Robert Lane (died 1719) was a pirate active 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 ...

and off the coast of Africa. He is best known for sailing with

Edward England Edward England ( –1721) was an Irish pirate. The ships he sailed on included the ''Pearl'' (which he renamed ''The Royal James'') and later the ''Fancy'', for which England exchanged the ''Pearl'' in 1720. His flag was the classic Joll ...

History

Edward England had taken the ship ''Pearl'' (renamed ''Royal James'') in late 1718, pirating between the Azores and

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

. In spring 1719 he took a number of ships near

Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...

. Several he burned or looted and let go, but he kept two. One of them was the 4-gun, 18-man ''Mercury'', commanded by Captain Maggot out of London, which he captured on 29 May. A few of the ''Mercury'' crew joined England's pirates. England crewed and refitted the ''Mercury'' and renamed it ''Queen Anne's Revenge'', appointing Robert Lane as captain. Lane sailed alongside

Robert Sample Robert Sample (died 1719, first name occasionally Richard, last name occasionally Semple) was a pirate active off the coast of Africa and in the Caribbean. He is best known for sailing with Edward England. History In late 1718 Edward England, a ...

, who captained the other vessel England had refitted. They sailed to the Caribbean, looting several ships before careening their vessels. That November they sailed to Brazil "and did a great deal of mischief", plundering Portuguese ships. They were approached by a Portuguese

man-of-war The man-of-war (also man-o'-war, or simply man) was a Royal Navy expression for a powerful warship or frigate from the 16th to the 19th century. Although the term never acquired a specific meaning, it was usually reserved for a ship armed wi ...

("a very unwelcome guest to them") who chased the two pirates. Sample was forced to beach his ship and was captured. Lane escaped the man-of-war, but he and his crew perished when the ''Queen Anne's Revenge'' was lost ashore. Robert Lane's ship ''Queen Anne’s Revenge'' should not be confused with Blackbeard’s ship '' Queen Anne's Revenge'', which had been grounded and wrecked at

Topsail Inlet Topsail Island (, TOP-sill) is a 26-mile (41.8 km) long barrier island off the coast of North Carolina, roughly equidistant between the barrier islands of the Crystal Coast and the beaches of the Cape Fear region, lying south of Jacksonvil ...

in spring 1718.

References

Year of birth missing 18th-century pirates British pirates 1719 deaths Caribbean pirates {{Pirate-stub

History

See also

References