1719 in piracy
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See also 1718 in piracy
, other events in 1719, 1720 in piracy
, and Timeline of piracy
.
1718 in piracy
See also 1717 in piracy, other events in 1718, 1719 in piracy, and Timeline of piracy.-Baltic Sea:* Lars Gathenhielm dies and his wife Ingela Gathenhielm succeed him as the head of the Privateer and Pirate fleet of the Baltic Sea.-Caribbean Sea:...
, other events in 1719, 1720 in piracy
1720 in piracy
See also 1719 in piracy, other events in 1720, 1721 in piracy and Timeline of piracy.-Caribbean Sea:*February - Bartholomew Roberts robs four vessels near Barbados....
, and Timeline of piracy
Timeline of piracy
This is a timeline of the history of piracy.*1600s: 1600 - 1601 - 1602 - 1603 - 1604 - 1605 - 1606 - 1607 - 1608 - 1609*1610s: 1610 - 1611 - 1612 - 1613 - 1614 - 1615 - 1616 - 1617 - 1618 - 1619...
.
Caribbean Sea
- Late February - Vane's sloop is wrecked in the Bay of Honduras by a waterspoutWaterspoutA waterspout is an intense columnar vortex that occurs over a body of water and is connected to a cumuliform cloud. In the common form, it is a non-supercell tornado over water. While it is often weaker than most of its land counterparts, stronger versions spawned by mesocyclones do occur...
. Most of the pirates are drowned, and Vane is stranded on an island. He is rescued some weeks later, but is subsequently recognized and turned over to the constabulary in JamaicaJamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. - February-early May - (unsubstantiated...) Rackham's pirates bury their treasure on the Island of Princes. They then await news of the king's pardon. but are instead attacked by two English sloops out of JamaicaJamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. Their ship Kingston is captured, but the pirates escape inland into CubaCubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. - May - Rackham and his pirate crew are belatedly granted the king's pardon by Governor Woodes RogersWoodes RogersWoodes Rogers was an English sea captain, privateer, and, later, the first Royal Governor of the Bahamas. He is known as the captain of the vessel that rescued the marooned Alexander Selkirk, whose plight is generally believed to have inspired Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe.Rogers came from an...
at New ProvidenceNew ProvidenceNew Providence is the most populous island in the Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. It also houses the national capital city, Nassau.The island was originally under Spanish control following Christopher Columbus' discovery of the New World, but the Spanish government showed...
.
South America
- September - Bartholomew RobertsBartholomew RobertsBartholomew Roberts , born John Roberts, was a Welsh pirate who raided ships off America and West Africa between 1719 and 1722. He was the most successful pirate of the Golden Age of Piracy. He is estimated to have captured over 470 vessels...
' pirates overcome a Portuguese merchantman off BahíaBahiaBahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
and pillage 40,000 gold moidoreMoidore-History:The name moidore is derived from Portuguese moeda de ouro, which literally means "golden coin".-Sphere of circulation:The moidore was current in western Europe and the West Indies, particularly Barbados, for a long period after it ceased to be struck...
s and many jewels. - November - Captain Robert Sample in the Flying King and Captain Lane in the Queen Ann's Revenge attack Portuguese shipping off Brazil. A Portuguese man-of-war drives the vessels ashore, and 38 of the pirates are hanged.
Indian Ocean
- June-July - Captain CondentChristopher CondentChristopher Condent , born in Plymouth in Devon, was an English pirate who led the return to the Eastern Seas. He and his crew fled New Providence in 1718, when Woodes Rogers became governor of the island....
in the Flying Dragon arrives in MadagascarMadagascarThe Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, rescuing some of Halsey's old crew.
West Africa
- February-March - Howell DavisHowell DavisCaptain Howell Davis was a Welsh pirate. His piratical career lasted just 11 months, from July 11, 1718 to June 19, 1719, when he was ambushed and killed. His ships were the Cadogan, Buck, Saint James, and Rover...
makes an unsuccessful assault against the PortuguesePortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
fort on MaioMaio, Cape VerdeMaio is the easternmost of the Sotavento islands of Cape Verde. Maio is located south of the islands of Boa Vista and east of Santiago. The island is also known for its large forest, which is unusual for Cape Verde.-Geography:The island covers an area of 269 km²...
in the Cape VerdeCape VerdeThe Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
islands. - March 25-June 27 - Edward EnglandEdward EnglandEdward England, born Edward Seegar in Ireland, was a famous African coast and Indian Ocean pirate captain from 1717 to 1720. The ships he sailed on included the Pearl and later the Fancy, for which England exchanged the Pearl in 1720...
cruises from the Gambia RiverGambia RiverThe Gambia River is a major river in West Africa, running from the Fouta Djallon plateau in north Guinea westward through Senegal and The Gambia to the Atlantic Ocean at the city of Banjul...
to Cape Corso in the full rigged shipFull rigged shipA full rigged ship or fully rigged ship is a sailing vessel with three or more masts, all of them square rigged. A full rigged ship is said to have a ship rig....
Royal James (ex-Pearll), capturing nine vessels en route, and recruiting 55 men into his crew. Four of the captured vessels are burnt, and two are commandeered to start new pirate crews. - March - Howell Davis plunders Gambia Castle without the loss of a man, stealing ₤2,000 worth of bar gold. Davis then joins with Oliver La Buse and Thomas CocklynThomas CocklynThomas Cocklyn was an 18th-century English pirate, known primarily for his association and partnership with Howell Davis and Oliver La Buze. He was reportedly elected captain "due to his brutality and ignorance" when first sailing from New Providence in 1717 ....
to attack the fort on Bunce IslandBunce IslandBunce Island is the site of an 18th century British slave castle in the Republic of Sierra Leone in West Africa....
in Sierra LeoneSierra LeoneSierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
, driving the garrison away. - April 1 - The Bird Galley is captured by Thomas CocklynThomas CocklynThomas Cocklyn was an 18th-century English pirate, known primarily for his association and partnership with Howell Davis and Oliver La Buze. He was reportedly elected captain "due to his brutality and ignorance" when first sailing from New Providence in 1717 ....
's pirates in the mouth of the Rokel RiverRokel RiverThe Rokel River is the largest river in the Republic of Sierra Leone in West Africa. It flows south-west from the Loma Mountains about 240 miles and, together with a smaller, parallel stream called Port at Pepel, feeds into the giant estuary known as the Sierra Leone River or "Freetown harbor", the...
in Sierra Leone, and her captain, William SnelgraveWilliam SnelgraveWilliam Snelgrave was an English sea captain, slave trader, and ivory trader on the West African coast. He actually treated his slaves better than most traders, providing two meals a day, visits to the deck, and pipes and tobacco. He also allowed the women and children to be unchained...
, taken prisoner by Cocklyn and his confederates, Howell DavisHowell DavisCaptain Howell Davis was a Welsh pirate. His piratical career lasted just 11 months, from July 11, 1718 to June 19, 1719, when he was ambushed and killed. His ships were the Cadogan, Buck, Saint James, and Rover...
and Olivier LevasseurOlivier LevasseurOlivier Levasseur , was a pirate, nicknamed La Buse or La Bouche in his early days, called thus because of the speed and ruthlessness with which he always attacked his enemies.-History:...
("La Buse"). Snelgrave's account of his captivity will become one of the major primary sourcePrimary sourcePrimary source is a term used in a number of disciplines to describe source material that is closest to the person, information, period, or idea being studied....
s on pirate life. - May - Howell Davis sails eastward along the Guinea Coast from Sierra Leone to AnomabuAnomabuAnomabu , is a town on the coast of Ghana, Africa.-European colonization:Anomabu became the focus of intense European trade rivalry in the 17th and 18th centuries, partly because of its easy access to a rich hinterland and partly because the local Anomabu were themselves powerful and astute traders...
, taking eight vessels, including the Princess, whose mate, Bartholomew Roberts, is forced to join the pirates. Another of the victims is a thirty-gun Dutch ship, which Davis commandeers and renames the Rover. A third contains the Dutch governor of AccraAccraAccra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
, and yields over ₤15,000 in booty. - Summer - Captain England attacks two ships in the roadsteadRoadsteadA roadstead is a place outside a harbor where a ship can lie at anchor. It is an enclosed area with an opening to the sea, narrower than a bay or gulf. It has a surface that cannot be confused with an estuary. It can be created artificially by jetties or dikes...
of Cape Coast CastleCape Coast CastleCape Coast Castle is a fortification in Ghana built by Swedish traders. The first timber construction on the site was erected in 1653 for the Swedish Africa Company and named Carolusborg after King Charles X of Sweden. It was later rebuilt in stone....
with a fire shipFire shipA fire ship, used in the days of wooden rowed or sailing ships, was a ship filled with combustibles, deliberately set on fire and steered into an enemy fleet, in order to destroy ships, or to create panic and make the enemy break formation. Ships used as fire ships were usually old and worn out or...
, but is beaten off. England's men then careen and stay in an African town, and provoking a conflict with the inhabitants, the pirates attack and set the town afire. England then sails for MadagascarMadagascarThe Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
. - June - Howell Davis ransacks a French ship in the harbor of PríncipePríncipePríncipe is the northern and smaller of the two major islands of the country of São Tomé and Príncipe lying off the west coast of Africa. It has an area of 136 km² and a population of approximately 5,000. The island is a heavily eroded volcano over three million years old, surrounded by other...
. He then tries to kidnap the Portuguese governor of Príncipe, but is found out and killed in an ambush. His men elect Bartholomew Roberts to succeed him. Roberts and his pirates attack the governor's castle, drive away the garrison, dismount the cannon, and burn the castle. They also burn two Portuguese ships in the harbor. Roberts then captures two vessels on the Guinea Coast, and sails for Brazil.