Benjamin Hornigold
Encyclopedia
Captain Benjamin Hornigold (died 1719) was an 18th-century English
pirate. His career lasted from 1715 to 1718, after which he turned pirate hunter and pursued his former allies on behalf of the Governor of the Bahamas. He was killed when his ship was wrecked on a reef during the 1719 hurricane season.
, and, if so, he might have first served at sea aboard ships whose home port was either King's Lynn
or Great Yarmouth
. His first documented acts of piracy were in the winter of 1713-1714, when he employed periagua
s (sailing canoes) and a sloop to menace merchant vessels off the coast of New Providence
and its capital Nassau
. By 1717 Hornigold had at his command a thirty-gun sloop he named the Ranger, which was likely the most heavily armed ship in the region and allowed him to seize other vessels with impunity.
His second-in-command during this period was Edward Teach, who would later be better known as the pirate Blackbeard
. When Hornigold took command of the Ranger he delegated the captaincy of his earlier sloop to Teach. In the spring of 1717 the two pirate captains seized three merchant ships in quick succession, one carrying 120 barrels of flour bound for Havana, another a Bermudan sloop with a cargo of spirits and the third a Portuguese ship travelling from Madeira
with a cargo of white wine.
In March 1717 Hornigold attacked an armed merchant vessel sent to the Bahamas by the Governor of South Carolina to hunt for pirates. The merchantman escaped by running itself aground on Cat Cay, with its captain later reporting that Hornigold's fleet had increased to five vessels with a combined crew of around 350 pirates.
Hornigold is recorded as having attacked a sloop off the coast of Honduras, but as one of the passengers of the captured vessel recounted, they did us no further injury than the taking most of our hats from us, having got drunk the night before, as they told us, and toss'd theirs overboard.
and Jack Rackham. In December 1718 Governor Rogers wrote to the Board of Trade
in London commending Hornigold's efforts to remedy his reputation as a pirate by hunting his former allies.
. The incident is referred to in the contemporary account A General History of the Pyrates
by Captain Charles Johnson, which states "in one of which voyages ... Captain Hornigold, another of the famous pirates, was cast away upon rocks, a great way from land, and perished, but five of his men got into a canoe and were saved." The specific location of the reef remains unknown.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
pirate. His career lasted from 1715 to 1718, after which he turned pirate hunter and pursued his former allies on behalf of the Governor of the Bahamas. He was killed when his ship was wrecked on a reef during the 1719 hurricane season.
Early career
Hornigold's early life is unrecorded, though it is possible he was born in Norfolk, EnglandNorfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, and, if so, he might have first served at sea aboard ships whose home port was either King's Lynn
King's Lynn
King's Lynn is a sea port and market town in the ceremonial county of Norfolk in the East of England. It is situated north of London and west of Norwich. The population of the town is 42,800....
or Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
. His first documented acts of piracy were in the winter of 1713-1714, when he employed periagua
Periagua
Periagua is the term formerly used in the Caribbean and the eastern seaboard of North America for a range of small craft including canoes and small sailing vessels...
s (sailing canoes) and a sloop to menace merchant vessels off the coast of New Providence
New Providence
New Providence is the most populous island in the Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. It also houses the national capital city, Nassau.The island was originally under Spanish control following Christopher Columbus' discovery of the New World, but the Spanish government showed...
and its capital Nassau
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 248,948 , 70 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas...
. By 1717 Hornigold had at his command a thirty-gun sloop he named the Ranger, which was likely the most heavily armed ship in the region and allowed him to seize other vessels with impunity.
His second-in-command during this period was Edward Teach, who would later be better known as the pirate Blackbeard
Blackbeard
Edward Teach , better known as Blackbeard, was a notorious English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of the American colonies....
. When Hornigold took command of the Ranger he delegated the captaincy of his earlier sloop to Teach. In the spring of 1717 the two pirate captains seized three merchant ships in quick succession, one carrying 120 barrels of flour bound for Havana, another a Bermudan sloop with a cargo of spirits and the third a Portuguese ship travelling from Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
with a cargo of white wine.
In March 1717 Hornigold attacked an armed merchant vessel sent to the Bahamas by the Governor of South Carolina to hunt for pirates. The merchantman escaped by running itself aground on Cat Cay, with its captain later reporting that Hornigold's fleet had increased to five vessels with a combined crew of around 350 pirates.
Hornigold is recorded as having attacked a sloop off the coast of Honduras, but as one of the passengers of the captured vessel recounted, they did us no further injury than the taking most of our hats from us, having got drunk the night before, as they told us, and toss'd theirs overboard.
Overthrow and pardon
Despite his apparent maritime supremacy, Hornigold remained careful not to attack British-flagged ships, apparently to maintain a legal fiction that he was a privateer operating against England's enemies in the War of the Spanish Succession. This scrupulous approach was not to the liking of his lieutenants, and in November 1717 a vote was taken among the combined crews to attack any vessel they chose. Hornigold opposed the decision and was replaced as captain. At the time, Edward Teach was commanding Hornigold's second ship and most likely did not learn of the mutiny until the two ships met later in the year. It was most likely at this time the two pirates went their separate ways, with Teach setting sail for the Caribbean once again, leaving Hornigold to limp back to New Providence in command of a single sloop and a token crew. He continued piracy operations from Nassau until December 1717 when word arrived of a general pardon for pirates offered by the King. Hornigold sailed to Jamaica in January 1718 (note: the English had not yet accepted the Gregorian Calendar, so by their point of view, it was January 1717 with the new year of 1718 not starting until March - see British Calendar Act of 1751) and took the pardon from the governor there and, later, became a pirate hunter for the new governor of the Bahamas, Woodes Rogers.Pirate hunter
Rogers granted Hornigold's request for a pardon but commissioned him to hunt down other pirates including his former lieutenant Teach. He would spend the next 18 months cruising the Bahamas in pursuit of Stede BonnetStede Bonnet
Stede Bonnet was an early 18th-century Barbadian pirate, sometimes called "the gentleman pirate" because he was a moderately wealthy landowner before turning to a life of crime. Bonnet was born into a wealthy English family on the island of Barbados, and inherited the family estate after his...
and Jack Rackham. In December 1718 Governor Rogers wrote to the Board of Trade
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, originating as a committee of inquiry in the 17th century and evolving gradually into a government department with a diverse range of functions...
in London commending Hornigold's efforts to remedy his reputation as a pirate by hunting his former allies.
Death
In late 1719 Hornigold's ship was caught in a hurricane somewhere between New Providence and Mexico, and was wrecked on an uncharted reefReef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
. The incident is referred to in the contemporary account A General History of the Pyrates
A General History of the Pyrates
A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates is a 1724 book published in Britain, containing biographies of contemporary pirates. Influential in shaping popular conceptions of pirates, it is the prime source for the biographies of many well known pirates...
by Captain Charles Johnson, which states "in one of which voyages ... Captain Hornigold, another of the famous pirates, was cast away upon rocks, a great way from land, and perished, but five of his men got into a canoe and were saved." The specific location of the reef remains unknown.