Johnathan Atwood

Jonathan Atwood was born in Autumn 1676 in or around Newport, Colony on the Isle of Rhodes. He began to work aboard merchant ships in his early teens, and his first years at sea were fraught with danger. as King William's War started when he was only a lad of 12 and lasted until his 19th year. Through this time English shipping was in constant danger of being seized by the French, especially in New England. However, as a sailor young Atwood often left Newport to go to ports as close as Boston and Nova Scotia, and sometimes as far as Bristol, London, and the Spanish Main. He was constantly surrounded by sailors, smugglers, privateers, and pirates from around the world, and even at home could happily listen to adventures at the White Horse Tavern. During this time young Atwood probably saw, and definitely heard of the vast amounts of wealth brought back to Newport by Thomas Tew from the Far East. Also, growing up in the colony he must have known that on nearby Connanicut Island Thomas Paine had retired from privateering and piracy to settle into society as a wealthy free man of the state and a captain in the colonie's militia. Wanting to increase his own fortunes Atwood signed aboard his first privateering vessel, the William, a sixty-ton, eight-gun snow, at the age of 17.

With the end of King William's War in 1698 John Atwood returned to merchant service, mostly smuggling pirated goods from Block Island to Newport and Providence. However, when Queen Anne's War reached the Bahamas in 1702 John was sailing near the island of Jamaica. He signed aboard a privateer crew leaving from the remains of Port Royal as a lieutenant aboard the James, a 100 ton, eight-gun sloop, and helped purge the waterways of both the Spanish and French who had been molesting English shipping for the last year. Fortunately, when Port Royal burned a year later he was safely in a tavern in nearby Spanish Town.

By 1704 Jonathan Atwood had been elected captain of the privateering vessel Mary, a twenty-ton, six-gun sloop, and under his captainship began to engage in "the sweet trade". From spring 1704 through summer 1705 Captain Atwood and his crew attacked French slave stations along the Eastern coast of Africa, and looted all non-English shipping around Madeira. In autumn 1705 they made sail again for Jamaica where they were well met by Governor Thomas Handasyde. Upon reaching Spanish Town Captain Atwood sold his cargo, paid his backers and took to the public houses. There he was greeted by an old mate by the name of Nathan Foster from New England whom he had fought alongside during King William's War. The two shared stories of old as well as new and decided that they would go on the account together. By January 1706 Captain Atwood had purchased the sloop Charles of seventy-tons, outfitted it with ten-guns, hired a crew of fifty men, and secured a privateering commission from Governor Handasyde for 200pound to attack French and Spanish shipping. It was now time for grand mischief.

They started off by harassing the Spanish off the coasts of Hispaniola, attacking poorly defended Spanish Merchantmen. Occasionally they cruised off the Leeward Islands, the Straits of Florida, or off Vera Cruz and other parts of the Spanish Main. From here they traveled north to find prizes amongst the French fur trade. It was during this voyage that they came upon a whaling ship which they gave chase to. The whalers gave resistance but after a brief exchange of small arms and cannon fire they finally surrendered. Atwood found that the whalers had had a surgeon amongst them but he had been killed in the exchange. His son who had apprenticed under him however was alive. David Hutchins was taken aboard, given a tankard of rum, and asked to sign the ship's articles. He at first refused, but over the next few weeks he was given excellent treatment and embraced as a brother. Eventually he saw the amount of wealth that each man was acquiring and signed aboard.

It seems that the prizes were either too few or too well fortified as they only cruised off Canada for a month and returned to newport colony with few furs. In May 1706 the Charles sailed into Block Island where no doubt Atwood traded much of his goods with his old friends and business partners. While on Block Island some of his business partners proposed that he transport arms to Jacobite sympathizers in Bristol. Atwood must have accepted, for by July he was reported to have made his way there. Records of his voyage are scarce, however when he arrived it was in a larger French built sloop which he named Divine Retribution, a 100ton, 16 gun sloop. The Charles was also with him as well as several small merchantmen, all in need of repairs. He managed to have all his prizes condemned by the admiralty courts and sold all but the Divine Retribution.

He tarried a while in Bristol which cost him some of his crew, but while there he picked up several more..French records tell us that in August and September Captain Atwood was once again off the coasts of Africa where he took at least thirteen vessels; mostly merchantmen and slavers. In November of the same year the Divine Retribution made its way to Nassau, now a pirate republic. Here Atwood sold off much of his cargo and spent the winter mingling with other pirates and privateers.

In March of 1707 Captain Atwood went back to French Canada to once again try to take furs. This time he had more success. as With such a formidable ship few attempted resistance and were treated civilly enough. In May John Atwood sailed once more to Block Island to sell furs for supplies. He was welcomed back to newport with open arms by Governor Cranston and Luitenant Governor Green. He tarried in the colony for some time, attending a ball thrown by the Governor in May. In the summer he spent some time in Massachuesettes Bay colony and was seen in Salem, Boston, and other places on the cape.

In the fall and winter Captain Atwood stayed in Providence and held raucious parties for his fellow pirate brethren. In Spring of 1708 Captain Atwood found himself back in New England, He sacked several small townships, and took severalvessels in Conneticut. The vessels taken were reportedly burned to the waterline to be rid of any evidence. In the summer and early autumn the Divine Retribution again sailed off the coast of massachussetes bay colony raiding two towns and taking 4 vessels. These ship's were stripped of all goods the pirates could take and also burned to the waterline.