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160-694: Henry Jennings was an English privateer -turned- pirate . Jennings's first recorded act of piracy took place in early 1716 when, with three vessels and 150–300 men, Jennings's fleet ambushed the Spanish salvage camp from the 1715 Treasure Fleet . After the Florida raid, Jennings and his crew also linked up with Benjamin Hornigold 's "three sets of pirates" from New Providence Island . Author Colin Woodard describes Jennings as "an educated ship captain with

320-424: A Privy Counsellor to King James IV , and helped to arrange his marriage to Margaret , daughter of King Henry VII of England . As a reward, he was created Earl of Arran on 8 August 1503. He was succeeded by his elder son from his second marriage, James, 2nd Earl of Arran . He was Regent of Scotland between 1542 and 1554, and guardian of the young Mary, Queen of Scots . He was created Duc de Châtellerault in

480-727: A "revolution in naval strategy" and helped fill the need for protection that the Crown was unable to provide. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth (1558–1603), she "encouraged the development of this supplementary navy". Over the course of her rule, the increase of Spanish prosperity through their explorations in the New World and the discovery of gold contributed to the deterioration of Anglo-Spanish relations. Elizabeth's authorisation of sea-raiders (known as Sea Dogs ) such as Francis Drake and Walter Raleigh allowed her to officially distance herself from their raiding activities while enjoying

640-421: A Lymphad with the sails furled proper flagged Gules (for Arran); 2nd and 3rd grand quarters: Argent a Heart Gules imperially crowned Or on a Chief Azure three Mullets of the first (for Douglas) . The achievement has two crests , namely: 1st, on a Ducal Coronet an Oak Tree rutted and penetrated transversely in the main stem by a Frame Saw proper the frame Or (for Hamilton); 2nd, on a Chapeau Gules turned up Ermine

800-473: A Richard Jennings both signed a petition to Queen Anne in 1708 (each listed as an "Inhabitant in general" , holding no civil, military, or religious office). Although little is known of Jennings's early life, he was first recorded as a privateer during the 1701–1714 War of the Spanish Succession operating from Jamaica , then governed by Lord Archibald Hamilton . Hamilton had been born in 1673,

960-430: A Salamander in flames proper (for Douglas) . The supporters are: on either side an Antelope Argent armed unguled ducally gorged and chained Or . Each crest has a motto , namely " Through " (over the 1st crest) and " Jamais Arriere " (" Never Behind ") (over the 2nd crest). The heir apparent is the present Duke's eldest son Douglas Charles Douglas-Hamilton, Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale (born 2012). The next heir

1120-415: A Spanish fleet raided Tortuga. 195 colonists were hung and 39 prisoners and 30 slaves were captured). The company could in turn issue letters of marque to subcontracting privateers who used the island as a base, for a fee. This soon became an important source of profit. Thus the company made an agreement with the merchant Maurice Thompson under which Thompson could use the island as a base in return for 20% of

1280-623: A brief conflict between France and the United States, fought largely at sea, and to the Royal Navy's procuring Bermuda sloops to combat the French privateers. In Europe, the practice of authorising sea-raiding dated to at least the 13th century but the word 'privateer' was coined sometime in the mid-17th century. Seamen who served on naval vessels were paid wages and given victuals, whereas mariners on merchantmen and privateers received

1440-564: A businessman and cousin of the Earl of Warwick (the namesake of Warwick Parish ), who presented a proposal for colonizing the island noting its strategic location "lying in the heart of the Indies & the mouth of the Spaniards". Elfrith was appointed admiral of the colony's military forces in 1631, remaining the overall military commander for over seven years. During this time, Elfrith served as

1600-610: A comfortable estate" on Bermuda , and he had estates on both Bermuda, a colony inextricably linked with the history of privateering , and Jamaica . He described himself as a Bermudian, and the Jennings family was well established there, especially at Flatts Village (located along the southern shore of Flatt's Inlet , which gives access to Harrington Sound ) in Hamilton Parish , the affluent neighbourhood in Smith's Parish to

1760-556: A deposition based on an eyewitness, when Jennings arrived in Providence he "bought in as prize a French ship [ Marianne ] mounted with 32 guns which he had taken at the Bay of Hounds [Bahia Honda], and there shared the cargo (which was very rich consisting of European goods for the Spanish trade) amongst his men, and then went in the said ship to the [Florida wrecks] where he served as Commodore and guardship." Jennings continued to sail for

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1920-556: A fleet of seventeen ships. The ships were afterwards separated by wind. On the journey in November 1716, the governor’s ship, Hamilton Galley with Captain Stone, was captured by Jennings with 134 men. They kept Stone for four days, but were recorded as having taken only twenty gallons of rum. Stone later related that his captors "treated him civil, & told him they hurt no English Men." Hamilton afterwards transferred to HMS Bedford for

2080-581: A force of Bermudian privateers who had been issued letters of marque by the Governor of Bermuda . Bermuda was in de facto control of the Turks Islands , with their lucrative salt industry, from the late 17th century to the early 19th. The Bahamas made perpetual attempts to claim the Turks for itself. On several occasions, this involved seizing the vessels of Bermudian salt traders. A virtual state of war

2240-671: A former American privateer, mistaking her for a merchantman until too late; in this instance, however, the privateer prevailed. The United States used mixed squadrons of frigates and privateers in the American Revolutionary War . Following the French Revolution , French privateers became a menace to British and American shipping in the western Atlantic and the Caribbean, resulting in the Quasi-War ,

2400-703: A great Sway among them, being a Man of good Understanding, and good Estate, before this Whim took him of going a Pyrating." The Republic of Pirates was dominated by Hornigold and Jennings, both famous pirates who were bitter rivals. At the start of 1716, Hornigold had proposed that he would lead the pirates of the Nassau Pirate Republic, with the pirates choosing the moniker " Flying Gang ." With Hornigold mentor to pirates such as Edward "Blackbeard" Teach, Samuel Bellamy, and Stede Bonnet , Jennings mentored pirates such as Charles Vane, "Calico" Jack Rackham , Anne Bonny , and Mary Read . Despite their rivalries,

2560-515: A great-grandson in direct line to the titles, but it is likely that the latter would be styled "Lord Abernethy" (the Lordship of Abernethy and Jedburgh Forest being the most senior available title). Before the dukes succeeded to the Marquessate of Douglas and its subsidiary titles, the heirs apparent were styled initially " Earl of Arran " (which had previously been used as a courtesy title by

2720-861: A guide to other privateers and sea captains arriving in the Caribbean. Elfrith invited the well-known privateer Diego el Mulato to the island. Samuel Axe, one of the military leaders, also accepted letters of marque from the Dutch authorizing privateering. The Spanish did not hear of the Providence Island colony until 1635 when they captured some Englishmen in Portobelo , on the Isthmus of Panama . Francisco de Murga , Governor and Captain-General of Cartagena , dispatched Captain Gregorio de Castellar y Mantilla and engineer Juan de Somovilla Texada to destroy

2880-514: A hurricane along the coasts of Florida near Cape Canaveral . News of the wreck and their distress call reached Jamaica in November 1715, and Jennings and his ship Bersheba sailed immediately to the Florida coast. Jennings and the Bersheba had been granted a commission by the governor of Jamaica, Lord Archibald Hamilton , as had John Wills' Eagle . They had been sanctioned to "Execute all manner of Acts of Hostility against pyrates according to

3040-559: A male heir and the Dukedom passed to his fourth cousin Alfred, 13th Duke of Hamilton , who was descended from the 4th Duke of Hamilton and whose line of the family had adopted the surname "Douglas-Hamilton". His son was Douglas, 14th Duke of Hamilton , who was succeeded by his son Angus, 15th Duke of Hamilton . He died in 2010, and was succeeded by his son, the current Duke, Alexander, 16th Duke of Hamilton . The letters patent that created

3200-511: A new cruise to the Spanish wrecks. Of the responders, Leigh Ashworth assumed command of the sloop-of-war Mary , another of Hamilton's privateers. Two others, Samuel Liddell of the Cocoa Nut and James Carnegie of the Discovery , joined with their small sloops without commission, accepting Jennings’s overall command. Charles Vane also rejoined Jennings's crew. When Jennings sailed with

3360-727: A notice of the death the previous week of Mr. Henry Jennings of Somerset , son of the late Daniel Jennings of Charleston, South Carolina (presumably the Daniel Jennings born in Southampton to John and Mary Jennings on 26 May 1707, and the brother of the Henry Jennings born in 1719). He had been buried in Southampton on 13 August 1797. Privateer Privateering allowed sovereigns to raise revenue for war by mobilizing privately owned armed ships and sailors to supplement state power. For participants, privateering provided

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3520-551: A sensation in Jamaica," with many other privateers and pirates sailing to Florida to seek treasure from the wrecks along what would become known as the Treasure Coast . In Jamaica, "Jennings and his pirates were the toast of the town, not only for their daring attack but also for the many looted supplies they brought for sale to anyone with money." However, Hamilton complained to the local merchants about possible conflict with

3680-409: A share of the takings. Privateering thus offered otherwise working-class enterprises (merchant ships) with the chance at substantial wealth (prize money from captures). The opportunity mobilized local seamen as auxiliaries in an era when state capacity limited the ability of a nation to fund a professional navy via taxation. Privateers were a large part of the total military force at sea during

3840-571: A shoemaker to work as a privateer. Such was the success of Enríquez, that he became one of the wealthiest men in the New World. His fleet was composed of approx. 300 different ships during a career that spanned 35 years, becoming a military asset and reportedly outperforming the efficiency of the Armada de Barlovento . Enríquez was knighted and received the title of Don from Philip V , something unheard of due to his ethnic and social background. One of

4000-511: A war ended. The French Governor of Petit-Goave gave buccaneer Francois Grogniet blank privateering commissions, which Grogniet traded to Edward Davis for a spare ship so the two could continue raiding Spanish cities under a guise of legitimacy. New York Governors Jacob Leisler and Benjamin Fletcher were removed from office in part for their dealings with pirates such as Thomas Tew , to whom Fletcher had granted commissions to sail against

4160-505: A way to assert naval power before a strong Royal Navy emerged. Sir Andrew Barton , Lord High Admiral of Scotland , followed the example of his father, who had been issued with letters of marque by James III of Scotland to prey upon English and Portuguese shipping in 1485; the letters in due course were reissued to the son. Barton was killed following an encounter with the English in 1511. Sir Francis Drake , who had close contact with

4320-667: A young man, Newport sailed with Sir Francis Drake in the attack on the Spanish fleet at Cadiz and participated in England's defeat of the Spanish Armada. During the war with Spain, Newport seized fortunes of Spanish and Portuguese treasure in fierce sea battles in the West Indies as a privateer for Queen Elizabeth I. He lost an arm whilst capturing a Spanish ship during an expedition in 1590, but despite this, he continued on privateering, successfully blockading Western Cuba

4480-404: Is (under provision 4 of the special remainder) the heir whatsoever of the 3rd Duchess, namely Edward Stanley, 19th Earl of Derby ( b.  1962 ) (a descendant of the 6th Duke through his only daughter, Lady Elizabeth Hamilton, who married Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby ). Lord Derby is not, however, an heir to the Marquessate of Douglas and its subsidiary titles, which would pass to

4640-621: The Acts of Union 1707 , the 4th Duke was the leader of the anti-union party. He was created Duke of Brandon , in the County of Suffolk , and Baron Dutton , in the County of Chester , in the Peerage of Great Britain on 10 September 1711, but was wrongfully refused a summons to the Parliament of Great Britain under that title (although he continued to sit as a Scottish representative peer ). He

4800-508: The Bahamas , Woodes Rogers , issued a royal decree on 5 September 1717, which pardoned all pirates who surrendered within the year. In particular, the king's pardon allowed outlaws in the Bahamas to seek relief from British Authorities through a general amnesty declared. In early 1718, Jennings sailed to Bermuda to turn himself in, surrendering to authorities and accepting the reprieve. He

4960-468: The Bersheba to the wrecks this third time, he was under direct orders of Daniel De Costa Alvarenga, a Jewish merchant from Kingston who was the new owner of the sloop. Hamilton tried to stop the Bersheba from sailing on this trip, but was ignored as it had official clearance. Jennings in April 1716 set out from Bluefield's Bay in Jamaica in his sloop Bersheba , along with a fleet of ships. His intention

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5120-832: The Caribbean . He is also famous for his short-lived 1598 capture of Fort San Felipe del Morro , the citadel protecting San Juan, Puerto Rico . He arrived in Puerto Rico on June 15, 1598, but by November of that year, Clifford and his men had fled the island due to fierce civilian resistance. He gained sufficient prestige from his naval exploits to be named the official Champion of Queen Elizabeth I. Clifford became extremely wealthy through his buccaneering but lost most of his money gambling on horse races. Captain Christopher Newport led more attacks on Spanish shipping and settlements than any other English privateer. As

5280-738: The Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne and Newcastle-under-Lyne , the Duke of Argyll and Greenwich , the Duke of Monmouth and Buccleuch and the two Dukes of Queensberry and Dover and some other mainly royal dukes. Gilbert de Hameldun is recorded as witnessing a charter confirming the gift of the church at Cragyn to the Abbey of Paisley in 1271. His ancestry is uncertain but he may have been the son of William de Hamilton (third son of Robert de Beaumont, 3rd Earl of Leicester ) and Mary of Strathearn. Gilbert de Hameldun married Isabella Randolph, daughter of Thomas Randolph of Strathdon , Chamberlain of Scotland . His heir

5440-505: The Eagle . On the way his fleet encountered a Spanish merchant ship, which Jennings's captured and plundered. Afterwards he released the crew on their ship, which he did not sink. The Spanish captain followed Jennings's fleet back to Jamaica, and following it up the Cuban shore through Windward Passage and to the mouth of Port Royal Harbor . The Spanish captain then sailed to Cuba, and reported

5600-684: The Earl of Warwick , for whom Bermuda's Warwick Parish is named (the Warwick name had long been associated with commerce raiding, as exampled by the Newport Ship , thought to have been taken from the Spanish by Warwick the Kingmaker in the 15th century). Many Bermudians were employed as crew aboard privateers throughout the century, although the colony was primarily devoted to farming cash crops until turning from its failed agricultural economy to

5760-478: The English Civil War . Spanish and French attacks destroyed New Providence in 1703, creating a stronghold for pirates , and it became a thorn in the side of British merchant trade through the area. In 1718, Britain appointed Woodes Rogers as Governor of the Bahamas , and sent him at the head of a force to reclaim the settlement. Before his arrival, however, the pirates had been forced to surrender by

5920-586: The Grand Master of the Order, and were authorized to attack Muslim ships, usually merchant ships from the Ottoman Empire . The corsairs included knights of the Order, native Maltese people, as well as foreigners. When they captured a ship, the goods were sold and the crew and passengers were ransomed or enslaved, and the Order took a percentage of the value of the booty. Corsairing remained common until

6080-523: The Industrial Revolution proceeded, privateering became increasingly incompatible with modern states' monopoly on violence . Modern warships could easily outrace merchantmen , and tight controls on naval armaments led to fewer private-purchase naval weapons . Privateering continued until the 1856 Declaration of Paris , in which all major European powers stated that "Privateering is and remains abolished". The United States did not sign

6240-631: The Lothians and Cadzow (present day Hamilton in Lanarkshire ), including Cadzow Castle . The lands had previously belonged to John Comyn , who was murdered by Robert the Bruce. The 1st laird of Cadzow was succeeded as the 2nd laird by his son Sir David fitz Walter . He was a supporter of King David II and fought at the Battle of Neville's Cross (Battle of Durham) where he was captured along with

6400-415: The Peerage of France in 1548 for his part in arranging the marriage of Queen Mary to Francis, Dauphin of France . This French Dukedom was forfeited when he switched allegiances in 1559. Emperor Napoleon III "confirmed" this title for the 12th Duke of Hamilton in the 19th century, but although the 12th Duke was heir male of the 2nd Earl, the legal effect of this "confirmation" is doubtful. The 2nd Earl

6560-543: The Rose , attacked a Spanish and a French privateer holding a captive English vessel. Defeating the two enemy vessels, the Rose then cleared out the thirty-man garrison left by the Spanish and French. Despite strong sentiments in support of the rebels, especially in the early stages, Bermudian privateers turned as aggressively on American shipping during the American War of Independence . The importance of privateering to

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6720-577: The Scottish Crown Jewels from the City of Edinburgh . He also regularly attends sittings in the Court of Lord Lyon as a hereditary assessor , sitting on the bench beside Lord Lyon . The courtesy titles used by heirs apparent are "Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale" (the eldest son of the duke) and "Earl of Angus" (the eldest son of a marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale). No duke has had

6880-670: The Somers Isles Company , an offshoot of the Virginia Company , buying the shares of Lucy Russell, Countess of Bedford . The Parish of Hamilton in the Somers Isles (now Bermuda ) is named for him. Upon the death of his uncle in 1609 he succeeded as 4th Earl of Arran (of the 1503 creation) and 5th Lord Hamilton. He was also created Earl of Cambridge and Baron Innerdale in the Peerage of England on 16 June 1619. His son, James, 3rd Marquess of Hamilton ,

7040-453: The Sulu archipelago (now present-day Philippines ) held only a tenuous authority over the local Iranun communities of slave-raiders. The sultans created a carefully spun web of marital and political alliances in an attempt to control unauthorised raiding that would provoke war against them. In Malay political systems, the legitimacy and strength of their Sultan's management of trade determined

7200-554: The 1,593 vessels captured by British naval and privateering vessels between the Great Lakes and the West Indies. Among the better known (native-born and immigrant) Bermudian privateers were Hezekiah Frith , Bridger Goodrich, Henry Jennings , Thomas Hewetson, and Thomas Tew . Bermudians were also involved in privateering from the short-lived English colony on Isla de Providencia , off the coast of Nicaragua. This colony

7360-711: The 1599 Earldom of Arran and the Lordships of Hamilton, Aven and Aberbrothwick in the Peerage of Scotland, and the Earldom of Cambridge and the Barony of Innerdale in the Peerage of England) became extinct. In 1656, the 3rd Duchess married William Douglas, 1st Earl of Selkirk , third son of William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas . He had been created Earl of Selkirk and Lord Daer and Shortcleuch on 4 August 1646. He changed his surname to "Hamilton", and on 20 September 1660

7520-425: The 15th century, the country "lacked an institutional structure and coordinated finance". When piracy became an increasing problem, merchant communities such as Bristol began to resort to self-help, arming and equipping ships at their own expense to protect commerce. The licensing of these privately owned merchant ships by the Crown enabled them to legitimately capture vessels that were deemed pirates. This constituted

7680-571: The 1789 Assessment, a Henry Jennings Trimingham baptised in Paget Parish in 1799, and Henry Jennings Williams, baptised in Devonshire Parish in 1804, among others. The Bermuda Gazette for 5 February 1796 has an advert on the first page placed by a Henry Jennings, asking that any persons to whom he was indebted render their accounts to him at his room, or at the store of Robert Bassett, Esquire. The Bermuda Gazette for 19 August 1797 has

7840-660: The 17th and 18th centuries. In the first Anglo-Dutch War , English privateers attacked the trade on which the United Provinces entirely depended, capturing over 1,000 Dutch merchant ships. During the subsequent war with Spain , Spanish and Flemish privateers in the service of the Spanish Crown, including the Dunkirkers , captured 1,500 English merchant ships, helping to restore Dutch international trade. British trade, whether coastal, Atlantic, or Mediterranean,

8000-557: The 18th century, preying on the shipping of Spain, France, and other nations during a series of wars, including the 1688 to 1697 Nine Years' War ( King William's War ); the 1702 to 1713 Queen Anne's War ; the 1739 to 1748 War of Jenkins' Ear ; the 1740 to 1748 War of the Austrian Succession ( King George's War ); the 1754 to 1763 Seven Years' War (known in the United States as the French and Indian War ), this conflict

8160-401: The 1st Duke's elder daughter. Upon his death in 1651, with no further heirs in the immediate male line, the Dukedom (and the titles created with it), as well as the Earldom of Lanark (and the title created with it), passed to that daughter, Anne, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton . The 1503 Earldom of Arran and the Lordship of Hamilton became dormant, and all the other titles (the Marquessate of Hamilton,

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8320-436: The Americans as enabling the rebellious colonies to win their independence. Also, the Americans were dependent on Turks salt, and one hundred barrels of gunpowder were stolen from a Bermudian magazine and supplied to the rebels as orchestrated by Colonel Henry Tucker and Benjamin Franklin , and as requested by George Washington , in exchange for which the Continental Congress authorised the sale of supplies to Bermuda, which

8480-431: The Bermudian economy had been increased not only by the loss of most of Bermuda's continental trade but also by the Palliser Act , which forbade Bermudian vessels from fishing the Grand Banks . Bermudian trade with the rebellious American colonies actually carried on throughout the war. Some historians credit the large number of Bermuda sloops (reckoned at over a thousand) built-in Bermuda as privateers and sold illegally to

8640-415: The Declaration over stronger language that protects all private property from capture at sea, but has not issued letters of marque in any subsequent conflicts. In the 19th century, many nations passed laws forbidding their nationals from accepting commissions as privateers for other nations. The last major power to flirt with privateering was Prussia in the 1870 Franco-Prussian War , when Prussia announced

8800-405: The Duke of Hamilton, though still using the surname "Hamilton", was patrilineally a "Douglas" (through the 3rd Duchess's husband), the 7th Duke became heir male of the House of Douglas and inherited the Duke of Douglas's subsidiary titles (although not the Dukedom), succeeding as 4th Marquess of Douglas, 14th and 4th Earl of Angus and 4th Lord Abernethy and Jedburgh Forest. He died without issue and

8960-466: The Dukedom of Douglas (and the titles created with it) became extinct, but the Marquessate of Douglas, both Earldoms of Angus and the Lordship of Abernethy and Jedburgh Forest passed to his second cousin twice removed and heir male, James Hamilton, 7th Duke of Hamilton . The arms of the current Duke of Hamilton and Brandon are: quarterly: 1st and 4th grand quarters: quarterly: 1st and 4th, Gules three Cinquefoils Ermine (for Hamilton); 2nd and 3rd, Argent

9120-433: The Dukedom of Hamilton contained a special remainder. It stipulated that the Dukedom should descend to: As the first Duke and his brother (the second Duke) both died without surviving sons, the succession has, since 1651, been governed by the third rule given, with the dukedom going to the grantee's daughter (the third Duchess) and her heirs male. George Douglas, an illegitimate son of William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas ,

9280-434: The Florida shipwreck raids, and by early 1716, the Governor of Bermuda stated that there were over 1,000 pirates in Nassau and that they outnumbered the mere hundred of inhabitants in the town. Jennings became an unofficial mayor of the growing pirate colony in Nassau, or the Republic of Pirates , and author Johnson-Mist would later describe him as "Captain Jennings, who was [the Nassau pirates'] Commodore, and who always bore

9440-477: The Florida wrecks for plunder. It was one of his last acts as governor before Hamilton was himself arrested, and overall he declared all passes issued to treasure hunters null and void, meaning that henceforth, any captain attacking Spanish forts or vessels in peacetime was a pirate. On his third trip to the wrecks, Jennings intercepted a Spanish vessel as it returned from the salvage site, and reappeared off Port Royal with 30,000 pieces of eight he’d forcibly taken from

9600-467: The French captain to write a letter to Hamilton, absolving the attackers of wrongdoing. A sailing canoe later approached the St. Marie to trade while the crew was dividing spoils, and Jennings's then "inflicted punishments" on the new captives to locate their larger vessel. When he went off to find the Marianne , he found that Hornigold had already commandeered the ship. Jennings set sail afterwards, ordering all vessels to chase Hornigold down. The crew of

9760-437: The French ship to assess what was on board. Jennings’s, meeting with the other captains, declared he would attack at night so the Bersheba would not be sunk in a direct attack. Only Liddell voted against the attack, arguing it was piracy, as the St. Marie was a legal vessel. He was outvoted, with 23 of his crew joining Jennings's forces for the attack as well. That evening, Bellamy and Williams hailed Jennings, meeting him for

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9920-434: The French, but who ignored his commission to raid Mughal shipping in the Red Sea instead. Some privateers faced prosecution for piracy. William Kidd accepted a commission from King William III of England to hunt pirates but was later hanged for piracy. He had been unable to produce the papers of the prizes he had captured to prove his innocence. Privateering commissions were easy to obtain during wartime but when

10080-468: The Isle of Wight by one, Captain James Reskinner [ James Reiskimmer ], a ship very richly laden with silver, gold, diamonds, pearls, jewels, and many other precious commodities taken by him in virtue of a commission of the said Earl [of Warwick] from the subjects of his Catholic Majesty ... to the infinite wrong and dishonour of his Catholic Majesty, to find himself thus injured and violated, and his subjects thus spoiled, robbed, impoverished and murdered in

10240-534: The King. His son David Hamilton , the 3rd laird, was the first to establish Hamilton as the family name. David Hamilton's son Sir John Hamilton became the 4th laird and was, in turn, succeeded as the 5th laird by his son James Hamilton . The 5th laird was succeeded as 6th laird by his son, Sir James Hamilton , who was created a Lord of Parliament as Lord Hamilton on 3 July 1445. In early 1474, he married Princess Mary, Countess of Arran , daughter of King James II and widow of Thomas Boyd, 1st Earl of Arran . He

10400-420: The Law of Arms," with explicit instructions not to attack anyone except pirates. History Today states that it was later claimed that Hamilton had invested in the ships and endorsed a plan for them to attack the Spanish wrecks as well. Hamilton would later deny involvement in the upcoming attacks on Spanish wrecks. In December, Jennings and Charles Vane captured a Spanish mail ship and got the exact position of

10560-402: The Revolution they used their knowledge of Bermudians and of Bermuda, as well as their vessels, for the rebels' cause. In the 1777 Battle of Wreck Hill, brothers Charles and Francis Morgan, members of a large Bermudian enclave that had dominated Charleston, South Carolina and its environs since settlement, captaining two sloops (the Fair American and the Experiment , respectively), carried out

10720-408: The Spanish over the pirates, who in turn advised Jennings to quietly leave Jamaica. Jennings sold the rest of his booty, and prepared to leave with his men. Shortly after leaving Jamaica, Jennings and his men overtook and plundered a Jamaican merchant vessel of Englishmen, stripping valuables down to the captain's clothing. The merchant ship sailed back to Jamaica and told of the incident, where Jennings

10880-467: The Spanish salvage camp. The nucleus of the pirate force was a group of English ex-privateers: Jennings, Charles Vane (on the Bersheba ), Samuel Bellamy , Benjamin Hornigold , and Edward England . When Jennings and his men raided the storehouses, they forced the retreat of around 60 soldiers with superior numbers of 300 privateers, stealing about £ 87,500 in gold and silver, equivalent to a ten-year salary. The New Providence capital of Nassau by 1715

11040-556: The Spanish vessel. Hamilton made it clear that Jennings would be arrested if the Bersheba entered Kingston harbor, and the sloop and the cargo impounded. Jennings and his crew chose to sail away with their cargo. Declared a pirate by Lord Archibald Hamilton, Jennings could not return to Jamaica, and so he established Nassau as his base for further raids on Spanish wrecks. Also evicted from the mainland of Jamaica, many pirates followed Jennings's example and headed for New Providence. Nassau's pirate population grew from dozens to hundreds after

11200-429: The alternate name of the Islands of Bermuda commemorating Admiral Sir George Somers ) in 1625, discovered two islands off the coast of Nicaragua, 80 kilometres (50 mi) apart from each other. Camock stayed with 30 of his men to explore one of the islands, San Andrés, while Elfrith took the Warwicke back to Bermuda bringing news of Providence Island. Bermuda Governor Bell wrote on behalf of Elfrith to Sir Nathaniel Rich,

11360-455: The best-allied plunder of British trade, particularly in the West Indies. During the American Revolutionary War , the Continental Congress , and some state governments (on their own initiative), issued privateering licenses, authorizing "legal piracy", to merchant captains in an effort to take prizes from the British Navy and Tory (Loyalist) privateers. This was done due to the relatively small number of commissioned American naval vessels and

11520-706: The booty. In March 1636 the Company dispatched Captain Robert Hunt on the Blessing to assume the governorship of what was now viewed as a base for privateering. Depredations continued, leading to growing tension between England and Spain, which were still technically at peace. On 11 July 1640, the Spanish Ambassador in London complained again, saying he understands that there is lately brought in at

11680-534: The brig Rover and Joseph Barss of the schooner Liverpool Packet . The latter schooner captured over 50 American vessels during the War of 1812 . The English colony of Bermuda (or the Somers Isles ), settled accidentally in 1609, was used as a base for English privateers from the time it officially became part of the territory of the Virginia Company in 1612, especially by ships belonging to Robert Rich ,

11840-552: The burning of an innocent Englishman's merchant sloop. In April 1716, he captured the French vessel Marianne . During the attack, he fired the Bersheba' s great gun himself, easily taking the ship. At this time he encountered Benjamin Hornigold in the Benjamin attempting to join in the plunder of the Marianne . Jennings harshly rebuffed Hornigold for interfering in his "official" operation, so Hornigold and other ships involved in

12000-509: The church. The Spanish took sixty guns, and captured the 350 settlers who remained on the island – others had escaped to the Mosquito Coast. They took the prisoners to Cartagena. The women and children were given a passage back to England. The Spanish found gold, indigo, cochineal and six hundred black slaves on the island, worth a total of 500,000 ducats, some of the accumulated booty from the raids on Spanish ships. Rather than destroy

12160-503: The colony. The Spanish were repelled and forced to retreat "in haste and disorder". After the attack, King Charles I of England issued letters of marque to the Providence Island Company on 21 December 1635 authorizing raids on the Spanish in retaliation for a raid that had destroyed the English colony on Tortuga earlier in 1635 ( Tortuga had come under the protection of the Providence Island Company. In 1635

12320-489: The commanding officer of the vessel was in possession of a valid Letter of Marque (fr. Lettre de Marque or Lettre de Course ), and the officers and crew conducted themselves according to contemporary admiralty law . By acting on behalf of the French Crown, if captured by the enemy, they could claim treatment as prisoners of war , instead of being considered pirates. Because corsairs gained a swashbuckling reputation,

12480-475: The continent for food), and is one of very few pirates said to have enjoyed a successful retirement. It is unknown what his ultimate fate was, though some historians speculate that he was captured by the Spaniards in his later years, dying in obscurity in a New Spanish prison. Other legends have him growing old with his family in Bermuda. He is not listed on the 1727 property tax assessment of Bermuda (which lists

12640-581: The creation of a 'volunteer navy' of ships privately-owned and -manned, but eligible for prize money. (Prussia argued that the Declaration did not forbid such a force, because the ships were subject to naval discipline.) In England , and later the United Kingdom , the ubiquity of wars and the island nation's reliance on maritime trade enabled the use of privateers to great effect. England also suffered much from other nations' privateering. During

12800-617: The current duke of Hamilton and Brandon are: The duke of Hamilton and Brandon is the hereditary keeper of the Palace of Holyroodhouse , the official royal residence in Scotland, where he maintains large private quarters. He is also, as Lord Abernethy and in this respect successor to the Gaelic earls of Fife , the hereditary bearer of the Crown of Scotland , a role which the 15th duke performed at

12960-517: The defenses, as instructed, Pimienta left a small garrison of 150 men to hold the island and prevent occupation by the Dutch. Later that year, Captain John Humphrey , who had been chosen to succeed Captain Butler as governor, arrived with a large group of dissatisfied settlers from New England. He found the Spanish occupying the islands, and sailed away. Pimienta's decision to occupy the island

13120-545: The end of the 18th century. During King George's War , approximately 36,000 Americans served aboard privateers at one time or another. During the Nine Years War , the French adopted a policy of strongly encouraging privateers, including the famous Jean Bart , to attack English and Dutch shipping. England lost roughly 4,000 merchant ships during the war. In the following War of Spanish Succession , privateer attacks continued, Britain losing 3,250 merchant ships. In

13280-401: The event the privateer turned pirate. Other European countries followed suit. The shift from treason to property also justified the criminalisation of traditional sea-raiding activities of people Europeans wished to colonise. The legal framework around authorised sea-raiding was considerably murkier outside of Europe. Unfamiliarity with local forms of authority created difficulty determining who

13440-407: The extent he exerted control over the sea-raiding of his coastal people. Privateers were implicated in piracy for a number of complex reasons. For colonial authorities, successful privateers were skilled seafarers who brought in much-needed revenue, especially in newly settled colonial outposts. These skills and benefits often caused local authorities to overlook a privateer's shift into piracy when

13600-568: The first time and joining the force preparing for the sneak attack. After the successful attack, on 4 April 1716, Jennings questioned the French crew. The French captain later reported that Jennings's crew "tormented" the French crew, forcing them to reveal where they had hidden 30,000 pieces of eight onshore. Jennings kept the St. Marie and appointed Carnegie the captain, giving the French captain Carnegie's Discovery instead. Furthermore, Jennings forced

13760-560: The following year. In 1592, Newport captured the Portuguese carrack Madre de Deus (Mother of God), valued at £500,000. Sir Henry Morgan was a successful privateer. Operating out of Jamaica, he carried on a war against Spanish interests in the region, often using cunning tactics. His operation was prone to cruelty against those he captured, including torture to gain information about booty, and in one case using priests as human shields . Despite reproaches for some of his excesses, he

13920-615: The gold gained from these raids. English ships cruised in the Caribbean and off the coast of Spain, trying to intercept treasure fleets from the Spanish Main . During the Anglo-Spanish War (1585-1604) England continued to rely on private ships-of-war to attack Iberian shipping because the Queen had insufficient finance to fund this herself. After the war ended many unemployed English privateers turned to piracy. Elizabeth

14080-497: The highest time of peace, league and amity with your Majesty. Nathaniel Butler , formerly Governor of Bermuda, was the last full governor of Providence Island, replacing Robert Hunt in 1638. Butler returned to England in 1640, satisfied that the fortifications were adequate, deputizing the governorship to Captain Andrew Carter. In 1640, don Melchor de Aguilera , Governor and Captain-General of Cartagena, resolved to remove

14240-519: The immediate west of which is still known as Jennings' Land after Captain Richard Jennings (who was a member of the Council of Bermuda during and after the English Civil War ). The survey of Bermuda (that lists the land shares the colony was divided into, along with the owner of each and the occupant, where different) completed over 1662 and 1663 by Richard Norwood lists two people with

14400-591: The inauguration of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, as did the 16th duke at the State Opening of Parliament, 30 June 2011. As Hereditary Bearer of the Crown of Scotland, the 16th Duke also placed the crown upon the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II during a service of remembrance in St Giles' Cathedral on 12 September 2022. Traditionally, the duke of Hamilton enjoys the exclusive right to remove

14560-400: The intolerable infestation of pirates on the island. Taking advantage of having infantry from Castile and Portugal wintering in his port, he dispatched six hundred armed Spaniards from the fleet and the presidio, and two hundred black and mulatto militiamen under the leadership of don Antonio Maldonado y Tejada , his Sergeant Major, in six small frigates and a galleon. The troops were landed on

14720-404: The island as a base to split the French spoils. According to Jennings's quartermaster, there was some dispute on how the spoils were distributed among the men. After some of the men began to take spoils on their initiative, Jennings split the French spoils three ways: one third for the men, and one third each for sloop owners Daniel Axtell and Jasper Ashworth (brother of Leigh Ashworth). According to

14880-631: The island, and a fierce fight ensued. The Spanish were forced to withdraw when a gale blew up and threatened their ships. Carter had the Spanish prisoners executed. When the Puritan leaders protested against this brutality, Carter sent four of them home in chains. The Spanish acted decisively to avenge their defeat. General Francisco Díaz Pimienta was given orders by King Philip IV of Spain , and sailed from Cartagena to Providence with seven large ships, four pinnaces , 1,400 soldiers and 600 seamen, arriving on 19 May 1641. At first, Pimienta planned to attack

15040-418: The issuing of privateering contracts. These contracts allowed an income option to the inhabitants of these colonies that were not related to the Spanish conquistadores. The most well-known privateer corsairs of the eighteenth century in the Spanish colonies were Miguel Enríquez of Puerto Rico and José Campuzano-Polanco of Santo Domingo . Miguel Enríquez was a Puerto Rican mulatto who abandoned his work as

15200-684: The land of Captain William Sayle in Smith's Parish that was at the time "appertayning and laid out" , and also occupying three tenements and three shares of land belonging to Captain William Sayle); and widow Anne Jennings (with a property stretching from Bailey's Bay to Harrington Sound in Hamilton Parish). Few Seventeenth Century Church of England registers for Bermuda's nine parishes survive from this period (a 1723 copy of

15360-458: The legitimacy of their prize claim. If the nationality of a prize was not the enemy of the commissioning sovereign, the privateer could not claim the ship as a prize. Doing so would be an act of piracy. In British law, under the Offences at Sea Act 1536 , piracy, or raiding a ship without a valid commission, was an act of treason . By the late 17th century, the prosecution of privateers loyal to

15520-570: The main Spanish salvage camp and Urca de Lima from her captain Pedro de la Vega. By the time Jennings arrived in Florida in early 1716, most of the treasure from the 1715 Treasure Fleet had already been returned to Havana after collection by Indian divers. However, Jennings found the rest awaiting shipment on the beach in a lightly guarded fort at Palma de Ayz, possibly close to Vero Beach . Jennings's first recorded act of piracy took place when, with three vessels and 150–300 men, his fleet ambushed

15680-438: The marquesses of Hamilton) and later "Marquess of Clydesdale" (the former style then being adopted for a grandson in direct line). The heir apparent to the Earldom of Lanark (before that title merged with the dukedom) was styled "Lord Polmont". The duke of Hamilton and Brandon is one of only five British peers to hold more than one dukedom, the others being: Historically, several other peers have held multiple dukedoms, including

15840-498: The most famous privateers from Spain was Amaro Pargo . Corsairs (French: corsaire) were privateers, authorized to conduct raids on shipping of a nation at war with France, on behalf of the French Crown. Seized vessels and cargo were sold at auction, with the corsair captain entitled to a portion of the proceeds. Although not French Navy personnel, corsairs were considered legitimate combatants in France (and allied nations), provided

16000-488: The newly captured St. Marie , however, lagged behind the other ships, and the rest of the fleet was out of sight by the time they weighed anchor. Jennings, failing to capture Hornigold, returned to the bay several hours later with the Barsheba and Mary , to discover that Bellamy and Williams had surprised Jennings's prize crew and the French prisoners to take control of the St. Marie at gunpoint. They had then rowed off in

16160-580: The next ship captured for Jennings's fleet, with the ship also manned with some of Jennings's own crew. As his fleet and his fame grew, his fleet became too large and needed to be split into two groups. Jennings attacked the Spanish wrecks again in January 1716 with the Bathsheba . He again went after a warehouse of salvaged Spanish treasure. The leader of the Spanish salvagers offered Jennings 25,000 pieces of eight to leave them alone, and while Jennings took

16320-502: The offering, he also continued pillaging the outmanned Spaniards, taking even their personal possessions and some of their Spanish cannons before sailing away. Jennings and the crews remained in Jamaica until the end of February. At that time, when Jennings came to Hamilton about permission for a new cruise, Hamilton signed his departure papers personally, also signing another commission for Jennings. In early March 1716, Jennings sent word to fellow captains and his men that he would be making

16480-715: The only attack on Bermuda during the war. The target was a fort that guarded a little used passage through the encompassing reef line. After the soldiers manning the fort were forced to abandon it, they spiked its guns and fled themselves before reinforcements could arrive. When the Americans captured the Bermudian privateer Regulator , they discovered that virtually all of her crew were black slaves. Authorities in Boston offered these men their freedom, but all 70 elected to be treated as prisoners of war . Sent as such to New York on

16640-586: The owners of properties liable for taxation required to provide funds for colonial defence, including: Mrs. Hannah Jennings in Smith's Parish, Colonel John Jennings in Southampton Parish, John Jennings in St. David's Island , St. George's Parish , and Colonel Richard Jennings in Smith's Parish and Devonshire Parish ). Various men named "Henry Jennings" populate Bermuda's history, including a Henry Jennings who owned land in Hamilton Parish on

16800-531: The pirates worked together through the "Flying Gang" and quickly became infamous for their exploits. However, Nassau eye-witness John Vickers was not referring to Jennings or other Jamaican privateers as part of the Flying Gang by the summer of 1716. Hamilton was arrested in October 1716 for the crime of violating treaties with the Spaniards, and he left Jamaica on about 22 September to England, accompanied by

16960-467: The plundering of his ship to the Spanish viceroy. As a result, the viceroy, who had also heard of Jennings's pillaging the shore camp, was "outraged," and contacted Hamilton to demand the pirates be hanged. The viceroy also threatened to kill Englishmen in locales such as Havana if Hamilton did not comply. With Hamilton stating he knew nothing of such pirates and there must have been a mistake, said he would, in turn, flog any Spanish he could find in Jamaica if

17120-599: The poorly defended east side, and the English rushed there to improvise defenses. With the winds against him, Pimienta changed plans and made for the main New Westminster harbor and launched his attack on 24 May. He held back his large ships to avoid damage, and used the pinnaces to attack the forts. The Spanish troops quickly gained control, and once the forts saw the Spanish flag flying over the governor's house, they began negotiations for surrender. On 25 May 1641, Pimienta formally took possession and celebrated mass in

17280-477: The potential for a greater income and profit than obtainable as a merchant seafarer or fisher. However, this incentive increased the risk of privateers turning to piracy when war ended. The commission usually protected privateers from accusations of piracy, but in practice the historical legality and status of privateers could be vague. Depending on the specific sovereign and the time period, commissions might be issued hastily; privateers might take actions beyond what

17440-527: The pressing need for prisoner exchange . Duke of Hamilton Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland , created in April 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that peerage (except for the Dukedom of Rothesay held by the sovereign's eldest son), and as such its holder is the premier peer of Scotland, as well as being head of both the House of Hamilton and the House of Douglas . The title,

17600-554: The privateer's persona as heroic patriots. British privateers last appeared en masse in the Napoleonic Wars . England and Scotland practiced privateering both separately and together after they united to create the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. It was a way to gain for themselves some of the wealth the Spanish and Portuguese were taking from the New World before beginning their own trans-Atlantic settlement, and

17760-495: The raid afterwards attacked other French ships instead. After the raid on the Marianne , Jennings, Ashworth, and another captain set sail for New Providence , an island in the Bahamas and former capital of the collapsed Bahamian government. On the way to New Providence, Jennings chased down Hornigold to secure the treasure from the Mary , a ship Hornigold had just captured. Reaching New Providence about 22 April 1716, Jennings used

17920-677: The register of Southampton Parish from 1619, the Pembroke Parish register from 1645, and Devonshire Parish register from 1668), including none for Hamilton or Smith's Parishes, and fewer survive for the Eighteenth Century, with the Register from 1758 to 1761 surviving for Smith's Parish. The surviving registers show a Henry Jennings born on 16 February 1719 (too young to be Captain Henry Jennings), in Southampton,

18080-463: The remainder of the journey. The day after Stone was captured, another pirate tried to take Jennings, but he subdued the attempt. In December 1716, Jennings had his spoils transferred in Kingston. Details of Jennings life from this time have been reconstructed from the depositions of Peter Heywood , who became the new acting governor of Jamaica as Hamilton was removed. The newly appointed Governor of

18240-634: The sea after the 1684 dissolution of the Somers Isles Company (a spin-off of the Virginia Company, which had overseen the colony since 1615). With a total area of 54 square kilometres (21 sq mi) and lacking any natural resources other than the Bermuda cedar , the colonists applied themselves fully to the maritime trades, developing the speedy Bermuda sloop , which was well suited both to commerce and to commerce raiding. Bermudian merchant vessels turned to privateering at every opportunity in

18400-459: The second of Bellamy's periaguas seized and "cut to pieces," presumably with the remainder of Bellamy's men onboard. He also ordered Captain Young's sloop burnt to the waterline. Afterwards, he ordered his fleet sail to Nassau to divide the remaining spoils. When Bellamy double-crossed Jennings, Jennings's ruthlessness was evidenced in the brutal slaying of more than 20 Frenchmen and Englishmen, and

18560-513: The shares of Lucy Harrington, Countess of Bedford , with the Parish of Bedford in the Somers Isles (alias Bermuda ), with which Jennings's family was connected, re-named Hamilton . There is evidence that Jennings owned enough land in Jamaica to live comfortably, thus leaving his motivations for piracy to conjecture. On 31 July 1715, all 11 vessels of the 1715 Treasure Fleet , a large Spanish treasure fleet heading out from Havana , wrecked in

18720-483: The sight of Jennings's four sloops British colors, fleeing sailing canoes. Captain Young, of the ship being attacked by Bellamy, expected Jennings to rescue him, but Jennings instead commandeered the ship and began moving it into bay to decide what to do with it. In that process, his fleet encountered a large armed merchant ship flying French colors in a harbor, named the St. Marie . He dropped anchor with his flotilla of five ships out of sight and sent several men in to hail

18880-414: The sloop Duxbury , they seized the vessel and sailed it back to Bermuda. One-hundred and thirty prizes were brought to Bermuda in the year between 4th day of April 1782 and the 4th day of April 1783 alone, including three by Royal Naval vessels and the remainder by privateers. The War of 1812 saw an encore of Bermudian privateering, which had died out after the 1790s. The decline of Bermudian privateering

19040-621: The sovereign, was responsible for some damage to Spanish shipping, as well as attacks on Spanish settlements in the Americas in the 16th century. He participated in the successful English defence against the Spanish Armada in 1588, though he was also partly responsible for the failure of the English Armada against Spain in 1589. Sir George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland , was a successful privateer against Spanish shipping in

19200-401: The subsequent conflict, the War of Austrian Succession , the Royal Navy was able to concentrate more on defending British ships. Britain lost 3,238 merchantmen, a smaller fraction of her merchant marine than the enemy losses of 3,434. While French losses were proportionally severe, the smaller but better protected Spanish trade suffered the least and it was Spanish privateers who enjoyed much of

19360-406: The subsequent history of those titles, which were eventually inherited by the 12th Duke of Hamilton, becoming separated again from the Dukedom on the death of the 13th Duke in 1940). On 9 July 1698, the 3rd Duchess resigned all her titles in favour of her eldest son, James, Earl of Arran , who thereby succeeded as 4th Duke in his mother's lifetime (his father had died in 1694). During the lead-up to

19520-575: The surname Jennings: Captain Richard Jennings (in command of Southampton Fort, which is one of the Castle Harbour fortifications in St. George's Parish , as owner of two properties in Smith's Parish, including Jennings's Land (which Norwood's first survey of 1622 had shown as part of Smith's Parish share 11, then owned by Henry Timberley), and of one in Southampton Parish, with also three of twenty-five shares of common land neighbouring

19680-481: The threat to English lives was carried out. The Barsheba dropped anchor in Jamaica on 26 January 1716. Jennings and Willis, in accordance with their commissions, brought their treasure to Hamilton. Although Hamilton later stated he did not take his share of the treasure, as "I heard it was taken from the shore", he did not arrest Jennings either, nor other privateers. History Today related that "Jennings and Wills' arrival with their illicitly acquired fortune created

19840-514: The town of Hamilton in Lanarkshire , and many places around the world are named after members of the Hamilton family . The ducal family's surname, originally " Hamilton ", is now " Douglas-Hamilton ". Since 1711, the dukedom has been held together with the Dukedom of Brandon in the Peerage of Great Britain , and the dukes since that time have been styled Duke of Hamilton and Brandon , along with several other subsidiary titles. The titles held by

20000-495: The usurped King James II for piracy began to shift the legal framework of piracy away from treason towards crime against property. As a result, privateering commissions became a matter of national discretion. By the passing of the Piracy Act 1717 , a privateer's allegiance to Britain overrode any allegiance to a sovereign providing the commission. This helped bring privateers under the legal jurisdiction of their home country in

20160-589: The vessels and recruit large crews, much larger than a merchantman or a naval vessel would carry, in order to crew the prizes they captured. Privateers generally cruised independently, but it was not unknown for them to form squadrons, or to co-operate with the regular navy. A number of privateers were part of the English fleet that opposed the Spanish Armada in 1588. Privateers generally avoided encounters with warships, as such encounters would be at best unprofitable. Still, such encounters did occur. For instance, in 1815 Chasseur encountered HMS St Lawrence , herself

20320-838: The war ended and sovereigns recalled the privateers, many refused to give up the lucrative business and turned to piracy. Boston minister Cotton Mather lamented after the execution of pirate John Quelch : Yea, since the privateering stroke so easily degenerates into the piratical and the privateering trade is usually carried on with so un-Christian a temper and proves an inlet unto so much debauchery and iniquity and confusion, I believe I shall have good men concur with me in wishing that privateering may no more be practised except there may appear more hopeful circumstances to encourage it. Privateers who were considered legitimate by their governments include: Entrepreneurs converted many different types of vessels into privateers, including obsolete warships and refitted merchant ships. The investors would arm

20480-421: The wind with 28,500 pieces of eight. Jennings arrived to find Bellamy sailing away, and although he fruitlessly gave chase, he gave up and returned to the St. Marie to find the valuables taken. As a reward for betraying Jennings, Hornigold gave Bellamy the Marianne , although Blackbeard had expected to be given that command himself. Jennings was furious at the loss of the valuables on the St. Marie . He had

20640-511: The word "corsair" is also used generically as a more romantic or flamboyant way of referring to privateers, or even to pirates. The Barbary pirates of North Africa as well as Ottomans were sometimes called "Turkish corsairs". Corsairing ( Italian : corso ) was an important aspect of Malta's economy when the island was ruled by the Order of St. John , although the practice had begun earlier. Corsairs sailed on privately owned ships on behalf of

20800-426: The wrecks in Florida after his raids on the French, stopping ships such as Spanish mailboats along the way. In April 1716, the Spanish salvagers had left the site of Jennings's first two attacks, and Jennings returned again to the site, this time leading efforts to recover more sunken treasure. After political pressure, Hamilton issued proclamations in April 1716 forbidding all commissioned vessels in Jamaica from fishing

20960-529: The years prior to American independence, mostly to the American colonies. Many Bermudians occupied prominent positions in American seaports, from where they continued their maritime trades (Bermudian merchants controlled much of the trade through ports like Charleston, South Carolina , and Bermudian shipbuilders influenced the development of American vessels, like the Chesapeake Bay schooner ), and in

21120-439: The youngest of ten children of John and Mary Jennings (who had married in Southampton on 25 March 1698). John Jennings was presumably the person of the same name, the youngest of three children of another John Jennings and a mother whose name is unknown, whose birth and baptism were recorded in the Southampton register in 1680, with the elder John Jennings possibly a relative of Captain Richard Jennings of Smith's. A John Jennings and

21280-423: The youngest son of William, Duke of Hamilton , and Anne, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton ; his father having been created Duke of Hamilton following his marriage. His mother was the daughter of James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton and 3rd Marquess of Hamilton , whose own father was James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton , who had moved to England with James VI and I , and invested in the Somers Isles Company , buying

21440-618: Was Walter fitz Gilbert . He was governor of Bothwell Castle for the English Crown during the First War of Scottish Independence . Following the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, he gave refuge to the Earl of Hertford and other escapees, only to deliver them and Bothwell up to Edward Bruce . He then became a Bruce partisan. Sometime between 1315 and 1329, Robert the Bruce knighted him and granted him lands in Renfrewshire and

21600-475: Was also attacked by Dutch privateers and others in the Second and Third Anglo-Dutch wars. Piet Pieterszoon Hein was a brilliantly successful Dutch privateer who captured a Spanish treasure fleet. Magnus Heinason was another privateer who served the Dutch against the Spanish. While their and others' attacks brought home a great deal of money, they hardly dented the flow of gold and silver from Mexico to Spain. As

21760-423: Was approved in 1643 and he was made a knight of the Order of Santiago . When Spain issued a decree blocking foreign countries from trading, selling or buying merchandise in its Caribbean colonies, the entire region became engulfed in a power struggle among the naval superpowers. The newly independent United States later became involved in this scenario, complicating the conflict. As a consequence, Spain increased

21920-407: Was authorized in the commission, including after its expiry. A privateer who continued raiding after the expiration of a commission or the signing of a peace treaty could face accusations of piracy. The risk of piracy and the emergence of the modern state system of centralised military control caused the decline of privateering by the end of the 19th century. The commission was the proof the privateer

22080-554: Was created Duke of Hamilton , Marquess of Clydesdale , Earl of Arran and Cambridge and Lord Aven and Innerdale on 12 April 1643, with a special remainder allowing succession through the female line should his and his brother's heirs male fail. His son, Charles, Earl of Arran, died young and the 1st Duke's titles passed to his younger brother, William, 2nd Duke of Hamilton , who had already been created Earl of Lanark and Lord Machanshire and Polmont on 31 March 1639. A surrender and regrant in 1650 allowed these also to be inherited by

22240-401: Was created Duke of Hamilton , Marquess of Clydesdale , Earl of Arran, Lanark and Selkirk and Lord Aven, Machanshire, Polmont and Daer for life . In 1688, he resigned the Earldom of Selkirk and the Lordship of Daer and Shortcleuch, and those titles were regranted to his second son, with a special remainder designed to prevent them becoming merged with the Dukedom. (See Earl of Selkirk for

22400-490: Was created Earl of Angus on 9 April 1389. His descendant, William, 11th Earl of Angus , was created Marquess of Douglas , Earl of Angus and Lord Abernethy and Jedburgh Forest on 14 June 1633. His great-grandson, Archibald, 3rd Marquess of Douglas , was created Duke of Douglas , Marquess of Angus and Abernethy , Viscount of Jedburgh Forest and Lord Douglas of Bonkill, Prestoun and Robertoun on 10 April 1703. He died, married but childless, in 1761, at which point

22560-565: Was dependent on American produce. The realities of this interdependence did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm with which Bermudian privateers turned on their erstwhile countrymen. An American naval captain, ordered to take his ship out of Boston Harbor to eliminate a pair of Bermudian privateering vessels that had been picking off vessels missed by the Royal Navy, returned frustrated, saying, "the Bermudians sailed their ships two feet for every one of ours". Around 10,000 Bermudians emigrated in

22720-472: Was described as a pirate for preying on both English and Spanish ships. Around this time, a Spanish squadron of ships sent to capture Jennings instead burned the boats of several Englishmen on an island, while the Englishmen were ashore chopping wood. Jennings came across the moored men several days later, and offered to allow them to join his fleet, which they took him up on. The woodcutters were then put on

22880-429: Was devastating for the colony's merchant fleet. Fifteen privateers operated from Bermuda during the war, but losses exceeded captures; the 1775 to 1783 American War of Independence ; and the 1796 to 1808 Anglo-Spanish War . By the middle of the 18th century, Bermuda was sending twice as many privateers to sea as any of the continental colonies. They typically left Bermuda with very large crews. This advantage in manpower

23040-506: Was due partly to the buildup of the naval base in Bermuda , which reduced the Admiralty's reliance on privateers in the western Atlantic, and partly to successful American legal suits and claims for damages pressed against British privateers, a large portion of which were aimed squarely at the Bermudians. During the course of the War of 1812, Bermudian privateers captured 298 ships, some 19% of

23200-576: Was generally protected by Sir Thomas Modyford , the governor of Jamaica. He took an enormous amount of booty, as well as landing his privateers ashore and attacking land fortifications, including the sack of the city of Panama with only 1,400 crew. Other British privateers of note include Fortunatus Wright , Edward Collier , Sir John Hawkins , his son Sir Richard Hawkins , Michael Geare , and Sir Christopher Myngs . Notable British colonial privateers in Nova Scotia include Alexander Godfrey of

23360-518: Was initially settled largely via Bermuda, with about eighty Bermudians moved to Providence in 1631. Although it was intended that the colony be used to grow cash crops, its location in the heart of the Spanish controlled territory ensured that it quickly became a base for privateering. Bermuda-based privateer Daniel Elfrith , while on a privateering expedition with Captain Sussex Camock of the bark Somer Ilands (a rendering of " Somers Isles ",

23520-518: Was killed in a celebrated duel with Charles Mohun, 4th Baron Mohun (who also died) in Hyde Park in London on 15 November 1712. The 4th Duke's son James, 5th Duke of Hamilton was succeeded by his son James, 6th Duke of Hamilton and he by his son James, 7th Duke of Hamilton . In 1761, the 7th Duke's second cousin twice removed, Archibald Douglas, 1st Duke of Douglas , died without an heir. As

23680-444: Was legitimately sovereign on land and at sea, whether to accept their authority, or whether the opposing parties were, in fact, pirates. Mediterranean corsairs operated with a style of patriotic-religious authority that Europeans, and later Americans, found difficult to understand and accept. It did not help that many European privateers happily accepted commissions from the deys of Algiers , Tangiers and Tunis . The sultans of

23840-434: Was not a pirate . It usually limited activity to one particular ship, and specified officers, for a specified period of time. Typically, the owners or captain would be required to post a performance bond . The commission also dictated the expected nationality of potential prize ships under the terms of the war. At sea, the privateer captain was obliged to produce the commission to a potential prize ship's captain as evidence of

24000-485: Was one of 400 pirates who took advantage of the amnesty, and, after serving as a privateer in the War of the Quadruple Alliance , retired to Bermuda to live the rest of his life "as a wealthy, respected member of society." He retired as a wealthy plantation owner in Bermuda (though those plantations would not have been in Bermuda, which was entirely devoted to maritime activities and reliant on imports from

24160-695: Was said to exist between Bermudian and Bahamian vessels for much of the 18th century. When the Bermudian sloop Seaflower was seized by the Bahamians in 1701, the response of the Governor of Bermuda, Captain Benjamin Bennett , was to issue letters of marque to Bermudian vessels. In 1706, Spanish and French forces ousted the Bermudians but were driven out themselves three years later by the Bermudian privateer Captain Lewis Middleton . His ship,

24320-411: Was styled Lord Hamilton as is traditional for the younger sons of Earls ) was appointed to administer his brother's estates. He was created Marquess of Hamilton , Earl of Arran and Lord Aven on 17 April 1599. His son, James, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton (who had been created Lord Aberbrothwick (or Arbroath ) on 5 May 1608, before he succeeded) moved to England with King James VI , and invested into

24480-407: Was succeeded by his brother Douglas, 8th Duke of Hamilton . He left no sons and the title passed back to his uncle, the 6th Duke's brother, Archibald, 9th Duke of Hamilton . He was succeeded by his son Alexander, 10th Duke of Hamilton and then by his son William, 11th Duke of Hamilton . The 11th Duke's son William, 12th Duke of Hamilton (who changed his surname to "Hamilton Douglas") died without

24640-423: Was succeeded by his eldest son, James, 3rd Earl of Arran , who had been proposed as a husband to Queen Elizabeth I of England in 1561. In 1562 he was declared insane, and in 1581 he resigned the Earldom to James Stewart of Bothwellhaugh . However, in 1586 his resignation was ruled by the Court of Session to be the act of a madman and his honours were restored. The 3rd Earl's younger brother John Hamilton (who

24800-552: Was succeeded by his only legitimate son, James, 2nd Lord Hamilton . In 1490, then aged 15, he married the 13-year-old Elizabeth, Lady Hay, daughter of Alexander Home, 2nd Lord Home and widow of Sir Thomas Hay, Master of Yester, son and heir of John Hay, 1st Lord Hay of Yester . However, it was later discovered that Sir Thomas Hay was still alive and the marriage was annulled. The 2nd Lord married secondly Janet, Lady Livingstone, daughter of Sir David Beaton of Creich and widow of Sir Robert Livingstone of Easter Wemyss and Drumry. He became

24960-485: Was succeeded by the first Stuart monarchs, James I and Charles I , who did not permit privateering. Desperate to fund the expensive War of Spanish Succession , Queen Anne restarted privateering and even removed the need for a sovereign's percentage as an incentive. Sovereigns continued to license British privateers throughout the century, although there were a number of unilateral and bilateral declarations limiting privateering between 1785 and 1823. This helped establish

25120-452: Was the former capital of the collapsed Bahamian government. By the end of 1715, Jennings arrived in Nassau with £87,000 in recovered Spanish treasure, as the city was experiencing an expansion. According to Connor, shortly after arriving in Nassau, Jennings took a small Spanish trading sloop from Hornigold. As Jennings had 200 "well-armed" men under his command and at least two sloops, Hornigold

25280-467: Was to fish the Spanish wrecks, moving up from the Isle of Pines to Florida. They left Bluefields on the morning of 9 March, regrouping a few days later at Isla de los Pinos near Cuba. They rounded Cape Corrientes on 2 April. The following day, off the coast of Cuba, Bersheba spotted Samuel Bellamy and Paulsgrave Williams , who were looting a ship. The two pirate captains and their crews abandoned ship upon

25440-673: Was unable to stop him, with some of Jennings's men moving aboard the taken sloop to relieve crowding on the others. The flotilla left for Jamaica "after a few days of revelry and the orderly distribution of the crew's portion of the prize money." Jennings and his men then sailed for Jamaica to present their prizes to the Vice-Admiralty Court, which was presided over by Hamilton. Jennings set sail for Jamaica carrying back an estimated 350,000 peso , or 120,000 pieces of eight, accompanied by fellow Captain John Wills and his crew of

25600-505: Was vital in overpowering the crews of larger vessels, which themselves often lacked sufficient crewmembers to put up a strong defence. The extra crewmen were also useful as prize crews for returning captured vessels. The Bahamas, which had been depopulated of its indigenous inhabitants by the Spanish, had been settled by England, beginning with the Eleutheran Adventurers , dissident Puritans driven out of Bermuda during

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