Bartholomew Roberts (born
John Roberts, 17 May 1682 – 10 February 1722) was a
WelshThe Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
pirate who raided shipping off the
AmericasThe Americas, or America, are lands in the Western hemisphere or New World, comprising the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions. America may be ambiguous in English, as it is more commonly used to refer to the United States of America...
and
West AfricaWest Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries distributed over an area of approximately 5 million square km:*Benin...
between 1719 and 1722. He was the most successful pirate of the
Golden Age of PiracyThe Golden Age of Piracy is a common designation given to one or more outbursts of piracy in the early modern period. In its broadest accepted definition, the Golden Age of Piracy spans from the 1650s to the 1720s and covers three separate outbursts of piracy: 1) the buccaneering period of...
, capturing far more ships than some of the best-known pirates of this era such as
BlackbeardEdward Teach or Eduardo Thatch , better known as Blackbeard, was a notorious English pirate in the Caribbean Sea and western Atlantic during the early 18th century, a period referred to as the Golden Age of Piracy...
or
Captain KiddWilliam "Captain" Kidd was a Scottish sailor remembered for his trial and execution for piracy after returning from a voyage to the Indian Ocean. Some modern historians deem his piratical reputation unjust, as there is evidence that Kidd acted only as a privateer...
. He is estimated to have captured over 470 vessels. He is also known as
Black Bart (Welsh: Barti Ddu), but this name was never used in his lifetime, and also risks confusion with
Black BartCharles Earl Bolles , alias Black Bart, was an American Old West outlaw noted for his poetic messages left after each robbery. He was also known as Charles E. Boles, C.E. Bolton, Charles E...
of the American West.
Early life
Bartholomew Roberts was born in 1682 in Casnewydd-Bach, or Little Newcastle, between
FishguardFishguard is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, with a population of 3,300 . The community of Fishguard and Goodwick had a population of 5043 at the 2001 census. A regular ferry leaves for Rosslare in Ireland from the port of Fishguard Harbour...
and
HaverfordwestHaverfordwest is the county town of Pembrokeshire, Wales. Haverfordwest is the most populous urban area in Pembrokeshire, with a population of 13,367 in 2001; though its community boundaries make it the second most populous settlement in the county, with 10,812 people..-Pembrokeshire Coast...
in
PembrokeshirePembrokeshire is a county in the southwest of Wales.-Geography:Pembrokeshire is a maritime county, bordered by the sea on three sides, by Ceredigion to the north east and by Carmarthenshire to the east...
,
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
. His name was originally John Roberts, and his father was most likely George Roberts. It's not clear why Roberts changed his name from John to Bartholomew, but pirates often adopted aliases, and he may have chosen that name after the well-known
buccaneerThe buccaneers were pirates who attacked Spanish and French shipping in the Caribbean Sea during the late 17th century.The term buccaneer is now used generally as a synonym for pirate...
Bartholomew SharpBartholomew Sharp an English buccaneer whose pirate career lasted only three years . His flagship was the Trinidad....
. He is thought to have gone to sea when he was 13 in 1695 but there is no further record of him until 1718, when he was mate of a
BarbadosBarbados , situated just east of the Caribbean Sea, is an independent West Indian Continental Island-nation in the western Atlantic Ocean. For over three centuries Barbados was a colony and protectorate of the United Kingdom; and still currently maintains Queen Elizabeth II as head of state...
sloopA sloop is a sailboat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter. A sloop's fore-triangle is smaller than a cutter's, and unlike a cutter, a sloop usually bends only one headsail, though this distinction is not definitive; some sloops such as the...
. In 1719 he was
third mateA Third Mate or Third Officer is a licensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. The third mate is a watchstander and customarily the ship's safety officer...
on the
slave shipSlave ships were large cargo ships specially converted for the purpose of transporting slaves, especially newly purchased African slaves.The most important routes of the slave ships led from the northern and middle coasts of Africa to South America and the south coast of what is today the Caribbean...
Princess of London, under Captain Abraham Plumb. In early June that year the
Princess was anchored at
AnomabuAnomabu , is a town on the coast of Ghana, Africa.-European colonization:Anomabu became the focus of intense European trade rivalry in the 17th and 18th centuries, partly because of its easy access to a rich hinterland and partly because the local Anomabu were themselves powerful and astute traders...
, then spelled Annamaboa, which is situated along the
Gold CoastGold Coast was a British colony on the Gulf of Guinea in west Africa that became the independent nation of Ghana in 1957.The first Europeans to arrive at the coast were the Portuguese, in 1471. Upon their arrival, they encountered a variety of African kingdoms some of whom controlled substantial...
of West Africa (present-day
GhanaThe Republic of Ghana is a country in West Africa which borders Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
), when she was captured by pirates. The pirates were in two vessels, the
Royal Rover and the
Royal James, and were led by captain
Howell DavisCaptain Howell Davis was a Welsh pirate. His piratical career lasted just 11 months, from July 1718 to June 1719, when he was ambushed and killed...
. Davis, like Roberts, was a
WelshWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
man, originally from
Milford HavenMilford Haven is a town in Pembrokeshire, Wales on the north side of the inlet of the same name...
in
PembrokeshirePembrokeshire is a county in the southwest of Wales.-Geography:Pembrokeshire is a maritime county, bordered by the sea on three sides, by Ceredigion to the north east and by Carmarthenshire to the east...
. Several of the crew of the
Princess of London were forced to join the pirates, including Roberts. Davis quickly discovered Roberts' abilities as a
navigatorA navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation. The navigator's primary responsibility is to be aware of ship or aircraft position at all times. Responsibilities include planning the journey, advising the Captain or aircraft Commander of estimated timing to...
and took to consulting him. He was also able to confide to Roberts information in
WelshWelsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic spoken natively in Wales, in England by some along the Welsh border and in the Welsh immigrant colony in the Chubut Valley in Argentine Patagonia....
, thereby keeping it hidden from the rest of the crew. Roberts is said to have been reluctant to become a pirate at first, but soon came to see the advantages of this new lifestyle. Captain Charles Johnson reports him as saying:
"Better being a commander than a common man"
It is easy to understand the lure of piracy; in the merchant navy, Roberts' wage was less than £3 per month and he had no chance of promotion to captaincy.
A few weeks later the
Royal James had to be abandoned because of worm damage. The
Royal Rover headed for the Isle of Princes, now
PríncipePríncipe is the smaller of the two major islands of São Tomé and Príncipe lying off the west coast of Africa. It has an area of 136 km² and a population of around 5,000 people. It rises in the south to 948 metres at Pico de Príncipe, in a thickly forested area forming part of the Obo National Park...
. Davis hoisted the flags of a British man-of-war, and was allowed to enter the harbour. After a few days Davis invited the governor to lunch on board his ship, intending to hold him hostage for a ransom. As Davis had to send boats to collect the governor, he was invited to call at the fort for a glass of wine first. The Portuguese had by now discovered that their visitors were pirates, and on the way to the fort Davis' party was ambushed and Davis himself shot dead.
A new captain now had to be elected. Davis' crew was divided into "Lords" and "Commons", and it was the "Lords" who had the right to propose a name to the remainder of the crew. Within six weeks of his capture, Roberts was elected captain. This was an unusual move since he was openly against his even being on board the vessel, and was probably due to his navigational abilities and his demeanor, which history reflects was outspoken and opinionated. According to Johnson:
His first act as captain was to lead the crew back to Príncipe to avenge the death of Captain Davis. Roberts and his crew sprang onto the island in the darkness of night, killed a large portion of the male population, and stole all items of value that they could carry away. Soon afterwards he captured a Dutch Guineaman, then two days later an English ship called the
Experiment. While the ship took on water and provisions at Anamboe, a vote was taken on whether the next voyage should be to the East Indies or to
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
. The vote was for Brazil.
The combination of bravery and success that marked this adventure cemented most of the crew's loyalty to Roberts. They concluded that he was "pistol proof" and that they had much to gain by staying with him.
Brazil and the Caribbean July 1719 – May 1720
Roberts and his crew crossed the Atlantic and watered and boot-topped their ship on the uninhabited island of Ferdinando. They then spent about nine weeks off the Brazilian coast, but saw no ships. They were about to leave for the West Indies when they encountered a fleet of 42 Portuguese ships in the
Todos os Santos' BayBaía de Todos os Santos is the main and biggest bay of the state of Bahia, Brazil , where the city of São Salvador da Bahia de Todos os Santos was built...
, waiting for two men-of-war of 70 guns each to escort them to
LisbonLisbon is the capital and largest city of Portugal. It is also the seat of the district of Lisbon and the main city of the Lisbon region...
. Roberts took one of the vessels, and ordered her master to point out the richest ship in the fleet. He pointed out a ship of 40 guns and a crew of 170, which Roberts and his men boarded and captured. The ship proved to contain 40,000 gold moidores and jewelry including a cross set with diamonds, designed for the King of Portugal.
The
Rover now headed for
Devil's IslandDevil's Island is the smallest and northernmost island of the three Îles du Salut located about off the coast of French Guiana. It has an area of 14 ha . It was a small part of the notorious French penal colony in French Guiana until 1952.-Use as penal colony:The rocky, palm-covered island...
off the coast of Guiana to spend the booty. A few weeks later they headed for the River Surinam, where they captured a sloop. When a
brigantineIn sailing, a brigantine is a vessel with two masts, only the forward of which is square rigged.Originally the brigantine was a small ship carrying both oars and sails. It was a favorite of Mediterranean pirates and its name comes from the Italian word "brigantino" which meant brigand's ship...
was sighted, Roberts took forty men to pursue it in the sloop, leaving
Walter KennedyWalter Kennedy was an Irish pirate who served as a crew member under Howell Davis and Bartholomew Roberts. He was one of six men, including Howell Davis, who mutinied, seized the sloop Buck and took to piracy. Davis was elected captain...
in command of the
Rover. The sloop became wind-bound for eight days, and when Roberts and his men were finally able to return, they discovered that Kennedy had sailed off with the
Rover and what remained of the loot. Roberts and his crew renamed their sloop the
Fortune and agreed on new articles, which they swore on a Bible to uphold.
- Every man shall have an equal vote in affairs of moment. He shall have an equal title to the fresh provisions or strong liquors at any time seized, and shall use them at pleasure unless a scarcity may make it necessary for the common good that a retrenchment may be voted.
- Every man shall be called fairly in turn by the list on board of prizes, because over and above their proper share, they are allowed a shift of clothes. But if they defraud the company to the value of even one dollar in plate, jewels or money, they shall be marooned
Marooning is leaving someone behind on purpose in an uninhabited area, such as an uninhabited island. The word appears in writing in approximately 1709, and is derived from the term maroon, a word for a fugitive slave, which could be a corruption of Spanish cimarrón, meaning "wild".The practice...
. If any man rob another he shall have his nose and ears slit, and be put ashore where he shall be sure to encounter hardships.
- None shall game for money either with dice or cards.
- The lights and candles should be put out at eight at night, and if any of the crew desire to drink after that hour they shall sit upon the open deck without lights.
- Each man shall keep his piece, cutlass and pistols at all times clean and ready for action.
- No boy or woman to be allowed amongst them. If any man shall be found seducing any of the latter sex and carrying her to sea in disguise he shall suffer death.
- He that shall desert the ship or his quarters in time of battle shall be punished by death or marooning.
- None shall strike another on board the ship, but every man's quarrel shall be ended on shore by sword or pistol in this manner. At the word of command from the quartermaster, each man being previously placed back to back, shall turn and fire immediately. If any man do not, the quartermaster shall knock the piece out of his hand. If both miss their aim they shall take to their cutlasses, and he that draweth first blood shall be declared the victor.
- No man shall talk of breaking up their way of living till each has a share of 1,000. Every man who shall become a cripple or lose a limb in the service shall have 800 pieces of eight from the common stock and for lesser hurts proportionately.
- The captain and the quartermaster shall each receive two shares of a prize, the master gunner and boatswain
A boatswain , bo's'n, bos'n, or bosun is an unlicensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. The boatswain supervises the other unlicensed members of the ship's deck department, and typically is not a watchstander, except on vessels with small crews...
, one and one half shares, all other officers one and one quarter, and private gentlemen of fortune one share each
- The musicians shall have rest on the Sabbath Day only by right. On all other days by favor only.
- If a member of the crew were to rape a woman he would be put to death or be marooned
In late February 1720 they were joined by the French pirate Montigny la Palisse in another sloop, the
Sea King. The inhabitants of
BarbadosBarbados , situated just east of the Caribbean Sea, is an independent West Indian Continental Island-nation in the western Atlantic Ocean. For over three centuries Barbados was a colony and protectorate of the United Kingdom; and still currently maintains Queen Elizabeth II as head of state...
equipped two well-armed ships, the
Summerset and the
Philipa, to try to put an end to the pirate menace. On 26 February they encountered the two pirate sloops. The
Sea King quickly fled, and after sustaining considerable damage the
Fortune broke off the engagement and was able to escape. Roberts headed for
DominicaDominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Caribbean Sea. To the north-northwest lies Guadeloupe, to the southeast Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth of Dominica has an...
to repair the sloop, with twenty of his crew dying of their wounds on the voyage. There were also two sloops from
MartiniqueMartinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . It is an overseas department of France. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados. As with the other overseas departments, Martinique is also one of the twenty-six regions of...
out searching for the pirates, and Roberts swore vengeance against the inhabitants of Barbados and Martinique. He had a new flag made with a drawing of himself standing upon 2 skulls, one labelled ABH (A Barbadian's Head) and the other AMH (A Martiniquian's Head)
Newfoundland and the Caribbean June 1720 – April 1721
The
Fortune now headed northwards towards Newfoundland. After capturing a number of ships around
Cape BretonCape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the French word "Breton", referring to Brittany.Cape Breton Island is part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada...
and the Newfoundland banks, Roberts raided the harbour of Ferryland, capturing a dozen vessels. On 21 June he attacked the larger harbour of
TrepasseyTrepassey , is a small fishing community located in Trepassey Bay on the south eastern corner of the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador. It was in Trepassey Harbour where the flight of the Friendship took off, piloted by Amelia Earhart...
, sailing in with black flags flying. All the ships in the harbour were abandoned by their panic-stricken captains and crews, and the pirates were masters of Trepassey without any resistance being offered. Roberts had captured 22 ships, but was angered by the cowardice of the captains who had fled their ships. Every morning when a gun was fired, the captains were forced to attend Roberts on board his ship; they were told that anyone who was absent would have his ship burnt. One
brigIn nautical terms, a brig is a vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and maneuverable and were used as both naval war ships and merchant ships. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
from
BristolBristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London, and east of Cardiff.With an estimated population of 416,400 for the unitary authority in mid-2007, and a surrounding urban area with an estimated 561,500 residents, it is England's sixth, and...
was taken over by the pirates to replace the sloop
Fortune and fitted out with 16 guns. When the pirates left in late June, all the other vessels in the harbour were set on fire. During July, Roberts captured nine or ten French ships and commandeered one of them, fitting her with 26 cannons and changing her name to the
Good Fortune. With this more powerful ship, the pirates captured many more vessels before heading south for the West Indies, accompanied by Montigny la Palisse's sloop, which had rejoined them.
In September 1720 the
Good Fortune was
careenedCareening a sailing vessel means to beach it at high tide in order, usually, to expose one side or another of the ship's hull for maintenance below the water line when the tide goes out. Small boats, as in the photo, need not always be laid over....
and repaired at the island of
Carriacou before being renamed the
Royal Fortune, the first of several ships to be given this name by Roberts. In late September the
Royal Fortune and the
Fortune headed for the island of St. Christopher's, and entered Basse Terra Road flying black flags and with their drummers and trumpeters playing. They sailed in among the ships in the Road, all of which promptly struck their flags. The next landfall was at the island of St. Bartholomew, where the French governor allowed the pirates to remain for several weeks to carouse. By 25 October they were at sea again, off St. Lucia, where they captured up to 15 French and English ships in the next three days. Among the captured ships was the
Greyhound, whose chief mate, James Skyrme, joined the pirates. He would later become captain of Roberts' consort, the
Ranger.
By the spring of 1721, Roberts' depredations had almost brought seaborne trade in the West Indies to a standstill. The
Royal Fortune and the
Good Fortune therefore set sail for West Africa. On 20 April
Thomas AnstisThomas Anstis was an early 18th century pirate, who served under Captain Howell Davis and then Captain Bartholomew Roberts, before setting up on his own account, raiding shipping on the eastern coast of the American colonies and in the Caribbean during what is often referred to as the "Golden Age...
, the commander of the
Good Fortune, left Roberts in the night and continued to raid shipping in the Caribbean. The
Royal Fortune continued towards Africa.
West Africa April 1721 – January 1722
By late April, Roberts was at the
Cape VerdeThe Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago located in the Macaronesia ecoregion of the North Atlantic Ocean, off the western coast of Africa, opposite Mauritania and Senegal....
islands. The
Royal Fortune was found to be leaky, and was abandoned here. The pirates transferred to the
Sea King, which was renamed the
Royal Fortune. The new
Royal Fortune made landfall off the Guinea coast in early June, near the mouth of the Senegal River. Two French ships, one of 10 guns and one of 16 guns, gave chase, but were captured by Roberts. Both these ships were commandeered. One, the
Comte de Toulouse, was renamed the
Ranger, while the other was named the
Little Ranger and used as a storeship. Thomas Sutton was made captain of the
Ranger and James Skyrme captain of the
Little Ranger.
Roberts now headed for
Sierra LeoneSierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea in the north, Liberia in the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean in the southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has a population estimated at 6.4 million...
, arriving on 12 June. Here he was told that two
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of HM Armed Forces . From the beginning of the 18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early...
ships, and , had left at the end of April, planning to return before Christmas. On 8 August he captured two large ships at Point Cestos, now
River CessRiver Cess is the capital city of River Cess County, Liberia. It received its original name Cestos from Portuguese traders in the early 1500s from the baskets that were produced and sold in the town. Cestos in Portuguese and Spanish means basket....
in
LiberiaLiberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, and the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2008 Census, the nation is home to 3,476,608 people and covers ....
. One of these was the frigate
Onslow, transporting soldiers bound for
Cape CoastCape Coast Castle is a fortification in Ghana. The first timber construction on the site was erected in 1653 for the Swedish Africa Company and named Carolusborg after King Charles X of Sweden. It was later rebuilt in stone....
(Cabo Corso) Castle. A number of the soldiers wished to join the pirates and were eventually accepted, but as landlubbers were given only a quarter share. The
Onslow was converted to become the fourth
Royal Fortune. In November and December the pirates careened their ships and relaxed at Cape Lopez and the island of
AnnobonAnnobón may refer to:* Annobón Province* Annobonese language* Annobon people...
. Sutton was replaced by Skyrme as captain of the
Ranger. They captured several vessels in January 1722, then sailed into
OuidahOuidah is a city on the Atlantic coast of Benin.-History:In local tradition Kpase is supposed to have founded the town. This probably happened towards the end of the sixteenth century...
harbour with black flags flying. All the eleven ships at anchor there immediately struck their colours.
Death in Battle, February 1722
On 5 February HMS
Swallow, commanded by Captain
Chaloner OgleSir Chaloner Ogle was an Admiral of the Fleet in the British navy.He was of the Kirkley Hall branch of the prominent Northumbrian Ogle family of Northumberland....
, came upon the three pirate ships, the
Royal Fortune, the
Ranger and the
Little Ranger careening at Cape Lopez. The
Swallow veered away to avoid a
shoalThings known as shoal, shoals or shoaling include:* Shoal, a sandbank or reef creating shallow water, especially where it forms a hazard to shipping* Shoal draught , of a boat with shallow draught which can pass over some shoals...
, making the pirates think that she was a fleeing merchant ship. The
Ranger, commanded by James Skyrme, departed in pursuit. Once out of earshot of the other pirates, the
Swallow opened her gun ports and an engagement began. Ten of the pirates were killed and Skyrme had his leg taken off by a cannon ball, but refused to leave the deck. Eventually, the
Ranger was forced to
strike her coloursStriking the colors is the universally recognized indication of surrender, particularly for ships at sea. Surrender is dated from the time the ensign is struck.- In international law :# "Colors. A national flag . The colors . ....
and the surviving crew were captured.
On 10 February, the
Swallow returned to Cape Lopez and found the
Royal Fortune still there. On the previous day, Roberts had captured the
Neptune, and many of his crew were drunk and unfit for duty just when he needed them most. At first, the pirates thought that the approaching ship was the
Ranger returning, but a deserter from the
Swallow recognized her and informed Roberts while he was breakfasting with Captain Hill, the master of the
Neptune. As he usually did before action, he dressed himself in his finest clothes:
The pirates' plan was to sail past the
Swallow, which meant exposing themselves to one broadside. Once past, they would have a good chance of escaping. However, the helmsman failed to keep the
Royal Fortune on the right course, and the
Swallow was able to approach to deliver a second broadside. Captain Roberts was killed by
grapeshotGrapeshot is a type of anti-personnel ammunition used in cannons. Instead of solid shot, a mass of loosely packed metal slugs is loaded into a canvas bag. Grapeshot can also be improvised from chainlinks, shards of glass, rocks, etc. When assembled, the balls resemble a cluster of grapes...
, which struck him in the throat while he stood on the deck. Before his body could be captured by Ogle, Roberts' wish to be buried at sea was fulfilled by his crew, who weighed his body down and threw it overboard after wrapping it in his ship's sail. It was never found.
Roberts' death shocked the pirate world, as well as the British Navy. The local merchants and civilians had thought him invincible, and some considered him a hero. Roberts' death was seen by many historians as the end of the Golden Age of Piracy.
Aftermath
The battle continued for another two hours, until the Royal Fortunes mainmast fell and the pirates signalled for quarter. One member of the crew, John Philips, tried to reach the magazine with a lighted match to blow up the ship, but was prevented by two forced men. Only three pirates, including Roberts, had been killed in the battle. A total of 272 men had been captured by the Royal Navy. Of these, 75 were black, and these were sold into slavery. The remainder, apart from those who died on the voyage back, were taken to Cape Coast Castle. 54 were condemned to death, of whom 52 were hanged and two reprieved. Another twenty were allowed to sign indentures with the
Royal African CompanyThe Royal African Company was a slaving company set up by the Stuart family and London merchants once the former retook the English throne in the English Restoration of 1660...
; Burl comments that they "exchanged an immediate death for a lingering one". Seventeen men were sent to the Marshalsea prison in London for trial, while over a third of the total were acquitted and released.
Of the captured pirates who gave their place of birth, 42% were from
CornwallCornwall is a county of England in the United Kingdom, forming the tip of the south-western peninsula of Great Britain. It is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Taken with the...
,
DevonDevon is a large county in England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, although that is an unofficial name, rarely used inside of the county itself and often indicating a traditional or historical context. The county shares borders with Cornwall to the west and Dorset and Somerset to...
and
SomersetSomerset is a county in South West England. The county town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county. The ceremonial county of Somerset borders the counties of Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west...
and another 19% from London. There were smaller numbers from northern England and from Wales, and another quarter from a variety of countries including Ireland, Scotland, the West Indies, the Netherlands and Greece. After problems with mutinous Irishmen early in his pirate career, Roberts was known to generally avoid recruiting Irishmen, to the extent that captured merchant sailors would sometimes affect an Irish accent to discourage Roberts from forcing them into his pirate crew.
Captain
Chaloner OgleSir Chaloner Ogle was an Admiral of the Fleet in the British navy.He was of the Kirkley Hall branch of the prominent Northumbrian Ogle family of Northumberland....
was rewarded with a knighthood, the only British naval officer to be honoured specifically for his actions against pirates. He also profited financially, taking gold dust from Roberts' cabin, and eventually became an Admiral.
According to Cordingly, this battle was to prove a turning point in the war against the pirates. Cawthorne considers the death of Roberts to mark the end of the 'golden age of piracy', while Rediker comments:
Treasure
Captain
Chaloner OgleSir Chaloner Ogle was an Admiral of the Fleet in the British navy.He was of the Kirkley Hall branch of the prominent Northumbrian Ogle family of Northumberland....
claimed to have missed out on the treasure which the pirates had left on the Little Ranger
when they sailed to their last engagement with the Swallow
. Ogle did admit having taken possession of the lesser loot from the Ranger
and Royal Fortune
; the crew did not receive their share until Ogle was reluctantly forced to give it to them by the legal system three years later. By the time Ogle and his men arrived to take the treasure in the Little Ranger
, it had gone - with Captain Hill of the Neptune. Several weeks after the defeat of Bartholemew Roberts, however, Captain Ogle and Captain Hill had both sailed across the Atlantic and were in
Port RoyalPort Royal was a city located at the end of the Palisadoes at the mouth of the Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. It was the centre of shipping commerce in the Caribbean Sea during the latter half of the 17th century. It was one home port of the privateers employed to nip at superpower...
at the same time. Even if this is assumed to be a coincidence, it seems nearly inconceivable that Captain Ogle, who was already swindling his own crew, would not have then confronted Captain Hill, who Ogle could easily have had hanged for trading with pirates, at least theoretically. It therefore seems likely that the larger part of Bartholemew Roberts's treasure ended up in the hands of Captain Ogle, and some part of it in the hands of Captain Hill.
Personal characteristics
Most of the information on Roberts comes from the book
A General History of the PyratesA General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates is a 1724 book containing biographies of contemporary pirates. Its author uses the name Captain Charles Johnson, generally considered a pseudonym....
, published a few years after Roberts' death. The original 1724 title page credits one Captain Charles Johnson as the author. (The book is often printed under the byline of
Daniel DefoeDaniel Defoe , born Daniel Foe, was an English writer, journalist, and pamphleteer, who gained enduring fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain, and is even referred to by some as one...
, on the assumption that "Charles Johnson" is a
pseudonymA pseudonym is a fictitious name used by a person, or sometimes, a group.Pseudonyms are often used to hide an individual's real identity, as with writers' pen names, graffiti artists, resistance fighters' or terrorists' noms de guerre and computer hackers' handles. Actors, musicians, and other...
, but there is no proof Defoe is the author, and the matter remains in dispute.) Johnson devotes more space to Roberts than to any of the other pirates in his book, describing him as:
... a tall black man, near forty years of age ... of good natural parts and personal bravery, though he applied them to such wicked purposes as made them of no commendation, frequently drinking 'Damn to him who ever lived to wear a halter'.
After his exploits in Newfoundland the Governor of
New EnglandNew England is a region of the United States. It is located at the northeastern corner of the US, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Canada and the state of New York, consisting of the modern U.S...
commented that "one cannot with-hold admiration for his bravery and courage". He hated cowardice, and when the crews of 22 ships in Trepassey harbour fled without firing a shot he was angry at their failure to defend their ships.
Roberts was the archetypal pirate captain in his love of fine clothing and jewelry, but had some traits unusual in a pirate, notably a preference for drinking tea rather than rum. He is often described as a teetotaler and a Sabbatarian, but there is no proof of this. He certainly disliked drunkenness while at sea, but Johnson does not state that he was a teetotaller and implies that he drank beer. The claim that he was a Sabbatarian is based on the article stating that the musicians were not obliged to play on Sundays, but this may merely have been intended to ensure the musicians a day's rest, as they were obliged to play music whenever the crew demanded it of them on other days. Ironically, Roberts' final defeat was facilitated by the drunkenness of his crew.
Black Bart was not as cruel to prisoners as some pirates, such as
Edward LoweCaptain Edward "Ned" Low, also Lowe or Loe, was a notorious English pirate during the latter days of the Golden Age of Piracy, in the early 18th century. He was born around 1690 into poverty in Westminster, London, and was a thief and a scoundrel from a young age. Low moved to Boston,...
, but did not treat them as well as did
Howell DavisCaptain Howell Davis was a Welsh pirate. His piratical career lasted just 11 months, from July 1718 to June 1719, when he was ambushed and killed...
or
Edward EnglandEdward England, born Edward Seegar in Ireland, was a famous African coast and Indian Ocean pirate from 1717 to 1720. The ships he sailed on included the Pearl and later the Fancy, for which England exchanged the Pearl in 1720...
. Johnson says that he would sometimes ill-use prisoners if he felt that the crew demanded it, but:
Roberts sometimes gave cooperative captains and crew of captured ships gifts, such as pieces of jewelry or items of captured cargo.
In 1997, the claim was put forward in Women Pirates and the Politics of the Jolly Roger, edited by Gabriel Kuhn and Tyler Austin, that Bartholomew Roberts was a female transvestite. It was argued that Roberts' corpse was thrown overboard to conceal this fact. The book did not explain why, if Roberts were a woman, "she" would draw up articles that provided the death penalty for bringing a woman aboard in disguise, which would have led to "her" own death had "she" been discovered. Other than the disposal of Roberts' body, no evidence was produced to support the thesis, and it has not been accepted by the majority of nautical historians. Whatever the truth of Roberts' gender, he could not possibly have been
Anne BonnyAnne Bonny was an Irish American pirate who plied her trade in the Caribbean.- Early life :Much of what is known about Anne Bonny is based on Captain Charles Johnson's A General History of the Pyrates. Official records and contemporary letters dealing with her life are scarce...
in disguise, as some supporters of the thesis have claimed. Bonny was aboard Calico Jack Rackham's sloop, cruising off Jamaica in October 1720, at the same time that Roberts, on the Royal Fortune
, was in the mid-Atlantic trying to reach the Cape Verde islands.
Popular culture
Bartholomew Roberts is one of four pirate captains mentioned in Robert Louis StevensonRobert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. Stevenson was greatly admired by many authors, including Jorge Luis Borges, Ernest Hemingway, Rudyard Kipling, Marcel Schwob, Vladimir Nabokov, J. M. Barrie, and G. K...
's Treasure IslandTreasure Island is an adventure novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, narrating a tale of "pirates and buried gold". First published as a book in 1883, it was originally serialised in the children's magazine Young Folks between 1881-82 under the title The Sea Cook, or Treasure Island.Traditionally...
. In it, Long John SilverLong John Silver is a fictional character and the primary antagonist of the novel Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson. Silver is also known by the nicknames "Barbecue" and "the Sea-Cook". ....
says that the surgeon who amputated his leg was one of Roberts' men:
Historical novels with Bartholomew Roberts as the main character include The Devil's Captain
by Philip Shea (1992), The Requiem Shark
by Nicholas Griffin (1999) and The Devil's Captain
by Frank Sherry (2000).
A number of novels and poems featuring Bartholomew Roberts have been published in Welsh, notably a ballad by I. D. HoosonIsaac Daniel Hooson , or I. D. Hooson as he was commonly known, solicitor and poet was born in Victoria House, Market St. in the village of Rhosllannerchrugog, Denbighshire, Wales....
, for which a vocal score was later composed by Alun HoddinottAlun Hoddinott CBE , was a Welsh composer of classical music, one of the first to receive international recognition. -Life and works:...
, and a novel by T. Llew JonesThomas Llewelyn Jones was a Welsh language writer who over a writing career of more than 50 years was one of the most prolific and popular authors of children's books in Welsh. He wrote, and was generally known, as T. Llew Jones.- Biography :T. Llew Jones was born at 1 Bwlch Melyn, Pentrecwrt,...
.
In the video game Sid Meier's Pirates!Sid Meier's Pirates! is a 2004 strategy/action/adventure computer game developed by Firaxis Games and published by Atari. The game is a remake of Sid Meier's earlier 1987 game, also named Sid Meier's Pirates!. Overall, the gameplay remains similar to the original game, though it features a 3D game...
(2004) Bart Roberts makes the Top Ten Pirates List
.
In the Japanese manga series One Pieceis a long-running shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda, that has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since August 4, 1997. The individual chapters are being published in tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, with the first released on December 24, 1997 and the 55th volume released...
, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea is a large man named Bartholomew Kuma, who is likely modeled after Bartholomew Roberts.
The Dread Pirate RobertsThe Dread Pirate Roberts is a fictional character in the novel The Princess Bride and its film adaptation.-Role in The Princess Bride:...
, a fictional pirate in the novel and film The Princess BrideThe Princess Bride is a 1973 novel written by William Goldman. It was originally published in the United States by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich....
, is an homage to Roberts.
Roberts is the subject of the song "Bartholomew Roberts (The Pirate Song)" by David Grossman released on the CD Graffiti
(1984)
Roberts' flag was one of several taken from real-life accounts and used in the film Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Also in the film, Barbossa says that the
pirates' codeA pirate code is a code of conduct invented for governing pirates. Generally each pirate crew had its own code or articles, which provided rules for discipline, division of stolen goods, and compensation for injured pirates.-Historical articles of piracy:...
was first set down by "Morgan and Bartholomew" - referring to
Henry MorganAdmiral Sir Henry Morgan , was a Welsh privateer, who made a name in the Caribbean...
and Bartholomew Roberts. However, as Roberts was only six years old when
Henry MorganAdmiral Sir Henry Morgan , was a Welsh privateer, who made a name in the Caribbean...
died, it is unlikely that the two were actually acquainted.
In the 2005 novel To Catch a Pirate by Jade Parker, the female and male main characters live through a duel with Roberts when the ship they are on begins to sink.
The character Balthasar Grimm in Dutch children's novel De schat van Inktvis Eiland ("The treasure of Squid Island") (2008, written by Reggie Naus), was based on Roberts. An extremely villainous yet flamboyant pirate, he dresses very much like Roberts and his flag depicts the captain dancing with a skeleton, inspired by Roberts' flag. In the first draft of the novel the character was called Bartholomew Grimm.
External links