A privateer, who despite his protests, was hanged as a pirate
William Kidd, a Scotsman was born round about 1645, went to sea as a young man and by 1689 was serving aboard a twenty-four gun privateer in the Caribbean. While the brig was at anchor in the Leeward Islands, Kidd, Robert Culliford and their fellow shipmates stole the ship and sailed her to the English controlled Island of Nevis. On reaching their destination the crew elected Kidd as Captain and he renamed the brig the “Blessed William”, which stood him in good stead, as it was the time of “King Williams War”. From Nevis, Kidd and his crew, in company with others, attacked French ships, coastal settlements and captured a Spanish ship.
While Captain Kidd was paid well for his part in the action the crew weren’t happy at all. Sick of the harsh treatment meted out by the Captain and the miserly amount of pay, they waited until he had gone ashore for the night, stole the ship, complete with all the prize money, and sailed off to New York.
Kidd, who was naturally incensed, wanted more than anything to recover the brig and punish those responsible for its theft. But what could he do without a ship? He approached the governor, who, once he had explained the situation, gave him the “Antigua” a captured French ship. Kidd headed off in pursuit of his former ship but lost track of her on the way, and on reaching New York, with still no trace of the “Blessed William” decided to give up the hunt and instead opted to settle down. In 1691 he married Sarah Bradley Cox Oort, a wealthy, twice married widow, who owned several properties in the city.
In 1695 Kidd sailed the “Antigua” to London with the intention of either securing a commission in the navy or failing that, taking command of a privateer. He was turned down on both counts, until he had the good fortune to meet up with a fellow New Yorker, Robert Livingston. Robert introduced him to the Earl of Bellomont who had been appointed Governor of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York, Bellomont’s first order of business under his appointment was the suppression of pirates and asked Kidd if he would sail as a pirate hunter, Kidd agreed and Bellomont formed a consortium to finance the expedition. Three of the backers, Charles Talbot, Duke of Shrewsbury, Henry Sidney, Earl of Romney, and Sir John Somers, were all highly placed in the government and the fourth, Admiral Sir Edward Russell, the Earl of Orford was First Lord of the Admiralty.
Needless to say Kidd was granted a letter of marque to hunt down pirates and French, with the proviso that he should not at his peril, “offend or molest any of the king’s friends or allies, their Ships or Subjects”.
In the April of 1696 Captain Kidd sailed down the Thames in command of the “Adventure Galley”, a three-masted, thirty-gunner that had forty-six sweeps, which allowed her to be rowed if necessary. (Kidd had sold the “Antigua” to pay for this new vessel) The hundred and forty men of the crew sailed under an agreement that they would receive no wages, only a share of the plunder take from legitimate prizes. The division of the spoils were as follows, the king received the first ten percent and of the remaining ninety percent, sixty went to the backers, fifteen percent to Kidd and Robert Livingston, leaving twenty-five percent to be divided amongst the crew.
As they sailed down river Kidd failed to salute the Royal Navy ships he passed, as a consequence he was stopped and the navy pressed his best sailors into service.
Despite being shorthanded Kidd continued, taking a small French ship on the way and still manage to reach New York by the August. Almost at once he tried to enlist a crew; but there were no takers. No one would sign on under the articles he offered and he had no choice but to change the articles to gain a crew. The new articles were a success; although they were more akin to those signed by pirates and not by privateers, still they enabled him to get the one hundred and fifty-five men he required.
Having got his crew Captain Kidd was eager to be on his way, because the agreement with his backers gave him one year hunt down pirates in the Indian Ocean and return with a stipulated amount of booty by the 25th of March 1697. Further more should he fail to do so, he would have to reimburse his backers, out of his own pocket, the sum of Twenty-thousand-pounds.
Kidd sailed for the popular pirate haven of Madagascar hoping to capture rich prizes there. However in the December while he was still on his way he was met by three English war ships. The English ships had lost their sailing master, were low on food, the crews were stricken with scurvy and the Commodore of the vessels Thomas Warren, demanded that Kidd hand over thirty men to help them to reach Cape Town. Kidd was natural reluctant fearing that he would once again lose his best crewmembers and once the navy had them they would never be returned. Luckily for him when a lack of wind becalmed all four vessels; he took his chance to escape in the middle of the night, by ordering out the sweeps, rowing quietly away and by dawn was out of sight.
In February 1697 having found no trace of any French or pirate ship, Kidd rounded the Cape of Good Hope and with the “Adventure Galley” sorely in need of repairs he careened the ship. It took five weeks to carry out the work and by the time it was finished the deadline for his return had passed. Also during the period that they worked on the ship the crew were hit by a disease that killed a fifth of the men.
Kidd set sail from there to the Red Sea were he encountered a fleet on the 11th of August, he move in, but was driven off by the convoy’s escorts. Also in August they stopped the “Mary” a ship commanded by Captain Thomas Parker. The captain was invited aboard, however, while he and Kidd were sequestered in the main cabin, some of the crew boarded the “Mary”, stripped her of her cargo plus anything else they could find, and even tortured the Indian crew to find where their valuables were hid.When Kidd found out what had happened he made them return all that they had stolen.
This and his highhanded attitude did nothing to endear him to the crew who after so many month at sea had nothing to show for their pains and when they reached Karwar to take on fresh water Nine men jumped ship.
In October a Dutch ship was sighted and the crew wanted to take her but Kidd refused as The British and the Dutch were Allies. A short time after this, William Moore one of the leaders of the men that had boarded the “Mary”, accosted the captain, an argument developed and Kidd losing his temper fractured Moore’s skull with and iron bound bucket. This incident coupled with fact they were on half rations, had little water and there was no alcohol, brought the majority of the crew close to mutiny.
Things were eased somewhat in the November of 1697 when they spotted a ship flying the French flag and ran out a French flag of their own. When the unsuspecting captain of the French vessel came onboard the “Adventure Galley” and produce his pass, Kidd knew for certain that at last he had found a legitimate prize. Not that it did him or his crew a lot of good, the cargo that they took from her only fetched £150 when sold.
privateer. He was turned down on both counts, until he had the good fortune to meet up with a fellow New Yorker, Robert Livingston. Robert introduced him to the Earl of Bellomont who had been appointed Governor of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York, Bellomont’s first order of business under his appointment was the suppression of pirates and asked Kidd if he would sail as a pirate hunter, Kidd agreed and Bellomont formed a consortium to finance the expedition. Three of the backers, Charles Talbot, Duke of Shrewsbury, Henry Sidney, Earl of Romney, and Sir John Somers, were all highly placed in the government and the fourth, Admiral Sir Edward Russell, the Earl of Orford was First Lord of the Admiralty.