Category: The Books

“They vilify us, the scoundrels do, when there is only this difference, they rob the poor under the cover of law, forsooth, and we plunder the rich under the protection of our own courage.” speech attributed to Samuel Bellamy in Captain Johnson’s A History of the Pyrates

Much admired by some, Samuel Bellamy was sometimes referred to as the Robin Hood of the sea, although there is no evidence of him giving to the poor as did the mythic hero of Sherwood Forest. Bellamy is viewed as one of the most successful pirates of his time, although his pirating career lasted little over a year. He is said to have treated captives well in comparison to many of his contemporaries, but was not averse to forcing men to serve in his crew, especially carpenters. He was apparently called Black Sam because he didn’t want to wear a wig, preferring his long black hair to flow free.…

To make preparations for an approaching difficult situation. This nautical term originally meant to close off the entrances to the lower part of a ship using tarpaulins secured with wooden battens in preparation for impending bad weather conditions. The hatches were designed with wood grating to promote fresh air circulation below deck and needed to be covered in bad weather to keep the interiors dry.

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William Kidd, better known as Captain Kidd, had an very unfortunate career. He is believed to have been born into a poor seaman’s family in Dundee, Scotland in around 1654, later settling in New York. Not much else is known about his early life except that he took to the seas like his father before him. Although active in the grey area of privateering, it is likely that he never intended to adopt a life of piracy and was simply a victim of circumstances.

Kidd the privateer

Kidd is thought to have worked on a French privateer frigate, the Sainte Rose, during peace time. He was involved in actions against the Dutch and Spanish, including participating in the failed French attack on the Dutch Guianas. When England declared war on France in 1688, Kidd patriotically became a privateer against the French in American theatre of the War of the Grand Alliance known as King William’s War.…