Captain William Kidd

Kidd was born in Scotland and was bred a sailor. He first pops up as a privateer as captain of the Blessed William frigate and attacks many merchantman. Though unfortunaley for him while ashore at Nevis, his crew led by his liuetenant Robert Culliford mutinied and sailed off without him. Though Kidd was lucky the Govenor of Nevis was grateful to Kidd for protecting his Island and gave him a recently captured french frigate which he renamed the Antigua and sailed to New York where he married a young widow who was very rich since she gained the money of her dead husband. Kidd spent a few years in the city as a merchant, developing friends and connections.

After a while he got tired of this life and he went to England obtained a commission and the famous Adventure Galley a vessel of 34 carriage guns and 150 hardened former brutes and pirates.

Kidd first sailed on to Madeira for wine and food, then the Cape Verde Isles for salt, and to another island for hogs and set off, though he did not meet with any pirates on Madagascar he went off and captured a small vessel captained by an Englishman who was tortured to reveal any money silver or gold he had, but instead Kidd took a bale of pepper and coffee and kept the Englishman prisoner.

Kidd then took several small portugese vessels, plundered them then chase the English Trade Comany ship the Sedgewick, then robbed a portugese vessel of wax, iron, 35 jars of butter, and 30 chests of india goods. His next most famed capture was the Quedah Merchant which was crating sugar, 45 pounds in gold, silks, uncoined silver ( Silver bars, jewerly etc.), other rare cloths, and india goods. Kidd kept this vessel for a while and sold the bulk of the cloths and goods for 7,000 rupes ( moorish money) and soon met Robert Culliford again in which Kidd gave him a cannon and some anchors to go to sea again, all but a little above 40 men and a few negroes abandoned him.

After many Adventures as a pirate Kidd was hung at the Old Bailey, leaving behind a fortune in gold, and silver to the English Authorities.