Cindy Vallar's Blog - Posts Tagged "william-kidd"

The Pirate Next Door: The Untold Story of Eighteenth Century Pirates' Wives, Families and Communities by Daphne Palmer Geanacopoulos

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Video and print provide readers with a one-dimensional view of pirates. They are portrayed as single, idle, uneducated, and poor seamen who distanced themselves from society. They cared only for themselves and their ill-gotten gains. Geanacopoulos’s research, however, shows the opposite is true. They possessed strong family ties and some degree of education; they also came from families with varying degrees of status. They were criminals, but sometimes economic restrictions, such as the Navigation Acts, and cultural factors, such as downsizing in times of peace, provided greater impetus to go on the account than simply to plunder. In digging deeper for the truth, she discovered that government propaganda and dubious sources have led us to believe in this one-dimensional portrayal.

Of the eighty married pirates, this book delves into the lives of four specific captains to prove how wrong our misconceptions are. In doing so, she shows how women played far greater roles in their lives than originally thought. She focuses on men whose exploits occurred between 1695 and 1720 and who were connected to New England, a region with close ties to piracy. While each chapter discusses their personal lives, their ties to community (both in society and among the brethren of the coast), and the women they loved, each one also focuses on a specific aspect that the women in their lives best demonstrates.

Samuel Bellamy – “Black Sam” and His Lady on the Shore
Paulsgrave Williams – Deep Roots and Family Ties
William Kidd – The Woman Behind the Pirate
Samuel Burgess – Window into the Private Lives of Pirates

Maps and illustrations are included, as are end notes, a bibliography, and an index. The book begins with a summary of Caribbean piracy and the time period, but contains one misstatement pertaining to Bellamy’s marital status. He never married Maria Hallett, but the desire to do so was a motivating factor in his leaving Cape Cod. In spite of this, Geanacopoulos’s introduction is easy to read and quite interesting in its own right. Her explanation on how she reconstructed the pirates’ lives is equally enlightening and fascinating since historical documents provide far more information than we’ve been led to believe.

Recent research into Maria Hallett hints that there may be more truth than fiction in the enduring legend – delightful news for romantics. Equally compelling is the bewildered stranger who stopped at a tavern soon after the wreck of the Whydah, a tidbit often omitted in histories on Bellamy. The chapter on Williams is a welcome addition to pirate lore, since his story is often eclipsed by Bellamy and the shipwreck. Sarah Kidd’s story perhaps best demonstrates the flipside of the pirate. Equally fascinating is Burgess’s chapter, not because he was a pirate – which he once was – but because he rendered an invaluable service to pirates and their families. The letters shared within these pages provide strong evidence that at least some “enemies of all mankind” were really human beings who cared about loved ones left behind.

At no time, however, does Geanacopoulos romanticize these men’s chosen profession. She merely shows that, as with any criminal, there is more to them than just their nefarious deeds. The Pirate Next Door is an engaging and compelling window into four real pirates. This work also an invaluable resource that ably contradicts many misconceptions we have about pirates. It is a must read for anyone who wants to know the whole truth.




View all my reviews

Pirates of New England: Ruthless Raiders and Rotten Renegades by Gail Selinger

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Some pirates, such as Black Sam Bellamy, are well-known while others, such as Thomas Pound, rarely garner mention, but Selinger examines these and many other nefarious rogues associated with New England between the late sixteenth and early eighteenth centuries. She opens with a short history of piracy before tackling the questions of why men went on the account and why this way of life enticed so many to violate the law. This helps readers to comprehend the historical context of the period.

This volume’s particular focus is on New England, a region comprised of today’s states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Many who lived in these areas often failed to differentiate between pirates, smugglers, and privateers. All provided goods at reasonable prices without encumbering the products with the heavy taxes imposed by Great Britain. This facet is explored both politically and economically as Selinger discusses the Pirate Round, a trade route between the Western Atlantic and the pirate haven of Madagascar.

The remaining ten chapters explore individual pirates. In addition to the two previously mentioned brigands, readers learn about Dixie Bull, John Rhoades, Jurriaen Aernouts, Peter Roderigo, Thomas Hawkins, Thomas Tew and Governor Benjamin Fletcher, Henry Every, William Kidd, John Quelch, Paulsgrave Williams, George Lowther, John Massey, Charles Harris, Ned Low, Francis Spriggs, and William Fly.

To better understand just how perilous this period is, Selinger provides a list of some of the wars fought between various European nations – many of which spilled into the Caribbean and New England. She also provides information on wages, cost of living, and pirate booty in an attempt to answer the oft-asked question of “How much is pirate treasure worth today?” To best contrast the allure of pirate life with that of the common man, she provides lists of earnings for various legal seamen and costs for particular items of daily life. Aside from a bibliography, a few black-and-white illustrations, and an index, two appendices are included. The first is a complete roster of the men and boys who sailed aboard Captain Kidd’s Adventure Galley. The second gives the names and fates, if known, for pirates who are rarely or never mentioned in other books on this subject.

The only drawback is that no footnotes are provided to identify the source of some information; this may be more bothersome to anyone wishing to delve further into the history rather than just those seeking good background on New England’s connections with piracy.

Aside from three pages in the chapter on William Fly, where the firing of guns and who’s who on gun crew are discussed in detail, Pirates of New England is a worthy introduction to and summary of piracy as it relates to this specific area of the New World. Many other titles only provide known facts about pirates before and during their escapades, but Selinger makes certain to include what happens after they either cease their marauding or are captured. Nautical language is always explained within parentheses, which makes it easy to understand the word(s) in context. Overall, Pirates of New England is a compelling, fast read filled with interesting tidbits for both readers unfamiliar with the subject and those with an insatiable appetite for all things piratical.




View all my reviews

Captain Kidd's Lost Ship: The Wreck of the Quedagh Merchant by Frederick H Hanselmann

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


On 30 January 1698, William Kidd and the crew of the Adventure Galley seized a merchant ship known as the Quedagh Merchant. She was laden with “1200 bayles of muslins, raw silk and calicoe of all sorts, fourteen hundred bags of brown sugar, 84 bayles of raw silk and eighty chests of opium . . . [along with] iron and saltpeter and other goods of less value” (38) They sailed to the Indian Ocean to capture pirates; instead, Kidd was denounced as a pirate. To clear his name, he sailed the Quedagh Merchant to the Caribbean, where she later sank. He was eventually arrested and taken to London, where he stood trial for murder and piracy.

Captain Kidd’s Lost Ship recounts Kidd’s rise and fall, the demise of both him and his prize, and her rediscovery. But far from the simple telling of a privateer who becomes a pirate, this volume delves much deeper into the myth, history, and archaeology surrounding one of the best-known episodes in pirate history. The following quote from page one best explains the purpose of this book.

“Archaeology is not solely the excavation of a site and the recovery of its artifacts; it includes an investigation of the social activity surrounding a site and its formation, the historical context, the actions of individuals in the past as related to a site, and the management and preservation of a site for public benefit and future generations.”

Hanselmann deftly recounts not only the scientific and theoretical sides of the story, but also showcases how one person’s actions and decisions, in combination with those of others and the states involved, snowballed into the loss of both ship and man. It is a tale of interconnected networks – the English East India Company, Armenian traders, sailors, privateers, and piracy – in a global tapestry that reaches from the Indian Ocean to the Caribbean and several points in between. He also explains how they identified the shipwreck and how the Dominican Republic decided to turn this archaeological find into a Living Museum in the Sea.

Even those familiar with William Kidd’s rise and fall will find new information within this book and come away with a better appreciation of who this man was, what he did, and how global changes played a significant part in his story. The step-by-step review of all aspects allows readers to better see “the differences between the commonly held view of Kidd and his vessel that has been passed down through the centuries and the true tale of Kidd’s rise and fall in a much broader context.” (2) The inclusion of contemporary documents, some of which may not appear in other works on Kidd, are an added bonus to a book that is well written. To further place this episode within its historical context, Hanselmann includes a Chronology of Events. There is also a list of cited literature and an index.

While the theoretical explanations may mislead some to think this is a pedantic treatment of a fascinating subject, the author provides a gripping account of how archaeologists sift through myths and legends to discover the reality. Hanselmann provides a well-rounded, more complete glimpse into Kidd and the world in which he lived. It’s one of the best demonstrations of how actions have consequences and how those consequences impact individuals in real world situations. As a result, Captain Kidd’s Lost Ship is an invaluable and informative addition to any maritime, archaeological, or piratical library.




View all my reviews

Why We Love Pirates: The Hunt for Captain Kidd and How He Changed Piracy Forever by Rebecca Simon

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Have you ever read a book that holds your attention from beginning to end, but from time to time a statement strikes you as odd or wrong or leaves you wanting more clarification? Think about this while I introduce this recent addition to pirate lore.

Buried treasure. Eye patches. Peg legs. Walking the plank. These are but a few of the tropes we associate with pirates. Particularly those of the golden age of piracy. For the most part, these piratical associations are fictional and stem from a late 19th-century book – Treasure Island. So who were the real sea bandits and what did people think of them when they were most prevalent? How do they differ from their pop culture image? Is there one pirate, above all the rest, who most influenced those who came after him?

Dr. Simon believes Captain William Kidd “is responsible for pirates’ eternal fame in popular culture.” (20) He was ruthless, especially toward his own men, going so far as to kill one of them for defying him. He was a snappy dresser. He considered himself an honest man who got a bum rap. His actions, the worldwide manhunt he instigated, and the plethora of publications and rumors of buried treasure that he inspired serve as the intertwining thread of Why We Love Pirates. Simon’s goals are to investigate “piracy through the lens of Captain Kidd’s pirate life . . . discover exactly who pirates were and why people chose this profession . . . uncover the true story of Captain Kidd, and of how and why the British government sought to exterminate pirates at all costs . . . unbury how exploding print industry influenced public opinion about pirates and how cultural and social norms of the era made us love pirates so much. And . . . how their deaths gave them permanent infamy.” (21-22)

She begins by showing the complexity of one question: Who Were Pirates? This topic is not as simple as black and white. It depends on who was asked and what interaction they had, if any, with these marauders, as well as the historical events occurring at a specific time and place. From there, she delves into Captain Kidd, who he was, what he did, how he “became a martyr for the pirate community,” and the myths and legends that his exploits inspired. (57) Chapter three discusses government attempts to suppress piracy, as well as who the pirates were who came after Kidd. Subsequent chapters cover pirate codes, relationships, executions, alcohol, fake news and twisting facts to suit a purpose, execution sermons and last words, and portrayals in literature, film, and other media. The book also includes a Timeline of the Golden Age of Piracy, Cast of Characters, maps, illustrations, bibliography, and endnotes, but no index.

If you seek an introduction to the buccaneers and the pirates who followed them, this is an entertaining and engaging pirate history with contemporary quotes to illustrate the narrative. If you want to stimulate a lively discussion, Why People Love Pirates provides food for thought.

So why my opening question? There are several reasons. Some of Simon’s statements come across as facts when, in reality, they are assumptions that cannot be proven one way or the other. One example: she asserts that Anne Bonny and Mary Read were gay. There’s no historical proof of this. It’s a hypothesis that some historians believe and others do not. A few other sentences left me scratching my head. For example, she writes that Stede Bonnet “suffered a leg injury during his first battle alongside Blackbeard and was lame for the rest of his life.” (109) No other resource I’ve read over the past twenty years mentions this fact, and Simon doesn’t provide her source for this information.

Another reason for my reservations pertains to inaccurate statements, especially those pertaining to Captain Kidd, the underlying theme for this book. Most readers won’t pick up on these, but those familiar with pirate history will. Captain Kidd did not work for the British East India Company, although his commission to hunt pirates included those who preyed on their ships and one of his financial backers was the director of the New East India Company. After Kidd attacked the Quedagh Merchant, the book says that “as a compromise [the crew] let some of the hostage crew leave on the Adventure Galley. The ship immediately set sail to England to deliver the news.” (68) Kidd and his men sailed Adventure Galley back to Madagascar, where she was beached and burned because she was no longer seaworthy. Nor was he immediately arrested when he arrived in Boston in1699. He got there on 1 July, heard the Reverend Cotton Mather’s sermon on 2 July, met with Lord Bellomont on 3 July, and was finally taken prisoner on 6 July. His commission did not allow him to attack Dutch ships as stated on page 73; at the time, England’s king was Dutch and the two countries were allies. The commission gave Kidd the authority to attack French ships, which is why the passes he confiscated from the Quedagh Merchant were so important for his defense. Robert Culliford did not hang “for being associated with Kidd.” (150) Culliford got off scot-free after testifying against another pirate and disappeared from the historical record. Kidd was executed with one of his men and two French pirates.

Still, Simon achieves the goals outlined in her introduction. You may not agree with all her conclusions, but she is persuasive and spurs you to delve deeper into the real history of pirates.




View all my reviews

The Pirate's Wife: The Remarkable True Story of Sarah Kidd by Daphne Palmer Geanacopoulos

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


She weds for love the third time, an enduring love that weathers unforeseen storms. But these events come later.

She begins life as Sarah Bradley in 1670. Fourteen years later, her mother has died and her father, a sea captain, wishes to start life anew and so he, Sarah, and her two brothers sail for Manhattan. Within a year, she marries a wealthy merchant named William Cox. According to law, she is now his property with no legal identity of her own. Nevertheless, she is clever and inquisitive and soon suggests a way that he can expand his business ventures to reap greater rewards. This retail venture takes advantage of her creativity and her sewing skills, as well as providing her the rare opportunity to be a “she-merchant” at the age of seventeen. Two years later, Cox is dead.

Sarah marries again in 1690. Through her second husband, she meets a confident and wealthy privateer. His name is William Kidd and he helps the new governor put down a Jacobite rebel and his followers, which gains Kidd much respectability within New York society. When Sarah’s spouse dies suddenly, she and William wed in 1691 after attending the rebel’s execution. They settle down and start a family, while William follows his trade as a sea captain. He eventually grows restless and, after consulting with Sarah, sets sail for England to secure a privateering commission. Circumstances, manipulations, and misadventures steer Kidd’s desired course from his chosen path and forever alter Sarah Kidd’s life.

The Pirate’s Wife is Sarah Kidd’s story, from respected member of society to disgraced wife of a convicted pirate. Although the historical record provides a decent amount of information about this dutiful, loyal, and religious woman, Geanacopoulos postulates the whys and wherefores behind some of Sarah’s thoughts and actions. She also introduces readers to Governor Benjamin Fletcher (a friend to pirates) and Lord Bellomont (an enemy of pirates), as well as taking time to discuss pirates and their way of life near the close of the 17th century. She provides overlooked information about Kidd’s agreement with Bellomont, Sarah’s arrest, and Sarah’s attempt to rescue her husband from a Boston jail.

The book includes endnotes, a bibliography, and an index. In addition, Geanacopoulos shares Kidd’s own 1699 account of what happened aboard the Adventure Galley.

Most authors present the lives of the Kidds from William’s perspective. Geanacopoulos, who has written before about the women in pirates’ lives, shines her spotlight on Sarah. This breathes new life into their story and shows this tenacious woman as she was, both as an individual and as a product of the time and circumstances fate dealt her.

(This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/Geanacopou...)



View all my reviews

Captain Kidd: A True Story of Treasure and Betrayal by Samuel Marquis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Who hasn’t heard of Captain Kidd? His name is forever associated with murder and piracy, for which he is hanged (twice) after a trial of the century. A fitting end to a pirate, and a just one according to the law. But what if this simplistic recounting only tells a small part of the story and is viewed only through the eyes of those who had a specific end goal in mind – one that included making William Kidd a scapegoat?

Instead of beginning with Kidd’s birth and early years, Marquis opens with a declaration of war in 1689. Thirty-four-year-old Kidd, and seven compatriots, including Robert Culliford, serve aboard a French privateer. Sooner or later, it will become an “us against them” situation, so the Englishmen stage a mutiny. This seizure and subsequent events in the Caribbean set Kidd on a path that eventually elevates his standing within society and takes him to New York, where he weds the love of his life, Sarah. The way proves rockier than expected, for not all of his fellow mutineers agree with his intentions. They are also jealous because he has what they do not. One night, Culliford and others steal his ship and his hard-earned wealth and go a-pirating.

Despite such setbacks, Kidd lands on his feet and helps put down a rebellion in New York, attends a beheading on his wedding day, becomes a successful and respected merchant sea captain, and dotes on his two daughters. His acquaintance with Robert Livingston, a prosperous merchant with connections in the Red Sea trade, nets Kidd an offer of a pirate-hunting expedition while visiting London. The more he learns, the less successful the venture seems, but he is among powerful men who know how to get what they want no matter what. As a result, Kidd becomes captain of Adventure Galley. Soon after he and his men set sail, trouble begins and it proves to be only the start. Before long, he is declared a pirate, even though he steadfastly refuses to cross that line. Later, while his backers and men like Culliford go free, he pays the ultimate price.

The book begins with short biographies of the historical players connected to Kidd, either in principal or peripheral ways. Covering the years 1689 through 1701, these include New Yorkers, royal governors, monarchs, government officials in both England and India, naval officers, privateers, pirates, and pirate associates. The book includes three maps. Two show the West Indies, the Indian Ocean, and Madagascar. The third map depicts Kidd’s outbound and return voyages between 1696 and 1699.

Marquis divides Kidd’s story into five segments: The Making of a Sea Captain, The New York Gent and King’s Pirate Hunter, The Fateful Voyage, Treasure Fever, and The Trial of the Century. Each of these contains three to six chapters.

There are two drawbacks to this book, especially for those wishing to use it for research. The first is that there is no index. This means one must either be familiar with Kidd’s story enough to know approximately where in the book to look for the information or read the book from cover to cover in hopes of finding the sought-after information. The second involves the endnotes and bibliography. I am told these appear in the ebook version, but those who purchase the hardback must go online to acquire a PDF of the source(s) Marquis consulted. Sometimes, an endnote is a simple citation. Other times, a single sentence in the narrative may include multiple citations, which makes it difficult to know which source provides which information. In his acknowledgements, Marquis describes this book as “a scholarly work.” (354) While he relies predominantly on primary sources, with some reputable secondary sources, this is not a book written for scholars because of these omissions. Instead, the primary audience is lay readers, who will find a wealth of information about Kidd and others here. Whether they concur with Marquis’s conclusions or not will be up to each individual.

Marquis’s gift of storytelling shines through in this biography of his ninth-great-grandfather. He breathes life into Kidd, so readers see him as he is rather than as how propaganda, history, and myth portray him. Many historical persons intersect Kidd’s path, but throughout the narrative Marquis keeps the focus on Kidd, interspersing relevant details about others where the information is relevant. As fiction is separated from fact, Kidd’s complexity emerges complete with foibles and virtues.


(This review originally was posted at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/adult-bio-...)



View all my reviews