Pirate Hunter Presentation PDF

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Prof Steve Murdoch ...

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William Kidd Born in Greenock in 1645 Moved to New York and was married there. As Richard Zacks states Kidd was ‘A reputable New York sea captain empowered by a secret commission from the King of England to hunt pirates, confiscate their wealth, and divvy the spoils among his investors.’ But, it’s worth mentioning that a reading of Zacks suggests that despite a detailed description and analysis of Kidd’s career, he appears notably in favour of Kidd and almost sympathetic to his plight. He seems adamant that Kidd was a privateer not a pirate. He argues that his downfall was due to the wrongdoings of his crew (which consisted of a mixture of hired men and pirates) and the unforgiving circumstances he was placed in. Zacks does sum up Kidd’s task: ‘He would have to travel in a lone ship manned by a desperate crew, searching the vast Indian Ocean for one of the five European pirate ships then active. He would have to ignore the claims of the merchants who owned stolen goods. And as soon as he set out toward the tip of Africa, he would find himself unwelcome, distrusted by the Royal Navy and despised by the English East India Company, who almost immediately claimed that the pirate hunter had turned pirate.’ He was to do this in his ship, Adventure Galley. ‘Great irony is that he fought very hard to remain honourable, but was branded by the actions of his crew, and on his head was dumped all the piracies of the era.’ But if you brake this down, in my opinion, you can see where Zacks is perhaps being a bit too lenient on Kidd. Kidd’s crew was perhaps only desperate due to the fact that Kidd hadn’t paid them what he had promised. He readily accepted the terms of his mission, and having been such an experienced mariner as Zacks describes him, it could be assumed that any disadvantages of, say leading a voyage on a lone ship manned in part by pirates, would have been foreseen by Kidd. Thirdly, Zacks later goes on to describe that as a private man of war, he will be deeply distrusted by the Royal Navy and as a commercial rival he will be despised by the English East India Company. However, I would argue that Kidd’s actions and not merely the circumstances surrounding him were the primary causes of the East India Company’s anger towards him. Kidd appears reckless in his actions, exemplified in the first few moments of his journey when he refused to dip flag or furl his topsails as a sign of respect to the king’s yacht, Katherine. His cockiness and apparent eagerness to capture pirates ultimately damaged his mission as it resulted in his damning reputation as a pirate.

Perhaps it was his lack of success during his voyage that persuaded Kidd to take the Quedagh Merchant in January 1698, off the coast of south west India. It was an Armenian ship and historians have set its value at around £50,000. Kidd was told that an agent for the English East India Company was brokering the shipping, and knew the implications it would have in India and England. However, he didn’t know that there was cargo below deck that belonged to a nobleman, close to the Grand Moghul himself. The taking of a Moslem commercial ship by Kidd created outrage in India against the English East India Company and threatened the very existence of the company within this region. Newspapers at home and elsewhere (London) had already condemned him as a pirate, just as much of the public had. From here on all of his actions were deemed piratical, his behaviour and rumours surrounding it turned him from pirate hunter to pirate in the public eye. Kidd carried on with his two prizes to Madagascar where he ran into his alleged nemesis, Robert Culliford. Up until their meeting in St. Mary’s Island, Madagascar, Kidd had failed to capture any pirates. However, when his other prizes arrived and he planned to attack, his crew mutinied 100 to 15. All in all ninety-six deserted to Culliford. So, in a round about way, Kidd created more pirates than he defeated. After Culliford’s new crew had ravaged Kidd’s two ships of goods and cargo and sank the other (the Rouparelle) Kidd’s treasure was worth around £25,000. Following his ‘escape’ from Kidd, Culliford later went on to capture a large Moslem pilgrim ship alongside Captain Derrick Shivers, which was the biggest capture in the history of piracy in the East Indies - The Great Mohammed. Possible motives for Kidd’s pirate hunting career lie in the fact that he had witnessed other successful captain’s return with twenty-three enemy prizes, such as Admiral Russel, without a single ship lost. Also, if Kidd were to succeed and managed to bring in more than £100,000 in treasure he was promised his impressive 34 cannon ship, Adventure Galley. Another motive lay in the consequences should Kidd fail. He had married rich and signed a Performance Bond for £20,000. If he failed he would be ruined and be forced to spend the rest of his life in debtor’s prison, possibly joined by his wife and family. Overall, Kidd was a relatively unsuccessful pirate hunter. This is perhaps best exemplified in the fact that he was hung for piracy and murder. Granted, his situation was difficult and his death a result of political scandal as opposed to actual piracy. However, his failure to capture Captain Culliford and his decision to take a Moslem merchant ship

whilst fully aware of the consequences for the British empire in India, shows, to an extent, a lack of competence when it came to his naval skills. On the other hand, it could be argued that his mission was doomed from the start as his blueblood backers and the king used him as a political scapegoat following the failure of their plan to avoid Admiralty courts.

James Macrae Born in Ayrshire in 1677 to very poor parents. Went to sea in 1692 and entered the service of the East Indian Company. He rose to be the Governor of Fort St. David, and in 1725 was appointed Governor of the Presidency of Madras, which was the second most important factory in India after Bombay, He stayed in this position for five years and is said to have been a very successful commercial governor. There was a thorough investigation into Macrae by the East India Company following numerous complaints against him. Thomas Seccombe put this down to vindictiveness of British and Indian personnel and merchants and not corruption on Macrae’s part. However, Herbert Maxwell said, ‘those who were fortune enough to obtain such a position seldom failed to enrich themselves by means which would probably not stand scrutiny in our austere age.’ (Bearing in mind this was written in 1917.) However, he was dedicated to curbing corruption as Governor – he exposed the fraudulent activities of the Governor of Bombay, Mr Walsh. The investigation resulted in no legal case against him and when he set sail for Britain in 1931, his fortune was estimated at over £100,000. He subsequently split his fortune between his five adopted children. Died in 1744. In contrast to Kidd, his success as a pirate hunter is clear. Macrae’s progress within his career can be attributed to his impressive encounters with the likes of Edward England and Olivier Levasseur in 1720. Whilst still a captain for the East India Company Macrae, happened to come into the Isle de Johanna in the Comoros Islands. The place also happened to be a haven frequently used by pirates and Macrae soon discovered that Olivier Levasseur’s ship had wrecked off the coast. Perhaps saw an opportunity he couldn’t miss and knew he had the upper hand in terms of men and machinery. Had seen the destruction Levasseur had caused along the 3,000 miles of Guinea Coast over the last two years.

Before he could attack, Edward England spotted them as he was returning to the island and with the help of his lieutenant, John Taylor on the Fancy, blocked Macrae’s escape. Captain Richard Kirby and a Dutch Ostend Company Ship had accompanied Macrae did nothing to help him and merely watched the battle commence before leaving. After a fierce but outnumbered fight, Macrae abandoned ship, ran into the jungle and sought refuge from the African King of the Island. However, he had succeeded in killing around 100 of England’s men. 10 days later Macrae returned and stood before the pirates alone and managed to not only survive such a move, but also secure the Fancy and some cargo from his ship, Cassandra. Macrae made such an impression upon the pirates that during their next encounter they chose to run instead of risk facing him again. There was such a strong hatred towards Macrae that all those who were suspect of sympathising with him were punished, including Edward England himself. He was marooned with three others on Mauritius (Indian Ocean). All in all, Macrae seems remarkably more competent as a pirate hunter when compared to Kidd. Whilst Kidd waited until it was too late to attack and was hindered by deep dissatisfaction within his crew regarding their treatment, Macrae succeeded in killing numerous pirates and instead of choosing to escape, negotiated the return of cargo and a ship. Macrae’s overall very successful career as a Governor also reflects his ambitious and driven attitude towards corruption, which was perhaps a motivation for his attack on piracy. There seems little evidence for Eric Graham’s claims that Macrae could have been a pirate before joining the East India Company as there is no mention of this in Alexander Hamilton’s account of the East Indies and even emphasises Macrae’s good nature.

Alexander Spotswood Born on 12 December 1676 in Tangier and came to England at age seven. Gwenda Morgan states, ‘Patronage and opportunism marked Spotswood’s distinctive military and political careers.’ Spent 17 years in the army 1710 appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Virginia Bruce P. Lenman claims that Spotswood was the greatest of Virginia’s colonel governors. However, his relations with the council and the lower house of the legislature were rocky as his agenda was costly and his attitude towards the members of the lower house was openly disapproving.

In 1718 a petition to the king accused Spotswood of subverting the constitution and sought his removal. Lenmnan claims that, ‘His behaviour towards piracy shows that he was willing to use the need for public order and defence to justify actions which others, including others governors, saw as downright illegal.’ An example is his killing of Captain Edward Teach, otherwise known as Blackbeard. After arresting and interrogating William Howard, former quarter master of Teach’s ship the Queen Anne’s Revenge, Spotswood launched an attack on Bath Town, North Carolina in order to capture a semi-retired Blackbeard. Spotswood was stepping outside of his jurisdiction and he had no legal right to carry goods or prisoners out of Carolina. However, Blackbeard had been terrorizing the town the colony and its shipping, leading other pirates to do the same. Spotswood detested the government of his neighbouring province. According to Lenmnan, the Governor attempted to strangle its economy by banning the export of tobacco from Virginia. In a vicious engagement in November 1718 at Orcacoke Inlet, Blackbeard was killed. His severed head decorated Lieutenant Robert Maynard’s bowsprit as he sailed back into James, complete with captured pirates and goods. Thirteen of Blackbeard’s men were hung. Therefore, there may have been political motives behind Blackbeard’s execution. However, Spotswood’s previous career as a solider and his dedication to the Crown may also have had an influence upon his decision to attack. Died on 7 June 1740.

Spotswood’s motive for the capture and execution Blackbeard and his crew could be a show of power or authority over his neighbours. Or perhaps he sought to gain politically or to ease tensions between himself and his council, as well as, the leading families of Virginia which he had previously failed to consolidate a relationship with. However, research into Spotswood shows his commitment to his role as Governor. He aimed to improve relations amongst his people and American Indians, even opening a school for Indian children on the frontier, and seems to have detested piracy. Therefore, the drive behind his attack on Blackbeard appears to be more moral than political....