Cornelius Essex
Encyclopedia
Cornelius Essex was an English buccaneer who took part in Captain Bartholomew Sharp
's privateering expedition, the "Pacific Adventure", during the late 1670s.
Although much of his early life is unknown, he is first recorded being brought with his ship, the Great Dolphin, to Port Royal
by HMS Hunter in November 1679 and tried with twenty of his crew for "riotously comporting themselves" as well as charges of looting the plantation of a Major Samuel Jenck's of St. James' parish for which two men were sentenced to death
.
Essex, as did the other Captains, held a commission by the Jamaican government that granted them permission to cut logwood in Honduras
and left Port Morant
in December 1679 with Captain John Coxon
, Robert Allison
, Thomas Mackett, Jean Rose and a Captain Bournano and rendezvoused at the Isles of Pines near eastern Panama
shortly after.
Following the election of Coxon as head of the party, the privateers traced the old route Sir Henry Morgan
had taken in his raid on Portobello
in 1668. After anchoring at a deserted cay, he was one of the privateers that participated in the overland assault on the Spanish stronghold and was among thirty others killed in a surprise attack against the garrison.
Bartholomew Sharp
Bartholomew Sharp an English buccaneer whose pirate career lasted only three years . His flagship was the Trinity....
's privateering expedition, the "Pacific Adventure", during the late 1670s.
Although much of his early life is unknown, he is first recorded being brought with his ship, the Great Dolphin, to Port Royal
Port Royal
Port Royal was a city located at the end of the Palisadoes at the mouth of the Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1518, it was the centre of shipping commerce in the Caribbean Sea during the latter half of the 17th century...
by HMS Hunter in November 1679 and tried with twenty of his crew for "riotously comporting themselves" as well as charges of looting the plantation of a Major Samuel Jenck's of St. James' parish for which two men were sentenced to death
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
.
Essex, as did the other Captains, held a commission by the Jamaican government that granted them permission to cut logwood in Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
and left Port Morant
Port Morant
Port Morant is a town in southeastern Jamaica. It was, in the early years of European settlement, one of the island's chief ports, with export of bananas and production of rum being major industries....
in December 1679 with Captain John Coxon
John Coxon (pirate)
Captain John Coxon was a late seventeenth-century buccaneer who terrorized the Spanish Main. Coxon was one of the most famous of the Brethren of the Coast, a loose consortium of pirates and privateers...
, Robert Allison
Robert Allison
Robert Allison may refer to:* Bob Allison , professional baseball player* Robert Allison , United States Representative from Pennsylvania* Robert Allison , founder of Menno, Pennsylvania...
, Thomas Mackett, Jean Rose and a Captain Bournano and rendezvoused at the Isles of Pines near eastern Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
shortly after.
Following the election of Coxon as head of the party, the privateers traced the old route Sir Henry Morgan
Henry Morgan
Admiral Sir Henry Morgan was an Admiral of the Royal Navy, a privateer, and a pirate who made a name for himself during activities in the Caribbean, primarily raiding Spanish settlements...
had taken in his raid on Portobello
Portobello
-Places:England* Portobello, West Midlands* Portobello Road, London* Portobellow, an estate in Wakefield, West YorkshireIreland* Portobello, Dublin, IrelandNew Zealand* Portobello, New ZealandPanama* Portobelo, PanamaScotland* Portobello, Edinburgh...
in 1668. After anchoring at a deserted cay, he was one of the privateers that participated in the overland assault on the Spanish stronghold and was among thirty others killed in a surprise attack against the garrison.
Further reading
- Joyce, Lilian Elwyn (Elliott) and Lionel Wafer. A New Voyage & Description of the Isthmus of America. Printed for the Hakluyt SocietyHakluyt SocietyFounded in 1846, the Hakluyt Society is a registered charity based in London, England, which seeks to advance knowledge and education by the publication of scholarly editions of primary records of voyages, travels and other geographical material...
, 1934. - Rogozinski, Jan. Pirates!: Brigands, Buccaneers, and Privateers in Fact, Fiction, and Legend. New York: Da Capo Press, 1996. ISBN 0-306-80722-X