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Robert Culliford (c. 1666 - ?, last name occasionally Collover) was a
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 ...
from
Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
who is best remembered for repeatedly ''checking the designs'' of Captain
William Kidd William Kidd, also known as Captain William Kidd or simply Captain Kidd ( – 23 May 1701), was a Scottish sea captain who was commissioned as a privateer and had experience as a pirate. He was tried and executed in London in 1701 for murder a ...
.


Early career and capture

Culliford and Kidd first met as shipmates aboard the French privateer ''Sainte Rose'' in 1689; there were only six other Britons aboard. After the
War of the Grand Alliance The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarch ...
broke out, Kidd, Culliford, and their British comrades mutinied against a French prize crew, taking the ship from French Captain
Jean Fantin Jean Fantin (fl. 1681–1689) was a French pirate active in the Caribbean and off the coast of Africa. He is best known for having his ship stolen by William Kidd and Robert Culliford. History The ship ''Le Trompeuse'' (The Trickster) passed thro ...
and renaming it the ''Blessed William'', with Kidd put in command. But in February, 1690, Culliford led his own mutiny and deprived Kidd of his command. The pirates elected
William Mason William, Willie, or Willy Mason may refer to: Arts and entertainment *William Mason (poet) (1724–1797), English poet, editor and gardener *William Mason (architect) (1810–1897), New Zealand architect *William Mason (composer) (1829–1908), Ame ...
as captain. Culliford sailed with the pirates through the Caribbean, sacking ships and attacking a town. They went to New York to sell their booty. Mason was granted a letter of marque by
Jacob Leisler Jacob Leisler ( – May 16, 1691) was a German-born colonist who served as a politician in the Province of New York. He gained wealth in New Amsterdam (later New York City) in the fur trade and tobacco business. In what became known as Leisler's ...
, then acting governor of New York, and Culliford accompanied the pirates as they ransacked and laid waste two French Canadian towns. The pirates also captured a French
frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
named ''L'Esperance''. Mason granted this ship to Culliford, who renamed it the ''Horne Frigate'', Culliford's first pirate command. However, the pirates lost most of their booty when the two
ketch A ketch is a two- masted sailboat whose mainmast is taller than the mizzen mast (or aft-mast), and whose mizzen mast is stepped forward of the rudder post. The mizzen mast stepped forward of the rudder post is what distinguishes the ketch fr ...
es they sent to bring their wealth to New York fell into the hands of French privateers. The disappointed Culliford returned to New York with Mason, where they returned aboard a single ship, the ''Jacob'', another captured French vessel, and set sail in December 1690. Culliford served as captain's
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 m ...
, one of two quartermasters aboard the ''Jacob''. Culliford and his fellow pirates eventually made their way to India, landing at Mangrol in 1692, where they robbed and abused the local population. The Gujaratis captured Culliford and seventeen of his comrades. Culliford spent the next four years in a
Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
i prison.


Escape and new adventures

In spring, 1696, Culliford and some of his comrades escaped and made their way to
Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
, where they signed aboard the
East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
ketch ''Josiah''. In
Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
they commandeered the ship, returned to piracy, and sailed for the
Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line between ...
. Near the
Nicobar Islands The Nicobar Islands are an archipelagic island chain in the eastern Indian Ocean. They are located in Southeast Asia, northwest of Aceh on Sumatra, and separated from Thailand to the east by the Andaman Sea. Located southeast of the Indian s ...
, the crew retook the ship and marooned him. He was rescued by
Ralph Stout Ralph Stout (died 1697) was a pirate active in the Indian Ocean. He is best known for rescuing fellow pirate Robert Culliford after each of them spent separate 4-year periods in Mughal Empire prisons. History James Kelley had been a sailor aboar ...
, captain of the ''Mocha''. When Stout was killed in 1697, Culliford became captain, briefly sailing alongside the ''Charming Mary'' (formerly captained by Richard Glover, then
Richard Bobbington Richard Bobbington (died 1697?, name occasionally Philip or Babbington) was a pirate active in the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and Persian Gulf in the late 1690s. History Adam Baldridge ran a trading post for pirates off Madagascar, and was willing t ...
, and later
John Ireland John Benjamin Ireland (January 30, 1914 – March 21, 1992) was a Canadian actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in ''All the King's Men'' (1949), making him the first Vancouver-born actor to receive an Oscar nomin ...
). He then pursued the British ship ''Dorill''. But the ''Dorill'' opened fire and cut off the ''Mocha's'' main mast. Culliford retreated to St. Mary's Island (
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 popul ...
) off eastern
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 ...
, plundering ships along the way. At Saint Mary's, Culliford plundered a French ship with £2,000 worth of cargo. Meanwhile, William Kidd, hunting pirates, found Culliford at St. Mary's Island (
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 popul ...
). While plotting to capture Culliford's ship most of Kidd's crew (who had grown angry with their captain) abandoned Kidd and signed on with Culliford. Culliford and his new crew then set off in late June, 1698 leaving Kidd and his ransacked ship to fend for themselves on St. Mary's Island. Shortly after departing Saint Mary's Island, Culliford met up with Dirk Chivers. They joined forces with
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 ...
and captured the ''Great Mohammed'' in the
Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; T ...
in September 1698. The ''Great Mohammed'' carried £130,000 in cash. While returning to Saint Mary's Island they plundered another ship in February 1699. In June 1699 Culliford was living at Edward Welch's settlement on Ile Ste. Marie near Madagascar with fellow Captain John Swann; while there, Swann was referred to as “a great consort of Culliford’s, who lives with him.” Because of this, Culliford is occasionally cited as a
bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...
or
homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...
pirate. But lack of evidence leaves the exact nature of their relationship unclear. At St. Mary's a number of his sailors elected to return to America, paying
Giles Shelley Giles Shelley (born May 1645 (?), died 1710, last name occasionally Shelly) was a pirate trader active between New York and Madagascar. History Shelley commanded the 4-gun or 6-gun vessel ''Nassau'' on supply runs between New York and the pirate ...
to take them on as passengers aboard the ''Nassau''. While at Saint Mary's Island, four British warships under Commodore Thomas Warren arrived. The pirates were offered a royal pardon under the 1698 Act of Grace, which Culliford accepted despite its expiration. He was arrested despite the pardon, and taken to the
Marshalsea The Marshalsea (1373–1842) was a notorious prison in Southwark, just south of the River Thames. Although it housed a variety of prisoners, including men accused of crimes at sea and political figures charged with sedition, it became known, ...
prison on August 1, 1700.Zacks 2002, p. 332. He was tried for piracy of the ''Great Mohammed'' and his pardon was ruled invalid. He was saved from hanging, because he was needed in Samuel Burgess' trial. Following the trial, Culliford disappeared from record, and rumor has it that he next served on a naval ship, after which he disappears from the records like another famous pirate -
Henry Every Henry Every, also known as Henry Avery (20 August 1659after 1696), sometimes erroneously given as Jack Avery or John Avery, was an English pirate who operated in the Atlantic and Indian oceans in the mid-1690s. He probably used several aliases ...
.


Notes


References

* Zacks, Richard (2002). ''The Pirate Hunter : The True Story of Captain Kidd''. Hyperion Books () {{DEFAULTSORT:Culliford, Robert Year of birth missing Year of death missing 1660s births 17th-century English people English pirates People from Cornwall Inmates of the Marshalsea