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Topic: A Directory of Pirates (Read 1528 times)
Description: We will try to distinguish between privateer and pirate.
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Solomon
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A Directory of Pirates
«
on:
September 08, 2006, 04:21:57 PM »
Name Nationality Active
Parker, William British - English
Newport, Christopher British - English
Middleton, David British - English
Elfrith, Daniel British - English
Ruyters, Dierick Dutch
Butler, Nathaniel British - English
Le Grand, Pierre French 1620
Schouten, Pirter Dutch
Jol, Cornelis Corneliszoon Dutch
Lucifer, Hendrick Jacobszoon Dutch 1627
Loncq, Hendrick Corneliszoon Dutch
Camock, Sussex British - English
Hoorn, Jan Janszoon van Dutch
Axe, Samuel British - English
Neckere, Jonathan de Dutch 1631
Rous, William British - English
Blauvelt (Blewfield), Abraham Dutch
Bull, Dixey British - English 1632
Jackson, William British - English
Le Vasseur, Jean French
Cromwell, Thomas British - English
L'Olonnais, Fran?ois (Jean David Nau) French
Brasiliano, Roche Dutch
Portugues, Bartholomew Portuguese 1655
De L'Isle, Captain French
Fran?ois, Pierre French 1660
Lucas, John Dutch 1663
Freeman, Captain British - English
Jackman, Captain British - English
Marteen, David Dutch
Mansfield (Mansvelt), Edward Dutch
Speirdyke, Bernard Claesen Dutch
Morris, John (1) British - English
Morgan, Sir Henry British - English
Morgan, Edward British - English
Williams, Maurice British - English
Bamfield, John British - English 1665
Davis, John British - English 1665
Hatsell, Captain British - English 1665
Bradley, Joseph British - English
Stedman, Captain British - English 1666
Le Basque, Michel French 1667
Wijn (Klijn), Moise van Dutch 1668
Doglar, Jean French 1668
La Veven (La Vivion), Captain French 1668
Le Picard, Pierre French 1668
Dobson, Richard British - English
Bran (Brand), Captain British - English
Brewster, Adam British - English
Dempster, Edward British - English
Pennant, Jeffery British - English
Morris, John (2) British - English
Collier, Edward British - English
Aylett, Captain British - English 1669
Salter, Thomas British - English 1669
Rivero Pardal, Manoel Portuguese
Prince, Lawrence Dutch 1670
Delander, Robert British - English
Norman, Richard British - English
Grillo, Diego ("El Mulato") African-Spanish
Harris, Peter British - English
Swan, Charles British - English
Lessone, Captain French
Deane, John British - English
Wright, Captain British - English
Coxon, John British - English
Dampier, William British - English
Barnes, Captain British - English 1677
Browne, James British - Scottish 1677
Lagarde, Captain French 1677
Bournano, Captain French
Grammont, Michel De French
Allison, Robert British - English
Essex, Cornelius British - English
Sawkins, Richard British - English
Cook (Cooke), Edmund British - English?
Ringrose, Basil British - English
Mackett (Maggot), Thomas British - English 1680
Kelly, James British - English
Wafer, Lionel British - English
Watling, John British - English
Pain, Thomas British - English
Rose, Jean French
Davis, Edward British - English
Sharp, Bartholomew British - English
Cook, John British - English
Archembeau (Archembo), Captain French 1681
Everson, Jacob Dutch 1681-?
Tristian, Captain French
van Horn, Nicholas Dutch
Yanky, Captain Dutch
Le Pain, Peter French 1682
Hamlin, Jean French
Graff, Laurens De Dutch
Duchesne, Captain French 1683
La Sage, Captain French
Desmarais, Captain French 1685
Lescuyer, Captain French 1685
Le Picard, Captain French
Kidd, William British - Scottish
Ansell, John British - English 1689
Clarke, Thomas British - English 1689
May (Mues, Mace, Maze, Mason), William British - English
Misson, Captain British - English
Burgess, Samuel British - English?
McCarthy, Dennis British - Irish
Culliford, Robert British - English
Every, Henry ('Long Ben') British - English
Tew, Thomas British - English
Blanc, Captain French 1697
Blout, Captain French 1697
Cottuy, Captain French 1697
Macary, Captain French 1697
Pays, Captain French 1697
Pierre, Captain French 1697
Sales, Captain French 1697
Lewis, Captain British - English?
Howard, Thomas British - English
Daniel, Captain French
Martel, John British - English
Quelch, John American 1703
Rogers, Woodes British - English
Rounsivil, George British - English
Jennings, Henry British - English
Hornigold, Benjamin British - English
Williams, Paul British - English
Winter, Christopher British - English
Cunningham, William British - English
Teach, Edward ('Blackbeard') British - English
Vane, Charles British - English
La Bouche, Olivier French
Bellamy, Samuel British - English 1717
England, Edward British - English
Bonnet, Stede British - English
Cocklyn, Thomas British - English
Bellamy, Charles British - English
Bunce, Phineas British - English 1718
Hands, Israel British - English 1718
Herriot, David British - English 1718
Lewis, William British - English 1718
Pell, Ignatius British - English 1718
Yeats, Captain British - English 1718
Auger, John British - English 1718
Kennedy, Walter British - English
Davis, Howell British - English
Bonney, Anne British - English
Condent (Congdon, Conden), Edmund British - English
Rackham, John ('Calico Jack') British - English
Reade, Mary British - English
Anstis, Thomas British - English
Archer, John Rose British - English
Roberts, Bartholomew British - English
Skyrme, James British - English
Walden, John British - English
Fenn, John British - English
Lowther, George British - English
Low, Edward British - English
Phillips, John British - English
Spriggs, Francis British - English
Evans, John British - English 1722
Harris, Charles British - English
Phillips, William British - English
Gow, John (John Smith) British - English
Fly, William British - English 1726
Cofresi, Roberto - Puerto Rican 1816 - 24
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Diving Doc
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Treasure is In books
Re: A Directory of Pirates
«
Reply #1 on:
September 08, 2006, 04:51:09 PM »
Well I must say you got a fair gathering of scoundrels, mostly from the Golden Age of Piracy. This should prove interesting. Did you know that the first French Corsair raided the Spanish in the New World in 1537?
Cheers,
Doc
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Solomon
Guest
Re: A Directory of Pirates
«
Reply #2 on:
September 08, 2006, 05:06:26 PM »
The list is just to kick off the broader approach, where we can have threads on each of the major players. There are also their ships and crews, their haunts, their prizes, pirate havens, and of course, the archaeology and salvage operations. Even all those fake maps
Solomon
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Bobadilla
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Posts: 25
Re: A Directory of Pirates
«
Reply #3 on:
October 12, 2006, 04:01:48 AM »
Hello Solomon,
I congratulate you, Solomon! Excellent list of pirates. May I add one name? I could not find famous Caribbean pirate Roberto Cofresi, with full name Roberto Cofresi y Ramirez de Arellano in your list. He was born in 1791 and died (he was hanged by Puerto Rico Spanish soldiers) in 1825. He acted as a pirate practically only for two years, between 1823 and 1824, but it is historically confirmed that he assaulted and robbed more than 70 ships during his short carrer. If anybody would be intersted in full story about this "Robin Hood of Caribbean", just let me know, I will put it on this forum with great pleasure. I dedicated one whole chapter to this pirate in my book that I published in Santo Domingo in 2005 ( "Hidden and Sunken Treasures in Dominican Republic ").
Best regards to all,
Lobo
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Bart
Moderator
Platinum Member
Karma: 143
Online
Posts: 1742
Re: A Directory of Pirates
«
Reply #4 on:
October 12, 2006, 06:29:15 AM »
Welcome Lobo, glad to have you join us here. Feel free to post the story on Cofresi. Weren't some of these pirates sanctioned, or their activites winked at by certain crowns? This ought to be a great thread!
-
Bart
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Learning is a treasure which accompanies its owner everywhere.
Solomon
Guest
Re: A Directory of Pirates
«
Reply #5 on:
October 12, 2006, 08:06:53 AM »
Bobadilla
:
May I add one name?
Yes, Lobo, the name is now added to the list. Thank you!
Solomon
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Bobadilla
Bronze Member
Karma: 6
Offline
Posts: 25
Re: A Directory of Pirates
«
Reply #6 on:
October 25, 2006, 05:04:52 AM »
Hello Doc and Solomon (I do not know anybody else so far....),
As I promised you before my treasure hunting trip, I post here brief biography of the famous Caribbean pirate of the 19th century, Roberto Cofresi. Once again, sorry for my English.....
He was second son of Italian immigrant Francisco Kupferstein who fled Trieste in fear from vendetta because he comitted a murder in Italy. The best place to hide himself he considered in Puerto Rico. The name Kupferstein was so difficult to pronounce for Spaniards that they slowly changed his name for "Cofresi". The full name of this 7pirate was Roberto Cofresi y Ramirez de Arellano. On the coast of Puerto Rico and especially of Dominican Republic this historical person had become to be main hero in dozens of legends and stories. He has been considered some kind of Caribbean Robin Hood. He shared his booty with poor fishermen and village people and thanks to that he had also perfect intelligence service from them all the time. He was active as a pirate practically only two and half years, from 1823 till 1825 when he was hanged in San Juan with 11 of his fellows. But during this time it has been historically confirmed that Cofresi attacked and plundered more than 70 ships. He hated English and Americans because when he was kid one English sailor humilated him and his father and he swore revange and therefore his main targets were ships of these nations. But unfortunately also merchant ships of that period from other countries than Spain such as Denmark, had no luck if he spotted them on high seas.
He had a habit to hide small parts of his booty - chests, small crates - with robbed jewelry, silver or gold coins, in different parts of coast of Dominican Republic. There were 27 of them he was supposed to burry his treasures according to local legends, never too far from the coast. His filosophy was, that when he needed some cash, it should be always some on hand never mind where he was. When he was cougth and put to jail in Santo Domingo in 1824, Spanish captain in charge of the prison in Ozama Fortress was so impressed to have national hero of the Hispaniola Island and island of Puerto Rico there that he let him escape three months later. (I saw co7pies of interrogation papers from his two months ' stay in prison) After his escape Roberto Cofresi dug up one of his treasures close to Santo Domingo , purchased small boat from local fishermen with golden coins from his dugged booty, set sail with fresh new crew he hired from families of local fishermen, his friends, and shortly after that assaulted bigger boat to get it as his new pirate flagship. He was finally got by US frigate in 1825, he managed to escape swimming after fiercxe battle on high seas surviving sinkink of his boat but he was finally captured on the land. Even injured from the sea fight, he was fighting like lion but there were 27 Spanish soildiers against him. Couple of days after that he was hanged.
One could say - come on, man, there are just legends about his hidden treasures. No, I am sorry, I think that you are wrong this time.
One of his favourite spots and operational base was Bay of Samana on the northern coast of actual Dominican Republic. In the small village of Sanchez he is supposed to have even direct descendents. Two of his fellows were from there. One of him survived because he was injured and could not be present in his final voyage and fight. Local legends say about at least seven places around Samana Bay where Cofresi burried his treasures. Cofresi was always alone when he went to the shore to hide his booty. He knew very well what temptation of money means. His fellow he stayed to live in Samana started to buy land, cosntruct houses, make business within one year after Cofresi death. He was poor fisherman before. In the beginning of 20th century two of these treasures were discovered just by chance by local people and exactly in the same s7pot as was said in local legends. On the top of each burried booty there was always small silver medallon carved only from one site with initials R.C. It is not a legend, one owner of watch repair shop in San Pedro de Macoris, the town 70 kilometers from Santo Domingo has one of this medallons. I saw it. I would pay a fortune for that but he does not want to sell it. Two other Cofresi treasures were discovered during construction of family house on the south of the island in 1947. But there are still more than 20 places where treasures of Roberto Cofresi are still waiting to be discovered. Go and look in such places like Isla Beata, beach close to Barahona, former Puerto Juanita on the north, coastal hills and caves around the beach Cofresi (named after the pirate and his treasure supposedly burried there), between Montecristi and Luperon and in Bahia Escocesa close to Rio San Juan. GOOD LUCK!
Best regards to all,
Lobo
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Solomon
Guest
Re: A Directory of Pirates
«
Reply #7 on:
October 25, 2006, 11:51:56 AM »
This is a brilliant story of dash and adventure. Even better, it is true. Another case of 'truth is stranger than fiction'.
Thanks, Lobo!
Solomon
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Sovereign
Guest
Laurens de Graff
«
Reply #8 on:
November 02, 2006, 12:09:17 PM »
It is sometimes the most deserving who are sometimes least famous.
Laurens de Graff was arguably the most talented and feared corsair of all time. For nearly a quarter of a century, his name (whether pronounced ?Lorencillo? or simply ?Laurens) was whispered with awe and dread whenever a strange sail approached, and was included in the prayers and petitions of many a Spanish coastal town in Mexico and elsewhere. Far more successful than Kidd or Blackbeard, Laurens is nonetheless far less famous than either.
His life story has been as neglected as the stories of the ?buffalo soldiers? or the black cowboys of the Old West?and for much the same reason; Laurens de Graff was of African ancestry. Ironically, those writers who do recount his story invariably repeat the old romance describing him as tall, blonde, and handsome?with a spiked Spanish-style mustache, no less. It was also said ?he always carries violins and trumpets aboard with which to entertain himself and amuse others who derive pleasure from this. He is further distinguished amongst filibusters by his courtesy and good taste. Overall he has won such fame that when it is known he has arrived at some place, many come from all around to see with their own eyes whether Lorenzo is made like other men?. Another commentator noted that ?he was distinguished for his fine manners, good taste, and matchless ability as a cannonier. He liked to play the violin on shipboard to entertain himself as well as his crew and the visitors who often came to see him play?
Details of his early life are sketchy. ?The Brethren of the Coast? described him as a Fleming, but one writer said he came from Hamburg in Germany. The Moskito Indians in the Bay of Honduras called him ?Filimingo??a term denoting a Dutchman of mixed racial background. Most likely born in Holland as ?Laurens Baldran?, it is believed that he was captured and enslaved by the Spanish sometime during the 1660?s. Under the name of ?Lorenzo Jacome? he was brought to the Canary Islands where he married a woman named Petronila de Guzman. Later he was taken from her and forced aboard one of the galleys of a special Spanish naval squadron, the Armada de Barlovento, which was bound for the Caribbean to put down piracy. According to one chronicler, Laurens turned pirate himself around 1676-1677 after escaping from the inhumane conditions of the galleys ?From a small bark, he took a small ship. From this, a bigger one, and so on until at last there came into his power one of 24-28 guns which was the Tigre??a warship of the very same flotilla he had escaped from!
It was probably at about this time that he adopted the nom de guerre of ?de Graff? (or ?de Griffe? as it is sometimes spelled); ?griffe? being a French term for an individual who is of three-quarters African heritage.
It is believed that he was one of the buccaneers who joined the ill-fated fleet of Jean
By the spring of 1682, Laurens had made himself so notorious that even Sir Henry Morgan of Jamaica (as qualified a judge as ever was!) described him as ?a great and mischievous pirate?. In July of the same year, Laurens attacked a large Spanish ship off Porto Rico. Outnumbered and out-gunned, he nonetheless took the vessel after a rough fight that cost the Spanish about fifty casualties. Her captain was among the wounded, and Laurens chivalrously put him ashore with a surgeon and a servant. He could afford to be magnanimous?the prize was carrying the payrolls for the garrisons of Porto Rico and Santo Domingo, and the pirates reportedly divided 140 shares of treasure worth seven hundred pieces-of-eight each!
This exploit marked Laurens as a leader of the ?Brethren of the Coast?--a position he was to occupy for many years despite his ancestry. From a base at Roatan Island in the Bay of Honduras, this black man led over a thousand filibustiers?mostly white?in a wild raid on the large Spanish town of Vera Cruz in the spring of 1683. Although the town was unusually well-garrisoned, it succumbed after just half an hour to a pre-dawn surprise attack which was an intricate masterpiece of guile, stealth and speed?only four buccaneers were killed.
Despite four days of looting, some of the pirates were still dissatisfied with their haul. Numerous prisoners were tortured and some hotheads even threatened to blow up the cathedral where an estimated six thousand prisoners--including the governor himself who had been caught hiding in a manger--were being held. While this massacre was only narrowly averted, numerous prisoners were tortured. The Spanish nonetheless regarded ?Lorencillo? as the most humane of these buccaneers?a reputation confirmed by his famous ?duel on the sandspit?.
The filibusters and their prisoners had gone to ?Los Sacrificios??an island named for a nearby Aztec temple?to await delivery of the final consignment of the ransom money. Nicholas Van Horn, a former slave trader, was one of the most brutal and murderous of the corsairs. Growing impatient with the trickle of cash coming in, he decided that beheading a few hostages might expedite matters. Hearing of the impending massacre, Laurens hurried ashore to intercede. When Van Horn turned on him with drawn sword, Laurens won the duel with a quick slash across the brute?s wrist, and sent him back aboard his own ship in chains. Although the wound was superficial, it eventually turned gangrenous and Van Horn died.
Shortly afterward the ransoms were received, some fifteen hundred blacks and mulattos were freed from the Spanish, and the pirates weighed anchor?richer by more than a million pieces of eight from one of the most successful raids of the century! Just as they were leaving the coast, however, fourteen inward-bound Spanish warships of the annual treasure fleet confronted the pirates. Despite his advantage, the Spanish admiral lost his nerve, and Laurens? fleet calmly sailed by to make a clean getaway in what must have been one of the tensest stand-offs of all time.
After disposing of their stolen plunder on the south coast of Cuba, Laurens and some of his cronies made for the Spanish Main in the fall. When the governor of Cartagena learned of the nearby pirate flotilla, he sent out a 40-gun ship, a 34-gun ship, and a 28-gun galley?manned with over 800 soldiers and sailors?on December 23, 1683. Though greatly outnumbered, the buccaneers hurled themselves onto the Spanish warships and handily took all three at the cost of ninety Spanish lives. The survivors were then put ashore with an impudent letter from Laurens thanking the Governor for his Christmas gifts!
In mid-January 1684, still hovering near Cartagena, he received a letter from his wife, Petronila in the Canaries. Almost certainly written under compulsion, she relayed the promise of a pardon if he?d give up piracy and rejoin the service of the King of Spain. Suspecting a trap, De Graff reluctantly refused her plea and set sail northwestward to the Bay of Honduras and his old base at Roatan. While enroute, they took two more Spanish ships--one of which carried no less than forty-seven pounds of gold. His base at Roatan--including 19-gun Fort Augusta and Fort Key--was supplied by a trader operating from Port Royal named Diego Maquet?or Maqqi?possibly a member of one of the great Jamaican Sephardic trading families.
Like football scouts watching the career of a promising young quarterback, the English had been carefully watching De Graff?s exploits, and they wanted him on their team. To recruit him, they pulled out all the stops. If he would take an oath of allegiance, purchase a plantation in Jamaica (as a stake to stay honest), he would be pardoned for all offenses, naturalized as an Englishman, and his wife would even be given a safe-conduct?provided that Laurens pay all travel expenses and necessary fees. He was even promised that the English ambassador to Spain would attempt to secure a pardon for him from the king of Spain.
After his hardships as a slave, however, Laurens couldn?t give up his quest for revenge. He had learned, moreover, that war had recently broken out between Spain and France. He therefore sailed to Petit Goave on the coast of what is now Haiti to join French service?being received with ?all the honour due to a military hero?.
He spent most of 1684 attacking Spanish shipping in and around Cuba. During an interlude at the small buccaneer settlement of Cape Francois, he met the great love of his life: a Breton woman known as ?Marie-Anne Dieu le Veut? (?Marianne God-Wills-It?). The widow of another adventurer, Marie-Anne was hardly a blushing maiden. In fact, she was at least as bold and headstrong as Laurens himself, and was herself of partial African heritage. According to an old legend, she heard he had made some remarks about her that she regarded as ?inappropriate?. With pistol in hand, she went straight to the tavern to find Laurens and demand public amends. ?The filibustier, filled with admiration for so bold a gesture, proposed he should marry her by way of apology?. He must have been persuasive for she promptly accepted. As the story goes, she wore a brace of pistols with her wedding dress.
After a suitable honeymoon, Laurens began another long and leisurely cruise along the Spanish Main and through the Gulf of Honduras. By April 1685 he was at the Isle of Pines on the south coast of Cuba where he rendezvoused with a vast assemblage of some 22 other buccaneering crews. Rum and talk flowed freely, as the freebooters swapped tales of their recent voyages, and planned their next big raid.
Most favored another strike at Vera Cruz. Laurens argued that the town would be on its guard, but his arguments were ignored and he sailed off to the ?Mosquito Coast? of Nicaragua. After the predictable failure of the expedition, the filibuster fleet rejoined De Graff, and Campeche was picked as the new target.
Security for the mission was lax, and Campeche had plenty of warning to send off most of its treasure and prepare its defenses. On July 6 the pirate fleet of six large and four small ships, six sloops and seventeen peraguas, under joint command of Laurens and de Grammont, appeared off the coast some distance from the town. As boats with 750 buccaneers approached the beach, they were confronted by some 800 soldiers. Apparently surprised, the pirates turned back toward their ships; ostensibly unwilling to wade ashore into the muzzles of Spanish infantry. But this proved only a feint. The freebooters suddenly shifted their attack to the town itself, sidestepped the troops, and took the place by coup de main in a classic pincers move before the defenders could react.
Over the next few days, the invaders mopped up isolated resistance until only the citadel itself remained. Bombardment of this last remaining fortress began at dawn on July 12, 1685, but a relief force of Spanish troops from Merida appeared at around 10 AM. The mere arrival of such soldiers was normally enough to send most raiders scurrying off to sea, but Laurens and de Grammont were not men who were easily intimidated. By end of day, the Spanish found themselves beaten in one of the very few set-piece battles ever conducted by buccaneers.
They ravaged Campeche and the surrounding countryside for the next two months. Much of the treasure had been sent to the safety of the hinterland, however, and little plunder was found. Once again, some of the corsairs lost patience, and, by late August, began executing prisoners. Though never shy of violence, Laurens took no delight in mindless bloodshed. After receiving a heart-rending petition from leading Spanish prisoners, Laurens had a ?little talk? with de Grammont. The executions abruptly ceased and the pirates evacuated the city.
Perhaps disgusted with de Grammont?s ruthlessness, Laurens and four other captains set their own course. On September 11, a squadron of Laurens? old nemesis, the Armada de Barlovento, caught up to them near Alacran reef off the north coast of the Yucatan. One pirate vessel was quickly captured, and another pirate sloop burst into flames during the running fight. Laurens temporarily shook off pursuit, but the two largest warships caught him to leeward two days later.
Heavily out-manned and out-gunned, Laurens frantically tried to escape, but to no avail. That night he and his men grimly prepared for a battle that couldn?t possibly be won. At dawn, all three vessels began exchanging gunfire in a deadly ballet of smoke and flame. The Spanish flagship fired fourteen full broadsides and many other individual shot while the vice-admiral loosed no less than 1600 rounds. Described as one of the finest sea officers of his time, Laurens simultaneously fought both sides of his ship--a feat seldom attempted in those days--and riddled his opponents with little damage to his own vessel.
As the day wore down, so did the elderly Spanish admiral?s resolve. By dusk, his nerves were so shattered that he was given the last rites. Under cover of darkness, Laurens lightened ship by jettisoning every non-essential--even his cannon--in order to gain the wind. It worked. The Spanish found themselves to leeward at dawn. As they gamely tried to get in range of the rover, the wind came up, the flagship?s weakened superstructure slowly toppled overboard from the strain, and Laurens made good his escape as the vice-admiral remained behind to tend his crippled consort!
Using his plantation on Haiti as a base, Laurens soon resumed raids off Cuba. In December 1685 a Spanish privateer sailed into Havana with exciting news. Her captain had not only discovered Laurens? secret lair, but also the news that his ?mistress and their bastard child? were there awaiting his return from a raid. Hoping to take them as hostages, the Spanish put together an expedition and raided the place in February 1686. Although more than a hundred blacks and mulattos were captured, his wife and child somehow escaped. When Laurens returned, he was so enraged by this perfidy that he immediately launched a series of raids in the Yucatan on the towns of Tihosuco and Valladolid from his advance base at Roatan.
This was Laurens? last major invasion of Spanish territory. With the advent of peace, France brought her corsairs to heel. It was, however, by no means the last of Laurens? adventures. Switching to the relatively peaceful occupation of smuggling, he embarked on a cruise in the summer of 1686. His ship ran aground near Cartagena, however, and was wrecked beyond repair. Old habits die hard, and Laurens bore a charmed life. Capturing a Spanish vessel with his ship?s boat, he managed to save himself and his men from almost certain capture and execution.
The Spanish hated turncoats with a special passion, and a Basque mercenary squadron was specially recruited to bring Laurens down. One of its frigates encountered Laurens--and a hailstorm of cannon shot--off the south coast of Cuba in May 1687. Almost before her commander realized what was happening, he found himself outmaneuvered, hard aground, and in imminent danger of capture. When a covey of small coast guard vessels hurried to his aid, Laurens turned on them like a hawk on a flock of pigeons--sinking several of them outright with heavy loss of life.
Blas Miguel, brother of one of the slain, swore revenge. Despite the truce with the French, his ship silently glided into the harbor of Petit Goave at dawn on August 10, 1687. Blas Miguel had carefully chosen the date--St. Lawrence?s Day--in hopes of catching the old sea-wolf celebrating his patron saint?s day. But when Blas Miguel and his men stormed ashore, the French led by Laurens with sword in hand, met them at water?s edge. Those of the Spanish who survived the savage battle in the surf were captured, Blas Miguel was broken alive on the wheel as punishment for his treacherous attack, and a grateful French govenor rewarded Laurens with command of the strategic harbor of Ile-a-Vache. He, an ex-slave, was also knighted as ?Major Laurens-Cornille Baldran, Sieur de Graffe, lieutenant du roi en l?isle de Saint Domingue, captaine de fregate legere, chevalier de Saint-Louis?!
Little more than a year later, De Graff was put in command of another expedition to recover treasure from a shipwrecked Spanish galleon on the
Serranilla Banks
, but the project was interrupted by the outbreak of war with England and Spain in May 1689. De Cussy, French governor of Hispaniola, led an expedition of 1000 men, including many filibusters, such as de Graff, against St. Jago de los Cavalleros in the interior of the island, and burnt the place.
By January 1691, Laurens had been made commander of the northern shore of the French colony in Haiti. Here, his luck slowly began to desert him. He was at the disastrous battle of Sabane La Limonade where, outnumbered three-to-one by 3300 Spanish troops, the overconfident French nonetheless attacked. As many as five hundred of them, including the French governor, de Cussy, were killed, and Laurens was one of the few who managed to escape.
Together with the vigorous and talented new governor, Jean-Baptiste Ducasse, De Graff skillfully defended the island from 1691 through 1693. The English must have wished they had made Laurens a better offer back in the days when they were trying to recruit him. He soon imposed a partial blockade of Jamaica; attacking shipping, raiding isolated plantations and even capturing the island?s guard-sloop. In October 1691, he and 200 men landed on the north coast of Jamaica at Montego Bay and threatened to return and plunder that whole stretch coast--frightening the settlers so much that they sent their wives and children all the way to Port Royal for sanctuary. ?Turn-about is fair play?; the Jamaicans were thereby given a good taste of the terror that had been suffered by the Spanish as a result of buccaneer raids launched from that island.
True to his threat, Laurens returned to Jamaica in December 1691 with a small flotilla, seized eight or ten English sloops, and raided a plantation on the north shore of the island. The following summer a terrible earthquake struck Jamaica, destroying Port Royal and crippling the island?s defenses. The French took full advantage of this disaster and nearly every week hostile bands landed and plundered various points along the coast. In December 1693, the entire parish of St. David?s was looted in the course of a night-time raid by 170 of the filibusters.
But these were small affrays, intended to keep the English off balance until the French had regained enough strength to go back on the offensive. And attack they did! Assisted by Jacobite and Irish refugees from the oppressive government of William III in the British Isles, Laurens and Ducasse led a major amphibious raid of 22 vessels and 1500 men against Jamaica in June 1694. They made landings at Cow Bay and Point Morant and ravaged the whole southeastern part of the island for a month leaving behind nothing but scorched earth. They then reembarked and cruised along the southern coast. After a feint at Port Royal, they landed at Carlislie Bay and recommenced their work of plunder and destruction. Although they defeated all English mobile columns sent against them, plundered over 200 houses, destroyed fifty sugar works, and liberated over thirteen hundred blacks, Lieutenant Governor Beeston managed to concentrate his defenses behind strong entrenchments at what was left of Port Royal. The lack of heavy artillery thereby kept the French from adding a new jewel to the Sun King?s Crown.
Despite this temporary success, the French in the West Indies were seriously out-matched by their opponents; they had been decisively weakened by the disaster at Avis, and the defeat at Sabane La Limonade only served to ensure their permanent inferiority of strength in these waters.
In May 1695, a huge Anglo-Hispanic force of some 3,200 men invaded the north coast of Haiti. Prospects for a successful defense were hopeless--even with Laurens in command. Heavily out-numbered, he was forced to continually fall back in a fighting retreat. As the whole northern portion of the colony was over-run, even his wife and daughters were captured. The enemy finally withdrew of their own accord; leaving the French to exchange blame for the defeat in the ashes of their burnt-out farms and homes.
Laurens made a convenient scapegoat for the debacle, and some, remembering the old English offers, even accused him of outright treason. Relieved of command, he was shipped back to France for trial. While the subsequent court-martial completely exonerated him of blame, the war had ended by the time he returned to Santo Domingo, and so Laurens had no chance to recoup either his reputation or his fortune.
As wife of the infamous ?Lorencillo?, her Spanish captors treated Anne ?Dieu-Le-Veut? with ?the utmost severity?. It was not until the final prisoner exchange in October 1698--and then only by special insistence by French Minister of the Navy Ponchartrain himself--that she and the children were released so that they might be re-united with Laurens.
This long separation--nearly four years--may have spoiled Laurens? taste for war and piracy for he never engaged in battle again. Instead, he devoted his attention to the more peaceful pursuits of exploration and colonization. He acted as pilot and interpreter for Pierre La Moyne d?Iberville?s 1698 expedition to establish a French colony at what is now Biloxi, Mississippi, and he and his family were listed as residents there in 1700. The life of this remarkable black man ended in May 1704.
The author of this article is unknown.
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Diving Doc
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Re: A Directory of Pirates
«
Reply #9 on:
November 02, 2006, 09:37:10 PM »
That is an absolutely superb article Sovereign!
Cheers,
Doc
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Re: A Directory of Pirates
«
Reply #10 on:
November 03, 2006, 05:24:40 AM »
Excellent, loved them both. It seems that much treasure may well be waiting to be found.
- Bart
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Re: A Directory of Pirates
«
Reply #11 on:
March 14, 2007, 08:00:45 AM »
While expanding upon the list of Pirate and Privateers, some discrepencies have appeared. These will be explained as best as possible in the bio's of each of those who appear on the list. The list below contains names who do not already appear there, though some names may be duplicated. My goal is to provide a bio of sorts for each person labeled as Pirate or Privateer. The original list does not contain the names of the two now famous female pirates, Ann Bonney and Mary Read. I will get to their bio's in due course.
-
Bart
Name Nationality
Anstis, Thomas English pirate
Archer, John Rose English pirate
Bonnet, Stede American "Gentleman" pirate
Bonney, Anne (Anne Cormac) Irish Female pirate
Barbarossa Brothers (Aruj and Khayrad'din) Greek/Turkish pirates
Bartolomeo (el Portugu?s) Portuguese pirate
Benito de Soto Portuguese pirate
Black Caesar African pirate
Roche Brasiliano Dutch pirate
Brower, Enrique Dutch pirate
Booth George English pirate
Bridge, Tobias English pirate
Bowen, Captain John English pirate
Calles (Callis), Captain John English pirate
Cofres?, Roberto ( Roberto Cofres? y Ram?rez de Arellano) Puerto Rican pirate
Condent (Congdon, Conden), Edmund English pirate
Cottuy, Captain French pirate
Count Maurycy Beniowski (Baron Maurice de Benyowski) Polish pirate
Cunningham, William English pirate
de Bouff, Captain Jan Dutch pirate
Diabolitio [Little Devil] Cuban pirate
Duchesne, Captain French pirate
Easton , Peter English pirate
England, Captain Edward English pirate
Essex, Cornelius English pirate
Evans, John English pirate
Every (Avery), Henry English pirate
Fenn, John English pirate
Fly, William English pirate
Fran?ois le Clerc - Jambe de Bois (Peg Leg or Wooden Leg) French pirate
Gow, John (John Smith) English pirate
Greaves, "Red Legs" Scottish-Irish pirate
Harris, Charles English pirate
Henriques the Englishman (Henry Johnson) Irish pirate
Hornigold, Captain Benjamin English pirate
Howell Davis Welsh pirate
Kelley, Captain James English pirate
Jackman, Captain English pirate
Lewis, Captain English pirate
Low, Edward English pirate
Lowther, George English pirate
Marteen, David Dutch pirate
Mings, Captain Christopher English pirate
Morris, Captain John English pirate
Nutt, John English pirate
O'Malley, Grace Irish pirate
Oliver le Bouch? - La Bous or La Buse (The Buzzard) French pirate
Paine, Thomas English pirate
Phillips, John English pirate
Phillips, William English pirate
Prince, Lawrence Dutch pirate
Rackham, John (Calico Jack) English pirate
Reade, Mary (Read) English pirate
Redbeard (Barbarossa) Greek/Turkish pirate
Rivero Pardal, Manoel Portuguese pirate
Roberts, Bartholomew (Black Bart) Welsh pirate
Simonson, Simon - der Tantzer (the Dancer) Dutch pirate
Tew, Thomas English pirate
Vane, Captain Charles English pirate
Ward, John (Yussuf Rais) English pirate
Worley, Richard English pirate
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Diving Doc
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Re: A Directory of Pirates
«
Reply #12 on:
March 14, 2007, 03:20:11 PM »
Hey Bart,
Try this site for Famous Pirates.There are individual histories on a lot of them.
It is one of the better of several resources for pirates.
Cheers,
Doc
Name Nationality Active
Hawkins, Sir Richard British - English 1582-1622
Parker, William British - English 1587-1617
Newport, Christopher British - English 1588-1617
Dudley, Sir Robert British - English 1595-1603
Middleton, David British - English 1601-15
Elfrith, Daniel British - English 1614-37
Ruyters, Dierick Dutch 1618-1630
Butler, Nathaniel British - English 1619-39
Le Grand, Pierre French 1620
Schouten, Pirter Dutch 1624-25
Jol, Cornelis Corneliszoon Dutch 1626-41
Lucifer, Hendrick Jacobszoon Dutch 1627
Loncq, Hendrick Corneliszoon Dutch 1628-30
Camock, Sussex British - English 1628-35
Hoorn, Jan Janszoon van Dutch 1629-33
Axe, Samuel British - English 1629-45
Neckere, Jonathan de Dutch 1631
Rous, William British - English 1631-43
Blauvelt (Blewfield), Abraham Dutch 1631-63
Bull, Dixey British - English 1632
Jackson, William British - English 1637-45
Le Vasseur, Jean French 1642-52
Cromwell, Thomas British - English 1643-45
L'Olonnais, Fran?ois (Jean David Nau) French 1650-1668
Brasiliano, Roche Dutch 1654-69
Portugues, Bartholomew Portuguese 1655
De L'Isle, Captain French 1659-61
Fran?ois, Pierre French 1660
Whetstone, Sir Thomas British - English 1661-67
Lucas, John Dutch 1663
Freeman, Captain British - English 1663-65
Jackman, Captain British - English 1663-65
Marteen, David Dutch 1663-65
Mansfield (Mansvelt), Edward Dutch 1663-66
Speirdyke, Bernard Claesen Dutch 1663-70
Morris, John (1) British - English 1663-72
Morgan, Sir Henry British - English 1663-88
Morgan, Edward British - English 1664-65
Williams, Maurice British - English 1664-66
Bamfield, John British - English 1665
Davis, John British - English 1665
Hatsell, Captain British - English 1665
Bradley, Joseph British - English 1665-71
Stedman, Captain British - English 1666
Le Basque, Michel French 1667
Wijn (Klijn), Moise van Dutch 1668
Doglar, Jean French 1668
La Veven (La Vivion), Captain French 1668
Le Picard, Pierre French 1668
Dobson, Richard British - English 1668-1671
Bran (Brand), Captain British - English 1668-69
Brewster, Adam British - English 1668-69
Dempster, Edward British - English 1668-69
Pennant, Jeffery British - English 1668-69
Morris, John (2) British - English 1668-70
Collier, Edward British - English 1668-72
Aylett, Captain British - English 1669
Salter, Thomas British - English 1669
Rivero Pardal, Manoel Portuguese 1669-70
Prince, Lawrence Dutch 1670
Delander, Robert British - English 1670-71
Norman, Richard British - English 1670-71
Grillo, Diego ("El Mulato") African-Spanish 1671-73
Harris, Peter British - English 1671-81
Swan, Charles British - English 1671-87
Lessone, Captain French 1675-1680
Deane, John British - English 1675-76
Wright, Captain British - English 1675-82
Coxon, John British - English 1676-1684
Dampier, William British - English 1676-1715
Barnes, Captain British - English 1677
Browne, James British - Scottish 1677
Lagarde, Captain French 1677
Bournano, Captain French 1678-80
Grammont, Michel De French 1678-86
Allison, Robert British - English 1679-80
Essex, Cornelius British - English 1679-80
Sawkins, Richard British - English 1679-80
Cook (Cooke), Edmund British - English 1679-81?
Ringrose, Basil British - English 1679-86
Mackett (Maggot), Thomas British - English 1680
Kelly, James British - English 1680-1696
Wafer, Lionel British - English 1680-1705
Watling, John British - English 1680-81
Pain, Thomas British - English 1680-83
Rose, Jean French 1680-85
Davis, Edward British - English 1680-88
Sharp, Bartholomew British - English 1680-88
Cook, John British - English 1680-94
Archembeau (Archembo), Captain French 1681
Everson, Jacob Dutch 1681-?
Tristian, Captain French 1681-82
van Horn, Nicholas Dutch 1681-83
Yanky, Captain Dutch 1681-87
Le Pain, Peter French 1682
Hamlin, Jean French 1682-84
Graff, Laurens De Dutch 1682-95
Duchesne, Captain French 1683
La Sage, Captain French 1684-87
Desmarais, Captain French 1685
Lescuyer, Captain French 1685
Le Picard, Captain French 1685-88
Kidd, William British - Scottish 1688-1701
Ansell, John British - English 1689
Clarke, Thomas British - English 1689
May (Mues, Mace, Maze, Mason), William British - English 1689-99
Misson, Captain British - English 1690-1700
Burgess, Samuel British - English 1690-1716?
McCarthy, Dennis British - Irish 1690-1718
Culliford, Robert British - English 1690-98
Every, Henry ('Long Ben') British - English 1692-95
Tew, Thomas British - English 1692-95
Blanc, Captain French 1697
Blout, Captain French 1697
Cottuy, Captain French 1697
Macary, Captain French 1697
Pays, Captain French 1697
Pierre, Captain French 1697
Sales, Captain French 1697
Lewis, Captain British - English 1697-170?
Howard, Thomas British - English 1698-1703
Daniel, Captain French 1700-05
Martel, John British - English 1702-1716
Quelch, John American 1703
Rogers, Woodes British - English 1705-32
Rounsivil, George British - English 1708-18
Jennings, Henry British - English 1715-17
Hornigold, Benjamin British - English 1716-17
Williams, Paul British - English 1716-17
Winter, Christopher British - English 1716-17
Cunningham, William British - English 1716-18
Teach, Edward ('Blackbeard') British - English 1716-18
Vane, Charles British - English 1716-19
La Bouche, Olivier French 1716-21
Bellamy, Samuel British - English 1717
England, Edward British - English 1717-1720
Bonnet, Stede British - English 1717-18
Cocklyn, Thomas British - English 1717-19
Bellamy, Charles British - English 1717-20
Bunce, Phineas British - English 1718
Hands, Israel British - English 1718
Herriot, David British - English 1718
Lewis, William British - English 1718
Pell, Ignatius British - English 1718
Yeats, Captain British - English 1718
Auger, John British - English 1718
Kennedy, Walter British - English 1718-1721
Davis, Howell British - English 1718-19
Bonney, Anne British - English 1718-20
Condent (Congdon, Conden), Edmund British - English 1718-20
Rackham, John ('Calico Jack') British - English 1718-20
Reade, Mary British - English 1718-20
Anstis, Thomas British - English 1718-23
Archer, John Rose British - English 1718-24
Roberts, Bartholomew British - English 1719-22
Skyrme, James British - English 1720-22
Walden, John British - English 1720-23
Fenn, John British - English 1721-23
Lowther, George British - English 1721-23
Low, Edward British - English 1721-24
Phillips, John British - English 1721-24
Spriggs, Francis British - English 1721-25
Evans, John British - English 1722
Harris, Charles British - English 1722-23
Phillips, William British - English 1723-24
Gow, John (John Smith) British - English 1724-25
Fly, William British - English 1726
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Re: A Directory of Pirates
«
Reply #13 on:
March 14, 2007, 03:54:07 PM »
Mucho gracias El Doctor, I will check that out. This isn't quite the piece of cake it appeared to be at first.
-
Bart
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Diving Doc
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Re: A Directory of Pirates
«
Reply #14 on:
March 14, 2007, 04:01:21 PM »
Maybe not Bart,
but you will have an impressive resource when you are finished. Nearly, if not all the information is in the public domain. It might take a while but it will be a very useful tool for those interested in the real history of Pirates and Privateers. Everything I have seen is missing some element that is present on another site.
Cheers,
Doc
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