About our Pirate Captains (parchment included with flag purchase)

Henry Every     AKA: John Avery, Long Ben, etc.    Circa 1695

Every (also known as John Avery, John Every, Long Ben, Benjamin Bridgeman, Captain Bridgeman) was one of Britain's most well-known pirates of the late 17th century, the model for Daniel Defoe's hero in Life, Adventures, and Piracies, of the Famous Captain Singleton (1720). Every served in the Royal Navy and on merchant, buccaneer and slave ships, before beginning a life of piracy about 1691.   In 1694, joining a ship in the service of Spain, Every helped plot a mutiny and was elected captain of his new pirate ship, renamed the "Fancy”.  He was one of the most renowned pirates of all time, and was often called the "Arch" pirate. After preying on various ships en route around Africa, he headed to the mouth of the Red Sea where he levied tolls on all ships passing in or out, especially those of Mughal India and the East India Company.  He eventually ended up in the West Indies, where his ship was either sold or destroyed in a storm. Afterward his crew broke up and several were captured and hanged, Every returned to England, was cheated out of his fortune, and eventually died in poverty.

   

Stede Bonnet     Gentleman's Pirate      Died 1718

Bonnet came from a wealthy family and was a "man of letters"or literate.  Bonnet became bored with life on shore with his shrew of a wife and decided to turn to piracy.  Although a learned man  he did not always make the best decisions. In 1717 he "bought " his own pirate ship- something unheard of pirate history and even paid his crew out of his own pocket.  His second bad decision was to befriend Blackbeard for a while. Blackbeard convinced Bonnet to leave his ship in Blackbeard’s care while Bonnet went and surrendered.  After being duped by Blackbeard, Bonnet was pardoned and promptly began pursuing Blackbeard.  He even named his new ship the Revenge.  Eventually he and his ship the Revenge were captured and he was hung for piracy in 1718.  He never did get his revenge on Blackbeard.

Christopher Condent     British Pirate      Active 1718 - 1720                                       

A savage pirate known for his cruel ways and wicked punishments, he came from Plymouth, England. Condent started his pirate career as a privateer for the Queen of England.  After the war with Spain was over Condent continued his attacking and plundering ways as he knew no other life.  In the Bahamas, he took to the Pirate Round and attacked merchant ships off Africa and Arabia.  Condent and his crew attacked a few small merchant vessels which didn’t amount to much, then in October of 1720 Condent attacked an Arab ship which was heading for an East India Company trading post.  The Arab ship contained 150,000 pounds in gold and silver as well as riches of silks, spices and medicine.  After receiving a pardon from the French governor of Bourbon, Condent decided to retire from piracy and supposedly married the Governor's daughter and retired to St.Malo France to prosper as a merchant ship owner.

Edward Low    AKA:  Ned Low     Active early 1700's                                        

Captain Edward "Ned" Low started his career as a Boston ship rigger then eventually turned to a more profitable lifestyle as a pirate. If living today Low would most certainly be placed in a mental institution for he was truly insane.  After capturing a Nantucket whaler, Low made the ship's commander eat his own sliced off ears, sprinkled with salt, before he killed him. This earned him a reputation as an extremely cruel brute. When he captured the Spanish galleon Montcova, he personally slaughtered fifty-three officers and made one Spaniard eat the heart of another before killing him. His own crew finally set him adrift in an open boat without provisions. Two days later, a French ship rescued him, but upon discovering who he was, the French gave him a quick trial and hanged him.

Christopher Moody       North or South Carolina      1700's                                 

To show deadly intent, blood-red pennants were often flown from the ship's mainmast. It meant no quarter given . Moody's flag portrayed an hourglass with wings along with a sword arm and a skull with crossed bones all on a red flag.  This flag stated quite clearly what Moody’s intentions were.  The red background stated no quarter given, meaning no prisoners would be taken and everyone would be killed, the hourglass alone would have meant that your time is running out but with wings attached it was rumored to mean that his victims time of living had already flown away.  The sword arm meant that the pirates were looking for a fight.  And the skull with crossed bones symbolized death.  Therefore, Moody is saying that there is no hope for his victims  and no one would survive.

John Rackam      AKA:  Calico Jack British Pirate      Died 1720

John Rackam was nicknamed Calico Jack due to his fondness for wearing very colorful coats and britches.  He is best known for his association with Anne Bonny and Mary Read, the most famous female pirates.  Legend records him as one of the most feared pirates of all, despite that he was handsome and debonair and popular with the ladies. His long time lover & partner was the infamous female pirate Anne Bonny who fought  along-side him until their capture in 1720.  The capture of this crew was only made because all the men aboard ship had drank excessive amounts the night before and were in no condition to fight.  It was left up to Anne, Mary and one male pirate to repel the boarders.  Jack was hung and was given these parting words by Anne “If you had fought like a man, you would not be dying like a dog”.  Mary Read was imprisoned due to the fact that she was with child, Anne Bonny was also imprisoned when she claimed she was in a similar condition.  Mary Read died during childbirth while Anne Bonny simply disappeared from prison, it is thought that perhaps she bribed or ticked one of the guards in order to escape!

Bartholomew Roberts    AKA: Black Bart    Welsh Pirate   1682 - 1722

Roberts was known for his excellent seamanship and was one of the greatest pirates of his day. Roberts is said to have seized over 400 ships off West Africa and in the Caribbean. His biggest coup was capturing the "Sagrada Familia," a Portuguese vessel carrying a fortune in coins, diamonds and goods from Brazil.  Roberts was a religious man and banned his crew from gambling. However, his religious nature didn’t stop him from being cruel to his prisoners.  Black Bart favored one of two flags: a man and a skeleton, who held a spear or dart in one hand, holding either an hourglass or a cup while toasting death, or an armed man standing on two skulls over the letters ABH and AMH. The latter warned residents of Barbados and Martinique that death awaited them, for the governors of these islanders had dared to cross Bartholomew Roberts.

Edward Teach  (or Thatch)  AKA:  Blackbeard               British Pirate         1716 - 1718        

Teach had a thick, black beard into which he would braid smoldering hemp fuses, making him look as terrifying as though he was the devil himself.  To look intimidating, he went into battle with three pairs of pistols strapped across his chest, daggers and pistols in his belt, a cutlass, and a slow-burning thick hemp cord tucked under his hat which produced lots of smoke.  Blackbeard served under Captain Benjamin Hornigold while learning his trade.  Later he captured a French merchant ship which he renamed the Queen Anne's Revenge. Blackbeard's  rein of tyranny was short-lived and only lasted 2 brief but glorious years, before he was killed in battle. In 1718, the Governor of Virginia commissioned Lieutenant Robert Maynard to bring him back dead or alive.   Maynard tracked Blackbeard down and found him in the Ocracoke inlet in North Carolina.  After a bloody battle, Blackbeard collapsed in a pool of blood and his pirate crew surrendered.  Maynard had Blackbeard's head cut off, and returned for his reward with it hanging from the bowsprit of his ship.  Blackbeard's crew were tried in Virginia and all but one was found guilty and hanged.

Thomas Tew     American Privateer         Died 1695                                      Thomas Tew was a famous pirate headquartered in Madagascar.  Under commission, Tew sailed in consort with Captain Dew from Barbados.  Tew and his crew turned pirate and sailed to the Red Sea.  There he encountered a richly-provisioned Indian ship and promptly attacked.  Prevailing in the battle, he took her as a prize.  The booty made each of Tew's crew members rich.  He made his way to back to America and settled down in Rhode Island.  Tew was now a wealthy man. With an honesty rarely encountered in those who pursued his trade, he kept a promise to his friends in Bermuda, who had originally set him up with a ship, and sent them fourteen times the original cost of the sloop as their share of the profits.  In the end Tew, found the call of the sea and the lure of the grand account irresistible.  He consented to take command of a pirate ship en route to the Red Sea.  Soon after his arrival, Tew attacked a large ship belonging to the Great Mogul and during the battle was mortally wounded.

Richard  Worley          English         1718                                              

Widely associated with the term "No quarter given" he and his crew would fight to the death and took no prisoners.  Worley left New York in about October 1718 in a small boat with a crew of eight.  The daring band plundered shipping on the Delaware River, took over a sloop, and captured several more vessels. Worley was off Charleston, South Carolina, in November and because of recent raids by Edward Teach and Stede Bonnet, his presence alarmed the city.  The governor personally commanded the four ships that captured Worley's sloop and one of his prizes.  Worley and most of his crew died in the battle, and 25 others were hanged in Charleston.

Emanuel Wynn       French          1700's                                     

Emanuel Wynn (or Wynne) started his pirating career raiding English merchantmen off the coast of the Carolinas.    He later moved his operation to the Caribbean, where more profit could be made.    The skull and crossbones motif first appeared around 1700 when the pirate Emanuel Wynne hoisted that fearful ensign off the Cape Verde Islands.    With an hourglass to show his prey that  time was running out, Wynn created the precedent for all other Jolly Rogers.   He used not only the dreaded "Jolly Roger" but also the black widow hourglass to strike fear into all that he came upon.