In December 1699, William
Penn visited his colony to see for himself whether
Pennsylvanians were guilty of fostering piracy. He was
appalled at what he unearthed, including the fact that
his own cousin, Governor William Markham, colluded with
pirates and Markham’s daughter had even married one. But
what Penn and London did not comprehend was that people
living on the peripheries of England’s empire viewed
pirates far differently than London did. Their very
survival depended on these marauders, for England could
neither provide all the goods the colonists needed nor
protect them from enemies like Spain and France.
Hanna examines and analyzes
this support and protection. He also considers how
piracy, as well as colonial politics and society,
changed over time, assessing the role popular print
played in that evolution. In addition, he looks at legal
issues that both hindered and helped in the prosecution
of pirates.
He begins this study with
“The Elizabethan West Country: Nursery for English
Seamen . . . and Pirates, 1570-1603,” detailing
the political struggles that initially supported piracy
under the Tudors, but stopped once James I ascended the
throne. The Killigrews are discussed, as is Sir Francis
Drake, who came to the conclusion that piracy wasn’t as
attractive as he once thought. If the West Country was
to survive, it needed to do so through trade and
colonization.
As England withdrew her
support of sea marauders, these men moved to Ireland.
Some became renegades who sailed for the Barbary States.
Chapter two, “Piratical Colonization, 1603-1655,”
discusses this transition. It also covers the effect of
England’s Civil War on colonial ports. Comparisons are
made between Bermuda and Algiers, and American
settlements and Caribbean ones.
The third chapter –
“Contesting Jamaica’s Future, 1655-1688” – sees the
emergence of the term “privateer” and English buccaneers
during wars against the Dutch and France. Focus is
placed on Henry Morgan, who rose to command them, and
governors, like Sir Thomas Modyford, who supported them.
The rise of Port Royal and slavery, as well as one of
the earliest piracy trials outside of England (1671),
are also examined.
“South Sea Pirates Sail
North, 1674-1688,” is the next chapter. Particular
emphasis is placed on Boston, Newport, Charles Town, and
New Providence. Here Hanna analyzes why these ports
welcomed pirate, when others did not. This is also when
England’s and colonial perspectives began to differ in
regards to pirates.
When havens in the
Caribbean dried up, the pirates moved to Madagascar and
the Indian Ocean. This period is examined in “The Rise
of the Red Sea Pirates, 1688-1696.” Monopolies, such as
the East India Company, allowed piracy to flourish. Merchants,
like Frederick Philipse, and governors, like William
Markham and Benjamin Fletcher, colluded with pirates
like Thomas Tew and Henry Every.
A series of events
culminated in 1696 to impact the colonists’ support of
pirates. These are discussed in chapter six, “The Spirit
of 1696: Initiating
Imperial Revolution.” London tasked Edward
Randolph, surveyor general of customs in America, with
reporting on the complicit governors and merchants; he,
in turn, would write a treatise on how to suppress
piracy. One of the other key episodes involved the
pirate trials of some of Henry Every’s men.
One of the most vocal
families on the scourge of piracy was the Mathers of New
England. They, as well as Edward Randolph, Richard
Coote, and Robert Snead, are topics covered in chapter
seven, “Setting up for Themselves, 1697-1701.” During
this time, debates arose as to exactly who had political
power over the colonialists. While these men were strong
believers in anti-piracy, they also expected to profit
from such agendas.
Chapter 8, “George Larkin’s
Tour, 1701-1703,” looks at the Board of Trade’s jurist
who was sent to North America to train local authorities
in the law and the proper administration of piracy
trials. (For the first time, pirates could legally be
tried outside of England.) Newspapers and other print
media also brought the colonies under closer scrutiny in
England, which resulted in making colonial authorities
adhere to laws and policies.
But the first legal pirate
trial outside of England was rife with irregularities,
and these are showcased in the ninth chapter, “Captain
Quelch’s Warning: The Transformation of Pirate Nests, 1704-1713.”
The aftermath of that trial gave rise to formal
legislation to distinguish privateers from pirates.
By the time Edward Low went
on the account, pirates were no longer seen in a
favorable light. They posed serious dangers to maritime
trade, and their ideas of equality gave rise to fear
within the social elite. This transformation is covered
in chapter ten, “‘Abandon’d Wretches’: Rethinking the War
on Pirates, 1713-1740.”
The text is accompanied by
illustrations (maps and plates) and an index. Rather
than include a bibliography, Hanna provides details of
his source material in footnotes. Aside from traditional
citations, these also provide readers with interesting
historical tidbits and explanations not covered in the
main narrative.
In his conclusion,
“Piratical Societies: Trends and Lessons,”
Hanna recaps key concepts he’s covered. The book ably
details the symbiotic relationship between pirates and
colonial ports. This study also illuminates the
differences in perspective between England and her
colonies. The economic, legal, cultural, and political
transformations that take place from the mid-sixteenth
century to the middle of the eighteenth are deftly
drawn. Hanna also demonstrates that “[t]he patterns that
bred piratical societies should compel us to pay closer
attention to the people and communities on land that
have fostered piracy well beyond the age of sail.”
(423-24)
What began as a
dissertation on Charles Town, South Carolina and
Newport, Rhode Island’s support of piracy has blossomed
into a complex study of English piracy, places that
provided pirates safe haven, and the transition from
venerated sea marauders to a villainous scourge that
needed to be stopped.
Review Copyrighted ©2016 Cindy Vallar
Pirates
and Privateers
