Who robbet the Gambia castle?

[RoyalJames]

In the section about Davis, Johnston describes how the Gambia castle was robbed in 1719. Reading Bucquoy a very similar story pops up, but with some differences. Does anyone know if this is the same story in different versions or if there was two very similar different events?

In Johnston’s version Davis is the one leading the operation and (if I get it right) the fort is under English possession, while in Bucquoy it is Taylor and the fort is French.

/James

[Mission]

Gambia Castle (which I'm fairly certain is actually called Fort James - located in the Gambia River on James Island [now called Kunta Kinteh Island]) has gone back and forth in ownership between the French and English. Wiki says the French captured it in 1695, but it was back in English possession in 1702, "The fort was destroyed and rebuilt several times in this period, both in conflicts between the English and French and by pirates."

So I'd say it's very likely that you're looking at two different accounts.

We all know Johnson's book, but what is the other book you're referring to? I'm guessing it's in French. Would you share the full title, author's name and year of printing?

[RoyalJames]

Thanks for the reply, perhaps there is some information to find in either English or French archives (depending on who it belonged to at that time) regarding the attack. But I guess there is a chance that it actually is the same story but one of the authors got some facts wrong. Davis and Taylor were probably sailing together at this time, or perhaps met up just after. On the other hand, Taylor may have been inspired by Davis and did the same thing at another place (Bucquoy does not mention the exact location).

The book I am referring to is: Jacobs de Bucquoy – ”Aanmerckelyke ontmoetingen in de zestien jaarige reize naar de Indiën” 1744

Bucquoy was a Dutch cartographer taken hostage in Lagoa by Taylor and spent some time aboard with him until released at Madagascar. He heard Taylor telling this story to the crew. I don’t know what source Johnston had.

[Mission]

Well, since Johnson came first, his is more likely the true story (if there is a false one.) However, we do know there is stuff in Johnson's book that is provably wrong.

I did a cursory search of the English State Papers when I was replying before, but I didn't come up with anything related to this event. You may enjoy looking around there for yourself, however.

[RoyalJames]

Thanks for the help! I shall see if I can find anything in the French archives. A good start would be to understand which country controlled the fort at that time.

I guess both authors were more interested in good stories than fact. A third independent source would be nice in order to find out who is right, or perhaps if both were.

I made a quick (google) translation of Bucquoy and also copy pasted the corresponding text from Johnston:

Bucquoy:

“He then began to tell of his deeds which he had done both on this coast than elsewhere . Among others , he came to the coast of Guinea to a French Contor where a fort with 36 cannon was, he had a French flag run , and the Governor also viewed a French that”

“He said therefore to the Governor that he would be there early, wanted to go on board to bring some gifts for him, and the needed to be placed on the ship”

“When they had sat down and ate something , they drunk to the health of the King of France , which Captain Tailor, though he was an Englishman , took the greatest courtesy. As the Governor , together with the other gentlemen who were sitting at the table , put the glass to his mouth and drank so Tailor pulled his gun out , and put at the governor on the chest, and say to him: My Lord , you are now my prisoner “

Johnston:

“Davis, he having been employ’d in that Trade, was acquainted with the Coast: He told them, that there was a great deal of Money always kept in Gambia Castle, and that it would be worth their while to make an Attempt upon it.”

“the Governor told them he would Slave them to the full Value of their Cargoe, and asked them, if they had any European Liquor on Board? they answered, a little for their own Use; however, a Hamper should be at his Service. The Governor then very civilly invited them all to stay and dine with him; Davis told him, that being Commander of the Ship, he must go on Board to see her well moored,”

“Davis on a sudden drew out a Pistol, clapt it to the Governor’s Breast, telling him, he must surrender the Fort and all the Riches in it, or he was a dead Man.”

[Fox]

It is almost certainly the same incident, and an interesting example of piratical bragadoccio, and of two independent sources telling the same story.

du Bucquoy is generally a very fair and impartial observer and, usually, I would be inclined to take his word over Johnson's. In this case, however, it appears he may have been hoodwinked by Taylor himself.

On this occasion and one or two others, du Bucquoy reports Taylor telling stories of his exploits on the coast of Guinea, but a number of other testimonies (particularly that of Richard Moor) make it pretty clear that, apart from one or two days (after Davis captured the fort) Taylor was not in command until he reached the Indian Ocean. At the time of the capture of Fort James Taylor was sailing under Davis' command. However, according to Johnson, the other people apart from Davis involved in the subterfuge at the fort were Davis' sailing master, the doctor, and the coxswain - and Taylor was the sailing master. Therefore, Taylor himself was actually in the room when the gun was pulled, but not in command. Exactly who pulled the gun on the Governor is open to speculation, it could have been either Davis or Taylor, they were both there.

For what it's worth, the capture of the fort was also mentioned in The Original Weekly Journal, 13 June 1719, quoting a letter dated 17 April, and naming the fort "St. Siagua"; and also in The Weekly Packet, 12 December 1719, noting the capture of "Gambo Fort".

If you'd care to speculate further... if we accept from the similarities between the two version that Johnson was relating a more or less true account, then it begs the question of who told him about it in such detail. It is possible the Walter Kennedy was interviewed by Johnson while he was imprisoned in London - if you want to take it further, Johnson candidate Nathaniel Mist was actually in prison with Kennedy - and would thus make a good candidate, since he was certainly in Davis' crew at the time of the incident. Moreover, Kennedy was described as one of the most important men in Davis' crew (and was subsequently Roberts' lieutenant), so it's quite possible that he was the coxswain described by Johnson. Davis was certainly in the habit of taking Kennedy with him when trying to capture shore locations by stratagem, as Kennedy was one of the two survivors of the raid on Principe in which Davis was killed.

[Mission]

I was hoping you'd see this. Have you read du Bucquoy's book? Is there an Englished version?

[Fox]

Sadly there isn't. I've got a chunk of it in English, translated from a French translation of the Dutch...

[Mission]

Is there anything I would be interested in in the bits you have translated? (You know - the men's diet, medicine, torture (one day I'm going to write about the surgeon's role in tortured prisoners), etc.?)

[RoyalJames]

Thank you for the information!

I guess the most interesting lesson in this story is to be critical when reading these old books.

There is a digitalized German translation, but I haven’t seen any English one (I know about the French, but haven’t seen that either). I have read parts of it, but unfortunately not with surgery on my mind. =) One episode however, describes how Taylor shots one of the locals in Lagoa for amusement. Bucquoy seems to have something like the Stockholm-syndrome, he partly describes Taylor as a mad guy reaching for his pistols in his sleep, and partly seems to admire him.

[RoyalJames]

A little off topic, but since you asked: regardig food/drinks, it’s described how the pirates drinks a drink called Thook, which seems to be quite strong.. I haven’t seen that mentioned anywhere else.

[Fox]

I can't think of any good medical references in Bucquoy I'm afraid...

I'm not sure that du Bucquoy was suffering from Stockholm syndrome, I think Taylor had some genuinely good traits along with his somewhat loony side. The fact that he managed to keep a multinational crew of criminals numbering in the hundreds in order for a couple of years or more suggests that he had a very strong personality. Other people who met Taylor were similarly impressed by him: William Snelgrave, who knew Taylor when he was Davis' sailing master, described him as "as brisk and couragious a Man as I ever saw".

[RoyalJames]

Ok, Stockholm syndrome is probably an overstatement, but he does give a quite scattered description of him. Perhaps the perfect personality for a pirate captain..

Speaking of Snelgrave, he also briefly speaks about the Gambia castle / Fort James, but unfortunately just describes how the pirates meet up afterwards.

[Fox]

Yes, I understood that it was a deliberate overstatement. Judging by other accounts of Taylor though, I still think that du Bucquoy was reporting as honestly as he could the character traits of a man who was, at times, perhaps bordering on psychotic, but at other times displayed very admirable traits.

[RoyalJames]

This site claims that the fort was in English hands 1719. I must say it gives a serious impression, but does not list any sources (who knows, perhaps Johnston is the source). Yet another name: the French called it Fort St Lacques.

I believe you are a way much more experienced researcher than I am, as I could not find these news articles. Do they give any hint of which country the island belonged to at the time of the attack?

Yet another thing you might help me understand. Let’s for a moment assume that Bucquoy was correct, that the pirates had a French flag. What would the purpose of that be? Both Taylor and Davis couldn’t seriously believe that the French would take them for French merchants when they spoke English? Or, was this just a polite way to greet the French and not a sign of the ship’s (faked) nationality?

Perhaps the only explanation is that Bucquoy misunderstood it, or mixed it up with another event. He is very accurate on dates, so he probably kept a diary, but stories like this one he may have kept in his head for some round 25 years before written down.

[Mission]

Pirates often kept flags of other nations on board so they could confuse their prey into thinking they were not pirates by raising the flag of a friendly nation. However, since I've never read Bucquoy and can't do so without tedious translation, I have no idea what he said exactly about the French flag and the pirates.

However, from reading Foxe's comments, Bucquoy's source (Taylor) seems to have been erratic and somewhat unreliable, so why would we assume he was correct?

[RoyalJames]

Oh, I didn’t mean that Buqcuoy was correct regarding the attack, it was just a rhetoric question regarding the flags. Actually, what I meant was the opposite, that it seems quite unlikely that Davis and Taylor could trick the French that they were French, and that Johnston’s description is much more trustful at this part (especially if the fort was under English command). Sorry for the confusion.

I have seen other references where pirates have used other nations’ colors to trick their victims, but doing this at sea must be different, as they always would reveal themselves just before the attack. In this case they had to stay and speak with the French for half a day first.

Thanks again for an interesting conversation!

[Davis]

I can confirm you that it was Davis to take the Gambia Castle in 1719, with the help of Thomas Cocklyn and La Buse. At least this is what was wrote in 2 different depositions made by 2 captain captured and kidnapped, in 1719, by Cocklyn while he was in party with Davis and La Buse in Cape Lopez.

The 2 documents were made in 2 different moments of 1719 and doesn't have anything in common, except the fact that both captains get captured by Davis, Cocklyn and La Buse.

In the first it is said (i'm translating from french to english, and my first language it's italian, so i can't assure it will be a nice translation):

"[...] these are the pirates who have already taken Santiago (Green Cape), the fort of Gambia and the fort of Sierra Leone"

In the second:

"[...] the pirates said to him [to the captain who got captured] that they already pillaged the fort in Gambia and in Sierra Leone"

In these documents Taylor is never mentioned.

Edited January 27, 2014 by Davis

[RoyalJames]

I might be wrong, but I got a different understanding of the incident. Davis was the one attacking the Gambia castle (and most certainly with Taylor who was his quartermaster). La Buse appeared just after the attack in Moody’s ship. Cocklyn, however, was not present as he was heading for Sierra Leone. Perhaps you are thinking of what happened in the Sierra Leone River / Brent’s Island?

I was unaware of these two French captains. When were they captured?

[Davis]

Yes, this is what i thought too since it's what Johnson wrote on GHoP, but these 2 depositions are in contraddiction with his version.

The first one talks about facts happened on April 1719 (only few days before the pirates party collapsed), while the second one is referred to events happened on September 1719 (and so it would also prove that La Buse and Cocklyn continued the party without Davis).

Before continue, I have to admit i've done a mistake: in the second deposition Howell Davis is NOT mentioned. The second captain was kidnapped only by Cocklyn and La Buse (but i'm strongly convinced that this doesn't mean, in any way, that Davis wasn't present at the moment of the pillage of the 2 forts. It only confirm that Davis wasn't with Cocklyn and La Buse on September 1719. Anyway it is another primary source who say that the 2 forts were captured also with the help of La Buse and Cocklyn and not only by Davis. Sadly this would also invalidate the romantic and fantastic description of the capture of the fort of Gambia made by Johnson...i'm always a bit sad when i found sources that contradicts GHoP).

Edited January 28, 2014 by Davis

[RoyalJames]

Thank you for the information. It is hard to argue about it without knowing exactly what is written, but if the two captains were taken after the forts were attacked they are not “primary sources”?

I guess that the first captain you refer to is the same as mentioned by Snelgrave, the one who came there by a navigational mistake and who was badly treated by Cocklyn, but saved by La Buse. Do you know where the second one was captured in September?

Davis was killed in June, which is why you won’t find him in the later dates.

[Davis]

They are primary sources anyway, since they were written in that period (1719) and they report what someone who was directly involved in a historical event said about that particular event (thanks to this anwer i even discovered that the definition of "primary source" is slightly different between italian and english historiography. We can define "primary" every kind of source who was product in temporal porximity of the event that we are studying)

I'm sorry if i'm not saying a lot about these deposition, but, hopefully, my thesys will be published and so you will have the chance to fully read them and (i hope not ) to condradict them. If it will be not published i will release the documents anyway.

The part that i posted and translated is the only part that talks about the fort of Gambia, since the rest of the documents are the description of how they got captured, what kind of treatement they received and, thing more interesting, what informations pirates gave them (but they are not relevant with this topic).

Anyway i can confirm that the first captain arrived in Sierra Leone for a mistake of his pilote, since they thought to be in Guinea at "Cape de Mont" (i couldn't find this place in Guinea, but i've found one in South Africa, even if it can't be that one), but i have still to read Snelgrave's account so i can't really say if it was the same, even if it is highly probable since the periods corresponds. Do you know if Snelgrave report the name of that french captain?

The first captain never says anything about getting saved by La Buse or badly treated by Cocklyn alone. It only described the torture he received for many days and then, when the pirates finally started to believe him saying he hadn't hidden gold, he got released with his crew on an english ship robbed few time before by the pirates.

The second captain was captured in Cape Lopez.

Yes, true that Davis died in June, but anyway the party Davis-La Buse-Cocklyn dissolved around 10 May 1719, so only few days after the first captain of "my" depositions got released. What i didn't know, and what the second deposition seems to prove, is that La Buse and Cocklyn continued the party even after the 10 of May.

Anyway, apart for GHoP, what other sources do we have who attribute the attack to the fort of Gambia to Davis alone? Because, even if i love GHoP, it can't really "compete" with these 2 depositions that are a lot temporally closer to the attack (even if, it is also possible that the pirates said to the 2 french captain that they all captured the fort of Gambia when in truth it was only Davis. But, if this hypothesis is correct, thing which we will never know, it doesn't have much sense..)

Edited January 29, 2014 by Davis

[RoyalJames]

I suggest that you read Snelgrave’s account, it will clear out several things. He does not name the captain, but says that the French ship was very old, came there by mistake and was taken around April 14th. Cocklyn put a rope around the captain’s neck and was about to hang him as La Buse stopped it and this was one of the reasons why La Buse wanted to break up the party. The French surgeon was then forced to join the pirates.

Remember that “the Guinea coast” was not just Guinea.

Thank you for the information regarding the capture at Cap Lopez in September, that was new to me. I am looking forward to read your thesis when it’s released.

[sea haugh]

Davis ,

Out of discretion for your sources .... Mr A. P. be one of them?