Jean Bonadvis (

fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...

1717–1720) was a French pirate active in the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

. He is best known for his involvement with Benjamin Hornigold.

History

Hornigold, working in concert with Captain Napin, had taken the sloop ''Bennet'' in April 1717. Hornigold made it his personal ship and sailed back to Nassau to resupply. Bonadvis was there to do the same, and had a reputation for “harshly treating” the locals. Hornigold had forced aboard a surgeon named John Howell some time earlier but had released him on Nassau, Howell having served only under threat. Bonadvis needed a surgeon for his ship ''Mary Anne'' and attempted to force Howell to join his crew. When Bonadvis’ men came to abduct Howell, local merchant William Pindar helped stall them until Howell could escape. He ran to see

Richard Noland Richard Noland (floruit, fl. 1717-1724, last name occasionally Holland or Nowland) was an Ireland, Irish Piracy, pirate active in the Caribbean. He was best known for sailing with Samuel Bellamy before working for the Spanish Empire, Spanish as ...

, a former pirate whom Hornigold had employed as a recruiter and agent on Nassau. Howell claimed "he would rather serve the English than French if he was compelled to make a choice of either," so Noland arranged for Howell to be brought aboard Hornigold's ship again. Bonadvis confronted Hornigold and demanded Howell be turned over; Hornigold left the decision to Howell, who chose to stay on the ''Bennet''. Howell tried to escape more than once but was kept under guard. By 1718 Bonadvis had accepted the general pardon offered to pirates by King George, along with Hornigold and hundreds more. Hornigold, Bonadvis, and a number of others soon accepted privateering commissions, hunting their fellow pirates who had refused the pardon. Bonadvis then spent some time attacking Spanish shipping; he caught and killed Turn Joe, an Irish captain who'd switched sides to sail for the Spanish.

Capture of John Rackham

Late in 1720 he was sailing alongside Jonathan Barnet (under commission from Governor Nicholas Lawes) when he encountered John Rackham.” Bonadvis approached Rackham's sloop ''William'', which immediately fired on him. Bonadvis retreated and reported Rackham's location to Barnet, who attacked and captured Rackham along with Anne Bonny, Mary Read, and the rest of his crew. Bonadvis’ fate is not recorded.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonadvis, Jean Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 18th-century pirates French pirates Caribbean pirates Pardoned pirates