John James (pirate)

John James (fl. 1699-1700) was a Welsh[1] pirate active near Madagascar, Nassau, and the American east coast.

John James
NationalityWelsh
OccupationPirate
Years active1699-1700
Piratical career
Base of operationsMadagascar, Nassau, and the American east coast
For other people named John James, see John James.

History

William Rhett from the Province of South Carolina was aboard the 22-gun Providence in April 1699 when it was captured near Barbados by a Dutch pirate named Hind (Hynde).[2] John James and a number of English sailors mutinied against Hind, marooning him and his supporters near New Providence after seizing the ship.[3] They sailed northward, plundering ships along the way, and he may have renamed the ship Alexander while en route.[2] Rhett made his way back to South Carolina where he eventually was employed to capture pirates, missing Charles Vane but defeating Stede Bonnet in 1717.[2]

In July 1699 James sailed into Lynnhaven Bay, Virginia. The bay was guarded by the 16-gun Essex Prize under Captain Aldred.[2] The two ships exchanged cannon fire but Aldred retreated when it became clear the fight was wholly unequal.[4] The fight against Essex and some of James' earlier captures were attributed to Hind until word spread of James' takeover of the Providence.[5] James then captured a ship called Maryland Merchant who’d tried to slip past during the fight. The Merchant’s captain was convinced he’d been captured by William Kidd, and when asked, James purportedly replied, “I am Kidd” and bragged about the fabulous wealth he’d accumulated while pirating.[3] In order to throw pursuers off his trail, James also told the captain false stories about a sister ship he had in the area.[3] He looted the Merchant’s sails, rope, and other supplies and left it to drift ashore before plundering another vessel and sailing away.[4]

Virginia’s Governor Francis Nicholson was furious that the Essex Prize had been insufficient to deter pirates.[4] When that ship needed to be careened and repaired, he warned officials in coastal counties to post lookouts and alert him if they spotted anything suspicious.[4] In April 1700 the warship HMS Shoreham arrived to guard the coast, too late to catch James but in time to battle and defeat French pirate Louis Guittar, who’d sailed into the area hoping to replicate James’ success.[3]

James meantime had sailed for New York City, pillaging ships along the way.[2] His success caused Governor Bellomont to order the 32-gun frigate HMS Arundel to chase down James, though James had by then left the area.[2] James took his ship across the Atlantic to Guinea and toward Madagascar. He may have sailed alongside George Booth for a time[1] but was later wrecked on a reef. Pirate Thomas Howard found their stranded ship and looted its valuables, but James’ fate after this is not known.[2]

See also

References
  1. Meirion, Dafydd (2006). Welsh Pirates. Ceredigion: Y Lolfa. p. 68. ISBN 9780862438654. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  2. Marley, David (2010). Pirates of the Americas. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. pp. 658–659. ISBN 9781598842012. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  3. Donnelly, Mark P.; Diehl, Daniel (2012). Pirates of Virginia: Plunder and High Adventure on the Old Dominion Coastline. Mechanicsburg PA: Stackpole Books. pp. 57–67. ISBN 9780811745833. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  4. Parramore, Thomas C.; Stewart, Peter C.; Bogger, Tommy L. (2000). Norfolk: The First Four Centuries. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press. pp. 59–60. ISBN 9780813919881. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  5. Headlam, Cecil; Fortescue, Sir John William (1908). Calendar of State Papers: Colonial series ... London: Longman. p. 403. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
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