John Evans (died 1723) was a Welsh

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 ...

who had a short but successful career 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 ...

History

Evans worked as a ship's mate for vessels operating out of

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 ...

after losing his position aboard a Nevis-based sloop. With little work to be had, he and a few others from

Port Royal Port Royal is a village located at the end of the Palisadoes, at the mouth of Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1494 by the Spanish, it was once the largest city in the Caribbean, functioning as the centre of shipping and co ...

conspired in September 1722 to row around the island in a canoe, robbing houses at night. Tiring of simple robbery, they located a

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 ...

n sloop, rowed out to it, and Evans announced “that he was Captain of the Vessel, which was a Piece of News they knew not before.” The pirates celebrated at a local tavern and spent so liberally they were invited back; instead the pirates returned at night and looted the tavern before returning to sea. Sailing their four-gun sloop (now renamed “''Scowerer''”) to

Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and th ...

, they soon captured a Spanish sloop. Because their crew was so small, Evans and his men shared out loot of £150 per man. They captured another vessel near the

Windward Islands french: Îles du Vent , image_name = , image_caption = ''Political'' Windward Islands. Clockwise: Dominica, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada. , image_alt = , locator_map = , location = Caribbean SeaNorth ...

, forcing several sailors to join their crew before releasing the ship. Taking yet another prize called ''Lucretia and Catherine'' in January 1723, they kept it and left to

careen Careening (also known as "heaving down") is a method of gaining access to the hull of a sailing vessel without the use of a dry dock. It is used for cleaning or repairing the hull. Before ship's hulls were protected from biofouling, marine growth ...

the ''Scowerer''. The slow ''Lucretia'' kept them from chasing other ships, so after capturing a faster Dutch sloop, they kept it instead and released the ''Lucretia''. They soon left for the

Cayman Islands 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 ...

to careen, looting another vessel along the way. When then they arrived their argumentative

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 supervi ...

challenged Evans to a duel. Evans accepted; when the boatswain backed out of the duel, Evans beat him with a cane. The boatswain then drew a pistol and shot Evans in the head. The other crewmembers in turn killed the boatswain. They had earlier forced the ''Lucretia’s'' navigator to join them; when he refused to pilot their ship any further, the crew broke up. The pirates went ashore on the Caymans, dividing their collected treasure of £9000 between 30 men. They left the ''Scowerer'' with the Lucretia's mate, who sailed it back to Port Royal.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, John 18th-century pirates Year of birth missing Welsh pirates 1723 deaths Caribbean pirates

History

See also

References