidence he ever flew this flag. It is claimed that Thomas Tew fathered a son, Ratsimilaho, with and the Malagasy queen regnant, Antavaratra Rahena. Ratsimilaho created and ruled over a kingdom on the east coast of Madagascar. It has also been claimed that Thomas Tew was one of the founders of the mythical pirate utopia of Libertalia.