Stede Bonnet

[Luiz]

Stede Bonnet
Title: A Biography of Stede Bonnet
Author: Krzysztof Wilczyñski
One of the sea’s strangest, and most unlikely pirates, from the Virginia coast. He was originally a high ranking individual, known as Major Stede Bonnet. Bonnet came from an upright English family. He himself possessed a liberal education, and was known to be "a man of Letters". In his middle age he seemingly had everything needed in life to settle down, and live a comfortable life of a successful planter. His sugar plantation brought him reasonable wealth, and he found himself among the best society of Bridgetown on the island of Barbados.
Therefore, it was a great shock to the high society of Barbados, when for no apparent reason, Major Bonnet left his life as a gentleman planter, to become a pirate. Doing so he mortified his neighbors who excused his actions as the result of some "disorder in his mind", a thought, not utterly unreasonable. There were also those who insinuated that it was his aversion toward respectability, that drove him to such an extreme change of career.
As a pirate, Bonnet was merely an amateur. Unlike stealing or capturing a ship, as any respectable pirate would do, he purchased his own, which was completely unheard of in the archives of piracy. This fast little ship was purchased in early 1717. It had ten pieces of artillery, secured to her single gun deck. For unknown reasons, he renamed her the Revenge. Bonnet did another unheard of thing by paying his crew out of his own pocket, instead of drawing up a contract for them to sign. It was this strategy however, that kept him from being deposed by the crew, and let him remain in command. He found his band from the taverns and grogshops of Bridgetown, and ended up signing on about seventy destitute seamen.
For several days after its purchase, the Revenge remained in the Bridgetown harbor, which Bonnet explained as his intention of pursuing an inter-island trade. But one night, he cast off without a word to his friends or his wife. He set his course for the Virginia Capes, where he captured a few vessels, the first of which were only plundered, and the last of which, the ship known as the Turbes, which was burned. After this every Barbadian ship taken by Bonnet was burned, as if to inurn his trail.
After sailing, and capturing prizes off the New England Coast, and some in the northern waters, he returned to the south. At this time however, there was trouble brewing. His inexperience began to manifest itself to the crew, who were slowly becoming hostile, and began whispering amongst themselves. During the increasing hostilities, Bonnet dropped anchor in the Bay of Honduras, where he met up with the Queen Anne’s Revenge, along with her captain, the fearsome Edward Teach, nicknamed "Blackbeard". The two quickly befriended each other, and this strange duo, a veteran and an amateur decided to cruise together.
This alliance however, soon proved a big mistake on the part of Bonnet. Teach became aware of his inexperience, and invited Bonnet aboard the Queen Anne’s Revenge, where Bonnet became pretty much a prisoner. Teach tried to convince him that a man of his education and mannerisms, should not be forced to the rigors of commanding a ship like the Revenge, and to transfer himself to the more comfortable and spacious quarters of the Queen Anne’s Revenge. There was little Bonnet could do or say, and soon one of Blackbeard’s lieutenants, by the name of Richards, took over command of the Revenge, and quickly stifled the threat of mutiny by imposing stern discipline, and gaining the crew’s confidence.
Eventually Bonnet convinced Blackbeard to allow him to command the Revenge again. Soon after, the two parted, and Bonnet left his ship for the town of Bath and surrendered himself as a reformed pirate to the Governor of North Carolina, Charles Eden. This act however did not subside Bonnet’s desire for Piracy, and he continued to scour the sea for vessels until his capture by Colonel William Rhett, from whom he escaped only to be recaptured, and brought to trial under a Court of Vice-Admiralty in Charles Town (Charleston), South Carolina. Sir Nicholas Trott Esq., who at that time was the judge of the Vice-Admiralty Court, sentenced Bonnet to death on the gallows. Stede Bonnet was hung for piracy on December 10, 1718.


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"The will to want , is the will to win!"

[Augey]

Stede Bonnet
March 1717 to November 1718. English. Ships: Revenge, Royal James. In Daniel Defoe's "General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates", Bonnet is described as being a plantation owner in Barbados who turned to piracy to escape his nagging wife. Barbados records don't corroborate this. What is known is that Bonnet bought a 10 gun sloop naming her the "Revenge". In spring of 1717, Bonnet looted several ships off Virginia, South Carolina, and New York. Bonnet then sailed for the Bay of Honduras. It was during this voyage that Bonnet met Edward Teach ( Blackbeard ). Teach attacked Bonnet's ship, capturing it and taking Bonnet as an involuntary guest. In June 1718, Teach disbanded his crew, cheated Bonnet out of any shares in the booty and gave the ship "Revenge" back to Bonnet. Bonnet appointed David Herriot sailing master of the ship. Bonnet was granted a pardon by the governor of North Carolina and went to Saint Thomas to gain privateer status.
Bonnet the privateer pursued Blackbeard, but was'nt able to catch him. After unfruitfully chasing Blackbeard, Bonnet returned to piracy. He plundered several ships off Virginia and in the Delaware Bay. Bonnet called himself Captain Thomas and renamed his ship the "Royal James" because he had recently been granted the pardon and did'nt want to reincriminate himself. Bonnet then sailed up the Cape Fear River in North Carolina where he repaired his ship. He stayed there for two months. The citizens of Charleston, South Carolina got wind of Bonnet's stay and sent William Rhett equipped with two sloops to arrest Bonnet. Rhett instead decided to pursue Charles Vane before finally arriving at Bonnet's camp on October 8th, 1718. Both Bonnet's ship and Rhett's ships ran aground. Grounded they exchanged fire for five hours before Bonnet surrendered. Bonnet was tried and imprisoned at Charleston. Bonnet's prison being a private home. Bonnet had as cellmates, David Herriot and Ignatius Pell. After bribing their guards Bonnet and Herriot escaped. They were pursued by Rhett who caught up to them at an island off the coast. Herriot was killed and Bonnet was rearrested. Bonnet was hanged in November.
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er son de bragh Albainn

[caster89]