William Knight (pirate)
Encyclopedia
William Knight was a 17th century English buccaneer
who, in 1684, led a landing party consisting of forty English and twenty French buccaneers in an attack on La Serena
, but was forced to retreat in the face of strong cavalry http://www.historicaltextarchive.com/books.php?op=viewbook&bookid=16&cid=1. The following year he joined a privateering expedition with Swan, Townley and Harris under the command of Captain Edward Davis
and participated in looting the town of Realejo before the eventual departures of Swan and Townley who sailed for Mexico and of Harris who left soon after due to the deaths of many of the crew from disease. Remaining with Davies, the two continued down the Peruvian coast throughout 1686 and, with fewer than 250 men, looted the Spanish town of Sana, Peru in March, carrying away an estimated 100,000 pesos (£25,000).
Although a similar raid against Paita
gained slightly less, forty slaves were liberated and joined the expedition. The expedition attacked five more cities during the months of May and June, reportedly murdering city officials and priests who refused to reveal information on hidden treasure, with the city of Pisco
paying £5,000 in July.
Knight and Davies parted company at the Juan Fernández Islands
, with each crew member receiving £2,500 whereupon his later activities are unknown.
Buccaneer
The buccaneers were privateers who attacked Spanish shipping in the Caribbean Sea during the late 17th century.The term buccaneer is now used generally as a synonym for pirate...
who, in 1684, led a landing party consisting of forty English and twenty French buccaneers in an attack on La Serena
La Serena
La Serena is a city and commune in northern Chile, capital of the Coquimbo Region. Founded in 1544, it is the country's second oldest city after the national capital, Santiago, located to the south. It has a communal population of 190,716 area, the country's fourth largest conurbation La Serena...
, but was forced to retreat in the face of strong cavalry http://www.historicaltextarchive.com/books.php?op=viewbook&bookid=16&cid=1. The following year he joined a privateering expedition with Swan, Townley and Harris under the command of Captain Edward Davis
Edward Davies
Edward Davies or Davis may refer to:*Edward Davies , Welsh writer and poet involved with the re-introduction of the drudic tradition*Edward Davies , United States Representative...
and participated in looting the town of Realejo before the eventual departures of Swan and Townley who sailed for Mexico and of Harris who left soon after due to the deaths of many of the crew from disease. Remaining with Davies, the two continued down the Peruvian coast throughout 1686 and, with fewer than 250 men, looted the Spanish town of Sana, Peru in March, carrying away an estimated 100,000 pesos (£25,000).
Although a similar raid against Paita
Paita
Paita is a city in northwestern Peru. It is the capital of the Paita Province which is in the Piura Region. It is a leading seaport in that region...
gained slightly less, forty slaves were liberated and joined the expedition. The expedition attacked five more cities during the months of May and June, reportedly murdering city officials and priests who refused to reveal information on hidden treasure, with the city of Pisco
Pisco
Pisco is a colorless or yellowish-to-amber colored grape brandy produced in winemaking regions of Chile and Peru. Pisco was developed by Spanish settlers in the 16th century as an alternative to orujo, a pomace brandy that was being imported from Spain...
paying £5,000 in July.
Knight and Davies parted company at the Juan Fernández Islands
Juan Fernández Islands
The Juan Fernández Islands are a sparsely inhabited island group reliant on tourism and fishing in the South Pacific Ocean, situated about off the coast of Chile, and is composed of three main volcanic islands; Robinson Crusoe Island, Alejandro Selkirk Island and Santa Clara Island, the first...
, with each crew member receiving £2,500 whereupon his later activities are unknown.
Further reading
- Rogozinski, Jan. Pirates!: Brigands, Buccaneers, and Privateers in Fact, Fiction, and Legend. New York: Da Capo Press, 1996. ISBN 0-306-80722-X