On this day in history...

[William Brand]

October 23 -

On this day in 1644, William Penn was born. He would later write a 'Proclamation Against Pirates'.

The Earl of Bellamont wrote to the Lords of Trade on this day in 1699 to report that Burke (Van Belle) had bought protection from the Danish government with the proceeds of Kidd's spoils.

Also on this day in 1702, English and Dutch forces destroyed the Spanish treasure fleet at Vigo Bay in Spain.

And on this day in 1707, the first Parliament of Great Britain met for the first time.

[William Brand]

October 24 -

On this day in 1718, Stede Bonnet and David Heriot escaped the custody of Colonel William Rhett, but were recaptured on Sullivan's Island.

[William Brand]

October 26 -

On this day in 1588, the galley Girona foundered and sank off Lacada Point, County Antrim.

Also on this day in 1707 the fourth rate 'HMS Romney' succumbed to the sea after striking Bishop Rock at the Scilly Isles. She went down with all but one of her crew. The sole survivor was George Lawrence, who had worked as a butcher before joining the crew of Romney as quartermaster

[William Brand]

October 27 -

On this day in 1699, the Board of Trade discussed the matter of pirates along the coasts of Maryland, Virginia and the Carolinas before the king.

And on this day in 1702, English troops plundered St. Augustine in Spanish Florida.

[William Brand]

October 29 -

On this day in 1758, prisoners of the East Indiamen 'York' purposely mis-piloted and wrecked the ship.

[William Brand]

October 31 -

A letter from on board the Hornet, dated at Cape Maise, 31st of October (1821?), read, " The pirate which we took yesterday mounted two long four pounders, and her crew consisted of twenty gallows-looking scoundrels."

[William Brand]

November 1 -

On November 1, 1698, three ships and two tenders containing 1,200 men reached the Darien from Leith, and founded the town of New Edinburgh on the Gulf of Calidonia, near Ada. Here they were welcomed by the San Bias Indians who saw in them future allies against the Spaniards. However, the Scots had no intention of fighting, much to the disappointment of the Indians, although they must have known that their invasion would be resisted by the Spaniards.

[William Brand]

November 3 -

After several months' layover in Santa Cruz, on November 3, 1724 the Caroline departed for Genoa, Italy, with a cargo of beeswax, leather, and woolens.[3] The shipboard climate, however, was troubled. There were complaints about the food on board the ship, and Freneau, the captain of the Caroline was accused of treating the other crewmen of the vessel improperly. Grousing of short allowance the crewmen of the Caroline started to disobey some of the captain's orders. The captain realizing that his orders were being disobeyed, he consulted his mate. The two men agreed to stash some small arms in the cabin, so they could defend themselves in case of mutiny. Unfortunately for the captain, two of the conspirators on the upper deck overheard the conversation.

Not realizing that Gow was the ring leader of the attempted mutiny, Freneau ordered Gow to prepare arms to defend the crew. Upon hearing this, the mutineers decided to act that night. At ten p.m., after half the ship's company had retired following evening prayer, shots echoed across the deck. Told that someone had fallen overboard, Freneau ran to the rail, where he was stabbed in the neck and shot twice in the stomach by Gow, then thrown overboard by the other conspirators. Still alive, he managed to clutch a rope dangling from the side of the ship, but when the conspirators realized this, they cut the rope and he tumbled into the sea. The next morning, the remainder of the crew was given the option of following their captain or joining the mutineers. Accounts indicate that they all accepted their former position. The ship was renamed Revenge.

And on this day in 1821 the following letter was written at St. Barts.

" We arrived here, after a rather rough passage, in eighteen days from Boston, all well. We expect to sail again in two or three days. We found here the piratical ship which robbed the Orleans Packet. She is now in possession of the Swedish government. She came into their possession in the following manner : — The crew landed her cargo on a small island near this, from whence it was taken by a schooner to St. Thomas ;— they then run the ship into Five Island Harbour, where all the crew, except two men, deserted her. — The government hearing of her being there, sent a guard and took possession of her, brought her into this harbour, and confined the two men found in. her as pirates. — It is said, Capt. Elton has requested the Governor to allow him to take them to the United States for trial. This piratical ship was originally the U. S. brig Prometheus, which was condemned two years since, and was then sold."

[William Brand]

November 4 -

On this day in 1693, a report was made by M. de Champigny of Quebec regarding the attempted abduction and murder of the Sieur St. Castin.

"This intelligence confirming that which had come through the French, who had attempted the abduction or the murder of the Sieur St. Castin, at Acadia, obliged Messrs. de Frontenac, and de Champigny, to hasten the fortifications of Quebec, and of Montreal, in order not to be surprised, and to warn the savages of Acadia to hold themselves in readiness to come to the relief of Quebec — upon the first news they should have of the departure of the fleet."

And on this day in 1696, a deadline was set for the purchase of plate silver to examine and reset the coinage value of eight reales in England. This was an ongoing issue as the value of coins varied widely from England to the Colonies and even between ports of the Colonies.

"After many problems in England with older clipped coinage William III asked Parliament to consider the situation. Over then next few years the older clipped hammered coinage was demonitized and replaced with new milled coins in what is now known as the "Great Recoinage of 1696-1699." For this recoinage the mint required large quantities of silver. Initially, a law was passed on January 21, 1696 to take clipped coinage out of circulation and send it to the mint for recoining. All clipped English coinage was to be accepted in payment of taxes at full face value through May 4th, also clipped coinage would be accepted at par by the Exchequer in payment of loans through June 24th. This brief window of opportunity brought £4,706,003 of clipped coins to the mint but large quantities remained in circulation. Further, laws were crafted to encourage people to bring plate to the mint by offering a bonus above market value, but the extra inducement was not offered for foreign coins. It was ordered that for a six month period between May 4, 1696 but before November 4, 1696 "Wrought Plate or any vessells or other sort of Manufacture of silver" could be brought to the mint where the individual would obtain a troy ounce of lawful money (that is, 5s2d) for each ounce of sterling silver; additionally, the individual would be given a receipt to be taken to the Exchequer for a supplemental "Reward" of 6d per troy ounce of sterling silver brought to the mint. This act was soon amended so no reward would be given unless the individual made an oath that the plate or other objects brought in had been manufactured on or before March 25, 1696. According to this statute only wrought plate or manufactured products such as vessels were acceptable. The amendment was structured to prohibit individuals from melting any foreign (or English) coins to be turned into plate."

[William Brand]

November 5 -

On this day in 1718, Colonel William Rhett killed Heriot and recaptured Stede Bonnet. On the 24th of October, Bonnet and Herriott had escaped, probably by colluding with local merchant Richard Tookerman. Governor Johnson at once placed a £700 bounty on Bonnet's head and dispatched search teams to track him down. Bonnet and Herriott, accompanied by a slave and an Indian, obtained a boat and made for the north shore of Charleston Harbor, but foul winds and lack of supplies forced the four of them onto Sullivan's Island. Governor Johnson sent a posse under Rhett to Sullivan's Island to hunt for Bonnet. The posse discovered Bonnet after an extensive search, and opened fire, killing Herriott and wounding the two slaves. Bonnet surrendered and was returned to Charleston.

[William Brand]

November 6 -

On this day in 1696, the captured members of Every's crew were once again brought into court and charged with piracy.

[William Brand]

November 7 -

On this day in 1718, twenty-nine of Bonnet’s crew were convicted of piracy.

[Coastie04]

Are there any days of the year you haven't covered yet? I still think this could be the basis of a great little daily calendar.

[William Brand]

November 8 -

There are times that I was busy enough that I missed a number of calendar days, but the gaps are shrinking. For example, I had nothing for today, so I had to go searching. Fortunately, I struck pay dirt.

On this day in 1718, the following members of Stede Bonnet's crew were hanged at White Point, Charleston, South Carolina. Many of them were buried in the marsh below the low water mark.

Amand (or Annand), Alexander. From Jamaica.

Booth, Samuel. From Charleston, South Carolina.

Boyd, Robert. From Bath, North Carolina.

Brierly, John (alias Timberhead). From Bath, North Carolina.

Carman, Thomas. From Maidstone in Kent, England.

Hewett, William (or Hewet, or Hewit). From the island of Jamaica.

King, Matthew. From Jamaica.

Levit, John. From North Carolina.

Livers, William (alias Elvis).

Long, Zachariah. From Holland.

Lopez, John. From Oporto, Portugal.

Morrison, William. From Jamaica.

Mullet, James (alias Millet). From London, England.

Patterson, Neal. Of Aberdeen, Scotland.

Perry, Daniel. From island of Guernsey, England.

Price, Thomas. Of Bristol, England.

Ridge, John. Of London, England.

Scott, William.

Smith, John-William.

Thomas, Captain. An alias used by Major Stede Bonnet.

Thomas, John. From Jamaica.

Tucker, Robert. From Jamaica.

Virgin, Henry. Of Bristol, England.

Wilson, James. Of Dublin, Ireland.

And on this day (104 years later) in1822, an action between the USS Alligator and a squadron of pirate schooners took place off the coast of Cuba.

[William Brand]

The other issue is citation. This calendar is only as good as the source materials. Many of them haven't adjusted for the changes in Calendar systems, so some of the dates here are the best approximations. Besides, if I ever call it 'finished' I'd stop looking for great new additions, and we'd miss out on little tidbits and interesting trivia.

[William Brand]

November 9 -

On this day in 1733, His Excellency, Jonathan Belcher Esquire, sent out a Proclamation for apprehending Gyles du Lake Tidmarsh. Printed in Boston by J. Draper, Printer to His Excellency the Governour and Council.

[William Brand]

November 10 -

On this day in 1718, Stede Bonnet was brought to trial and charged with two acts of piracy. Judge Nicholas Trott sentenced Bonnet to death.

[William Brand]

November 11 -

On this day in 1723, pirates from George Lowther’s crew were hanged at St. Kitts.

Also on this day in 1822, the following extract of a letter was written from Matanzas.

" The gallant ALLEN is no more ! — You witnessed the promptitude with which he hastened to relieve the vessels which I informed him had been captured off this port. He arrived just in time to save five sail of vessels which he found in possession of a gang of pirates, 300 strong, established in the Bay of Lejuapo, about 15 leagues east of this. He fell, pierced by two musket balls, in the van of a division of boats, attacking their principal vessel, a fine schooner of about eighty tons, with a long eighteen pounder on a pivot, and four smaller guns, with the bloody flag nailed to the mast. Himself, Capt. Freeman of Marines, and twelve men, were in the boat, much in advance of his other boats, and even took possession of the schooner, after a desperate resistance, which nothing but a bravery almost too daring could have overcome. The pirates, all but one, escaped by taking to their boats and jumping overboard, before the Alligator's boats reached them. Two other schooners escaped by the use of their oars, the wind being light;

Capt. Allen survived about four hours, during which his conversation evinced a composure and firmness of mind, and correctness of feeling, as honourable to his character, and more consoling to his friends than even the dauntless bravery he before exhibited."

[William Brand]

November 13 -

On this day in 1701, Captain William Kidd's seized treasures were sold by the Admiralty at the Marine Coffee House in Birchen Lane and advertised as follows…

"…gold and silver and some Diamonds, Rubies and other Things seized as the goods of pirates"

[William Brand]

November 14 -

On this day in 1701, Vice Admiral John Benbow reached Barbados with ten Royal Navy warships to winter at Jamaica in expectation of hostilities in the Spring.

[William Brand]

November 15 -

On this day in 1696, Edward Forsyth, William Mays, William Bishop, James Lewis, and John Sparks – crewmembers of Henry Every – were hanged at Execution Dock having been convicted of mutiny.

And on this day in 1717, six members of Samuel Bellamy’s crew were hanged. The six were tried in Boston for piracy and robbery. The following were found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging: John Brown of Jamaica, Thomas Baker and Hendrick Quintor of the Netherlands; Peter Cornelius Hoof of Sweden; John Shaun of France; and Simon van der Vorst of New York. Carpenters Thomas South and Thomas Davis, who were tried separately, had been conscripted by Bellamy – forced to choose between a life of piracy or death. Therefore, they were acquitted of all charges and spared the gallows. The last survivor was a 16-year-old Miskito Indian named John Julian – who was a skilled navigator, and also the Whydah's pilot. He was not tried, but instead was sold into slavery after his capture.

The famous Puritan minister Cotton Mather accompanied the six condemned men as they were rowed across Boston Harbor to Charlestown. All six men confessed and repented in the presence of Mather, but they still hanged.

November 16 -

Born in 1785, Zheng Yi Sao, whose birth name is unknown, spent her early years engaged in a variety of illicit activities. By 1801, she was working as a prostitute in Canton's floating brothels, which is where she met the notorious pirate captain, Zheng Yi. The two were married in 1801, with the condition that Zheng Yi would share equally with his wife his power and that he would give her the opportunity to help them secure more wealth from their pirating activities. For six years the husband-and-wife team grew their piracy business along the coast of the South China Sea. Using military coercion and his family's pirating credentials, Zheng Yi was able to gather together a bevy of competing Cantonese pirate fleets into a strong coalition. Within several years, the Red Flag Fleet was one of the most powerful pirate fleets in all of China.

Then, on this day in 1807, Zheng Yi died. Rather than step aside and assume a quiet life as a widow as other women may have done in 19th century China, Zheng Yi Sao (whose name means ""widow of Zheng Yi"") deftly manoeuvered to assume control of her late husband's booming pirate business. She oversaw and led a fleet of more than 1,500 ships staffed with more than 60,000 pirates.

And finally on this day in 1720, Calico Jack Rackham and the male members of his crew were tried and convicted of piracy at St. Jago de la Bega.

November 17 -

On this day in 1716, Blackbeard captured the French slaver Concorde off St. Vincent and renamed her Queen Anne’s Revenge.

Also on this day in 1718, Spotswood obtained valuable information on Edward Teach's whereabouts, and he planned to send his forces across the border into North Carolina to capture him. He gained the support of two men keen to discredit North Carolina's Governor—Edward Moseley and Colonel Maurice Moore. He also wrote to the Lords of Trade, suggesting that the Crown might benefit financially from Teach's capture. Spotswood personally financed the operation, possibly believing that Teach had fabulous treasures hidden away. He ordered Captains Gordon and Brand of HMS Pearl and HMS Lyme to travel overland to Bath. Lieutenant Robert Maynard of HMS Pearl was given command of two commandeered sloops, to approach the town from the sea. An extra incentive for Teach's capture was the offer of a reward from the Assembly of Virginia, over and above any that might be received from the Crown.

Maynard took command of the two armed sloops on this day in 1718. He was given 57 men—33 from HMS Pearl and 24 from HMS Lyme. Maynard and the detachment from HMS Pearl took the larger of the two vessels and named her Jane; the rest took Ranger, commanded by one of Maynard's officers, a Mister Hyde. Some from the two ships' civilian crews remained aboard. They sailed from Kecoughtan, along the James River, on 17 November in pursuit of Edward Teach.

And on this day in November 1720, Calico Jack Rackham and his mates were hanged at Gallows Point.

[William Brand]

November 18 -

On this day in 1497, the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama reached the Cape of Good Hope.

And on this day in 1720, John 'Calico Jack' Rackam was hanged in Port Royal. Rackam's body was then gibbeted on display on a very small islet at a main entrance to Port Royal now known as Rackham's Cay.

[William Brand]

November 19 -

On this day in 1620, the Mayflower reached Cape Cod and began exploring the coast.

And on this day in 1718…

"…the Willing Mind arrived at Green Turtle Key, and took the Goods out of the Neptune, being in a very bad Condition; and after they had taken out all her Cargo, finding the Neptune to be better than they did expect; and, having a fair Wind, brought both Ships up to Providence, the Neptune got in safe, but the Willing Mindstruck on the Bar, and sprung a Leak, insomuch that she was forced to unload and careen, and, when down, found her to be very bad, a Piece of her main Keel being gone, so was forced to hawl her ashore; and when the Carpenters had done what could be done to her, she could not be got up again by all the Strength that could be made, and tried for several Days, breaking and tearing all to pieces, but all to no Purpose; so the Governor order'd a Warrant of Survey on her, and was found by the Surveyors not sufficient to proceed any further, being very much damaged in her Wood-Work and Iron-Work, &c. Whereupon the said King desired a second Survey of his Ship and Goods, they lying in a very bad Condition."

[William Brand]

November 20 -

On this day in 1694, three ships were reported off the coast of Soconusco and were captured by the Viceroy. The ships were found in the company of another missing vessel called the Manila galleon, which had bypassed Acapulco to illegally sell her cargo in Peru.

And on this day in 2008, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution, proposed by Britain, introducing tougher sanctions against Somalia over the country's failure to prevent a surge in sea piracy.

[William Brand]

November 21 -

On this day in 1718, Samuel Odell was taken prisoner by Blackbeard.

And on this day in 1724, the pirate ship 'Revenge' attacked the British ship 'Sarah'. Most of the crew was set adrift, though some deemed useful were given the option of joining John Gow's crew. Over the next few months, John Gow attacked several other ships.

Also on this day in 1996, Intersal Inc., a private research firm, discovered the wreck believed to be the 'Queen Anne’s Revenge'. It was located by Intersal's director of operations, Mike Daniel, who used historical research provided by Intersal's president, Phil Masters and archaeologist David Moore. The vessel is in the Atlantic Ocean in shallow water offshore from Fort Macon State Park (34°41′44″N 76°41′20″W), Atlantic BEach, North Carolina. Several of the cannons and more than 16,000 artifacts have been recovered.