Thomas Barrow (pirate)

Last updated

Thomas Barrow (died 1726) was a pirate active in the Caribbean. He is best known for proclaiming himself Governor of New Providence.

Contents

History

Barrow had captained a ship making supply runs to Royal Africa Company forts on the African coast around 1702, but some years later he was ship's mate aboard a brigantine out of Jamaica. [1] [ self-published source? ] Removed from his post for assaulting another officer, he was later arrested in the Bahamas for stealing gold from a Spanish Marquis. [2] He then led a crew diving the wrecks of the 1715 Spanish treasure fleet, leaving a year later for Nassau. [3] By then pirates led by Benjamin Hornigold controlled New Providence, and Barrow was roaming free. Thomas Walker, the same man who had arrested Barrow, also arrested Daniel Stillwell, but released him when Hornigold threatened to shoot him and insisted that all New Providence pirates were under his protection. [4]

Barrow declared “that he is Governor of Providence and will make it a second Madagascar, and expects 5 or 600 men more from Jamaica sloops to join in the settling of Providence, and to make war on the French and Spaniards, but for the English, they don't intend to meddle with them, unless they are first attack'd by them.” [5] Barrow said that “he only waits for a vessell to go out a pirating;” even without a ship of his own he managed to rob two vessels in the harbor in quick succession. [5] He also extorted money from locals, once threatening to whip a man if he didn't hand over twenty shillings; as a joke - Barrow having declared himself Governor - he gave the man a receipt. [3] With Barrow and Hornigold's pirates threatening the few citizens and landowners left on the island, most settlers and colonists fled. Only a few traders willing to smuggle supplies to the pirates, such as former pirate John Cockram, were left untouched. [6]

In 1717 King George offered a pardon to all pirates who surrendered within a year. Governor Woodes Rogers arrived in the Bahamas in 1718 to accept the surrenders and hunt down any pirates who refused the pardon or returned to piracy. Hornigold and many other pirates accepted the pardon; he, Cockram, and others even became pirate hunters, bringing their former associates back for trial. [7] Barrow may have taken the pardon as well: he was still on the island and free as of 1725, married and with a daughter. He died in August of the following year. [1] [ self-published source? ]

See also

Related Research Articles

Captain Benjamin Hornigold (1680–1719) was an English pirate who operated during the tail end of the Golden Age of Piracy.

Charles Vane English pirate

Charles Vane was an English pirate who operated in the Bahamas during the end of the Golden Age of Piracy.

Henry Jennings was an 18th-century English privateer from the colony of Bermuda, who served primarily during the War of the Spanish Succession and later served as leader of the pirate haven or "republic" of New Providence.

Republic of Pirates Republic of pirates (1706–1718)

The Republic of Pirates was the base or stronghold of a loose confederacy run by privateers-turned-pirates in Nassau on New Providence island in the Bahamas for about eleven years from 1706 until 1718. While it was not a republic in a formal sense, it was governed by an informal pirate code, which dictated that the crews of the Republic would vote on the leadership of their ships and treat other pirate crews with civility.

Christopher Winter was an English pirate active in the Caribbean. He is best known for sailing in Spanish service and launching the career of Edward England.

Leigh Ashworth was a pirate and privateer operating in the Caribbean in the early 1700s.

Flying Gang Group of Pirates in 18th Century

The Flying Gang was an 18th-century group of pirates who established themselves in Nassau, New Providence in The Bahamas after the destruction of Port Royal in Jamaica. The gang consisted of the most notorious and cunning pirates of the time, buccaneers who terrorized and pillaged the Caribbean until the Royal Navy and infighting brought them to justice. They achieved great fame and wealth by raiding salvagers attempting to recover gold from the sunken Spanish treasure fleet. They established their own codes and governed themselves independent from any of the colonial powers of the time. Nassau was deemed the Republic of Pirates as it attracted many former privateers looking for work to its shores. The Governor of Bermuda stated that there were over 1000 pirates in Nassau at that time and that they outnumbered the mere hundred inhabitants in the town.

Captain Napin Caribbean pirate

Captain Napin was a pirate active in the Caribbean and off the American east coast. He is best known for sailing alongside Benjamin Hornigold.

Francis Leslie was a pirate active in the Caribbean. He is best known as one of the leaders of the "Flying Gang" of pirates operating out of New Providence.

Josiah Burgess (1689–1719) was an English pirate active in the Caribbean. He is best known as one of the heads of New Providence’s “Flying Gang.”

Nicholas Woodall was a pirate and smuggler active in the Caribbean. He is best known for his involvement with Charles Vane and Benjamin Hornigold.

Daniel Stillwell was a minor pirate in the Caribbean, best known for his association with Benjamin Hornigold.

John Cockram was a pirate, trader, and pirate hunter in the Caribbean, best known for his association with Admiral Benjamin Hornigold.

John West was a minor pirate in the Caribbean, best known for his association with Benjamin Hornigold.

Paulsgrave Williams, first name occasionally Paul, Palsgrave, or Palgrave, was a pirate who was active 1716–1723 and sailed in the Caribbean, American eastern seaboard, and off West Africa. He is best known for sailing alongside Samuel Bellamy.

William Fox was a pirate active in the Caribbean and off the African coast. He was indirectly associated with a number of more prominent pirates such as Bartholomew Roberts, Edward England, and Richard Taylor.

Phineas Bunce was a pirate active in the Caribbean. He was pardoned for piracy but reverted to it immediately afterwards and was killed by a Spanish pirate hunter.

Francis Fernando was a Jamaican pirate and privateer active in the Caribbean. He was one of the few confirmed mixed-race Captains in the Golden Age of Piracy.

1717–1718 Acts of Grace Proclamations promising pardons for acts of piracy

The Proclamation for Suppressing of Pirates was issued by George I of Great Britain on 5 September 1717. It promised a royal pardon for acts of piracy committed before the following 5 January to those pirates who surrendered themselves to the correct authority before a deadline. Originally, the surrender had to occur on or before 5 September 1718; this was later extended by a second proclamation to 1 July 1719.

References

  1. 1 2 Brooks, Baylus C. (6 March 2017). Quest for Blackbeard: The True Story of Edward Thache and His World. Lulu Press, Inc. ISBN   9781365795923 . Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  2. ↑ Zuidhoek, Arne. "A-Z Pirate Encyclopedia". www.zuidhoek.nu. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  3. 1 2 ""The Strongest Man Carries the Day," Life in New Providence, 1716-1717". Colonies, Ships, and Pirates. 26 July 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  4. ↑ Craton, Michael (1992). Islanders in the Stream: From aboriginal times to the end of slavery. Athens GA: University of Georgia Press. p. 112. ISBN   9780820313825 . Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  5. 1 2 Headlam, Cecil (1930). America and West Indies: July 1716 | British History Online (Vol 29 ed.). London: His Majesty's Stationery Office. pp. 139–159. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  6. ↑ Woodard, Colin (2008). The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down. Orlando FL: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN   978-0547415758.
  7. ↑ Corbett, Theodore (2012). St. Augustine Pirates and Privateers. Charleston SC: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN   9781614236535 . Retrieved 15 October 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.