William Kyd
Encyclopedia
William Kyd was a 15th century English pirate active in Southwest England from the 1430s until the 1450s. He and others, such as John Mixtow, William Aleyn
and Clays Stephen, acted under virtual immunity from the law for over two decades while under the protection of corrupt custom officials.
La Trinite of Exmouth
. The previous year, he and a number of other pirates active in the West Country
seized a Breton
ship off the coast of Guernsey
. Two years later, he joined William Aleyn
and several others in capturing four ships carrying provisions to Rouen
.
In 1436, sailing into the harbor of Saint-Pol-de-Léon
in Brittany
with eight barge
s and balingers, he sailed off with the Seynt Nunne which was under safe-conduct by local authorities. Arriving in Plymouth
with the captured ship as well as goods belonging to a Thomas Horewoode valued at £100. Continuing his exploits during the next decade, one of Kyd's most notable accomplishments included the capture of the La Marie of London in 1448. Taking the Flanders
-bound ship off the coast of Queenborough
in the Thames, he quickly sailed the ship to the Isle of Wight
where he sold his prize.
In November 1453, in perhaps the biggest prize of his career, he captured The Marie of St. Andrews. Bringing the ship back with him to Exmouth, his prize was noticed by a Scottish knight Sir William de Kanete (or Kennedy). Kanete left to see Thomas Gille (or Gylle), the controller of customs of Exeter
and Dartmouth
, and pretended to be the brother of the Bishop of St. Andrews and owner of The Marie. He and Gille then conspired to obtain a commission for the delivery of the ship in which Gille would get a share of the goods onboard. Issuing a complaint with local authorities, a commission was granted to Sir William Bourghchier de FitzWaryn, Nicholas Aysheton, Sir Philip Courtenay, Sir John Denham, James Chudley, Nicholas Radford and Thomas Gylle on 3 July. Gille, along with James Chudley and Nicholas Radford, proceeded to Exeter where, after testimony by the mayor John Germyn and several others, they officially seized the ship "of Wm. Kenete de Scocia militis" on 10 August and delivered the goods onboard to Kenete.
William Aleyn
William Aleyn was a 15th century English pirate. During the 1430s and 40s, he raided shipping throughout Southeast England and sometimes worked with William Kyd in the Thames and the English Channel...
and Clays Stephen, acted under virtual immunity from the law for over two decades while under the protection of corrupt custom officials.
Biography
William Kyd first appears in a list of pirates published in 1431 as the master of the balingerBalinger
A balinger, or ballinger was a type of small, sea-going vessel in use in the 15th and 16th centuries. They were distinguished by their lack of a forecastle, and by carrying either a square sail, or a sail extended on a sprit on a single mast...
La Trinite of Exmouth
Exmouth
Exmouth is a town in Devon. It may also refer to:Places*Exmouth Peninsula in Southern Chile*Exmouth, Western AustraliaPeople*Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth , a British naval officerShips...
. The previous year, he and a number of other pirates active in the West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
seized a Breton
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
ship off the coast of Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
. Two years later, he joined William Aleyn
William Aleyn
William Aleyn was a 15th century English pirate. During the 1430s and 40s, he raided shipping throughout Southeast England and sometimes worked with William Kyd in the Thames and the English Channel...
and several others in capturing four ships carrying provisions to Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
.
In 1436, sailing into the harbor of Saint-Pol-de-Léon
Saint-Pol-de-Léon
Saint-Pol-de-Léon is a commune in the Finistère department in Bretange in northwestern France, located on the coast.It is famous for its 13th-century cathedral on the site of the original founded by Saint Paul Aurelian in the 6th century. It has kept a unique architecture, such as Notre-Dame du...
in Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
with eight barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
s and balingers, he sailed off with the Seynt Nunne which was under safe-conduct by local authorities. Arriving in Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
with the captured ship as well as goods belonging to a Thomas Horewoode valued at £100. Continuing his exploits during the next decade, one of Kyd's most notable accomplishments included the capture of the La Marie of London in 1448. Taking the Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
-bound ship off the coast of Queenborough
Queenborough
Queenborough is a small town on the Isle of Sheppey in the Swale borough of Kent in South East England.Queenborough is two miles south of Sheerness. It grew as a port near the Thames Estuary at the westward entrance to The Swale where it joins the River Medway...
in the Thames, he quickly sailed the ship to the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
where he sold his prize.
In November 1453, in perhaps the biggest prize of his career, he captured The Marie of St. Andrews. Bringing the ship back with him to Exmouth, his prize was noticed by a Scottish knight Sir William de Kanete (or Kennedy). Kanete left to see Thomas Gille (or Gylle), the controller of customs of Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
and Dartmouth
Dartmouth, Devon
Dartmouth is a town and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the banks of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes...
, and pretended to be the brother of the Bishop of St. Andrews and owner of The Marie. He and Gille then conspired to obtain a commission for the delivery of the ship in which Gille would get a share of the goods onboard. Issuing a complaint with local authorities, a commission was granted to Sir William Bourghchier de FitzWaryn, Nicholas Aysheton, Sir Philip Courtenay, Sir John Denham, James Chudley, Nicholas Radford and Thomas Gylle on 3 July. Gille, along with James Chudley and Nicholas Radford, proceeded to Exeter where, after testimony by the mayor John Germyn and several others, they officially seized the ship "of Wm. Kenete de Scocia militis" on 10 August and delivered the goods onboard to Kenete.
Further reading
- Born, Anne. A History of Kingsbridge and Salcombe. Chichester, UK: Phillimore, 1986.
- Gardiener, D.A., ed. A Calendar of Early Chancery Proceedings Relating to West Country Shipping, 1388-1493. Devon and Cornwall Record Society, 1976.