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Richard Cavendish recalls the death of the pirate William Kidd, executed on May 23rd, 1701.
William Kidd spent his last days on earth in Newgate Gaol, where on Sunday May 18th, 1701, he heard his final sermon, preached by the prison chaplain on the cheerful text, ‘For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.’ Kidd still hoped for a reprieve, and the others who had been condemned with him for piracy received it – all except one, an Irishman named Darby Mullins. On the afternoon of the 23rd, they were taken, with two Frenchmen who were also to die, from Newgate in two horse-drawn carts, guarded by marshals and led by the Admiralty Marshal and the silver oar which was the Admiralty’s symbol. To the chaplain’s shocked disapproval, Kidd was the worse for drink. At five o’clock, low tide, they reached Execution Dock at Wapping, a few yards below Wapping Old Stairs, in the presence of a large and lively crowd. There was a permanent gallows for pirates there and after the hanging the corpses were customarily chained to a post on the foreshore, where they were left until three tides had flowed over them, as an example.
Kidd spoke to the crowd, warning all ship-masters to learn from his fate. Then the four men were turned off, but Kidd’s rope snapped and he fell to the ground with the noose round his neck, still alive and dazed. The pestering chaplain prayed over him once more and he was hoisted up again, and that was that. His body was taken to be hanged in chains at Tilbury Point.
Kidd was in his mid-fifties when he died. The line between piracy and government-sponsored privateering was narrow and he does not seem to have been the typical swashbuckling pirate of popular fiction. He did not maroon anyone or make people walk the plank, but legends clustered round him which turned him into a name to conjure with. A Scot by birth, from Greenock on the Clyde and according to tradition the son of a Presbyterian minister, he emerges into history in 1689 as a buccaneer in the Caribbean. A doughty fighter, a fine seaman and evidently a man of some presence, he turned into a privateer captain in British service, sent to pillage French settlements in the West Indies. He acquired a well-to-do wife and property in New York City.
Kidd was in London in 1696, when he set off on the voyage that was to be his undoing. He left Deptford in February in his ship Adventure Galley of 287 tons and 34 guns – probably a cross between a sailing ship and an oared galley – with a government commission to suppress pirates in the Indian Ocean. It took him almost a year to reach Madagascar and the East African coast and he then thought it more profitable to turn pirate himself. Hoisting the blood-red flag, or French colours when it suited him, he captured several merchant ships and in a furious rage when his crew were on the verge of mutiny, he struck his ship’s gunner, William Moore, with an iron-bound bucket, ‘laying him in his gore’ as the popular ballad had it. Moore’s skull was fractured and he died within twenty-four hours.
In January 1698 Kidd seized a valuable ship of 400 tons, the Quedah Merchant, on her way from Bengal round the southern tip of India, carrying silk, muslin, calico, sugar and opium. A substantial part of the cargo belonged to one of the Mughal Emperor’s courtiers and there were Armenian merchants on board. With what was now his own little flotilla, Kidd presently sailed for the West Indies, arriving in April 1699 to discover that the government had proclaimed him a pirate. He left the Quedah at the island of Hispaniola, where she was unloaded and subsequently burned, bought a small ship called the Antonio and sailed to Boston, where he tried to convince the British governor, the Earl of Bellomont, that he was innocent of the accusations against him. Bellomont had him arrested and sent back to England, where on April 16th, 1700, it was recorded that ‘the notorious pyratt’ was examined before the Lords of Admiralty and committed to Newgate. Later in the month rumour had it that jewels found on Kidd’s ship had been valued at £30,000 (perhaps equivalent to some £10 million today). After further lengthy enquiries by the Admiralty, on May 8th and 9th, 1701, at the Old Bailey Kidd was tried for the murder of Moore and on multiple counts of piracy, and found guilty. Nine members of his crew were in the dock with him on the piracy charges. Whether the evidence was convincing and the trial fair has been debated ever since.
Kidd became a legendary figure largely because no one ever discovered what had happened to the rest of his treasure – if there really was any more to be found. Its value multiplied as time went by and treasure-hunters have searched for his loot from the Americas to the South China Sea, but so far in vain.
http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/execution-captain-kidd
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Kidd
@ col mikel COL Mikel J. Burroughs @ ltc stephen LTC Stephen C. @ ltc stephen LTC Stephen F. @ ltc frank LTC (Join to see) @ maj william Maj William W. 'Bill' Price @ capt tom Capt Tom Brown @ capt marty Maj Marty Hogan @ smsgt doc SMSgt Minister Gerald A. "Doc" Thomas @ tsgt joe TSgt Joe C. @ sra christopher SrA Christopher Wright @ msg andrew MSG Andrew White @ sfc joe SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL @ sgt david SGT (Join to see) @ sgt david SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth @ sp5 mark SP5 Mark Kuzinski @ sp5 robert SP5 Robert Ruck SCPO Morris Ramsey @ po2 robert PO2 Robert M. Alan K. Cynthia Croft
William Kidd spent his last days on earth in Newgate Gaol, where on Sunday May 18th, 1701, he heard his final sermon, preached by the prison chaplain on the cheerful text, ‘For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.’ Kidd still hoped for a reprieve, and the others who had been condemned with him for piracy received it – all except one, an Irishman named Darby Mullins. On the afternoon of the 23rd, they were taken, with two Frenchmen who were also to die, from Newgate in two horse-drawn carts, guarded by marshals and led by the Admiralty Marshal and the silver oar which was the Admiralty’s symbol. To the chaplain’s shocked disapproval, Kidd was the worse for drink. At five o’clock, low tide, they reached Execution Dock at Wapping, a few yards below Wapping Old Stairs, in the presence of a large and lively crowd. There was a permanent gallows for pirates there and after the hanging the corpses were customarily chained to a post on the foreshore, where they were left until three tides had flowed over them, as an example.
Kidd spoke to the crowd, warning all ship-masters to learn from his fate. Then the four men were turned off, but Kidd’s rope snapped and he fell to the ground with the noose round his neck, still alive and dazed. The pestering chaplain prayed over him once more and he was hoisted up again, and that was that. His body was taken to be hanged in chains at Tilbury Point.
Kidd was in his mid-fifties when he died. The line between piracy and government-sponsored privateering was narrow and he does not seem to have been the typical swashbuckling pirate of popular fiction. He did not maroon anyone or make people walk the plank, but legends clustered round him which turned him into a name to conjure with. A Scot by birth, from Greenock on the Clyde and according to tradition the son of a Presbyterian minister, he emerges into history in 1689 as a buccaneer in the Caribbean. A doughty fighter, a fine seaman and evidently a man of some presence, he turned into a privateer captain in British service, sent to pillage French settlements in the West Indies. He acquired a well-to-do wife and property in New York City.
Kidd was in London in 1696, when he set off on the voyage that was to be his undoing. He left Deptford in February in his ship Adventure Galley of 287 tons and 34 guns – probably a cross between a sailing ship and an oared galley – with a government commission to suppress pirates in the Indian Ocean. It took him almost a year to reach Madagascar and the East African coast and he then thought it more profitable to turn pirate himself. Hoisting the blood-red flag, or French colours when it suited him, he captured several merchant ships and in a furious rage when his crew were on the verge of mutiny, he struck his ship’s gunner, William Moore, with an iron-bound bucket, ‘laying him in his gore’ as the popular ballad had it. Moore’s skull was fractured and he died within twenty-four hours.
In January 1698 Kidd seized a valuable ship of 400 tons, the Quedah Merchant, on her way from Bengal round the southern tip of India, carrying silk, muslin, calico, sugar and opium. A substantial part of the cargo belonged to one of the Mughal Emperor’s courtiers and there were Armenian merchants on board. With what was now his own little flotilla, Kidd presently sailed for the West Indies, arriving in April 1699 to discover that the government had proclaimed him a pirate. He left the Quedah at the island of Hispaniola, where she was unloaded and subsequently burned, bought a small ship called the Antonio and sailed to Boston, where he tried to convince the British governor, the Earl of Bellomont, that he was innocent of the accusations against him. Bellomont had him arrested and sent back to England, where on April 16th, 1700, it was recorded that ‘the notorious pyratt’ was examined before the Lords of Admiralty and committed to Newgate. Later in the month rumour had it that jewels found on Kidd’s ship had been valued at £30,000 (perhaps equivalent to some £10 million today). After further lengthy enquiries by the Admiralty, on May 8th and 9th, 1701, at the Old Bailey Kidd was tried for the murder of Moore and on multiple counts of piracy, and found guilty. Nine members of his crew were in the dock with him on the piracy charges. Whether the evidence was convincing and the trial fair has been debated ever since.
Kidd became a legendary figure largely because no one ever discovered what had happened to the rest of his treasure – if there really was any more to be found. Its value multiplied as time went by and treasure-hunters have searched for his loot from the Americas to the South China Sea, but so far in vain.
http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/execution-captain-kidd
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Kidd
@ col mikel COL Mikel J. Burroughs @ ltc stephen LTC Stephen C. @ ltc stephen LTC Stephen F. @ ltc frank LTC (Join to see) @ maj william Maj William W. 'Bill' Price @ capt tom Capt Tom Brown @ capt marty Maj Marty Hogan @ smsgt doc SMSgt Minister Gerald A. "Doc" Thomas @ tsgt joe TSgt Joe C. @ sra christopher SrA Christopher Wright @ msg andrew MSG Andrew White @ sfc joe SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL @ sgt david SGT (Join to see) @ sgt david SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth @ sp5 mark SP5 Mark Kuzinski @ sp5 robert SP5 Robert Ruck SCPO Morris Ramsey @ po2 robert PO2 Robert M. Alan K. Cynthia Croft
Maritime
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Death
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I always like to read about pirate Capt. Kidd, Black Beard and others of their ilk, great reading as a kid. Thank you for the video and story , good morning John, have a great and safe day.
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SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth
SGT John " Mac " McConnell - Good morning John, have a great day brother.
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Thanks SGT John " Mac " McConnell for sharing a summary of the life and execution of Captain William Kidd.
I for one was cheered by the prison chaplains sermon focus: ‘For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.’
Being a privateer was risky business in the 18th century.
Images: Captain Kidd in New York harbor; Captain Kidd sketch; Captain William Kidd 1645–1701 by Sir James Thornhill; Captain Kidd's Hanging
Below is another summary of his life from Biography.com
"Born in Scotland in 1645, William Kidd started out as a privateer, hired by European royals to attack foreign ships. When his crew insisted on attacking the Quadegh Merchant, a large Armenian ship laden with treasures on the Indian Ocean, Kidd found himself on the wrong side of the British government. He was hanged in London in 1701, as a warning to other pirates. Legends persist about Captain Kidd and the treasure some believe he buried in the Carribbean, and he remains one of history's most famous and fascinating pirates.
Early Life
Born William Kidd in Dundee, Scotland, in 1645. Kidd, whose father was reportedly a seaman, had taken to the water himself at a young age. By the 1680s, after working with an assortment of buccaneer crews, was a respected privateer.
Around that time, Kidd set sail for America and a new life, and eventually, new riches, in New York, where he met and married a wealthy widow. When tension between England and France morphed into full-fledged war, Kidd was commissioned to privateer the Blessed William to protect English ships in the Caribbean from French attacks.
Piracy in this age was a murky affair. While countries hired privateers like Kidd to protect their investments, it was also understood that these same privateers could reap the bounty from the loot confiscated by enemy ships. This was the age in which Kidd cut his teeth as a young sailor. It was also an age that was coming to a close.
Privateering and Pirating
In 1695, Kidd returned to England to receive a royal commission as a privateer. There, he befriended Lord Bellomont, who had been tapped to take over the governorship of New York. Under Bellomont's direction and financial backing, Kidd was hired to make his way toward the West Indies with a crew and attack French ships and pirate vessels. The confiscated loot would be divided between Kidd, his men and his backers. In May 1696, Kidd set sail on the 34-gun vessel Adventure Galley.
Struggles soon enveloped the enterprise. A number of Kidd's men died of illness, and when Kidd found few French ships to attack, he faced mounting pressure from a weary and frustrated crew to make the voyage worth their time. In early 1697, Kidd steered his crew toward Madagascar, a stopping point for many pirates who made their living on the Indian Ocean. Small successes came in the form of attacks on various Indian ships. Then, in January 1698, Kidd's luck seemingly changed when he caught sight of the Quedagh Merchant rounding the tip of India.
The Quedagh Merchant was no ordinary vessel. A 500-ton Armenian ship, it carried goods—a treasure trove of gold, silk, spices, and other riches—that were owned in part by a minister at the court of the Indian Grand Moghul. The minister had powerful connections, and when news about Kidd's attack reached him he complained to the East India Company, the large and influential English trading firm. Coupled with many governments' shifting perceptions of piracy, Kidd was quickly cast as a wanted criminal.
Having abandoned the rotting Adventure Galley for the Quedagh Merchant, Kidd set sail on his new ship for the Caribbean and eventually made his way to a smaller ship in Boston, where he was arrested and eventually shipped back to England.
Trial and Aftermath
On May 8, 1701, Kidd went on a trial. His crimes and previously tight connections with the English elite and government officials caused a sensation. To defend him, as Kidd expected Lord Bellomont and others would do, would only dirty the defender's name and reputation. He was found guilty and hanged on May 23, 1701. To serve as a warning against other pirates, his body was hung in a cage and left to rot for all to see along the River Thames.
Adding to the intrigue around Kidd's history is where exactly all his treasure went. Before he was put to death, the convicted pirate alleged to have buried some of his loot in the Caribbean. Despite generations of treasure hunters who have attempted to verify his claim, nothing has ever been discovered. Instead, we're left with a story that has greatly inspired the fascination we have with pirates like Kidd."
http://www.biography.com/people/william-kidd-17179370
LTC Ivan Raiklin, Esq. Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx SP5 Mark Kuzinski SPC (Join to see) PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SP5 Robert Ruck SCPO Morris RamseyCPL Eric Escasio
Maj William W. 'Bill' Price CPT Gabe Snell Capt Tom Brown SGT Robert George SGT Michael Thorin Cpl Joshua Caldwell SPC Margaret Higgins
I for one was cheered by the prison chaplains sermon focus: ‘For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.’
Being a privateer was risky business in the 18th century.
Images: Captain Kidd in New York harbor; Captain Kidd sketch; Captain William Kidd 1645–1701 by Sir James Thornhill; Captain Kidd's Hanging
Below is another summary of his life from Biography.com
"Born in Scotland in 1645, William Kidd started out as a privateer, hired by European royals to attack foreign ships. When his crew insisted on attacking the Quadegh Merchant, a large Armenian ship laden with treasures on the Indian Ocean, Kidd found himself on the wrong side of the British government. He was hanged in London in 1701, as a warning to other pirates. Legends persist about Captain Kidd and the treasure some believe he buried in the Carribbean, and he remains one of history's most famous and fascinating pirates.
Early Life
Born William Kidd in Dundee, Scotland, in 1645. Kidd, whose father was reportedly a seaman, had taken to the water himself at a young age. By the 1680s, after working with an assortment of buccaneer crews, was a respected privateer.
Around that time, Kidd set sail for America and a new life, and eventually, new riches, in New York, where he met and married a wealthy widow. When tension between England and France morphed into full-fledged war, Kidd was commissioned to privateer the Blessed William to protect English ships in the Caribbean from French attacks.
Piracy in this age was a murky affair. While countries hired privateers like Kidd to protect their investments, it was also understood that these same privateers could reap the bounty from the loot confiscated by enemy ships. This was the age in which Kidd cut his teeth as a young sailor. It was also an age that was coming to a close.
Privateering and Pirating
In 1695, Kidd returned to England to receive a royal commission as a privateer. There, he befriended Lord Bellomont, who had been tapped to take over the governorship of New York. Under Bellomont's direction and financial backing, Kidd was hired to make his way toward the West Indies with a crew and attack French ships and pirate vessels. The confiscated loot would be divided between Kidd, his men and his backers. In May 1696, Kidd set sail on the 34-gun vessel Adventure Galley.
Struggles soon enveloped the enterprise. A number of Kidd's men died of illness, and when Kidd found few French ships to attack, he faced mounting pressure from a weary and frustrated crew to make the voyage worth their time. In early 1697, Kidd steered his crew toward Madagascar, a stopping point for many pirates who made their living on the Indian Ocean. Small successes came in the form of attacks on various Indian ships. Then, in January 1698, Kidd's luck seemingly changed when he caught sight of the Quedagh Merchant rounding the tip of India.
The Quedagh Merchant was no ordinary vessel. A 500-ton Armenian ship, it carried goods—a treasure trove of gold, silk, spices, and other riches—that were owned in part by a minister at the court of the Indian Grand Moghul. The minister had powerful connections, and when news about Kidd's attack reached him he complained to the East India Company, the large and influential English trading firm. Coupled with many governments' shifting perceptions of piracy, Kidd was quickly cast as a wanted criminal.
Having abandoned the rotting Adventure Galley for the Quedagh Merchant, Kidd set sail on his new ship for the Caribbean and eventually made his way to a smaller ship in Boston, where he was arrested and eventually shipped back to England.
Trial and Aftermath
On May 8, 1701, Kidd went on a trial. His crimes and previously tight connections with the English elite and government officials caused a sensation. To defend him, as Kidd expected Lord Bellomont and others would do, would only dirty the defender's name and reputation. He was found guilty and hanged on May 23, 1701. To serve as a warning against other pirates, his body was hung in a cage and left to rot for all to see along the River Thames.
Adding to the intrigue around Kidd's history is where exactly all his treasure went. Before he was put to death, the convicted pirate alleged to have buried some of his loot in the Caribbean. Despite generations of treasure hunters who have attempted to verify his claim, nothing has ever been discovered. Instead, we're left with a story that has greatly inspired the fascination we have with pirates like Kidd."
http://www.biography.com/people/william-kidd-17179370
LTC Ivan Raiklin, Esq. Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx SP5 Mark Kuzinski SPC (Join to see) PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SP5 Robert Ruck SCPO Morris RamseyCPL Eric Escasio
Maj William W. 'Bill' Price CPT Gabe Snell Capt Tom Brown SGT Robert George SGT Michael Thorin Cpl Joshua Caldwell SPC Margaret Higgins
William Kidd is one of the most famous pirates in history, remembered for his execution for piracy on the Indian Ocean.
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