A Year: Day to Day Men: 17th of May
A Piece of Ginger
May 17, 1682 was the birthdate of Bartholomew Roberts, a Welsh pirate know after his death by the nickname of Black Bart.
Bartholomew Roberts was born John Roberts in Casnewydd-Bach, Wales. He is thought to have gone to sea when he was thirteen in 1695; however, there is no further record of him until 1718 when he was mate of a Barbados sloop. In 1719, Roberts was second mate on the slave ship Princess serving under Captain Abraham Plumb.
In early June of 1719, the Princess was anchored at Anomabu situated on the Gold Coast of West Africa, when she was attacked and captured by pirates. The two pirate ships, the Royal Rover and the Royal James, were led by captain Howell Davis. Roberts and several others of the Princess crew were forced to join the pirates. Captain Davis, also a Welshman, discovered Robert’s abilities as a navigator and took to consulting him and confiding information to Roberts in Welsh. Roberts was reluctant to become a pirate but soon saw the advantages to his new lifestyle.
The Royal Rover with Davis and Roberts on board hoisted a British flag and entered the harbor of the island of Principe, intending to hold the governor of the island hostage for ransom. Davis invited the governor to lunch on board the Royal Rover and sent boats to transport the governor. However, the Portuguese garrison on the island had discovered that their visitors were pirates, ambushed the landing party, and shot Davis dead. A new captain had to be selected. Despite his being with the crew for only six weeks, Roberts was elected captain.
Roberts and his crew crossed the Atlantic and spent nine weeks off the coast of Brazil. About to leave for the West Indies, the encountered a fleet of 42 Portuguese ships waiting for two men-of-war ships to escort them to Lisbon. The richest ship, Sagrada Familia with 40 guns and a crew of 170, was boarded and captured. The Sagrada Familia contained 40,000 gold coins and jewelry designed for the King of Portugal, including a cross set with diamonds- a very rich prize for the pirates.
On the 10th of February, 1722, The Royal Navy ship HMS Swallow delivered two broadsides to Robert’s ship at Cape Lopez on the coast of Equatorial Guinea. Grapeshot struck Roberts in the throat while he stood on deck. Before his body could be captured, Roberts’s wish to be buried at sea was fulfilled by his crew, who wrapped his body in the ship’s sail, weighted it down and threw it overboard. It was never found. Bartholomew Roberts was the most successful pirate of the Golden Age of Piracy as measured by vessels captured, taking over 400 prizes in his career.