Stede Bonnet

Stede Bonnet was born in Barbados to a rich family, when his father died Stede inherited his father's many acres of land meant to grow sugar. He married one Mary and had many children. Though soon Mary put Stede Bonnet in a stressful situation- so much as he from his own pocket- purchased a sloop which he fitted with 10 carriage guns and christened her the Revenge and recruited 70 men into his crew.

And at night He sailed from Barbados to the Capes of Virgina and plundered the Anne, the Turbet, and the Endeavor of clothing, provisions, money and ammunition. Next he plundered the Bristol ship Young and let her go.

And August 17th 1717 he robbed a brigantine and a sloop coming out of S. Carolina of sugar, rum, and negroes, then soon met with Edward Teach. Teach seeing that Bonnet was not a very good sailor he appointed one Richards to command the sloop while he took Bonnet aboard his own.

For a while Stede and Teach plundered several vessels especially the La Concorde which Teach fitted with 40 carriage guns and renamed her the Queen Anne's Revenge, taking supplies, gold dust, food and goods before Teach and Bonnet went to N. Carolina and received a pardon and certificates and Bonnet is allowed a clearance to sail to St. Thomas and obtain a Letter Of Marque, though when he came back to his sloop he found that Teach robbed all the sloops including Bonnet's of small arms, goods and ran aground the Queen Anne's Revenge and stranded 17 men on a sandbar those were picked up by Stede and were told by a Bumboat that came to sell apples, and cider to the sloop's men that Teach was not far with only 20 hands.

Stede hunted for Teach but saw him no more and Stede took the name Captain Thomas and Renamed his sloop the Royal James and with 47 men unlawfully plundered a pink and took provisions, then another ship of rum, and a sloop with combs bacon and rice. Soon he plundered 13 ships after receiving a clearance, one of which a 60 ton sloop had rich goods aboard her- indigo, sugar, rum, molasses, cotton, and about 25 pounds in money all valued to 500 pounds. Soon the sloop became leaky so Bonnet ripped up a river Shallop and used it to repair the leaks in the Royal James but they stayed there too long and were spotted by 2 Naval sloops and after a 6 hour battle Stede Bonnet was captured.

Though he and 2 Indians and one David Harriot escaped from the prison stole a small vessel and proceeded to plunder again, I know not if he plundered anymore probably some river shallops but soon was recaptured and hung.