Friday, May 31, 2024

From Pirates of the Eastern Seas (1618-1723), by Charles Grey

 

Taken from Hollingsworth Register March 1988 issue:

On page 30 in the chapter marked "Avery and Kidd," a brief history of the final exploits of the main gang of the pirates is given. After having befuddled and conned many prominent officials, including those of the British East India Company, warrants for them went out. . After not getting a pardon for themselves from the Govenor of Jamaica (he refused their bribe of L20,000), they split up and attemted to disappear, some doing so in New England - names not given.

The remainder bought sloops at New Providence in the Bahamas (warning: in the old documents it is called simply "Providence" which confused us as to whether Rhode Island was meant), in a final desperate attempt to get home. One Captain Farrell skippered the "Sunflower" carrying Henry Avery and 19 of his crew, which let them off at Dunfanahan on the north Irish coast. From there they went to Dublin. Another sloop commanded by Captain Hollingsworth took sixteen pirates to Dublin. After more than a thousand pounds reward was put up by the British Admiralty and the East India Company, on 19 Oct 1696, 24 of the pirates were arrested and tried, which resulted in six being hanged and the rest transported as slaves to Virginia. Apparently Thomas Hollingsworth was not among the 24 who were apprehended.

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