John Quelch
John Quelch was an individual who emerged from an early life in London to become a notable figure in colonial piracy during the early 18th century. His journey to the New England colonies likely involved seafaring activities that honed his navigation skills, eventually leading him to captain a pirate crew. In 1703, he was part of a privateering venture under Governor Joseph Dudley, but after the captain fell ill and died, Quelch became the leader of a mutinous crew. Under his command, they engaged in a series of attacks on Portuguese vessels in South American waters, acquiring substantial loot including gold and silk.
Quelch's criminal activities led to his capture in May 1704 when authorities were alerted by the vessel's owners after its return to Marblehead. He was tried and found guilty of piracy, with the court ruling that he had violated treaties between England and Portugal. Despite claiming ignorance of the law, Quelch and several of his associates were sentenced to death and executed on June 30, 1704. His case is significant in the context of early colonial laws against piracy and also marked a moment in the development of colonial media, as his trial was reported in what is considered one of the first special editions of a newspaper in North America.
Subject Terms
John Quelch
English pirate
- Born: c. 1665
- Birthplace: London, England
- Died: June 30, 1704
- Place of death: Boston, Massachusetts
Major offenses: Robbery and murder
Active: August, 1703-February 17, 1704
Locale: Marblehead, Massachusetts, and the Atlantic Ocean near Brazil
Sentence: Death by hanging
Early Life
A contemporary account chronicling the 1704 proceedings against John Quelch (jon kwehlch) includes the only known information regarding his early life, noting that Quelch’s mother was in London at the time of his birth, approximately thirty-eight years prior to when Massachusetts authorities sentenced him.
At some point, Quelch traveled to the New England colonies, where he probably engaged in seafaring activities, as sources referred to Quelch having navigation expertise which resulted in his later being designated to lead a pirate crew. He may have worked as a privateer, acquiring insight and practice in the seizure and plundering of vessels.
Criminal Career
During July, 1703, Massachusetts governor Joseph Dudley contracted with Boston businessmen for privateering services of their brigantine, Charles, to secure French trading ships based near Newfoundland and Acadia (modern Nova Scotia). By August, a crew, including Quelch, had prepared the Charles to embark from the harbor at Marblehead, northeast of Boston.
In letters, Captain Daniel Plowman warned the vessel’s owners that he distrusted the crew and that those businessmen should choose another captain. Crew members prevented owners from boarding the ship to consult Plowman. Departing on August 4, Plowman soon became sick and stayed in his cabin, which several members of the crew prevented him from leaving. After Plowman died on August 6, the mutineers designated Quelch as their captain. Some crew members, including slaves, asked to return to port but were refused.
Quelch and his men reached South American waters by fall, 1703. Interested in acquiring gold, Quelch focused on pursuing trade ships near Brazil. His crew first attacked a Portuguese fishing vessel on November 15, 1703, stealing its contents, including fish and salt. They continued assaulting crafts from that country through February 17, 1704, seizing eight additional vessels and a cargo of gold, silk, and other valuables. His crew sank at least one ship and wounded and killed Portuguese crewmen.
Legal Action and Outcome
Heading north, Quelch reached Marblehead in May, 1704, and told his men to disperse. Late in that month, the Boston News-Letter reported that the Charles had docked. After reading the news concerning their ship, the owners asked authorities to apprehend and charge the mutineers. Lieutenant-Governor Thomas Povey distributed a proclamation authorizing the arrest of the pirates and confiscation of stolen cargoes. Militia captured and jailed Quelch on May 25. Authorities emphasized that he had violated Article XVIII, which diplomats from England and Portugal included in the Treaty of May 16, 1703, defining piracy during peacetime between those countries.
Officials held a trial for Quelch on June 19, 1704, before the Court of Admiralty at Boston’s courthouse. Quelch heard several of his crew testify against him. He claimed he had not known about that treaty, asserting that he had thought privateering Portuguese vessels was legal. Judges ruled Quelch and five associates guilty, sentencing them to death. After Quelch spoke about being falsely accused and the risks of wealth, officials hanged him and his crew members on June 30, 1704.
Impact
John Quelch’s trial was an early application of royal piracy laws in the colonies. His piracy emboldened some Massachusetts officials to profit from his gains. Soon after Quelch’s arrest, legal authorities secured cargo he had robbed, kept some items, and disbursed portions to associates and the royal treasury. Portugal and traders were not reimbursed for their stolen goods.
In late June, 1704, the Boston News-Letter printed a distinctive broadsheet describing Quelch’s trial, in addition to regular issues. Many scholars considered circulation of that independent issue devoted to trial news the earliest special edition of a newspaper in the North American colonies. Readers in Quelch’s birthplace received copies of the trial edition specially shipped to England.
Bibliography
Dow, George F., and John H. Edmonds. The Pirates of the New England Coast, 1630-1730. Introduction by Ernest H. Pentecost. Glorieta, N.Mex.: Rio Grande Press, 1993. Appendixes include the text of Quelch’s speech prior to his execution and Plowman’s privateering commission and instructions.
Pennell, C. R., ed. Bandits at Sea: A Pirates Reader. New York: New York University Press, 2001. Considers legal implications when judges exonerated slaves Quelch had seized on captured ships and forced into piracy.
Seitz, Don C. Under the Black Flag: Exploits of the Most Notorious Pirates. Mineola, N.Y.: Dover, 2002. Devotes a chapter to Quelch’s piracy and trial, placing his crimes in the context of colonial thievery.