Capt. Benjamin Horningold

[Longarm]

I've just finished reading Barry Clifford's "Expedition Whydah" ( very good reading) in it he talks about how Black Sam Bellamy sailed for awhile with Benjamin Horingold and Blackbeard. He also goes on to say that because Horningold refused to attack English ships that the crew voted Horningold out as captain and Bellamy in. Even though Blackbeard was all for attacking anyone he sailed off with Horningold. It wasn't till after Horningold took the kings pardon that Blackbeard left. Horningold went on to become a pirate hunter for Govenor Woodes Rodgers. He suppossedly died in a shipwreck later in his new career.

But what I'ld like to know is who was he? Where did he come from? Who else did he teach? I know he was a privateer during the Queen Anne's War or sometimes called The War of Spanish Succession. (another topic I need to find out more about) Are there any books about him, because in everything I have he is more of a side note as Blackbeards teacher. It seems from what little I can gather he was alot more than that.

Any ideas, hints or clues?

[Black Deacon]

I did a google search and came up with a few sites that had a little info but not allot.

[JoshuaRed]

I could have sworn Capt. Johnson devoted a chapter to him, but upon checking the book I realized I was wrong.

If memory serves me correctly, I believe he was a privateer in QAW as was Teach.

[Red Maria]

Hornigold was the Lee Strausberg of pirates. Anyone who was anyone studied with him. On page 268 of Between the Devil & the Deep Blue Sea by Marcus Redicker you'll find a chart on how Hornigold either directly/indirectly trained or interacted with practically every pirate of notability during the years of 1714-1727.

Blackbeard his most notable protege I call a method pirate cause he really got into the role of being a pirate.

[JoshuaRed]

Ah you are right Maria! I KNEW I remembered that I had some good info on Hornigold somewhere....

Yes, this chart she speaks of is really quite impressive...sort of a piratical family tree. Pretty much ALL of the post-QAW pirates could be directly traced to just a few initial pirate crews.

[Deacon Frye]

Now that's interesting.

I've been procrastinating on reading Rediker.

[corsair2k3]

Greetings,

I'm not sure we'll ever know much more about BH.

I've seen his name rendered as "Hornogold" on some primary source documents--including a Pardon, and it is my opinion that this could well have been a nickname ("Horn o' Gold").

Supposedly there's a record at the NMM of a pirate flag with a horn above a skull and crossbones.

For me, it's easy to imagine that being his flag.

Regards,

Corsair

[Deacon Frye]

Hornigold is an English name.

As with most names, there was quite a bit of spelling variation.

The Mormon online database pulls up forms ranging from Horningall to "Horneygold".

[Longarm]

Thanks for the replies. As usual whenever a question comes up you can be sure one of you mates will have an answer or at least a direction in which to search for one. A round for me mates.

I've heard of " Between the Devil & the Deep Blue Sea" and as of yet have not picked it up. As usual the Good Lady Red Maria comes up with another book for me to get my hands on, Thank ye Lass.

Corsair the flag you describe sounds like an interesting path to follow. If I find out more about it in my studies I'll let you know, or if you beat me to it I'ld sure like to hear about it.

And Deacon you're right about the spelling of his name. In both Cordingly and Johnson's books there is several different spellings of his name even on official documents, like his pardon. People just seemed to spell something just by the way it sounded or how they thought it should be spelt, Or they could be like me and just be a bad speller. Hell I have to keep a dictionary by my computer so my posts don't look like they're written by some first grader just learning his letters.

Well the search goes on. Thanks mates. Now let's bring on the rum, learning be thirsty work.