Ignatius Pell
Encyclopedia
Ignatius Pell was a pirate who served as the boatswain
to Captain Stede Bonnet
aboard the Royal James, a ship previously named Revenge. He was arrested in October, 1718 and testified against his crew and captain.
, Ignatius took part in a battle between the Royal James and the Henry and its accompanying sloop
, pirate hunters commanded by William Rhett
and commissioned by South Carolina governor Robert Johnson
. Both sides ran aground, leaving only the Henry in range of the Royal James.
Despite the early advantage belonging to the pirates, changing tides freed the Henry first. Realizing they were trapped and outnumbered, Captain Bonnet ordered the gunpowder magazine blown in order to scuttle the Royal James. This order was belayed by the crew and the pirates surrendered to Rhett. Along with the rest of the pirates, Ignatius Pell was arrested and brought to Charleston, South Carolina
on October 2, 1718.
's house alongside Captain Bonnet and the sailing master, David Herriot. However, Bonnet and Herriot soon escaped, leaving Pell behind for unknown reasons.
In the manhunt that followed Herriot was killed and Bonnet quickly recaptured, but the event evidently left an impression on Pell. He turned King's evidence and agreed to testify against the crew of the Royal James and against Stede Bonnet personally. In his testimony he confirmed the acts of piracy made by the crew, though he made a point of exonerating a man named Thomas Nichols, claiming he had been pressed into service against his will and did not engage in the fighting. He also stated that Bonnet was captain in name only, the true authority on the Royal James being quartermaster
Robert Tucker. He unsuccessfully attempted to argue that Bonnet was therefore not responsible for the acts of piracy his crew had committed.
Due in part to Pell's testimony most of the crew were convicted and sentenced to death. Despite Pell's efforts to mitigate his crimes, Stede Bonnet was also convicted and hanged December 10, 1718. Ignatius Pell's fate is unknown.
Boatswain
A boatswain , bo's'n, bos'n, or bosun is an unlicensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. The boatswain supervises the other unlicensed members of the ship's deck department, and typically is not a watchstander, except on vessels with small crews...
to Captain Stede Bonnet
Stede 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...
aboard the Royal James, a ship previously named Revenge. He was arrested in October, 1718 and testified against his crew and captain.
Battle of Cape Fear River
While waiting out the hurricane season in the estuary of Cape Fear RiverCape Fear River
The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina in the United States. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The overall water quality of the river is continuously measured and monitored by and conducted by the , , and the...
, Ignatius took part in a battle between the Royal James and the Henry and its accompanying sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
, pirate hunters commanded by William Rhett
William Rhett
Colonel William Rhett moved to the Province of Carolina in 1698. He soon became successful and gained a high rank and social status as a colonial leader. In 1706 it was Rhett who commanded a flotilla that fought off a Franco-Spanish attack on Charles Town...
and commissioned by South Carolina governor Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson
Robert Leroy Johnson was an American blues singer and musician. His landmark recordings from 1936–37 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that have influenced later generations of musicians. Johnson's shadowy, poorly documented life and death at age 27 have given...
. Both sides ran aground, leaving only the Henry in range of the Royal James.
Despite the early advantage belonging to the pirates, changing tides freed the Henry first. Realizing they were trapped and outnumbered, Captain Bonnet ordered the gunpowder magazine blown in order to scuttle the Royal James. This order was belayed by the crew and the pirates surrendered to Rhett. Along with the rest of the pirates, Ignatius Pell was arrested and brought to Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
on October 2, 1718.
Trial and testimony
Upon arriving in Charleston Ignatius was separated from the rest of the crew and held in the provost marshalProvost Marshal
The Provost Marshal is the officer in the armed forces who is in charge of the military police .There may be a Provost Marshal serving at many levels of the hierarchy and he may also be the public safety officer of a military installation, responsible for the provision of fire, gate security, and...
's house alongside Captain Bonnet and the sailing master, David Herriot. However, Bonnet and Herriot soon escaped, leaving Pell behind for unknown reasons.
In the manhunt that followed Herriot was killed and Bonnet quickly recaptured, but the event evidently left an impression on Pell. He turned King's evidence and agreed to testify against the crew of the Royal James and against Stede Bonnet personally. In his testimony he confirmed the acts of piracy made by the crew, though he made a point of exonerating a man named Thomas Nichols, claiming he had been pressed into service against his will and did not engage in the fighting. He also stated that Bonnet was captain in name only, the true authority on the Royal James being quartermaster
Quartermaster
Quartermaster refers to two different military occupations depending on if the assigned unit is land based or naval.In land armies, especially US units, it is a term referring to either an individual soldier or a unit who specializes in distributing supplies and provisions to troops. The senior...
Robert Tucker. He unsuccessfully attempted to argue that Bonnet was therefore not responsible for the acts of piracy his crew had committed.
Due in part to Pell's testimony most of the crew were convicted and sentenced to death. Despite Pell's efforts to mitigate his crimes, Stede Bonnet was also convicted and hanged December 10, 1718. Ignatius Pell's fate is unknown.