George Lowther (died 1723) was an English pirate who, although little is known of his life, was reportedly 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 ...

and

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during the early 18th century. His First Mate was

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 ...

Turn to Piracy

Not much is known about him before becoming the 2nd 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 ...

, ''Gambia Castle'', which was under the command of Captain Charles Russell; however Lowther was more popular with the crew, as Russell seemed to care more about his shipment of slaves than for his men. Russell distrusted Lowther, and when he attempted to have him flogged many crew members took Lowther's side and defended him, causing a schism among the crew. Also on board, after retreating from their fort, was a Captain Massey, along with a company of soldiers under his command. One night, while Captain Russell was offboard, Massey and Lowther decided to set sail without him. Massey intended to return to England, but Lowther, the crew, and Massey's own soldiers disagreed. Lowther was made captain and he renamed the Gambia Castle, ''Delivery''. They attacked many ships but when Massey wanted to pillage a village on shore, he lost the vote as the risk was deemed too great. Lowther was able to obtain a smaller ship, named the ''Happy Delivery'', and parted ways with Massey and his men. Lowther left for the

Carolinas The Carolinas are the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina, considered collectively. They are bordered by Virginia to the north, Tennessee to the west, and Georgia to the southwest. The Atlantic Ocean is to the east. Combining Nort ...

where he developed the tactic of ramming his ship into another, while his men boarded and looted it. Around 1721 he left for the Grand

Caymans The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territory—the largest by population in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located to the s ...

where he ran into the ''Greyhound'' captained by Benjamin Edwards. Lowther gave a cannon shot for a signal. ''Greyhound'' responded with a

broadside Broadside or broadsides may refer to: Naval * Broadside (naval), terminology for the side of a ship, the battery of cannon on one side of a warship, or their near simultaneous fire on naval warfare Printing and literature * Broadside (comic ...

, (simultaneous discharge of all cannons on a side of a ship.) The pirates boarded the ''Greyhound'', possibly killed the entire crew and burnt the ship. Lowther had many ships under his command by now, granting the 6-gun

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 ...

''Rebecca'' to his lieutenant

, who left to begin his own pirate career and with whom Lowther 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 Sp ...

would briefly rejoin in late 1723. Some content available on

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When Lowther sailed his fleet to

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

they were attacked by natives and he was forced to leave some ships and men behind. His crew and supplies were all transferred to the ''Revenge''.

Death

In 1722 he sailed to a secluded island called

Blanquilla Blanquilla is an island, one of the Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, located in the southeastern Caribbean Sea about 293 km (182 miles) northeast of Caracas. It is a popular location for divers, as well as famous for its white sand beac ...

. However, before landing he was spotted by Walter Moore, commander of HMS ''Eagle''. Lowther was able to escape to the island by slipping out his cabin window, along with a dozen crewmen; only four made it to shore. After an extensive search Lowther's body was found. He had shot himself in the head rather than be taken prisoner. The ''Post-Boy'' newspaper dated 2 May 1724 suggested that Lowther may have escaped. The newspaper reports: "The last Letters from S. Christopher bring Advice, that on the 20th of February, the Eagle Sloop, h ted out from that Island, had brought in thither the Pyrate Sloop she had taken from Lowther, with twenty of the Men that were on board, (Lowther himself and many of the Crew having made their Escape) and it was believed that twelve or thirteen of them would be convicted of Pyracy, and that the others would be clear’d, as being forced into the said Pyrates Service." The same information is in ''Newcastle Courant'' newspaper dated 1 February 1724: "We have the good News from St. Christophers, that Captain Moor of the Eagle Sloop, discovering a Pyrate Sloop of 10 Guns, and 40 Men, commanded by Lowther, careening at the Island of Blanco, boarded, and took her, with 24 of her Men, but Lowther, and 10 more, jump'd over board, and escap'd, however 4 of them were afterwards taken by a Spanish Cannoe, and 'tis hoped Lowther and the Rest would be also taken." The Daily Courant of June 12, 1724 reported that "The Master of the Eagle was afterwards informed, that George Lowther, the Captain of the said Pyrate Sloop, had shot himself on the said Island of Blanko, and was found dead with his Pistol burst by his Side."

References

External links

*Flemming, Gregory. ''At the Point of a Cutlass: The Pirate Capture, Bold Escape, and Lonely Exile of Philip Ashton.'' ForeEdge (2014) * *
George Lowther
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lowther, George Year of birth missing 1723 deaths British pirates