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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

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.

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Gwynedd Castles and Town Walls of King Edward

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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…

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Peover Hall and Gardens

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

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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.

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Antonine Wall

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Antonine Wall: Croy Hill Fort, GLASGOW, Lanarkshire, G65 0AA

GLASGOW

From Old Kilpatrick in the west to near Bo’ness in the east, the Antonine Wall was around 37 miles (60km) long when completed in 142 AD. The wall featured ridges, crests and escarpments to create a forbidding boundary and visible barrier at the…

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Muncaster Castle

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Ravenglass, Cumbria, CA18 1RQ

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01229 717614

info@muncaster.co.uk

Cumbria

Muncaster Castle is not just a historic landmark. It is a living, breathing treasure that radiates charm, history and a sense of adventure.

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Firle Place

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Firle, Lewes, East Sussex, BN8 6LP

Telephone
01273 858307

events@firle.com

Lewes

Firle Place has been the home of the Gage family for over 500 years. Set at the foot of the Sussex Downs within its own parkland, this unique house, originally Tudor, is built of Caen stone and was substantially remodelled in the 18th century.

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Blenheim Palace

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Woodstock, Oxfordshire, OX20 1PP

Oxfordshire

Blenheim Palace is only 8 miles from Oxford, and boasts more than 300 years of history to discover and over 2000 acres of beautiful parkland to explore.

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Knole - National Trust

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Knole, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN15 0RP

Telephone
01732 462100

knole@nationaltrust.org.uk

Sevenoaks

Sitting proudly within Kent’s last medieval deer park, Knole is a vast estate where visitors follow in the footsteps of tourists who have visited Knole’s showrooms for 400 years.

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All Saints' Church, Alton Priors

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Alton Priors, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SN8 4LB

jrobertson@thecct.org.uk

Salisbury

Mysterious trapdoors, buried Sarsen stones and ancient yew trees

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Wern Isaf

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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.

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Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre & Country Park

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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.

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Parham House & Gardens

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Parham Park, Parham, Pulborough, West Sussex, RH20 4HS

Telephone
01903 742021

enquiries@parhaminsussex.co.uk

Pulborough

Set within an ancient deer park below the South Downs, Parham is one of the country's finest Elizabethan Houses, complete with a Great Hall and Long Gallery. The award-winning gardens consist of beautiful Pleasure Grounds and Walled Garden.

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Tower of London

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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.

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Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal

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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.

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All Saints' Church, Aldwincle

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Thorpe Road, Aldwincle, Kettering, Northamptonshire, NN14 3EA

jrobertson@thecct.org.uk

Kettering

A Medieval wonder in a pretty village

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Tiverton Castle

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Tiverton, Devon, EX16 6RP

Telephone
01884 253200

info@tivertoncastle.com

Devon

Atmospheric, historic medieval castle originally built 1106 by order of Henry I and later rebuilt down the ages - all ages of architecture from medieval to modern. Interesting displays.

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Abercamlais House

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Abercamlais, Brecon, Powys, LD3 8EY

Telephone
07789930064

info@abercamlais.co.uk

Brecon

Abercamlais is a splendid Grade 1 listed mansion set in the heart of the Brecon Beacons. Come and explore the beautiful walled garden and the unique suspension bridge in the historic grounds.
No photography in house. Guided Tours: Obligatory.…

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Enjoy Kentwell Hall's Stunning Gardens

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Kentwell Hall, Long Melford, Suffolk, CO10 9BA

Telephone
01787 310207

enquiries@kentwell.co.uk

Long Melford

We look forward to welcoming you back! In-line with government guidelines we are excited to re-open our gardens; Wednesdays - Sundays. At this time of year, the gardens that extend to over 30 acres, are at their most colourful and fresh and are a…

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Ironbridge Gorge

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Coach Road, Coalbrookdale, Telford, Shropshire, TF8 7DQ

Telford

Ironbridge is known throughout the world as the symbol of the Industrial Revolution.

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Ingatestone Hall

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Hall Lane, Ingatestone, Essex, CM4 9NR

Telephone
01277 353010

house@ingatestonehall.co.uk

Ingatestone

Tudor manor house and grounds containing furniture, pictures and memorabilia accumulated by the resident family over the centuries.

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Derwent Valley Mills

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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.

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1690s-1700

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Pirates vs Privateers

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Best known privateers

Best known British pirates

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