Robert Colley (died 1698) was an English 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 near

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 the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

History

Around 1695 Jamaican-born privateer Captain Lovering and ship's master Robert Colley (along with future pirate captains

Nathaniel North Nathaniel North (ca. 1671 - ca. 171?) was a Bermuda-born pirate during the Golden Age of Piracy, operating in the Indian Ocean under John Bowen (pirate), John Bowen and then as captain of the ''Defiant'' following Bowen's retirement in 1704. Aft ...

and George Booth) cruised off Newfoundland in the 10-gun

Barca-longa A barca-longa (1600s, also barqua-; 1600s–1700s barco-longo) was a two- or three-masted lugger used near the coasts of Spain and Portugal, and more widely in the Mediterranean Sea. Barca-longas were used in Spain and Portugal for fishing, and we ...

''Servilian'', having been unsuccessful finding French targets in the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

. There they captured three French ships, including the 75-man, 18-gun ''Pelican''. In early 1696 they sailed to Newport, Rhode Island, where they had two of their prizes confirmed and sold off. The ''Pelicans owners disputed their claim but Colley hired the Deputy Customs Collector, Robert Gardiner, to secure their claim, clear them to leave port, and act as their lawyer. They dismantled the barca-longa and refitted the ''Pelican'', which Colley took command of after Lovering died. Governor Walter Clarke issued them a commission, ostensibly to return captured sailors to

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 ...

and engage in privateering en route. Some of the stranded sailors refused to accompany Colley; it was common knowledge that he had no intention of returning to Jamaica, but instead wanted "to cruise on the Moors, not intending to Pirate among the Europeans, but honestly and quietly to rob what Moors be in their way." Clarke and Gardiner were later called to testify over their actions, having been involved with granting privateering commissions to and doing business with a number of known pirates such as Colley,

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 William May. The ''Pelican'' immediately sailed for

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

via the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...

. They debated raiding the South African coast, which Colley refused, having little knowledge of the area. Instead, they raided

Mayotte Mayotte (; french: Mayotte, ; Shimaore: ''Maore'', ; Kibushi: ''Maori'', ), officially the Department of Mayotte (french: Département de Mayotte), is an overseas department and region and single territorial collectivity of France. It is loc ...

and captured the King, ransoming him for silver and supplies and taking slaves. Having plundered two other ships, they returned to

Île Sainte-Marie Nosy Boraha , previously known as Sainte-Marie, main town Ambodifotatra, is an island off the east coast of Madagascar. The island forms an administrative district within Analanjirofo Region, and covers an area of 222 km2. It has a popula ...

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 ...

and divide their plunder. Sources differ regarding Colley's fate. Johnson claims that while at Madagascar, in May 1698 disease overtook the crew; they put ashore to rest but Colley and many of the crew subsequently died. The ship's cooper

Joseph Wheeler Joseph "Fighting Joe" Wheeler (September 10, 1836 – January 25, 1906) was an American military commander and politician. He was a cavalry general in the Confederate States Army in the 1860s during the American Civil War, and then a general in ...

was made Captain while North was promoted to the quartermaster of the ''Pelican'', which they sailed for the Red Sea. Other sources indicate that Colley may have returned to New England and retired: by late 1699 Colley was among several former pirates and privateers (including

Thomas Paine Thomas Paine (born Thomas Pain; – In the contemporary record as noted by Conway, Paine's birth date is given as January 29, 1736–37. Common practice was to use a dash or a slash to separate the old-style year from the new-style year. In th ...

) who petitioned for a parish of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

to be created in Rhode Island.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colley, Robert Year of birth missing English privateers 17th-century pirates English pirates 1698 deaths Piracy in the Indian Ocean

History

See also

Notes

References