Alexander Godfrey (c.17561803) was an 18th-century British

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

during the

War of the Second Coalition The War of the Second Coalition (1798/9 – 1801/2, depending on periodisation) was the second war on revolutionary France by most of the European monarchies, led by Britain, Austria and Russia, and including the Ottoman Empire, Portugal, N ...

against France and Spain. Godfrey was born in Chatham, Massachusetts in c.1756, and later moved to

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

. In 1791 he married Phoebe West. By 1800, Britain was at war with France and Spain, both of which had a significant naval and commercial maritime presence in the Americas. Godfrey obtained a letter of marque to serve as a privateer for Britain, and put to sea in command of ''

Rover Rover may refer to: People * Constance Rover (1910–2005), English historian * Jolanda de Rover (born 1963), Dutch swimmer * Rover Thomas (c. 1920–1998), Indigenous Australian artist Places * Rover, Arkansas, US * Rover, Missouri, US ...

'', a 14-gun brig. In 1800, while possibly in company with other vessels, ''Rover'' encountered and defeated three Spanish warships; in recognition of which Godfrey was offered a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

commission. Godfrey subsequently paid £850 to purchase one of the Spanish vessels when it was sold as a

prize A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.

, then sailed it

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...

for resale at £1000.Conlin 1996, p.76 Godfrey died of

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

in 1803. His only child Ruth, who died of burns, is buried in Liverpool, Nova Scotia's historic

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Godfrey, Alexander 1756 births 1803 deaths Deaths from yellow fever Canadian people of English descent British privateers People from Queens County, Nova Scotia People of New England Planter descent Infectious disease deaths in Jamaica People from Chatham, Massachusetts