Richard Noland ( fl. 1717-1724, last name occasionally Holland or Nowland) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

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 ...

. He was best known for sailing with

Samuel Bellamy Captain Samuel Bellamy ( c. 23 February, 1689 – 26 April 1717), later known as "Black Sam" Bellamy, was an English sailor, turned pirate, who operated in the early 18th century. He is best known as the wealthiest pirate in recorded history, an ...

before working for the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

History

Elected captain of

Benjamin Hornigold Captain Benjamin Hornigold (1680–1719) was an English pirate who operated during the tail end of the Golden Age of Piracy. Born in England in the late 17th century, Hornigold began his pirate career in 1713, attacking merchant ships in the Bah ...

’s ship after the crew deposed him for refusing to attack the English, Samuel Bellamy took a number of vessels including the slave ship ''Whydah''. Bellamy chose it as his flagship, and after capturing three more ships in April 1717, appointed his

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 ...

Richard Noland as captain of the

prize A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.

''Anne Galley''; Bellamy's former quartermaster

Paulsgrave Williams Paulsgrave Williams (born c. 1675; died after 1723), first name occasionally Paul, Palsgrave, or Palgrave, was a pirate who was active 1716–1723 and sailed in the Caribbean, American eastern seaboard, and off West Africa. He is best known for ...

has earlier received a consort ship of his own to command, the ''Marianne''. Bellamy was caught in a storm off

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

; he and the ''Whydah'' were lost at sea, while Noland and the others split up and departed. Noland, who had originally been part of Hornigold’s crew during the

War of Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

, had taken aboard all of Bellamy’s men who still wanted to continue piracy. He turned the ''Anne Galley'' south, looting a number of vessels on his way to the Caribbean. He may have transferred from the ''Anne'' to a captured sloop after Bellamy failed to rendezvous with them off

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

. He indicated his intention to take the King’s Pardon offered by

Woodes Rogers Woodes Rogers ( 1679 – 15 July 1732) was an English sea captain, privateer, Atlantic slave trade, slave trader and, from 1718, the first List of colonial heads of the Bahamas, Royal Governor of the Bahamas. He is known as the captain of ...

in 1718, along with Hornigold, Williams, and hundreds of others. He then acted as recruiter for Hornigold on

Nassau Nassau may refer to: Places Bahamas *Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence Canada *Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792 *Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...

. While working on Nassau he was approached by surgeon John Howell, who begged for protection from pirate Jean Bonadvis who wanted to force him into his service. Noland helped Howell escape and signed him aboard Hornigold's ship for protection, where Howell had been serving until recently. Afterwards Noland was reported to have retired to lead a respectable life, and testified on behalf of other pirates seeking pardon. However, by summer 1718 he left the island to sign on with the Spanish. He served with them during the

War of the Quadruple Alliance The War of the Quadruple Alliance (1718–1720) was caused by Spanish attempts to recover territories in Italy (geographical region), Italy ceded in the 1713 Peace of Utrecht. Largely focused on Sicily, it included minor engagements in North Amer ...

, sailing to the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

for the

Battle of Cape Passaro The Battle of Cape Passaro, also known as Battle of Avola or Battle of Syracuse, was a major naval battle fought on 11 August 1718 between a fleet of the British Royal Navy under Admiral Sir George Byng and a fleet of the Spanish Navy under R ...

. Much of the Spanish fleet was captured, but Noland escaped along with fellow Irishman Admiral George Cammock. Afterwards he returned to the Caribbean as a ''guarda costa'' privateer, captaining a ship alongside a Spaniard,

Don Benito Don Benito () is a Spanish town and municipality in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, near the left bank of the Guadiana river. According to the 2014 census, the municipality has a population of 37,011. History Don Benito dates from the 15t ...

, with a mixed crew. When the

ended in early 1720, English and Spanish officials agreed to return ships captured by each other's privateers; the Spanish at St. Augustine agreed to make restitution "for four prizes brought in by Capt. Richd. Holland, which are the only that were taken." Benito and Noland were still recorded as capturing English vessels through 1724.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Noland, Richard 18th-century pirates Irish pirates Caribbean pirates

History

See also

References