Thomas Anstis
Encyclopedia
Thomas Anstis was an early 18th century pirate, who served under Captain Howell Davis
and Captain Bartholomew Roberts
, before setting up on his own account, raiding shipping on the eastern coast of the American colonies and in the Caribbean
during what is often referred to as the "Golden Age of Piracy
".
in 1718. During the course of the voyage, Anstis conspired with six other crew members to attempt a mutiny aboard the ship which, upon doing so, stated their intentions to sail southward as pirates. Howell Davis was elected captain. After Davis' death Bartholomew Roberts replaced him as captain, and eventually had several ships. Anstis commanded one of these, the brigantine Good Fortune.
and Jamaica
, the Good Fortune plundered two vessels. Aboard one, the Irwin, Anstis's crew committed gang rape and murder against a female passenger. Afterwards they stopped to careen their vessel.
Continuing onward towards Bermuda
, Anstis spotted a treasure ship out from Guinea
heading towards the Carolinas, Morning Star. After its capture, the ship was outfitted with 32 guns and placed in the command of ships gunner John Fenn
, Anstis opting to retain command of the smaller Good Fortune because of her superior handling. The two ships continued to sail along the southeastern coast of the colonies until fighting began to break out among many of the forced crew members, and they decided to petition George I of Great Britain
for a pardon, claiming they had been forced into piracy by Anstis and Roberts.
Sailing to an island off Cabo San Antonio in Cuba
, the crew awaited a reply from the British government for nine months until August 1722, when they received news from their courier ship that their pleas had been ignored, and the king had sent Admiral Sir John Flowers to eradicate the pirates. On their southward course they encountered the Grand Cayman
s, where the Morning Star ran aground and, as the survivors were being rescued by the Good Fortune, the pirates were sighted and pursued by HMS Hector and HMS Adventure. Anstis was forced to cut his anchor cable and run, finally making his escape under oars when the fresh wind subsided. Anstis lost more than forty of his men on Grand Cayman, most of these being captured by a landing party from the two Royal Navy vessels, under the command of Flowers.
Anstis and Fenn (who had been rescued from Grand Cayman before the interference of the Royal Navy) now sailed to the Bay of Honduras and careened on an offshore island, capturing three or four prizes en route and augmenting their depleted crew from their captives. Anstis next sailed for the Bahama Islands in early December 1722. On the way, he captured a sloop named Antelope, which he added to his squadron, and then a 24-gun ship, which was entrusted to Fenn.
in April, 1723, intending to careen their new vessels, and having just started the task, they were surprised by the British man-of-war Admiral Sir John Flowers HMS Winchelsea. Antis and his men were forced to burn the ship and the sloop and flee into the island's interior, but the Winchelseas marines overtook and captured them. Anstis escaped again in his swift brigantine Good Fortune, but his crew, discouraged by their losses, murdered him as he slept in his hammock, and took prisoner all who remained loyal. The mutineers then surrendered to Dutch authorities in Curaçao
, where they received amnesty and their prisoners were hanged.
Howell Davis
Captain Howell Davis was a Welsh pirate. His piratical career lasted just 11 months, from July 11, 1718 to June 19, 1719, when he was ambushed and killed. His ships were the Cadogan, Buck, Saint James, and Rover...
and Captain Bartholomew Roberts
Bartholomew Roberts
Bartholomew Roberts , born John Roberts, was a Welsh pirate who raided ships off America and West Africa between 1719 and 1722. He was the most successful pirate of the Golden Age of Piracy. He is estimated to have captured over 470 vessels...
, before setting up on his own account, raiding shipping on the eastern coast of the American colonies and in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
during what is often referred to as the "Golden Age of Piracy
Golden Age of Piracy
The Golden Age of Piracy is a common designation given to one or more outbursts of piracy in maritime history of the early modern period. In its broadest accepted definition, the Golden Age of Piracy spans from the 1650s to the 1730s and covers three separate outbursts of piracy:the buccaneering...
".
Early career
Anstis is first recorded as a member of the sloop Buck, which sailed from Providence, Rhode IslandProvidence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
in 1718. During the course of the voyage, Anstis conspired with six other crew members to attempt a mutiny aboard the ship which, upon doing so, stated their intentions to sail southward as pirates. Howell Davis was elected captain. After Davis' death Bartholomew Roberts replaced him as captain, and eventually had several ships. Anstis commanded one of these, the brigantine Good Fortune.
Roberts & Fenn & Admiral Flowers
During the night of April 18, 1721, Roberts' ships headed for Africa, but Anstis and his crew in the Good Fortune slipped away in the night and continued to operate in the Caribbean. Between HispaniolaHispaniola
Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...
and Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, the Good Fortune plundered two vessels. Aboard one, the Irwin, Anstis's crew committed gang rape and murder against a female passenger. Afterwards they stopped to careen their vessel.
Continuing onward towards Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
, Anstis spotted a treasure ship out from Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
heading towards the Carolinas, Morning Star. After its capture, the ship was outfitted with 32 guns and placed in the command of ships gunner John Fenn
John Fenn (pirate)
John Fenn was an early 18th century English pirate who sailed with Captain Bartholomew Roberts and later had a brief partnership with Thomas Anstis....
, Anstis opting to retain command of the smaller Good Fortune because of her superior handling. The two ships continued to sail along the southeastern coast of the colonies until fighting began to break out among many of the forced crew members, and they decided to petition George I of Great Britain
George I of Great Britain
George I was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698....
for a pardon, claiming they had been forced into piracy by Anstis and Roberts.
Sailing to an island off Cabo San Antonio in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, the crew awaited a reply from the British government for nine months until August 1722, when they received news from their courier ship that their pleas had been ignored, and the king had sent Admiral Sir John Flowers to eradicate the pirates. On their southward course they encountered the Grand Cayman
Grand Cayman
Grand Cayman is the largest of the three Cayman Islands and the location of the nation's capital, George Town. In relation to the other two Cayman Islands, it is approximately 75 miles southwest of Little Cayman and 90 miles southwest of Cayman Brac.-Geography:Grand Cayman encompasses 76% of...
s, where the Morning Star ran aground and, as the survivors were being rescued by the Good Fortune, the pirates were sighted and pursued by HMS Hector and HMS Adventure. Anstis was forced to cut his anchor cable and run, finally making his escape under oars when the fresh wind subsided. Anstis lost more than forty of his men on Grand Cayman, most of these being captured by a landing party from the two Royal Navy vessels, under the command of Flowers.
Anstis and Fenn (who had been rescued from Grand Cayman before the interference of the Royal Navy) now sailed to the Bay of Honduras and careened on an offshore island, capturing three or four prizes en route and augmenting their depleted crew from their captives. Anstis next sailed for the Bahama Islands in early December 1722. On the way, he captured a sloop named Antelope, which he added to his squadron, and then a 24-gun ship, which was entrusted to Fenn.
Final days
The pirates put in at TobagoTobago
Tobago is the smaller of the two main islands that make up the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located in the southern Caribbean, northeast of the island of Trinidad and southeast of Grenada. The island lies outside the hurricane belt...
in April, 1723, intending to careen their new vessels, and having just started the task, they were surprised by the British man-of-war Admiral Sir John Flowers HMS Winchelsea. Antis and his men were forced to burn the ship and the sloop and flee into the island's interior, but the Winchelseas marines overtook and captured them. Anstis escaped again in his swift brigantine Good Fortune, but his crew, discouraged by their losses, murdered him as he slept in his hammock, and took prisoner all who remained loyal. The mutineers then surrendered to Dutch authorities in Curaçao
Curaçao
Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, where they received amnesty and their prisoners were hanged.
Further reading
- Earle, Peter. The Pirate Wars. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2005. ISBN 0-312-33579-2
- Grosse, Philip, ed. A General History of the Pirates. London: Sainsbury, 1927.
- Lane, Kris E. Pillaging the Empire: Piracy in the Americas - 1500-1750. London: M.E. Sharp, 1998. ISBN 0-7656-0256-3
- Rogozinski, Jan. Pirates!: Brigands, Buccaneers, and Privateers in Fact, Fiction, and Legend. New York: Da Capo Press, 1996. ISBN 0-306-80722-X
- Seitz, Don Carlos, Howard F. Gospel and Stephen Wood. Under the Black Flag: Exploits of the Most Notorious Pirates. Mineola, New York: Courier Dover Publications, 2002. ISBN 0-486-42131-7
- Steele, Philip. The World of Pirates. Boston: Kingfisher Publications, 2004. ISBN 0-7534-5786-5