Francis Leslie ( fl. 1717-1718, last name occasionally Lesley) was a pirate active in the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

. He is best known as one of the leaders of the "

Flying Gang The Flying Gang was an 18th-century group of pirates who established themselves in Nassau, New Providence in the Bahamas after the destruction of Port Royal in Jamaica. The gang consisted of the most notorious and cunning pirates of the time, ...

" of pirates operating out of

New Providence New Providence is the most populous island in the Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. It is the location of the national capital city of Nassau, whose boundaries are coincident with the island; it had a population of 246 ...

History

As part of a plan to reduce piracy in the Caribbean, in September 1717 King George offered a general pardon to pirates, forgiving any who surrendered within a year. The message reached the American colonies but was slow to reach the Caribbean, so on his own initiative Captain Vincent Pearse of sailed to

Nassau Nassau may refer to: Places Bahamas *Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence Canada *Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792 *Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...

to deliver the offer personally. In early 1718 Leslie was among a group of pirate “commanders and ringleaders” including

Benjamin Hornigold Captain Benjamin Hornigold (1680–1719) was an English pirate who operated during the tail end of the Golden Age of Piracy. Born in England in the late 17th century, Hornigold began his pirate career in 1713, attacking merchant ships in the Bah ...

Josiah Burgess Josiah Burgess (1689–1719) was an English pirate active in the Caribbean. He is best known as one of the heads of New Providence’s “ Flying Gang.” History Burgess was leading a pack of four ships near Panama in September 1716. Outgun ...

, and Thomas Nichols, who urged Pearse to release

Charles Vane Charles Vane (c. 1680 – 29 March 1721) was an English pirate who operated in the Bahamas during the end of the Golden Age of Piracy. Vane was likely born in the Kingdom of England around 1680. One of his first pirate ventures was under the l ...

and other captured

pirates 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 ...

as an incentive for the others to surrender. Pearse agreed, and Leslie and over 200 others accepted the King’s Pardon. Technically only colonial Governors could grant the pardon, so Leslie, Nichols, and a few others sailed to

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...

to surrender to

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Benjamin Bennett Benjamin Bennett may refer to: * Benjamin Bennett (governor), Governor of Bermuda, 1701–1713 * Benjamin Bennett (politician) Benjamin Holland Bennett (1872 – 12 July 1939) was an Australian politician. He was an Australian Labor Party m ...

, who had sent his son to deliver the offer of Pardon as well. Leslie wrote a polite letter to Bennett:

Notes

References

Year of birth missing Year of death missing 18th-century pirates Caribbean pirates Pardoned pirates {{Pirate-stub

History

See also

Notes

References