Captain Bartholomew Roberts
Bartholomew
Roberts was one of the most successful and menacing pirates in the Golden Age of
piracy. He had a brief career (less than four years), yet he captured a mind
staggering total of more than 400 ships. Born John Roberts he became Bartholomew
Roberts in June of 1719 when the ship he was third mate on was captured off
Ghana by Howell Davis, another great pirate of the era. Roberts had been engaged
in purchasing slaves for the Royal Africa Company. Upon his capture, he was
forced to join Davis' crew. About a month latter Davis was ambushed and killed
by the governor of Principe Island. In his short time on the pirate ship Roberts
proved his competency and superiority, so the crew elected him Howel's
successor.Henceforth
he became known as "Black Bart" and sailed the seas looting wherever
he went. Roberts sailed for Brazil during which time he captured a Dutch ship
and burned an English slave ship. In September he encountered a convoy of 42
Portuguese traders escorted by two 70 gun warships. Roberts attacked and
captured a larger, more powerful ship which had £ 30,000 in gold coins. While
Roberts was in a captured sloop, Walter Kennedy, whom had been left in command,
stole both the prize and the ship the "Rover". Roberts renamed the 10
gun sloop he had taken the "Fortune". He plundered 4 small ships and
evaded a British ship sent in pursuit.In
June 1720, Roberts wreaked havok along the Newfoundland coast capturing 26
sloops and 150 fishing boats, as well as destroying sheds and machinery along
the shore. Roberts seized an 18 gun galley and traded her for a 28 gun French
ship, renaming her the "Royal Fortune". Roberts sailed south and
plundered at least a dozen English merchantmen. Roberts is reputed to have
tortured and killed French prisoners. In September 1720, Roberts reached the
West Indies where he attacked the harbor at Saint Kitts. He seized one ship and
burned two others. Roberts sailed out of the harbor only to return the next day,
whereby he was driven away by cannon fire. Roberts repaired his ships at Saint
Bartholomew, then in October he returned to Saint Kitts to attack. Roberts
plundered 15 French and English ships there.By
January, Roberts had added a 32 gun Dutch slaver which he used to trick the
inhabitants of Martinique. Roberts sailed the ship past the harbors of
Martinique signalling the Frenchmen to visit Saint Lucia, telling them of a
profit to be made buying slaves there. Roberts waited for his prey at Saint
Lucia and seized and destroyed 14 French ships. The French prisoners were
severely tortured and some were killed. The "Fortune" was replaced by
an 18 gun brigantine renamed the "Good Fortune". Roberts next captured
a French man-of-war which had as one of her passengers the governor of
Martinique. The governor was hanged and the ship which sported 52 guns was
renamed the "Royal Fortune". Roberts had at this time 3 ships in his
fleet, the "Fortune","Good Fortune", and the "Royal
Fortune". Roberts had nearly single handedly halted shipping to and from
the Spanish Main, having lasted over a year in the Navy infested waters of the
Caribbean. At this time he returned across the Atlantic to sell his stolen
wares, and to plunder the African coast.By
April 1721, Roberts had become more tyrannical over his crew. On the way to
Africa the "Good Fortune" was stolen by Thomas Anstis who had been
given command of her. In June, Roberts arrived at Africa where he captured 4
ships keeping one and renaming her the "Ranger". Roberts then sailed
to Liberia where he captured the Royal Africa Company's ship the
"Onslow". The ship had cargo worth £ 9,000 and it replaced his ship
the "Royal Fortune". His next stop was the Ivory Coast where he took
at least 6 prizes. January 11th, 1722, Roberts reached Whydah and captured 11
slave ships which were ransomed for 8 pounds of gold dust each. When one of the
captains refused to pay, his ship was burned along with it's cargo of 80 slaves.
By now he had added another ship, a 32 gun French warship renamed the
"Great Ranger". Roberts had become a serious threat to the British
trading companies and as such pirate hunters were pursuing him.On
February 5th, a British man-of-war, the "Swallow" captained by
Challoner Ogle caught up with Roberts near Cape Lopez in Gabon. Some say Roberts
mistook the "Swallow" as a Portuguese trader and closed to fight her.
Others say Ogle found the "Royal Fortune" at anchor with most of
Roberts' crew drunk or hung over after celebrating the taking of a prize the
previous night. And Roberts took the "Royal Fortune" toward the
"Swallow" hoping to escape with the help of the wind. In either case
once in range Ogle sent a bombardment of cannon fire to the pirates and
immediately Roberts' men responded in kind. When the smoke cleared, the crew saw
that Bartholomew Roberts was slumped over a cannon and had been killed in the
first and only barrage.The
crew showing loyalty towards Roberts, threw his body overboard rather than
letting it fall into the hands of the British. With a devastated moral, the
pirates attempted to flee, but they were over taken easily. Because their mizzen
topmast had been damaged, they sailed ineffectively. Roberts' crew soon
surrendered. The crew were taken prisoner and tried at Cape Coast in Ghana. Of
these 74 were acquitted, 70 black pirates were returned to slavery, 54 pirates
were hanged, and 37 received lesser sentences. Shortly after this piracy almost
completely died. The names of men like Roberts reached immortality even if their
lives were short, and although piracy would flare up every now and then it never
again reached the intensity of this Golden Age of Piracy.
