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Ignatius Pell was a pirate who served as the
Upon arriving in Charleston Pell was separated from the rest of the crew and held in the provost marshal's house alongside Captain Bonnet and the sailing master, David Herriot. However, Bonnet and Herriot soon escaped, leaving Pell behind for unknown reasons.
In the manhunt that followed Herriot was killed and Bonnet quickly recaptured, but the event evidently left an impression on Pell. He turned King's evidence and agreed to testify against the crew of the ''Royal James'' and against Stede Bonnet personally. In his testimony, he confirmed the acts of piracy committed by the crew, though he made a point of exonerating a man named Thomas Nichols, claiming he had been pressed into service against his will and did not engage in the fighting. He also stated that Bonnet was captain in name only, the true authority on the ''Royal James'' being
boatswain
A boatswain ( , ), bo's'n, bos'n, or bosun, also known as a deck boss, or a qualified member of the deck department, is the most senior rate of the deck department and is responsible for the components of a ship's hull. The boatswain supervise ...
to Captain Stede Bonnet
Stede Bonnet (1688 – 10 December 1718) was an early 18th-century English/Barbadian pirate, also known as the Gentleman Pirate for the reason that he was a moderately wealthy landowner before turning to a life of crime. Bonnet was born in ...
aboard the ''Royal James'', a ship previously named ''Revenge''. He was arrested in October 1718 and testified against his crew and captain.
Battle of Cape Fear River
While waiting out the Atlantic hurricane season in the estuary ofCape Fear River
The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The river is formed at the confluence of the Haw River and the Deep River (North Carol ...
, Ignatius took part in a battle between Bonnet's pirate vessel ''Royal James'' and two pirate hunters, the ''Henry'' and its accompanying sloop, commanded by William Rhett
Colonel William Rhett (4 September 1666 – 12 January 1723) was a British-born plantation owner in the Province of Carolina in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He arrived in America in 1694, accompanied by his wife Sarah. Rhett quickly b ...
and commissioned by South Carolina governor Robert Johnson
Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generati ...
. Both sides ran aground, leaving only the ''Henry'' in range of the ''Royal James''.
Despite the early advantage belonging to the pirates, changing tides freed the ''Henry'' first. Realizing they were trapped and outnumbered, Captain Bonnet ordered the gunpowder magazine blown in order to scuttle the ''Royal James''. This order was belayed by the crew and the pirates surrendered to Rhett. Along with the rest of the pirates, Ignatius Pell was arrested and brought to Charleston, South Carolina on 2 October 1718.
Trial and testimony
Upon arriving in Charleston Pell was separated from the rest of the crew and held in the provost marshal's house alongside Captain Bonnet and the sailing master, David Herriot. However, Bonnet and Herriot soon escaped, leaving Pell behind for unknown reasons.
In the manhunt that followed Herriot was killed and Bonnet quickly recaptured, but the event evidently left an impression on Pell. He turned King's evidence and agreed to testify against the crew of the ''Royal James'' and against Stede Bonnet personally. In his testimony, he confirmed the acts of piracy committed by the crew, though he made a point of exonerating a man named Thomas Nichols, claiming he had been pressed into service against his will and did not engage in the fighting. He also stated that Bonnet was captain in name only, the true authority on the ''Royal James'' being quartermaster
Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In ...
Robert Tucker. He unsuccessfully attempted to argue that Bonnet was therefore not responsible for the acts of piracy his crew had committed.
Due in part to Pell's testimony, most of the crew (except Nichols) were convicted and sentenced to death. Despite Pell's efforts to mitigate his crimes, Stede Bonnet was also convicted and hanged on 10 December 1718. Pell may have returned to piracy; a newspaper article from 1724 reported Pell in command of a 12-gun pirate vessel of his own off the American east coast.
See also
* Admiralty court, the venue in which Bonnet, Pell, and others were tried. *Blackbeard
Edward Teach (alternatively spelled Edward Thatch, – 22 November 1718), better known as Blackbeard, was an English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of Britain's North American colonies. Little is known abou ...
, Stede Bonnet's mentor with whom he sailed (or was held) for a time.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pell, Ignatius 18th-century pirates Year of birth missing Year of death missing British pirates Caribbean pirates