William Burke (pirate)

Last updated

William Burke
Died1699
Piratical career
Base of operations Caribbean, Newfoundland

William Burke (died 1699, first name occasionally Thomas, [1] last name occasionally Burk, Burt, Bourck, Burch, or Burcke) was an Irish [2] pirate and trader active in the Caribbean and near Newfoundland, best known for aiding William Kidd.

Contents

History

Burke had been active through early 1699 as a pirate off Newfoundland in his 140-man, 24-gun [3] ship Marigold. He was known to colonial governors as "very strong, and said to have a good ship". [3] After menacing the Newfoundland fishing fleets he sailed to the Caribbean, trading slaves between Barbados and Curacao. [4]

In May 1699 he visited Governor Lorentz of St. Thomas offering to fence goods from William Kidd, who had been in the area to sell off his remaining plunder and sell or replace his leaking ship Quedagh Merchant (which Kidd had renamed Adventure Prize). [5] Burke had purchased Kidd's pirated loot just a few weeks earlier, before Kidd left for New York to try clearing his name. [4] The Governor had already rebuffed Kidd's entreaties [3] and refused Burke as well. The local Brandenburg representative Van Belle accepted Burke's offer and through intermediaries took possession of Kidd's merchandise. [4] Six of Kidd's sailors left the Quedagh Merchant with Burke, who sailed for Curacao. [5] Governor Lorentz had Burke arrested on June 1, though he was released a week later; Van Belle paid Burke's fines. [4]

In August 1699 Burke's ship was lost in a hurricane. He and all but 7 or 8 of his crew perished. [3] Governor Bellomont of New York, who had written the King complaining of Lorentz and other Caribbean governors protecting Burke and Kidd, hailed this: "Tis good news." [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Kidd</span> Scottish privateer (1654–1701)

William Kidd, also known as Captain William Kidd or simply Captain Kidd, was a Scottish privateer. Conflicting accounts exist regarding his early life, but he was likely born in Dundee and later settled in New York City. By 1690, Kidd had become a highly successful privateer, commissioned to protect English interests in North America and the West Indies.

Robert Culliford was a pirate from Cornwall who is best remembered for repeatedly checking the designs of Captain William Kidd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Coote, 1st Earl of Bellomont</span> MP and colonial governor

Richard Coote, 1st Earl of Bellomont, known as The Lord Coote between 1683–89, was an Irish nobleman and colonial administrator who represented Droitwich in the English Parliament from 1688 to 1695. He was a prominent Williamite, supporting William III and Mary II during the Glorious Revolution.

<i>Captain Kidd</i> (film) 1945 film by Rowland V. Lee

Captain Kidd is a 1945 American adventure film starring Charles Laughton, Randolph Scott and Barbara Britton. It was directed by Rowland V. Lee, his last before he retired, and produced by Benedict Bogeaus and James Nasser. The music was conducted by Werner Janssen. The film was released by United Artists. It has entered the public domain because the producers neglected to renew the copyright in 1972. In his memoirs, Nikita Khrushchev noted that this was one of Joseph Stalin's favourite films, and that Stalin identified with the mischievous captain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Bellamy</span>

Charles Bellamy was an English pirate who raided colonial American shipping in New England and later off the coast of Canada. He is often confused with the more well-known Samuel "Black Sam" Bellamy, as they operated in the same areas at the same time.

Adam Baldridge was an English pirate and one of the early founders of the pirate settlements in Madagascar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Kelly (pirate)</span> English pirate (17th century)

James Gilliam, or James Kelly was an English pirate and buccaneer active off the coasts of Spanish South and Central America and later in the Indian Ocean. He sailed under several different pirate captains but is best remembered for his brief association with William Kidd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Bradish</span> American pirate

Joseph Bradish (1672–1700) was a pirate best known for a single incident involving a mutiny.

Quedagh Merchant, also known as the Cara Merchant and the Adventure Prize, was an Armenian merchant vessel famously captured by Scottish privateer William Kidd on 30 January 1698.

Jan Willems, also known as Janke or Yankey Willems, was a 17th-century Dutch buccaneer. Based out of Petit-Goâve, Willems participated in a number of expeditions against the Spanish during the early to mid-1680s with other well-known privateers including Michiel Andrieszoon, Thomas Paine, Laurens de Graaf, Nicholas van Hoorn and Michel de Grammont.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ayas (club)</span>

The Ayas Nautical Research Club was founded in 1985. The range of its activities includes historical aspects of World and Armenian navigation and shipbuilding, reconstruction of ancient Armenian vessels, study of sea routes, old maps, navigation devices, banners, collecting data on Armenian navigators, making underwater archaeological surveys and research. Since 1985 the Club has organized 15 exhibitions and has carried out several surveys on Armenian navigation. It has restored and reconstructed 26 different types of vessels used in historical Armenia. Members of the Club participate at international conferences on underwater archaeology and nautical history and have published a number of articles.

William Mayes was a pirate active in the Indian Ocean. He was best known for taking over William Kidd’s ship Blessed William and sailing with Henry Avery. William Mayes is american, specifically from Rhode Island. Mayes was one of the original founders of Libertalia. A civil war came about and William was poisoned by Henry Avery and Thomas Tew.

John Cole was a pirate active off the American eastern seaboard. His brief career is associated with Richard Worley and William Moody. He is known more for the unusual cargo of his pirate ship than for his piracy.

Tempest Rogers was a pirate trader active in the Caribbean and off Madagascar. He is best known for his association with William Kidd.

Christopher Goffe was a pirate and privateer active in the Red Sea and the Caribbean. He was eventually trusted to hunt down his former comrades.

George Peterson was a pirate active off New England and Nova Scotia and in the West Indies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Lewis (pirate)</span>

William Lewis was a pirate supposedly active in the Caribbean, off the American east coast, and off the west coast of Africa in the 18th century. He was known for sparing his victims and for being killed after announcing he had made a pact with the Devil. He is likely the fictional creation of "Captain Charles Johnson" who presented his story among those of real historical pirates.

James Browne was a Scottish pirate and privateer active in the Caribbean. He is best known for his hasty execution and its effect on colonial Jamaican government.

Jean Tristan was a French corsair (buccaneer) and pirate active in the Caribbean and against Spanish holdings in Central and South America.

Edward Welch was best known for leading a pirate settlement and trading post at Madagascar.

References

  1. Marley, David F. (2012). Daily Life of Pirates. Santa Barbara CA: ABC-CLIO. p. 175. ISBN   9780313395642 . Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  2. Gosse, Philip (1924). The Pirates' Who's Who by Philip Gosse. New York: Burt Franklin. p. 72. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Office, Great Britain Public Record; Fortescue, Sir John William (1908). Calendar of State Papers: Colonial series ... London: Longman. pp. 459, 489–493, 554. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Westergaard, Waldemar (1917). The Danish West Indies Under Company Rule (1671-1754): With a Supplementary Chapter, 1755-1917. New York: Macmillan. pp.  115–118. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  5. 1 2 Zacks, Richard (2003). The Pirate Hunter: The True Story of Captain Kidd. New York: Hachette Books. ISBN   9781401398187 . Retrieved 11 July 2017.