 |
Abraham Lincoln, detail from broadside proclaiming a day of prayer, July 7, 1864. (GLC 6234)
|
|
|
Captain Kidd and Piracy
Maritime trade and exploration in the Colonial Era created an
environment ripe for piracy. One of the most famous pirates
in history, Captain William Kidd, was commissioned by the King
of England in 1695 as a privateer to hunt and capture pirates.
Robert Livingston of New York engineered the arrangement, in
which Kidd and Livingston were to receive a ten percent share
of the profits recovered from any treasure obtained from pirates.
Typically privateers would turn over a tenth of their treasure
to the King, a third to the Admiralty for doing the paperwork
and the rest would go to the investors who would keep their
portion and dole out the rest to the crew.
In this extraordinary document Livingston and Kidd enter into
a separate agreement with an unsavory merchant named Richard
Blackham. Each sold one third of their shares to Blackham in
exchange for upfront money to relieve Kidd of debt and to raise
money that was needed prior to Kidd’s departure. This
arrangement was highly unorthodox and was entered into in complete
secrecy, unbeknownst to the King or the Admiralty.
Kidd operated as a privateer for several months before his actions
bordered on piracy and the King ordered his arrest. When word
spread that Kidd was suspected of piracy many of the investors,
including Livingston, feared that their plan would be revealed
and they too would be implicated. Parliament could ill-afford
a scandal of this nature and did everything in its power to
keep word from spreading that the King and Admiralty took any
part in a gun-for-hire operation. Four years later, as Kidd
headed to Boston from the Caribbean, Livingston informed the
lieutenant governor of New York that Kidd was carrying treasure
and that he should be captured. Kidd was captured and sent to
England for trial. He was executed in May of 1701, serving as
an example of what would become of captured pirates.
Brian Riggs
Researcher
Gilder Lehrman Collection
|
Articles of Agreemt made this seaventh day of february 1695/6
between Robert Livingston Esqr. & Capt. Williame Kidd
of the one part & Richard Blackham of the other part.
1st. The said Robert Livingston & Capt. William Kidd do
joyntly & sevally agree with the said Richard Blackham,
that in case the said Capt. Kidd do not meet with the Pirates,
which went from new England Rode Island, New Yorke & Elsewhere,
or do not take from any of the pyrates or from any the Kings
Enemyes such goods mchandizes or [struck: other] any things
of value as being devided as mentoned in Articles between
the said Robert Livingston & Capt. William Kidd of the
one part & Richard Earle of Bellomont on the other part
bearing Date the 10th day of October 1695 shall fully recompense
the said Richard Blackham for the money by him expended in
buying the said one fifteenth part of the sd. Ship & primisses
that thou they shall refund & repay to ye sd. Richard
Blackham ye whole money by him to be advanced in Sterling
money or money Equivalent thereunto on or before the 25th
day of March wth shall be in the year of our Lord 1697 ye
dangers of the seas & of the Enemy & mortality of
the sd. Capt. Kidd allways excepted, upon paymt whereof ye
said Robt. Livingston & Wm. Kidd are to have the sole
pperty in ye sd. ship & furniture & this Indenture
to be delivered up to them wth all other Covents & obligations
thereunto belonging.
Robt. Livingston &
Wm Kidd
Sealed & delivered
In the p[re]ssence of us.
Samll. Spiser
Richd. Raper
John Wallis
|
|
|
Click to see Captain Kidd's agreement
|
GLC03107.00239: Indenture between Livingston, William
Kidd and Richard Blackham re: privateering. February
7, 1696.
For more information or to obtain copies, contact Alyson
Barrett at reference@gilderlehrman.com
or call (212) 787-6616 ext. 209.
|
Recent news about Captain Kidd:
Diver Stumbles upon Captain Kidd's Ship
(The Telegraph, December 14, 2007)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/12/14/wpirate214.xml
Pirate of the Caribbean’s Ship Is Discovered
(From The Times, December 15, 2007)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3054119.ece
Wood May Be Key to Confirming Captain Kidd's Ship
(National Geographic News, December 18, 2007)
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/12/071218-pirate-ship.html
Books:
Lane, Kris E. Pillaging the Empire: Piracy in the Americas
1500-1750. M.E. Sharpe, 1998
Ritchie, Robert C. Captain Kidd and the War Against Pirates.
Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2005.
Zacks, Richard. The Pirate Hunter: The True Story of
Captain Kidd. New York: Hyperion Books, 2002.
|
|
