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Welcome!

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Welcome to The Pirate Fellowship. This is a place where you can learn all about the Golden Age of Piracy, from the pirates and privateers that robbed and plundered ships and coastal areas to the myths about piracy that have been largely debunked. The Golden Age of Piracy was an era between the 1650s and 1730s where it is estimated that thousands of pirates were active at sea. These pirates attacked merchant ships traveling with goods such as gold, currency, tobacco, ivory, and slaves. The pirates usually attacked these ships when they were making their way back to Europe or Africa from the Caribbean, South America, or towns in the north Atlantic. Some pirates attacked towns along the coast as they were easy to access and escape from. While the word “pirate” tends to be an umbrella term for those who rob others at sea, there are noted differences among those that participated in acts of piracy during the Golden Age: Pirate The term “pirate” has been used most generally throughout histor...
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Execution Dock

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 During the Golden Age, pirates attacked and plundered other vessels in an effort to better their situations and obtain riches well beyond what they could earn by honest means. Some pirates accepted pardons offered by Britain to cease their attacks on merchant ships; others were able to retire quite comfortably with their ill-gotten gains. The less-fortunate ones met their ends caught by authorities and hanged at Execution Dock. A hanging at Execution Dock source: Wikipedia                                                              Execution Dock was located along the River Thames in Wapping, London and was a designated area where pirates among other criminals were hanged for their misdeeds on the high seas. These included murder, violations against the Articles o...
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Profile: Thomas Tew

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 Many pirates during the Golden Age of Piracy were known to attack and plunder any ship that crossed their paths. Henry Avery plundered at least 11 merchant vessels during his time at sea. Edward Thatch (a.k.a. Blackbeard) captured at least 30 ships during his prime. Black Sam Bellamy and his ruthless crew victimized an amazing 53 ships. Thomas Tew was different because, while he was considered a successful pirate, he is only known to embark on two pirate voyages before meeting his demise. Thomas Tew was born around 1649. His birthplace is unknown however he was believed to be of British decent. It is believed that Tew resided in Rhode Island with a wife and two daughters before relocating to Bermuda in 1691. By this time he was engaged in privateering against Spanish and French vessels.                                                         ...
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Profile: Henry Avery

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Henry Avery (also known as Henry Every) was an English pirate during the Golden Age. Born in 1659, he is best known for inspiring many others to assume the role of a pirate and seek their fortunes and raiding an impressive 11 vessels during the 2-year period he was active. After serving in the Royal Navy and working on merchant and slave ships, Avery became the first mate of the Charles II, a privateering ship intending to attack French vessels in the Caribbean seas, in the early 1690s. However the Charles II remained in a Spanish port for many months as she waited for a letter of marque from Madrid. During this time, her crew went unpaid. In spring of 1694, Avery lead a mutiny and successfully seized the Charles II . He became captain in the process and renamed the ship the Fancy.     Henry Avery's Jolly Roger source: Wikipedia The Fancy preyed on various ships around Africa and in 1695 pulled off its biggest heist: the plundering of the Fath Mahmamadi , a ship owned b...
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The Pirate Paintings of Willem van de Velde

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Willem van de Velde the Younger was a Dutch painter. Born in Leiden, Holland in 1633, he specialized in maritime art under the instruction of his father, Willem van de Velde the Elder.                                                                                      Source: Wikipedia Van de Velde’s artworks stand out due to his ability to accurately portray ships in calm waters or in a storm. They are also considered extremely accurate in terms of the portrayal of 17 th -century ships. While Van de Velde’s pieces portray a variety of different maritime scenes, his collection of pirate ships are especially fascinating, some of which are shown below.          ...
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