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Stede
Bonnet
Major Stede Bonnet lived from approximately 1688 and died
in 1718. He was one of the more unique pirates commonly known as the "gentleman
pirate." His background was not that of a typical pirate and he was not that
entirely successful as one either but he became well known for his actions, in
particular when he traveled with the notorious Edward Teach (Blackbeard).
Contrary to modern popular belief, Bonnet was also known as one of the very few
pirates who had prisoners "walk the plank."
Bonnet was a retired Major
in the King's Guards who lived with his wife on his large estate in Barbados. He
was a proper well-educated man who was well respected by those who knew him.
Then sometime in 1717, Bonnet became a pirate even though he knew nothing of
seamanship. He earned the nickname of the "gentleman pirate" because of his
cultured background which he continued to portay while he was a pirate - he was
well groomed, wore fancy clothing and a periwig. It has been suggested that
Bonnet snapped one day as a result of his wife's constant nagging. At that point
he decided he had enough so he bought a sloop and outfitted it with ten guns
using his own money (an unheard of practice for a pirate!) He rounded up a crew
of 70 for his newly christened sloop Revenge and set sail for his new pirate
life.
Sailing of the coasts of Virginia and the Carolinas, Bonnet
somehow managed to plunder several ships even though he lacked maritime
experience. The crew quickly realized this lack of skill in Bonnet and they
began to get restless. About this time, Bonnet sighted another pirate ship off
the Carolina coast which turned out to be none other than Blackbeard. The two
captains agreed to work as partners, but Blackbeard quickly realized also that
Bonnet was not much of a seaman. Teach "convinced" Bonnet that it would be
better if sent one of his own lieutenants to take over command of Revenge while
Bonnet went aboard Blackbeard's ship as a "guest." During this this time, it was
stated that Bonnet was observed on Blackbeard's ship walking around in his
morning gown and tending to his personal library of books he had onboard.
While in Blackbeard's company he participated in the siege of
Charleston, South Carolina, and after Blackbeard informed him that he was going
to take a pardon and suggested Bonnet do so as well. Bonnet heartily agreed
since he too knew he was not quite cut out for the pirate life. Along with some
of his crew, Bonnet left immediately for Bath, North Carolina to recieve their
pardons. While there they learnt that France and England had declared war on
Spain so Bonnet decided he would became a legal privateer against Spain. They
returned to Revenge (which Blackbeard promised to return to Bonnet) but found
that Blackbeard had scammed them of all the plunder when all that was left was
the empty sloop for Bonnet. Bonnet was of course outraged and set sail to find
Blackbeard but never was able to find him.
Despite his pardon and
privateering plan, Bonnet soon returned to piracy. He operated once again around
Virginia and apparently was more successful now after his tour with Blackbeard
because he was able to plunder several ships in the following months. Unknown to
him, pirates were once again causing trouble near Charleston, in particular
Captain Charles Vane. Outraged by the recent string of pirate attacks outside
Charleston, the Governor and Council of South Carolina planned to rid the
menacing pirates. Colonel William Rhett led two sloops for the pirate hunt; the
8 gun, 70 men Henry with Captain Masters, and the 8 gun, 60 men Sea Nymph with
Captain Hall. In late September 1718, the two privateer sloops discovered three
pirate ships anchored in the Cape Fear River. A battle soon ensued and both the
pirates and their hunters kept running aground on the shallow shoals. After
about 5 long hours, the battle ended suddenly when the pirate rose the white
flag to surrender. Rhett was suprised to find that the pirate captain was Major
Stede Bonnet on his new ship Royal James and his two consort vessels. Bonnet and
his captured crew were returned to Charleston where he was well known for his
particapation in the siege of their harbor.
The 34 pirates were put on
trial in Charleston from October 28 to November 12, 1718, where Judge Nicholas
Trot gave a lengthy moral speech of Bonnet's deeds especially knowing of
cultured background of the pirate. In the end, 30 out of the 34 were convicted
and sentenced to death, including Major Stede Bonnet. While in prison, Bonnet
sent a letter to the Governor for forgiveness and promising reform, but he was
eventually hanged at White Point, Charleston in November 1718.
Major
Stede Bonnet was not what a typical pirate that started his career as a seaman
turned pirate. Instead, Bonnet already had a successful career in the army and
he had a large plantation so why exactly he turned to piracy is not clear. The
nagging wife theory is one possibilty, but in the end he will be known in pirate
history as the pirate gentleman.
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