Review of Jamie Goodall's Pirates & Privateers from Long Island Sound to Delaware Bay

Pirates & Privateers from Long Island Sound to Delaware Bay by Jamie L H Goodall

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


In the late seventeenth century, if a pirate needed protection, one official was happy to oblige. His name was Colonel Benjamin Fletcher, and he was the governor of New York. One pirate who sought his assistance was Samuel Burgess, who originally served under Captain William Kidd until William Mason absconded with the Blessed William and turned to piracy. Burgess went along for the ride, but circumstances didn’t turn out exactly as he hoped, so he jumped ship in Madagascar, where he stayed until sailing to New York in 1693 to seek Fletcher’s help. And the governor willingly complied, but Burgess eventually returned to pirating.

One might think that Fletcher’s collaboration with pirates was unusual. The fact is, as Goodall shows, the opposite was true. A number of governors and colonists associated with these scoundrels, because they supplied necessities and luxuries that lined pockets and coffers with money. As a result, piracy became a major element in the colonies’ economy during the golden age of piracy. This is what Goodall examines in the first half of this book. She discusses New York history, Kidd’s ties to the colony, his association with Frederick Philipse (the richest man in New York and a prominent merchant), Adam Baldridge (Philipse’s storekeeper in Madagascar who bartered with pirates), the slave trade, Fletcher’s collusion with pirates as well as that of Governor Markham of Pennsylvania, the antipiracy efforts of the Earl of Bellomont and Jeremiah Basse, and colonial ties with Blackbeard and Thomas Tew, as well as supposed associations with Bartholomew Roberts.

As piracy declined and wars erupted in Europe, privateers take center stage in the second half of the book. Of particular interest here are those associated with King George’s War (1744-48) and the French and Indian War (1754-1763). Privateering successes bring abundance to the colonies, especially New York. As a result, the booming economy leads to job growth. Among the topics Goodall covers in this section are what happened to the privateers who were captured, effects on maritime insurance rates and prices of imports, and the impact on Black privateers. Two privateers whom she highlights are the audacious William Reen and persevering Patrick Dennis, who was captured and enslaved, but escaped only to sign aboard another privateering venture.

Corruption, of course, is a main theme throughout the book, and while some information can be found elsewhere, much of it is not only particular to the regions of Long Island Sound and Delaware Bay, but is also rarely discussed in other volumes. For example, one place where pirated goods were resold in legitimate markets was Hamburg, Germany. In the six years in which Governor Fletcher served, his income amounted to £30,000, an amount far beyond his yearly salary. Also, the great influx of money brought to the colonies by the pirates resulted in silversmiths being more plentiful than lawyers, in part because the silversmiths served as the sea marauders’ fences. In addition to notes, a bibliography, and an index, Goodall includes maps and illustrations as well as quotes from period documents. This is a worthwhile addition to pirate history and incorporates a lot of information in a small volume at a reasonable price.

(Review originally published at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/Goodall.ht...)




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