) , type=Pirate , birth_place =

Casnewydd Bach Casnewydd Bach (English: ''Little Newcastle'') is a village, parish and former civil parish in the community of Puncheston in Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a county in the south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmar ...

, near

Puncheston Puncheston ( cy, Cas-mael or Casmael) is a village, parish and community in Pembrokeshire, southwest Wales. It sits below the mountain known as Castlebythe ( en, Cow Castle), one of the peaks in the Preseli Mountains, just outside the Pembroke ...

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...

, Wales,

Kingdom of England The Kingdom of England (, ) was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from 12 July 927, when it emerged from various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, until 1 May 1707, when it united with Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. On 1 ...

, death_place = At sea off of Cape Lopez,

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...

, allegiance= , serviceyears=1719–1722 , base of operations= Off the coast of the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

and

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

, rank=Captain , commands= ''Royal Rover'', ''Fortune'', ''Good Fortune'', ''Royal Fortune'', ''Ranger'', ''Little Ranger'' , battles= , wealth= 470 vessels , laterwork= Bartholomew Roberts (17 May 1682 – 10 February 1722), born John Roberts, was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

and the most successful pirate of the

Golden Age of Piracy The Golden Age of Piracy is a common designation for the period between the 1650s and the 1730s, when maritime piracy was a significant factor in the histories of the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, the Indian Ocean, North America, and West Africa ...

(measured by vessels captured), taking over 400

prizes 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.

in his career. Roberts raided ships off the

and the West African coast between 1719 and 1722; he is also noted for creating his own

Pirate Code A pirate code, pirate articles, or articles of agreement were a code of conduct for governing pirates. A group of sailors, on turning pirate, would draw up their own code or articles, which provided rules for discipline, division of stolen goods, ...

, and adopting an early variant of the

Skull and Crossbones A skull and crossbones is a symbol consisting of a human skull and two long bones crossed together under or behind the skull. The design originated in the Late Middle Ages as a symbol of death and especially as a ''memento mori'' on tombstones. ...

flag. Roberts' infamy and success saw him become known as ''The Great Pyrate'' and eventually as Black Bart ( cy, Barti Ddu), and made him a popular subject for writers of both fiction and non-fiction. To this day, Roberts continues to feature in novels, films and video games, as well as inspire fictional characters (such as the

Dread Pirate Roberts The Dread Pirate Roberts is the identity assumed by several fictional characters in the novel ''The Princess Bride'' (1973) and its 1987 film adaptation. Various pirates (including Westley, the main protagonist) take on the role of Roberts and us ...

Early life

He was born John Roberts in 1682 in

, between

Fishguard Fishguard ( cy, Abergwaun, meaning "Mouth of the River Gwaun") is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, with a population of 3,419 in 2011; the community of Fishguard and Goodwick had a population of 5,407. Modern Fishguard consists of two pa ...

and

Haverfordwest Haverfordwest (, ; cy, Hwlffordd ) is the county town of Pembrokeshire, Wales, and the most populous urban area in Pembrokeshire with a population of 14,596 in 2011. It is also a community, being the second most populous community in the county, ...

, Wales. His father was most likely George Roberts. It is unclear why Roberts changed his name from John to Bartholomew, but pirates often adopted aliases. He may have chosen his first name after the well-known

buccaneer Buccaneers were a kind of privateers or free sailors particular to the Caribbean Sea during the 17th and 18th centuries. First established on northern Hispaniola as early as 1625, their heyday was from Stuart Restoration, the Restoration in 16 ...

Bartholomew Sharp Bartholomew Sharp (c. 1650 – 29 October 1702) was an English buccaneer and privateer. His career of piracy lasted seven years (1675–1682). In the Caribbean he took several ships, and raided the Gulf of Honduras and Portobelo. He took command ...

. He was thought to have gone to sea when he was 13 in 1695, but there is no further record of him until 1718, when he was mate of a

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

sloop A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...

. In 1719, Roberts was second mate on the

slave ship Slave ships were large cargo ships specially built or converted from the 17th to the 19th century for transporting slaves. Such ships were also known as "Guineamen" because the trade involved human trafficking to and from the Guinea coast ...

''Princess'' under Captain Abraham Plumb. In early June that year, the ''Princess'' was anchored at

Anomabu Anomabu, also spelled Anomabo and formerly as Annamaboe, is a town on the coast of the Mfantsiman Municipal District of the Central Region (Ghana), Central Region of South Ghana. Anomabu has a Human settlements, settlement population of 14,389 pe ...

(then spelled Annamaboa, which is situated along the

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

of West Africa, present-day

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

) when she was captured by pirates. The pirates were in two vessels, ''Royal Rover'' and ''Royal James,'' and were led by captain

Howell Davis Howell Davis (ca. 1690 – 19 June 1719), also known as Hywel and/or Davies, was a Welsh pirate. His piratical career lasted just 11 months, from 11 July 1718 to 19 June 1719, when he was ambushed and killed. His ships were the ''Cadogan'', ' ...

. Davis, like Roberts, was a Welshman, originally from

Milford Haven Milford Haven ( cy, Aberdaugleddau, meaning "mouth of the two Rivers Cleddau") is both a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, an estuary forming a natural harbour that has ...

. Roberts and several other of the crew of the ''Princess'' were forced to join the pirates. Davis quickly discovered Roberts' abilities as a

navigator A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation.Grierson, MikeAviation History—Demise of the Flight Navigator FrancoFlyers.org website, October 14, 2008. Retrieved August 31, 2014. The navigator's primar ...

and took to consulting him. He was also able to confide information to Roberts in the

Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language family, Celtic language of the Brittonic languages, Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut P ...

, thereby keeping it hidden from the English and international crewmen. Roberts is said to have been reluctant to become a pirate at first, but quickly came to see the advantages of this new lifestyle and saw it as a great opportunity for him. Captain Charles Johnson reports him as saying:

Life as a pirate

Commander or commoner?

In the merchant navy, Roberts' wage was less than £4 per month and he had no chance of promotion to captaincy. A few weeks after Roberts' capture, ''Royal James'' had to be abandoned because of

worm Worms are many different distantly related bilateral animals that typically have a long cylindrical tube-like body, no limbs, and no eyes (though not always). Worms vary in size from microscopic to over in length for marine polychaete wor ...

damage. ''Royal Rover'' headed for the island of

Príncipe Príncipe is the smaller, northern major island of the country of São Tomé and Príncipe lying off the west coast of Africa in the Gulf of Guinea. It has an area of (including offshore islets) and a population of 7,324 at the 2012 Census;

. Davis hoisted the flags of a British man-of-war and was allowed to enter the harbor. After a few days, Davis invited the governor to lunch on board his ship, intending to hold him hostage for a ransom. Davis had to send boats to collect the governor, and he was invited to call at the fort for a glass of wine first. The Portuguese had discovered that their visitors were pirates. They ambushed Davis' party on its way to the fort, shooting Davis dead. A new captain had to be elected. Davis' crew was divided into "Lords" and "Commons", and it was the "Lords" who had the right to propose a name to the remainder of the crew. Within six weeks of his capture, Roberts was elected captain. This was unusual, especially as he had objected to serving on the vessel. Historians believe he was elected for his navigational abilities and his personality, which history reflects was outspoken and opinionated. Roberts' first act as captain was to lead the crew back to Príncipe to avenge the death of Captain Davis. Roberts and his crew landed on the island in the darkness of night, killed a large portion of the male population, and stole all items of value that they could carry away. Soon afterwards, he captured a Dutch

Guineaman Slave ships were large cargo ships specially built or converted from the 17th to the 19th century for transporting slaves. Such ships were also known as "Guineamen" because the trade involved human trafficking to and from the Guinea coast ...

, then two days later a British ship called ''Experiment''. The pirate ship took on water and provisions at Anamboe, where a vote was taken on whether the next voyage should be to the

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies), is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The Indies refers to various lands in the East or the Eastern hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainlands found in and around t ...

or to

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. The vote was for Brazil. The combination of bravery and success that marked this adventure cemented most of the crew's loyalty to Roberts. They concluded that he was "pistol proof" and that they had much to gain by staying with him.

Brazil and the Caribbean July 1719 – May 1720

Roberts and his crew crossed the Atlantic and watered and boot-topped"Boot-topping" was similar to careening, except that only the upper part of the hull was cleaned. their ship on the uninhabited island of Ferdinando. They spent about nine weeks off the Brazilian coast but saw no ships. They were about to leave for the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

when they encountered a fleet of 42 Portuguese ships in the Todos os Santos' Bay, waiting for two men-of-war of 70 guns each to escort them to

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

. Roberts took one of the vessels and ordered her master to point out the richest ship in the fleet. He pointed out ''Sagrada Familia,'' a ship of 40 guns and a crew of 170, which Roberts and his men boarded and captured. ''Sagrada Familia'' contained 40,000 gold

moidore A moidore or moydore was historically a gold coin of Portuguese origin. While the coin shows a face value of 4,000 ''réis'', its real value was 20% higher or 4,800 ''réis'' from 1688 to 1800. On its obverse is the face value and the Portugues ...

s and jewellery designed for the King of Portugal, including a cross set with diamonds.Johnson pp. 172–3 ''Rover'' next headed for

Devil's Island The penal colony of Cayenne ( French: ''Bagne de Cayenne''), commonly known as Devil's Island (''Île du Diable''), was a French penal colony that operated for 100 years, from 1852 to 1952, and officially closed in 1953 in the Salvation Islands ...

off the coast of Guiana to spend the booty. A few weeks later, they headed for the River Surinam where they captured a sloop. After they sighted a

brigantine A brigantine is a two-masted sailing vessel with a fully square-rigged foremast and at least two sails on the main mast: a square topsail and a gaff sail mainsail (behind the mast). The main mast is the second and taller of the two masts. Older ...

, Roberts took 40 men to pursue it in the sloop, leaving Walter Kennedy in command of ''Rover.'' The sloop became wind-bound for eight days, and when Roberts and his crew finally returned to their ship, they discovered that Kennedy had sailed off with ''Rover'' and what remained of the loot. Roberts and his crew renamed their sloop ''Fortune'' and agreed on new articles, now known as a

pirate code A pirate code, pirate articles, or articles of agreement were a code of conduct for governing pirates. A group of sailors, on turning pirate, would draw up their own code or articles, which provided rules for discipline, division of stolen goods, ...

, which they swore on a Bible to uphold. In late February 1720, they were joined by French pirate Montigny la Palisse in another sloop, ''Sea King''. The inhabitants of

equipped two well-armed ships, ''Summerset'' and ''Philipa'', to try to put an end to the pirate menace. On 26 February, they encountered the two pirate sloops. ''Sea King'' quickly fled, and ''Fortune'' broke off the engagement after sustaining considerable damage and was able to escape. Roberts headed for

Dominica Dominica ( or ; Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically ...

to repair the sloop, with twenty of his crew dying of their wounds on the voyage. There were also two sloops from

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...

out searching for the pirates, and Roberts swore vengeance against the inhabitants of Barbados and Martinique. He had a new flag made with a drawing of himself holding a flaming sword and standing upon 2 skulls, one labelled ABH (A Barbadian's Head) and the other AMH (A Martiniquian's Head).

Newfoundland and the Caribbean June 1720 – April 1721

''Fortune'' next headed northwards towards

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

, raiding

Canso, Nova Scotia Canso is a community in Guysborough County, on the north-eastern tip of mainland Nova Scotia, Canada, next to Chedabucto Bay. In January 2012, it ceased to be a separate town and as of July 2012 was amalgamated into the Municipality of the Di ...

, and capturing a number of ships around

Cape Breton Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18. ...

and the Newfoundland banks. Roberts raided the harbour of Ferryland, capturing a dozen vessels. On 21 June, he attacked the larger harbour of

Trepassey Trepassey () is a small fishing community located in Trepassey Bay on the south eastern corner of the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador. It was in Trepassey Harbour where the flight of the ''Friendship'' took off, with Amelia Earhart ...

, sailing in with black flags flying. In the harbour he discovered 22 merchant ships and 150 fishing ships. All of these vessels were abandoned by their panic-stricken captains and crews, and the pirates were masters of Trepassey without any resistance being offered. Roberts had captured all 22 merchant ships, but was angered by the cowardice of the captains who had fled their ships. Every morning he had a gun fired and the captains were forced to attend Roberts on board his ship; they were told that anyone who was absent would have his ship burnt. One

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...

from

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

was taken over by the pirates to replace the sloop ''Fortune'' and fitted out with 16 guns. When the pirates left in late June, all the other vessels in the harbour were set on fire. During July, Roberts captured nine or ten French ships and commandeered one of them, fitting her with 26 cannons and changing her name to ''Good Fortune''. With this more powerful ship, the pirates captured many more vessels before heading south for the West Indies, accompanied by Montigny la Palisse's sloop, which had rejoined them. In September 1720, ''Good Fortune'' was careened and repaired at the island of

Carriacou Carriacou is an island of the Grenadine Islands. It is a dependency of Grenada, and is located in the south-eastern Caribbean Sea, northeast of the island Grenada and the north coast of South America. The name is derived from the Carib lang ...

before being renamed ''Royal Fortune'', the first of several ships to be given this name by Roberts. In late September, ''Royal Fortune'' and ''Fortune'' headed for the island of St. Christopher's and entered Basse Terra Road, flying black flags and with their drummers and trumpeters playing. They sailed in among the ships in the Road, all of which promptly struck their flags. The next landfall was at the island of

St. Bartholomew Bartholomew (Aramaic: ; grc, Βαρθολομαῖος, translit=Bartholomaîos; la, Bartholomaeus; arm, Բարթողիմէոս; cop, ⲃⲁⲣⲑⲟⲗⲟⲙⲉⲟⲥ; he, בר-תולמי, translit=bar-Tôlmay; ar, بَرثُولَماو� ...

, where the French governor allowed the pirates to remain for several weeks to carouse. By 25 October, they were at sea again off

St. Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerin ...

, where they captured up to 15 French and English ships in the next three days. Among the captured ships was ''Greyhound'', whose chief mate

James Skyrme James Skyrme (died 1722, last name occasionally Skyrm) was a Welsh pirate best known for Captaining two of Bartholomew Roberts’ prize ships. History In the summer of 1720 James Skyrme sailed from Bristol as first mate of ''Greyhound''. That ...

joined the pirates. He later became captain of Roberts' consort, ''Ranger''. During this time, Roberts reportedly caught Florimond Hurault de Montigny, the

Governor of Martinique (Dates in italics indicate ''de facto'' continuation of office) Ancien regime and First Republic (1635-1794) British occupation (1794–1814) Restoration, Second Republic, Second Empire (1814–70) Third Republic (1870–1940) Fourth a ...

, who was sailing aboard a 52-gun French

warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster a ...

. The Governor was caught and promptly hanged on the yardarm of his own ship, which the pirates converted into the new ''Royal Fortune''. According to Konstam and Rickman, this reported capture was an embellishment by Captain Charles Johnson in his ''A General History of the Pyrates''. By the spring of 1721, Roberts' depredations had almost brought seaborne trade to a standstill in the West Indies. ''Royal Fortune'' and ''Good Fortune'' therefore set sail for West Africa. On 18 April, Thomas Anstis, the commander of ''Good Fortune'', left Roberts in the night and continued to raid shipping in the Caribbean, with future captains John Fenn and

Brigstock Weaver Brigstock Weaver (born 1686 – died 1767) ( fl. 1720–1725, first name occasionally Bridstock) was an English pirate active in the Caribbean. He is best known for his association with fellow pirates Thomas Anstis and Bartholomew Roberts. Hi ...

aboard. ''Royal Fortune'' continued towards Africa. Bartholomew Roberts

West Africa April 1721 – January 1722

By late April, Roberts was at the

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

islands. ''Royal Fortune'' was found to be leaky and abandoned there. The pirates transferred to ''Sea King'', which was renamed ''Royal Fortune''. The new ''Royal Fortune'' made landfall off the Guinea coast in early June, near the mouth of the Senegal River. Two French ships, one of 10 guns and one of 16 guns, gave chase, but were captured by Roberts. Both ships were commandeered. One, ''Comte de Toulouse'', was renamed ''Ranger'', while the other was named ''Little Ranger'' and used as a storeship.

Thomas Sutton Thomas Sutton (1532 – 12 December 1611) was an English civil servant and businessman, born in Knaith, Lincolnshire. He is remembered as the founder of the London Charterhouse and of Charterhouse School. Life Sutton was the son of an official ...

was made captain of ''Ranger'' and James Skyrme captain of ''Little Ranger''. Roberts next headed for

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

, arriving on 12 June. Here he was told by retired pirate John Leadstone, John "Old Crackers" Leadstone that two

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 F ...

ships, and , had left at the end of April, planning to return before Christmas. On 8 August, he captured two large ships at Point Cestos, now

River Cess River Cess is the capital city of Rivercess County, Liberia. As of the 2008 national census, the population stood at 2,578. It received its original name Cestos from Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the cou ...

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

. One of these was the frigate ''Onslow'', transporting soldiers bound for

Cape Coast Cape Coast is a city, fishing port, and the capital of Cape Coast Metropolitan District and Central Region of Ghana. It is one of the country's most historic cities, a World Heritage Site, home to the Cape Coast Castle, with the Gulf of Guinea ...

(Cabo Corso) Castle. A number of the soldiers wished to join the pirates, and they were eventually accepted, however they only received a quarter of a pirates pay because they were not sailors most of their lives. ''Onslow'' was converted to become the fourth ''Royal Fortune''. In November and December, the pirates careened their ships and relaxed at Cape Lopez and the island of

Annobón Annobón ( es, Provincia de Annobón; pt, Ano-Bom), and formerly as ''Anno Bom'' and ''Annabona'', is a province (smallest province in both area and population) of Equatorial Guinea consisting of the island of Annobón, formerly also Pigalu a ...

. Sutton was replaced by Skyrme as captain of ''Ranger''. They captured several vessels in January 1722, then sailed into

Ouidah Ouidah () or Whydah (; ''Ouidah'', ''Juida'', and ''Juda'' by the French; ''Ajudá'' by the Portuguese; and ''Fida'' by the Dutch) and known locally as Glexwe, formerly the chief port of the Kingdom of Whydah, is a city on the coast of the Repub ...

(Whydah) harbour with black flags flying. The eleven ships at anchor there immediately struck their colours, but were restored to their owners after a ransom of eight pounds of gold dust per ship was paid. When the master of one of the ships refused these terms, Roberts had his crew climb aboard the ship and set her on fire. The captured vessels were slave ships, and the one set on fire had around eighty enslaved Africans on board. They perished either as a result of the fire or by drowning or shark attack after jumping overboard.

Death in battle

On 5 February 1722, Captain

Chaloner Ogle Admiral of the Fleet Sir Chaloner Ogle KB (1681 – 11 April 1750) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. After serving as a junior officer during the Nine Years' War, a ship he was commanding was captured by three French ships off Ostend in ...

of HMS ''Swallow'' came upon the pirate ships ''Royal Fortune'', ''Ranger'', and ''Little Ranger'' careening at

Cape Lopez Cape Lopez () is a headland on the coast of Gabon, west central Africa. The westernmost point of Gabon, it separates the Gulf of Guinea from the South Atlantic Ocean. Cape Lopez is the northernmost point of a low, wooded island between two mouths ...

. ''Swallow'' veered away to avoid a

shoal In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material and rises from the bed of a body of water to near the surface. It ...

, making the pirates think that she was a fleeing merchant ship; some sources claim Ogle spotted Roberts' ships and turned ''Swallow'' as a ruse. ''Ranger'' departed in pursuit, commanded by James Skyrme. Once out of earshot of the other pirates, ''Swallow'' opened her gun ports and opened fire. Ten pirates were killed and Skyrme had his leg taken off by a cannonball, but he refused to leave the deck. Eventually, ''Ranger'' was forced to strike her colors, and the surviving crew were captured. On 10 February, ''Swallow'' returned to Cape Lopez and found ''Royal Fortune'' still there. On the previous day, Roberts had captured ''Neptune'', and many of his crew were drunk and unfit for duty just when he needed them most. At first, the pirates thought that the approaching ship was ''Ranger'' returning, but a deserter from ''Swallow'' recognized her and informed Roberts while he was breakfasting with Captain Hill, the master of ''Neptune''. As he usually did before action, he dressed himself in his finest clothes: The pirates' plan was to sail past ''Swallow'', which meant exposing themselves to one broadside. Once past, they would have a good chance of escaping. However, the helmsman failed to keep ''Royal Fortune'' on the right course, and ''Swallow'' was able to approach to deliver a second broadside. Captain Roberts was killed by

grapeshot Grapeshot is a type of artillery round invented by a British Officer during the Napoleonic Wars. It was used mainly as an anti infantry round, but had other uses in naval combat. In artillery, a grapeshot is a type of ammunition that consists of ...

, which struck him in the throat while he stood on the deck. Before his body could be captured by Ogle, Roberts's wish to be buried at sea with all his arms and ornaments on (a request he had repeated in life) was fulfilled by his crew, who weighed his body down and threw it overboard after wrapping it in his ship's sail. It was never found. Roberts's death shocked the pirate world, as well as the Royal Navy. The local merchants and civilians had thought him invincible, and some considered him a hero.

Aftermath

The battle continued for another two hours until ''Royal Fortune''s mainmast fell and the pirates signaled for quarter. One member of the crew, John Philips, tried to reach the magazine with a lighted match to blow up the ship, but was prevented by two men. Only three pirates had been killed in the battle, including Roberts. A total of 272 pirates serving under Roberts had been captured during the battle; of these, 65 were former African slaves that Roberts had emancipated, and they were sold back into slavery. The remainder were taken to

Cape Coast Castle Cape Coast Castle ( sv, Carolusborg) is one of about forty "slave castles", or large commercial forts, built on the Gold Coast of West Africa (now Ghana) by European traders. It was originally a Portuguese "feitoria" or trading post, established ...

, apart from those who died on the voyage back. 54 were condemned to death, of whom 52 were hanged and two reprieved. Another twenty were allowed to sign indentures with the

Royal African Company The Royal African Company (RAC) was an English mercantile (trade, trading) company set up in 1660 by the royal House of Stuart, Stuart family and City of London merchants to trade along the West Africa, west coast of Africa. It was led by the J ...

; Burl comments that they "exchanged an immediate death for a lingering one". Seventeen men were sent to the Marshalsea prison in London for trial, where some were acquitted and released. Of the captured pirates who told their place of birth, 42% were from

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, and

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, and another 19% from London. There were smaller numbers from northern England and from Wales, and another quarter from a variety of countries including Ireland, Scotland, the West Indies, the Netherlands, and Greece. Captain

was rewarded with a knighthood, the only British naval officer to be honoured specifically for his actions against pirates.Cawthorne p. 135 He also profited financially, taking gold dust from Roberts' cabin, and he eventually became an admiral. This battle proved a turning point in the war against the pirates, and many consider the death of Roberts to mark the end of the Golden Age of Piracy.

Roberts' pirate code

As recorded by

Captain Charles Johnson Captain Charles Johnson was the British author of the 1724 book ''A General History of the Pyrates, A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates'', whose identity remains a mystery. No record exists of a captain b ...

regarding the articles of Bartholomew Roberts:

Personal characteristics

Most of the information on Roberts comes from the book ''

A General History of the Pyrates ''A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates'' is a 1724 book published in Britain containing biographies of contemporary pirates,

'', published a few years after Roberts' death. The original 1724 title page credits one

as the author. (The book is often printed under the byline of

Daniel Defoe Daniel Defoe (; born Daniel Foe; – 24 April 1731) was an English writer, trader, journalist, pamphleteer and spy. He is most famous for his novel ''Robinson Crusoe'', published in 1719, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its ...

on the assumption that "Charles Johnson" is a

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

, but there is no proof that Defoe is the author, and the matter remains in dispute.) Johnson devotes more space to Roberts than to any of the other pirates in his book, describing him as: Roberts is commonly described as wearing a red waistcoat with scarlet breeches and a scarlet flamingo plume. The red costume may have been to disguise any blood in battle or as a demonstration of his disregard for anonymity. Roberts also wore a large diamond cross which was reputedly the property of the King of Portugal. After his exploits in Newfoundland, a state Governor from

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

commented that "one cannot with-hold admiration for his bravery and courage". He hated cowardice, and when the crews of 22 ships in Trepassey harbour fled without firing a shot he was angry at their failure to defend their ships. Roberts was the archetypal pirate captain in his love of fine clothing and jewelry, but he had some traits unusual in a pirate, notably a preference for drinking tea rather than rum. He is often described as a

teetotaler Teetotalism is the practice or promotion of total personal abstinence from the psychoactive drug alcohol, specifically in alcoholic drinks. A person who practices (and possibly advocates) teetotalism is called a teetotaler or teetotaller, or i ...

and a

Sabbatarian Sabbatarianism advocates the observation of the Sabbath in Christianity, in keeping with the Ten Commandments. The observance of Sunday as a day of worship and rest is a form of first-day Sabbatarianism, a view which was historically heralded ...

, but there is no proof of this. He certainly disliked drunkenness while at sea, yet it appears that he drank beer.Johnson p. 211 Ironically, Roberts' final defeat was facilitated by the drunkenness of his crew. The Sabbatarian claim arises from the fact that musicians were not obliged to play on the Sabbath – this may merely have been intended to ensure the musicians a day's rest, as they were otherwise obliged to play whenever the crew demanded. Black Bart was not as cruel to prisoners as some pirates such as

Edward Low Edward "Ned" Low (also spelled Lowe or Loe; 16901724) was a notorious pirate of English origin during the latter days of the Golden Age of Piracy, in the early 18th century. Low was born into poverty in Westminster, London, and was a thief from ...

and

Francis Spriggs Francis Spriggs (died 1725?) was a British pirate who, associated with George Lowther and Edward Low, was active in the Caribbean and the Bay of Honduras during the early 1720s. Early career Although much of his early life is unknown, Francis S ...

, but did not treat them as well as did

Samuel Bellamy Captain Samuel Bellamy ( c. 23 February, 1689 – 26 April 1717), later known as "Black Sam" Bellamy, was an English sailor, turned pirate, who operated in the early 18th century. He is best known as the wealthiest pirate in recorded history, an ...

, or

Edward England Edward England ( –1721) was an Irish pirate. The ships he sailed on included the ''Pearl'' (which he renamed ''The Royal James'') and later the ''Fancy'', for which England exchanged the ''Pearl'' in 1720. His flag was the classic Joll ...

. Roberts sometimes gave gifts to cooperative captains and crews of captured ships, such as pieces of jewelry or items of captured cargo. He would sometimes ill-use prisoners if he felt that the crew demanded it, but:

Popular culture

Notes

Citations

References

* Botting, Douglas (1978) ''The Pirates''. Time-Life Books. * Burl, Aubrey (2006) ''Black Barty: Bartholomew Roberts and his pirate crew 1718–1723''. Sutton Publishing. * Cawthorne, Nigel (2005) ''Pirates: an Illustrated History''. Capella. * * Cordingly, David (1999) ''Life Among the Pirates: the Romance and the Reality''. Abacus. * Johnson, Charles (1724). ''A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates'' (1998 ed.). Conway Maritime Press. . * * * Rediker, Marcus (2004) ''Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age''. Beacon Press. * Richards, Stanley (1966) ''Black Bart''. Christopher Davies. * Sanders, Richard (2007), ''If a Pirate I Must Be ... The True Story of "Black Bart," King of the Caribbean Pirates''. Aurum Press, Ltd. * Stevenson, Robert Louis (1994) ''Treasure Island'' Puffin Books. * Yount, Lisa (2002) ''Pirates''. Lucent Books.

External links

World History Encyclopedia - Bartholomew RobertsPiratesInfo.com biography
*
Biography of Bartholomew RobertsBBC Article
(Welsh)
Famous Welsh Article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Bartholomew 1682 births 1722 deaths 17th-century Welsh people 18th-century Welsh people 18th-century pirates Burials at sea Canadian pirates Caribbean pirates People from Pembrokeshire Welsh pirates Deaths by firearm in international waters People who died at sea British slave traders People captured by pirates