Captain Kidd Hanged
Captain William Kidd, often regarded as one of the most renowned pirates in history, initially emerged as a respectable shipowner and supporter of the English government in the late 17th century. Born around 1645 in Greenock, Scotland, Kidd transitioned from a privateer tasked with protecting English shipping during wartime to engaging in piracy himself. His most notable act was the capture of the Quedagh Merchant, a vessel valued at up to 70,000 pounds, which marked a turning point in his career. Following his actions, Kidd returned to the Americas, where he learned that he and his crew had been declared pirates.
In July 1699, he surrendered in Boston, hoping for a pardon, but was imprisoned instead. His trial in May 1701 was controversial, lacking qualified legal counsel and relying heavily on testimonies from disgruntled crew members. Despite his claims of innocence, he was convicted of murder and piracy. Kidd was sentenced to hang, with his execution taking place on May 23, 1701. His legacy has since evolved into a blend of legend and controversy, particularly surrounding tales of hidden treasure and the questionable fairness of his trial.
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Captain Kidd Hanged
Captain Kidd Hanged
Captain William Kidd, perhaps the most famous of all pirates, belied the stereotype of a buccaneer. Historians know little of his early life, except that he was born about 1645 in Greenock, Scotland, the son of John Kidd, a Calvinist minister. Neither a hardened criminal nor a social outcast, Kidd first appears in the records around 1690 as a respectable New York City shipowner and a staunch supporter of the English government.
Shortly before then, England's Glorious Revolution of 1688 had brought Protestant William III and his wife Mary to the throne in place of the Roman Catholic James II. War with France ensued when that country gave shelter to the deposed monarch and took up his cause. The French government, employing a common wartime tactic, commissioned privateers to prey on English shipping. Kidd, in turn, put his ship to the service of William and Mary and did his best to protect England's commerce in the area of the West Indies.
Financially, Kidd was secure. In 1691 he married Sarah Oort, the widow of John Oort, a sea captain, and of William Cox, a wealthy merchant. On the tax assessment list of 1695 Kidd held a place among the wealthiest 10 percent of the New York City population. Kidd's house, located in Manhattan's East Ward, stood on Queen Street, fronting the strand of the East River. In the fall of 1695, Kidd met in London with Robert Livingston, a fellow Scot who was one of the leading men in the New York colony. Together with Richard Coote, the earl of Bellomont, they planned an expedition to enrich themselves and to rid the seas of the pirates that plagued the trade of England's East India Company. On October 10, 1695, Kidd signed an agreement to command the expedition and to divide one-fifth of the profits with Livingston, who was to help finance the venture. The earl of Bellomont, who became governor of New York, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts in 1697, promised to provide four-fifths of the necessary capital in return for a corresponding amount of the gain. The earl managed to raise his share by accepting as partners some of the most powerful men of the realm, including the lord chancellor, the first lord of the Admiralty, the earl of Oxford, the earl of Romney, and the duke of Shrewsbury.
On April 23, 1696, Captain Kidd left Plymouth, England, in the Adventure Galley, a 287-ton vessel that carried 34 guns. He sailed to New York City, where he added more men to his crew. While in his home port, Kidd lent his runner and tackle to help in the erection of the original Trinity Church, the principal Anglican church in the colony. The Adventure Galley hoisted anchor again on September 6, rounded the Cape of Good Hope in December, and proceeded to Madagascar, a pirate haven.
Conditions aboard the Adventure Galley were harsh. The ship leaked and one-third of the crew died on the voyage to Madagascar. The men were to receive no pay unless they took prizes, and their early lack of success increased their dissatisfaction. The crew became mutinous and, at some point, the strain proved too much for the captain. Kidd cast off his role as protector for that of predator and the pirate hunter turned to piracy. On January 30, 1698, he took his most valuable prize, the Armenian ship Quedagh Merchant, a 400- to 500-ton vessel worth perhaps as much as 70,000 English pounds.
Many knowledgeable persons had suspected that Kidd's mission might be perverted. Benjamin Fletcher, a leading figure in the New York colony, was unimpressed by Kidd's crew. In 1697 Fletcher wrote to the Lords of Trade in England:
Many flockt to him from all parts men of desperate fortunes and necessitous in expectation of getting vast treasure. He sailed from hence with 150 men as I am informed great part of them are of this province. It is generally believed here, they will have money “per fas aut nefas “, that if he misse of the design intended for which he has commission, `twill not be in Kidd's power to govern such a hord of men under no pay.
Having scuttled the Adventure Galley and transferred his crew to the Quedagh Merchant, Kidd left Madagascar in September 1698. By April 1699 he had arrived at Anguilla in the West Indies, where he learned that the government had declared him and his crew to be pirates. He then set sail for the mainland in a fresh vessel, the Antonio. When he reached Oyster Bay on Long Island, New York, he met with his friend James Emmot, the most important attorney in New York City. Emmot served as a negotiator between Kidd and Governor Bellomont, and arranged for the captain to surrender himself.
Kidd landed in Boston on July 2, 1699, expecting that the governor would pardon him. The captain attempted to excuse his activities as involuntary deeds forced upon him by a mutinous crew. Bellomont, who had drawn Kidd ashore with the lure of possible pardon, was not satisfied with the explanation and imprisoned him.
Bellomont sent Kidd to England as a prisoner. On April 14, 1700, the Board of Admiralty questioned the captain and committed him to the jail at Newgate. The House of Commons, hoping to be able to implicate some of the peers who had financed Kidd's expedition, ordered him to appear before it prior to standing trial. The captain therefore languished in Newgate until the next session of Parliament, in March 1701. Unable to involve the financiers, the commissioners then sent Kidd to stand trial.
William Kidd went to the “Old Bailey” criminal court on May 8, 1701. The prosecution charged him with the killing of William Moore, a gunner on the Adventure Galley. The captain admitted that he struck the sailor with a bucket, but claimed he did it in the course of subduing a mutiny. The judge held that it was intentional murder, and the court convicted Kidd. The government also charged him with piracy against five ships. Kidd defended himself by saying that the vessels carried French passes, but the court again found him guilty.
Most historians agree that the trial of Captain Kidd was conducted questionably. The prisoner had no qualified counsel and the only witnesses against him were two hardly disinterested men from the Adventure Galley. The charge of murder in the Moore case seems unduly harsh inasmuch as Kidd could hardly have premeditated it. The captain had taken French passes from two vessels, but the prosecution suppressed this evidence.
On May 9, 1701, the judge sentenced Captain William Kidd to be hanged. The prisoner responded “My Lord, it is a very hard sentence. For my part I am innocentest of them all, only I have been sworn against by perjured persons.” On May 23, 1701, Kidd was hanged, protesting his innocence to the end. Years after his death, Captain Kidd became a center of legend and controversy. Stories of his buried treasure drove many to fruitless searches for hidden riches. The questionable proceedings at his trial won sympathizers for Kidd who doubted his guilt. The full story will probably never be known.