The Fall of Piracy in the Bahamas (Calvin Hellesen)

Much has been written about and romanticized regarding the golden age of piracy in the Caribbean colonies of the early 18th century. What is less often discussed is how this sprawling network of merchant raiders was toppled in such short order, and who the man principally responsible for it was. Founded in 1670, the island colony of the Bahamas was destined to have a rough start, with little in the way of initial investment or colonial interest on the part of settlers[1]. After decades of minimal growth, the islands were almost entirely wiped out by a Spanish raid as part of the war of Spanish Succession in 1703, and then again in 1706[2]. With no government, no citizens, and no military left, the islands became known as being a hiding place for criminal elements and those few pirates operating in the Caribbean at the time. What caused the explosion in piracy afterwards was the end of the war of Spanish Succession, which dumped thousands of sailors onto the streets of European cities and their colonies, with little in the way of future prospects[3]. Thus an entire generation of men were forced into a life of crime and piracy to sustain themselves, and by 1713 over three thousand pirates had inhabited the Bahamas[4], their greatest stolen prize yet, and the pirate capital of the world.

The task to end this problem was to be taken up by Woodes Rogers, an accomplished privateer and circumnavigator of the globe. By the time the British authorities had recognized just how hard it would be to reclaim their lost colony, the damage done to local shipping was beginning to add up to be a serious detriment. A plan was devised to dislodge the pirates initially not by way of force, but instead with a mass amnesty program. The Proclamation of Pardon was created to allow the pirates, many of whom were former British subjects, to reenter life on the right side of the law, thereby weakening their ranks considerably while also providing the basis for reestablishing the Bahamas colony[5]. Against their intentions, official news of the Pardon reached Nassau and the pirates there from Captain Vincent Pearse of HMS Phoenix, who decided he wanted to seize the glory of taking down the pirates for himself and sailed down to Nassau to read the pardon on the shores[6]. His stay did not last long, however, and was eventually chased out of the harbor by a coalition of hardliner pirates led by Charles Vane[7], a close associate of the infamous Blackbeard.

Vane’s time in the spotlight as the leader of the anti-pardon pirate coalition was soon cut short by the arrival of Woodes Rogers and his small armada in tow in July 1720[8]. Vane fled while Rogers stayed overnight in the harbor. The next morning, Rogers made his way to shore to the overjoyed reception of hundreds of pirates on the shore who eager for clemency[9]. Within a week Rogers had reestablished the civil government structure, and had appointed a 12-man governing council[10]. The pardon had worked exactly as it intended, creating an entire population out of the rogues who had overtaken the colony in the first place. What was more, the reestablishment of a government in Nassau and the presence of a small garrison and several warships were enough to discourage many pirates from using Nassau as a place of temporary shelter or for resupply. This meant that even though there still remain some 2,000 pirates on the island one year into Rogers’ tenure as governor[11], the influx of new pirates had effectively stopped. In the meantime, Rogers had to be concerned with dwindling supplies, a lethargic workforce, an epidemic, a potential Spanish invasion, and his own declining health[12]. Despite his gains, the future of the colony and the fight against piracy was very much uncertain

The most important event in the removal of piracy was to come on November 4, 1718 when two of the former pirate captains, who had earned Rogers’ trust in pursuing Vane, returned from a voyage with ten pirate captives in their hold[13]. The ultimate test of Rogers’ leadership would be if he could enforce the law against piracy, punishable by death. Thus, a trial was held in secret, and the ten were brought to the gallows on December 12 for hanging, drawing a crowd of 300[14]. However, there was to be no revolt against the return of law and order, and nine were executed (one was pardoned at the last minute by Rogers on account of the good standing of the condemned boy’s family)[15]. Over the next three years, all the major pirate leaders would either be killed, flee to less contested waters, or become pardoned and return to privateering. The golden age of piracy was officially over, and the Bahamas were once again returned to England’s control.

Footnotes

[1] Michael Craton,  A History of the Bahamas (San Salvador Press, 1986), 64.

[2] Craton, A History, 87.

[3] Colin Woodard, The Republic of Pirates (Mariner Books, 2008), 86.

[4] Craton, A History, 90.

[5] Woodard, The Republic of Pirates, 226.

[6] Woodard, The Republic of Pirates, 235.

[7] Woodard, The Republic of Pirates, 238.

[8] Craton, A History, 95.

[9] Craton, A History, 96.

[10] Craton, A History, 97.

[11] Craton, A History, 99.

[12] Craton, A History, 100-101.

[13] Woodard, The Republic of Pirates, 286.

[14] Woodard, The Republic of Pirates, 302.

[15] Woodard, The Republic of Pirates, 304.

Works Cited

Craton, Michael. A History of the Bahamas. San Salvador Press, 1986.

Woodard, Colin. The Republic of Pirates. Mariner Books, 2008.