George Bond ( fl. 1683–1684) was an English 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 was known for acting in league with the pirate-friendly Governor of St. Thomas,

Adolph Esmit Adolph Esmit was a Danish colonial administrator and slave trader who served as governor of Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Thomas in the Danish West Indies from 1683 to 1684, and again from 1687 to 1688. He was born in Holstein. His older ...

History

Bond had been master of the ship ''Summer Island'' out of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. On arriving in St. Thomas he purchased a Dutch ship from Governor Esmit, renaming it ''Fortune’s Adventure''. In 1683 aboard his new 100-man ship he seized the English merchant vessel ''Gideon''; he presented it to Esmit, who protected the pirates, outfitted their ship, and rewarded each of them with an ounce of gold dust. After Bond brought him a Dutch prize in December, Esmit maintained it had been salvaged as a shipwreck in order to deter an English party from reclaiming it. The Dutch vessel was later recovered but had been emptied of its cargo by Esmit. Governor William Stapleton sent the warship ''HMS Frances'' under Captain Carlile in August 1683 to bring in Bond, but by that October Bond was still at large: “There is now no pirate abroad but Bond with a small ship and one hundred men. He is expected at St. Thomas where Captain Carlisle is ready for him.” Carlile was unable to capture Bond, and a frustrated Stapleton minced no words when speaking of Esmit's support of Bond,

Jean Hamlin Jean Hamlin (alternatively spelled Jean Hamlyn, fl. 1682–1684) was a French pirate active in the Caribbean and off the coast of Africa. He was often associated with St. Thomas's pirate-friendly Governor Adolph Esmit. History Hamlin began hi ...

, and other pirates: “My lords, there is no safe trading to or from these parts until that receptacle of thieves and sea-robbers be reduced or that Governor hanged who so openly protects them.” Bond also spent a brief time sailing alongside English buccaneer

John Eaton John Eaton may refer to: * John Eaton (divine) (born 1575), English divine *John Eaton (pirate) (fl. 1683–1686), English buccaneer *Sir John Craig Eaton (1876–1922), Canadian businessman *John Craig Eaton II (born 1937), Canadian businessman an ...

. Around June 1684 Bond captured the formerly French sloop ''Fox'' and again brought it to Esmit, who refused the pleas from a

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 ...

n representative to return it. Bond's ultimate fate is unknown, though he reportedly sailed as a Spanish ''Guarda Costa''

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 ...

for a time.

References

Year of birth missing Year of death missing English pirates 17th-century pirates Caribbean pirates {{Pirate-stub

History

See also

References