My Planner0

To build your own Itinerary, click Add to Excursion to add an item to your Itinerary basket.

Already saved an Itinerary?

Places to Visit
Search
Places to Stay
Search
What's On
Search

Places to Visit Search

Places to Stay Search

What's On Search

Places to Stay Search

Places to Visit Search

What's On Search

Golden Age of pirates

As an island, Britain was home to several pirates and privateers. Piracy was so prevalent in fact that an era during the Elizabethan period was known as the Golden Age of Piracy.

The Golden Age of Piracy covers a time period between the 1650s and 1730s, when piracy was rife around the North Atlantic and Indian Oceans. It was typically split into three different eras, the Buccaneering Period, which mostly covered the Caribbean and saw ships attacking Spanish vessels and those transporting goods around the Pacific; the Pirate Round which involved long distance voyages between the Americas and mostly involved the East India Company and the Post Spanish Succession period, where sailors left unemployed after the end of the War of Spanish Succession turned to piracy.

History of piracy

As an island, Britain was home to several pirates and privateers. Piracy was so prevalent in fact that an era during the Elizabethan period was known as the Golden Age of Piracy.

History of piracy

Piracy began to emerge following conflicts over trade and colonisation among rival European powers, including Britain, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal and France. Most pirates in this era were of Welsh, English, Dutch, Irish and French origins and tended to come from poorer areas.

When it comes to British pirates, the majority came from coastal towns, like Bristol, Plymouth and other areas of the West Country, hence the accent we all recognise. Others came from London docklands areas.

It is believed that the Golden Age of Piracy began around 1650 following the Wars of Religion which allowed European countries to resume the development of their colonial empires. This involved sea travel, leading to rival countries attacking and raiding ships for the goods they were carrying, much of it high in value.

The increase of piracy around Tortuga began after the English captured Jamaica from Spain. The early governors freely allowed buccaneers and fellow Englishmen to raid passing shops and to sell anything they had stolen around the markets. It was around this time that the pirate Henry Morgan plundered, sacked and burned Panama City.

1690s-1700

During this decade, pirates began looking beyond the Caribbean. The Glorious Revolution in England had restored the traditional rivalry between Britain and France and ended the friendship between English Jamaica and French Tortuga.

Post Spanish Succession

From around 1714, various peace treaties ended the War of the Spanish Succession and thousands of men, who had been employed in several European navies found themselves unemployed and looking for ways to make money at the time when cross Atlantic shipping was starting to boom.

This led to a rise in piracy around the Atlantic, the majority of the British names from this time were ex-privateers and included Charles Vane, Samual Bellamy, Benjamin Hornigold and Henry Jennings.

As part of the settlement following the War of the Spanish Succession, the British South Sea Company was awarded a contract to supply slaves to Spain’s colonies and contributed heavily to the rise in piracy in this part of the world. Living conditions and wages at this time were so bad that many sailors preferred the freedom of being a pirate compared to living within the law. Sailors for the Royal Navy often had little to eat and rarely saw their families, which led to many of them deserting the crown and turning to piracy instead. This is one of the reasons why pirates were so well equipped at fighting the navy.

Pirates vs Privateers

During the Golden Age of Piracy, many that undertook piracy were excused of their crimes for being privateers. There are a few differences between the two, however, the name pirate was originally given to buccaneers who operated around the Caribbean when they were paid by the government to attack Spanish ships. Later, they started doing this without the incentive of pay.

Privateers on the other hand were private persons who engaged in maritime warfare under a commission of war, which gave them the authority to raid enemy ships with exemption from piracy charges. Privateers have been in existence since the Middle Ages, when ship owners were given permission to attack in revenge for a loss of their own ships.

The end of piracy

By the 18^th century, tolerance for privateers was wearing thin across the world, especially after the Treaty of Ultrecht, which was the result of the War of the Spanish Succession. The Treaty allowed the British to establish naval superiority in Europe, as well as control of Menorca and Gibraltar, which remains under British ownership.

Best known privateers

A Privateer is a private person who was granted permission to engage in maritime warfare. Many were awarded letters of marque from the monarch or government, which empowered them to attack foreign vessels, seize the goods and then divide the proceeds between themselves, the issuer of the letter, the crew and any sponsors.

Sir Francis Drake
Best known for circumnavigating the world in a single expedition. He would become a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I and was involved in the Spanish and English Armadas.

Sir John Hawkins
Hawkins was an early promoter of the English slave trade and was a cousin of Francis Drake. He served in the victory against the Spanish Armada and was also involved in the English Armada.

Sir George Somers
Somers was knighted for his achievements as part of the Virgina Company of London, he is remembered as the founder of the English colony of Bermuda.

Sir Walter Raleigh
Another of Queen Elizabeth’s favourites, Raleigh was granted a royal charter which allowed him to explore, colonise and rule any land that was not “possessed of any Christian Prince or inhabited by Christian People."

Best known British pirates

Black Sam Bellamy
Known as the Robin hood of Pirates, he prided himself on his ideological justifications for piracy. He was the captain of the Wydah Gally and was lost in a storm off Cape Cod in 1717.

Stede Bonnet
A rich land owner, Bonnet turned to piracy in search of adventure and was captain of the Revenge. He was caught and executed in 1718.

Henry Every
One of the major pirates of the Golden Age of Piracy who actually managed to retire without being arrested or dying in battle. He was known to captain the Ganj-i-Sawai.

William Fly
His execution is said to have ended the Golden Age of Piracy.

William Captain Kid
Supposedly left behind buried treasure that has never been found, he was executed for piracy at Execution Dock in London.

Edward Low
Unlike most pirates, who came from Britain’s coastal towns, Low was born in Westminster. He was never captured but was feared throughout the world for torturing his prisoners.

Henry Morgan
The pirate who was famous for taking Panama City and burning it to the ground. He was supposed to executed but was instead knighted and made governor of Jamaica, you might recognise his name from the brand of rum.

Calico Jack Rackham
Was known for partnering with infamous female pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read. He was captured and executed in Port Royal, Jamaica.

Black Bart Roberts
Believed to be the most successful western pirate of all time.

Edward Blackbeard Teach
The most notorious pirate, he was best known for captaining the Queen Anne’s Revenge, he was eventually killed by British sailors.

Charles Vane
Unpopular with his crew, Vane was marooned by his fellow pirates before being captured and executed.

Benjamin Hornigold
An English pirate who founded the Republic of Pirates and mentored Blackbeard. He was pardoned by the monarchy and became a pirate hunter.

Anne Bonny and Mary Read
These were the best known female pirates. Bonny had a notorious reputation and eloped with Calico Jack Rackham. Read had been posing as a man her entire life and had even been in the British Military. She joined Rackham’s crew and the three of them had a polyamorous relationship. When they were attacked, both women were captured and sentenced to death but stalled their executions by claiming to be pregnant.

Read Less

Number of results:

Number of results: 122

Sort By: A-Z Lowest Z-A Z-A

, currently showing 101 to 120.

Wern Isaf

Address

Penmaen Park, Llanfairfechan, Conwy, LL33 0RN

Llanfairfechan

This Arts and Crafts house was built in 1900 by the architect H L North as his family home and contains much of the original furniture and William Morris fabrics.

More Details
Glynde Place

Address

Glynde Place, Lewes, East Sussex, BN8 6SX

Telephone
+44 (0)1273 858224

info@glynde.co.uk

Lewes

Glynde Place is situated at the top of the village of Glynde and has commanding views over the Weald and Sussex Downs.

More Details
Derwent Valley Mills

Address

Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, County Hall, Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 3AG

Matlock

The Derwent valley, upstream from Derby on the southern edge of the Pennines, contains a series of 18th and 19th century cotton mills and an industrial landscape of high historical and technological significance.

More Details
High Beeches Woodland and Water Garden

Address

High Beeches Lane, Handcross, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH17 6HQ

Telephone
01444 400589

gardens@highbeeches.com

Haywards Heath

Set in the High Weald with wonderful views of the South Downs High Beeches has been sensitively planted with many rare trees and shrubs to create a place of great beauty and tranquillity.

More Details
Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal

Address

Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 3DY

Telephone
01765 608888

fountainsenquiries@nationaltrust.org.uk

Ripon

Veiled in a secluded valley, this World Heritage Site promises to surprise and captivate with its vast Cistercian abbey ruins, Georgian water garden, a medieval deer park, Elizabethan Hall and Gothic church.

More Details
Tower of London

Address

London, EC3N 4AB

The Tower of London spans over 900 years of British history. Fortress, palace, prison, arsenal and garrison, it is one of the most famous fortified buildings in the world, and houses the Crown Jewels, armouries, Yeoman Warders and ravens.

More Details
Peover Hall and Gardens

Address

Peover Hall and Gardens, Over Peover, Knutsford, WA16 9HW

Telephone
01565 724220

bookings@peoverhall.com

Knutsford

A fully-furnished, Elizabethan manor-house with Carolean stables. General Patton's 3rd Army HQ for their first 6 months stay in Britain during WW2.

More Details
Copped Hall

Address

Crown Hill, Epping, Essex, CM16 5HS

Telephone
0207 267 1679

coxalan1@aol.com

Epping

Copped Hall was the burnt-out shell of a fine Georgian mansion but now being restored. Superbly sited on a ridge overlooking its landscaped parkland. The mansion and gardens are situated on a site of ancient human habitation.

More Details
Alderford Watermill

Address

Alderford Street, Sible Hedingham, Essex, CO9 3XH

Telephone
0774 090 1323

gemma.clayton@essex.gov.uk

Sible Hedingham

One of the most complete historic watermills in Essex with most of the original machinery. Restored working water wheel. Open weekends in spring and summer.

More Details
American Museum and Gardens

Address

Claverton, Bath, Somerset, BA2 7BD

Telephone
+44 (0)1225 460503

enquiries@americanmuseum.org

Bath

Located in a Grade I listed building, the American Museum and Gardens features collections from the United States and displays that recreate periods of American history, as well as a world renowned folk art, quilt and map collection.

More Details
Kimbolton Castle

Address

Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire, PE28 0EA

Telephone
01480 860505

ajb@kimbolton.cambs.sch.uk

Cambridgeshire

Kimbolton Castle has a rich and fascinating history that has seen it develop from a wooden motte and bailey castle in Norman times, into the building it is today - home to Kimbolton School. The family seat of the Dukes of Manchester from 1615 to…

More Details
Giants Causeway

Address

Causeway Road, Bushmills, County Antrim, BT57 8SU

Bushmills

The Giant’s Causeway lies at the foot of the basalt cliffs along the sea coast on the edge of the Antrim plateau in Northern Ireland.

More Details
Barons Court

Address

Newtownstewart, Omagh, Co Tyrone, BT78 4EZ

Telephone
028 8166 1683

info@barons-court.com

Omagh

Guided tours of Barons Court are available by appointment. Situated in a sheltered valley in the foothills of the Sperrin mountains in Ireland’s County Tyrone, Barons Court is the home of the Duke of Abercorn and was built between 1779 and 1782,…

More Details
Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre & Country Park

Address

Ambion Lane, Sutton Cheney, Nuneaton, Leicestershire, CV13 0AD

Telephone
01455 290429

bosworth@leics.gov.uk

Nuneaton

Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre tells the dramatic story of the Battle fought on 22nd August 1485, which marked a major turning point in English history when Richard III lost his life and crown at the hands of Henry Tudor’s army.

More Details
Whittington Court

Address

Whittington, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL54 4HF

Telephone
01242 820556

lucy@whittingtoncourt.co.uk

Cheltenham

Whittington Court is a small Tudor manor house with Jacobean and later additions, set in beautiful Cotswold countryside five miles east of Cheltenham.

More Details
Sufton Court

Address

Mordiford, Hereford, HR1 4LU

Telephone
01432 850328

james@sufton.co.uk

Hereford

A small Palladian mansion designed by James Wyatt. Park and grounds by Humphrey Repton whose 'Red Book' along with antique china and watercolours are on display.

More Details
Gwynedd Castles and Town Walls of King Edward

Address

Various locations across Wales, Bedwas, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan, CF83 8WT

Caerphilly

The four castles of Beaumaris, Conwy, Caernarfon, Harlech and the attendant fortified towns at Conwy and Caernarfon in Gwynedd, North Wales, are the finest examples of late 13th century and early 14th century military architecture in Europe, as…

More Details
Cornwall Garden Society Spring Flower Show

Address

The Estate Office, Boconnoc, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0RG

Telephone
01208 872507

info@boconnoc.com

Lostwithiel

The CGS Spring Flower Show is firmly established as one of the most widely respected flower shows in the UK. It’s also known as one of the most friendly and inclusive shows and as such it attracts exhibitors and visitors from all over the country…

More Details
Kelmscott Manor

Address

Kelmscott, Lechlade, Gloucestershire, GL7 3HJ

Telephone
01367 252486

Amanda.stinton@kelmscottmanor.org.uk

Lechlade

Kelmscott Manor was the iconic country home of William Morris; poet, designer, craftsman, socialist and founding father of the Arts and Crafts movement.

More Details
Kiftsgate Court Gardens

Address

Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, GL55 6LN

Telephone
01386 438777

info@kiftsgate.co.uk

Gloucestershire

Three generations of women gardeners have designed, planted and sustained this garden. The gardens around the house combine harmonious colour schemes, whilst the sheltered lower gardens have a Mediterranean feel.

More Details

Follow Us...

My Planner0

Don't Miss

Don't Miss

Don't Miss

Don't Miss

Places to Visit Search

Places to Stay Search

What's On Search

Places to Visit Search

Places to Stay Search

What's On Search

Places to Stay Search

Places to Visit Search

What's On Search

Golden Age of pirates

History of piracy

History of piracy

1690s-1700

Post Spanish Succession

Pirates vs Privateers

The end of piracy

Best known privateers

Best known British pirates

Number of results:

Address

Address

Telephone

Address

Address

Telephone

Address

Telephone

Address

Address

Telephone

Address

Telephone

Address

Telephone

Address

Telephone

Address

Telephone

Address

Address

Telephone

Address

Telephone

Address

Telephone

Address

Telephone

Address

Address

Telephone

Address

Telephone

Address

Telephone

Don't Miss

Places to Visit
Search

Places to Stay
Search

What's On
Search