Peter Lawrence ( fl. 1693-1705, real name Pieter Laurens) was a Dutch pirate and

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 ...

active off

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

and

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

, and 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 ...

. His and other pirates’ dealings with

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

’s governors nearly led to the colony losing its charter.

History

Pieter Laurens took commissions from English officials in the American colonies under the name Peter Lawrence, which is how his name is recorded in most official documents. He was commissioned to sail his

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 ...

''Charles'' as a privateer against the French in 1693 by Rhode Island Governor Easton. Deputy Governor John Greene renewed his commission the following year, when he raided French fishing fleets off Newfoundland. He continued this pattern for the duration of

King William's War King William's War (also known as the Second Indian War, Father Baudoin's War, Castin's War, or the First Intercolonial War in French) was the North American theater of the Nine Years' War (1688–1697), also known as the War of the Grand All ...

. With the outbreak of

Queen Anne's War Queen Anne's War (1702–1713) was the second in a series of French and Indian Wars fought in North America involving the colonial empires of Great Britain, France, and Spain; it took place during the reign of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. In E ...

in 1702 he again sailed against the French, returning a few captured vessels to Boston after receiving a commission from

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

Governor

Joseph Dudley Joseph Dudley (September 23, 1647 – April 2, 1720) was a colonial administrator, a native of Roxbury in Massachusetts Bay Colony, and the son of one of its founders. He had a leading role in the administration of the Dominion of New England ...

. Later that year he resupplied in Rhode Island before sailing to the Caribbean. Near Cuba he worked with fellow privateers John Blew and Jeremiah Burrows to capture the rich Spanish ship ''Jesu􏰂s Nazareno y Nuestra Senora de la Escalera''. Lawrence’s ship ''Charles'' was owned by investors from Boston, and his commission was from Governor Dudley. Instead the privateers put into Rhode Island and had the Spanish ship condemned by Governor

Samuel Cranston Samuel Cranston (1659–1727) was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations during the first quarter of the 18th century. He held office from 1698 to 1727, being elected to office 30 times (twice in 1698), and served as g ...

, where they would receive a more favorable share of the prize money. This cheated Dudley and the Charles’ owners out of their share, deepening a rift between Dudley and Cranston. Dudley also found that Lawrence had earlier robbed and sunk an English ship off South Carolina, violating his commission; Cranston sheltered Lawrence, preventing Dudley from arresting him. The last record of Lawrence’s activities is in May 1704 , when he advertised for recruits for a new voyage: “Captain Peter Lawrence is going a-Privateering from Rhode Island in a good sloop, about 60 tons, six guns, and 90 men for Canada, and any gentlemen or sailors that are disposed to go, shall be kindly entertained.” Cranston defended to the Council of Trade and Plantations in England the privateering commissions granted by Easton, Greene, himself, and others. He was questioned by New York’s Governor Bellomont about their commissions to Lawrence, William May,

Richard Want Richard Want (fl. 1692–1696) was a pirate active in the Indian Ocean. He is best known for sailing alongside Thomas Tew and Henry Avery. History Thomas Tew's first voyage from Rhode Island, around the Cape of Good Hope, and into the Indian Ocea ...

Thomas Tew Thomas Tew (died September 1695), also known as the Rhode Island Pirate, was a 17th-century English privateer-turned-pirate. He embarked on two major pirate voyages and met a bloody death on the second, and he pioneered the route which became kn ...

Joseph Faro Joseph Faro ( fl. 1694–1696, last name occasionally Farrell, Firra, or Faroe) was a pirate from Newport active during the Golden Age of Piracy, primarily in the Indian Ocean. He is best known for sailing alongside Thomas Tew to join Henry Every ...

, and others. In 1705 English officials charged Cranston’s government with serving as “a receptacle of pirates,” though Cranston remained popular in the state and was re-elected many times afterward.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrence, Peter 18th-century pirates 17th-century pirates Year of birth missing Year of death missing Pirates from the Dutch Republic Caribbean pirates 17th-century Dutch criminals

History

See also

References