William Coward () was a minor pirate active off the coast of

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 ...

. He is known for a single incident involving the seizure of one small vessel, largely thanks to events surrounding his trial.

History

Coward and three other men slipped their rowboat alongside the

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 ...

''Elinor'' in November 1689 in Boston Harbor off

Nantasket Nantasket Beach is a beach in the town of Hull, Massachusetts. It is part of the Nantasket Beach Reservation, administered by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation. The shore has fine, light gray sand and is one of the busiest bea ...

. ''Elinor''s crew and its captain, William Shortriggs, were afflicted with

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

and offered no resistance. Coward and his men robbed ''Elinor'' and sailed it to

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 ...

but were soon caught and imprisoned. Coward, formerly a sailor on the warship HMS ''Rose'', was tried in January 1690. He and his men were tried alongside pirates Thomas Hawkins and

Thomas Pound Thomas Pound (also spelled Thomas Pounds and Thomas Ponnd; died 1703) was an English Royal Navy officer who turned pirate and was briefly active in the coastal waters of New England during 1689. Caught and convicted of piracy, his crimes were fo ...

and their crew, who had been jailed for piracy in the same area at the same time; because of this Coward's trial and his piracy is often conflated with that of Pound and Hawkins. Coward refused to enter a plea, arguing that piracy could not be tried in common-law court, but only in

Admiralty court Admiralty courts, also known as maritime courts, are courts exercising jurisdiction over all maritime contracts, torts, injuries, and offences. Admiralty courts in the United Kingdom England and Wales Scotland The Scottish court's earliest ...

. Further, since the presiding Vice-Admiralty judge was the now-deposed Governor Andros, there was no Admiralty court in the province. The court, headed by justice

Samuel Sewall Samuel Sewall (; March 28, 1652 – January 1, 1730) was a judge, businessman, and printer in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, best known for his involvement in the Salem witch trials, for which he later apologized, and his essay ''The Selling ...

, convicted Coward anyway and sentenced him to hang. He was imprisoned with Pound, Hawkins, and the others, as well as "Mary Glover the Irish Catholic Witch," and both Sewall and

Cotton Mather Cotton Mather (; February 12, 1663 – February 13, 1728) was a New England Puritan clergyman and a prolific writer. Educated at Harvard College, in 1685 he joined his father Increase as minister of the Congregationalist Old North Meeting H ...

prayed with him. He received a reprieve and a pardon from Andros' successor Governor Bradstreet, as did the rest of his crew. Coward's further activities are not known. Two years later Sewall would authorize the use of pressing against accused witch

Giles Corey Giles Corey ( August 1611 – September 19, 1692) was an English-born American farmer who was accused of witchcraft along with his wife Martha Corey during the Salem witch trials. After being arrested, Corey refused to enter a plea of guilty or ...

for his refusal to enter a plea and acknowledge the court's authority - a decision Sewell would later lament – though he did not do so against Coward. Pound and Hawkins also escaped the gallows, as did all but one of their crew; they sailed back to England as prisoners aboard Coward's former ship HMS ''Rose''. A French privateer attacked ''Rose'' en route; Pound fought in the ship's defense and was granted a pardon for his piracy conviction, though Hawkins was killed during the battle.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coward, William 17th-century pirates Year of birth missing Year of death missing English pirates Pardoned pirates

History

See also

Notes

References