Virginia Proclamation Against Pirates

I owe a big thank you this week to Jennifer M. Huff, Reference Department Coordinator of the Virginia Historical Society, for providing me with a copy of this act. 

Dated during the period of April 1699, it is from The Statutes at Large, being a Collection of all the Laws of Virginia, from the First Session of the Legislature, in the Year 1619, by William Waller Hening. 

I tried to preserve as much of the original spelling as I could. I think seeing the original spellings adds to the interest of reading the text. Enjoy!

An Act for restraining and punishing of Pirates and Privateers

WHEREAS nothing can more conduce to the honour of his most sacred majesty then that such articles of peace as are concluded in all treaties should be kept and preserved inviolable by his majestyes subjects in and over all his majestyes territories and dominions and forasmuch as great mischief and depredations are dayly done upon the high seas by pyrates privateers and sea robers in not onely takeing and pillaging severall ships and vessels belonging to his majestyes subjects but also in takeing, destroying and robing severall ships belonging to the subjects of foreigne princes in leage and amity with his majesty-     

          Be it therefore enacted by the Governour, Counsell and Burgesses of this present Generall assembly, and the authority thereof, and it is hereby enacted, That if any pirates, privateers or sea robers, or any other persons suspected to be such shall land and put on shoar in any port or place in this his majestyes colony and dominon upon notice given or knowledge thereof, all officers civill and military are hereby required and impowered to raise and levy such a number of well armed men as he or they shall judge necessary for the seizing, apprehending and carrying to gal of all and every such person or persons, and in case of  any resistance or rrefusalto yield obedience to his majestyes authority it shall be lawfull to kill or destroy such person or persons and all and every person or persons that shall oppose or resist the said authority by strikeing or fireing upon any person in execution of this act, shall be deemed taken and adjudged as fellons without benefit of clergy, and every such officer that shall omit or neglect his duty therein and being lawfully convicted shall for every such offence forfeit fifty pounds sterling, one moiety to our sovereign Lord the king, his heirs and successors for and towards the better support of the government and the contingent charges thereof, and the other moiety to him that shall sue or informe for the same in any court of record in this his majestyes colony and dominion, in which no essoigne protection or wager of law shall be allowed. And for the better and morespeedy execution of justice upon such who having committed treasons, pirieyes, felloneyes, or other offences upon the sea, and shall be apprehended or brought prisoners to this his majestyes colony and dominion,

          Be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, and it is hereby enacted, That all treassons, fellonyes, piracyes, robberies, murders or other capitall offences that shall be committed upon the high seas or in any river, havens , creek or bay where the admiral hath jurisdiction, shall be enquired, tried, heared, determined, judged and execution awarded and done within this his majestyes colony and dominion in such forme as if such offence had been committed in and upon the land of this his majestyes collony and dominion. And to that end and purpose the governor or commander in chief of this his majestyes colony and dominion for the time being, is hereby desired and impowered to issue out commissions of oyer and terminer under his hand, and his majestyes seal of this his colony and dominion directed to the judge or judges of the admiralty of this his majestyes colony and dominion for the time being and to such other substanciall persons as he shall think fit to nominate and appoint, which said commissioners or such a quorum of them as by such commission shall be thereunto authorized shall have as full ample power and authority to hear and determine, adjudge and punish all and any the crimes and offences aforesaid as any commissioners under the great seale of England by virtue of a statute made in the twenty-eighth year of the reigne of King Henry the eighth might or could do and execute within the kingdom of England, and that such offenders which are or shall be apprehended in or brought prisoners to this his majestyes colony and dominion shall be lyable to such order, process, judgements and execution by virtue of such commission to be grounded upon this act as might be awarded or given against them if they were proceeded against within the realm of England by virtue of any such commission grounded upon the said statute.

          And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, and it is hereby enacted, That all and every person or persons that shall knowingly or willfully conceal, entertaine, harbor trade or hold any correspondence by letter or otherwise with any person or persons that shall be deemed or adjudged to be pirates, privateers or other offenders within the constructions of this act and shall not readily endeavor to the best of his or their power to apprehend or cause to be apprehended such offender or offenders shall be lyable to be prosecuted as accessaryes to the said offences and confederates with the said offenders and to suffer such pains and penalties as in such cases by law is provided.

           

A Proclamation against Pirates, 1569

A Proclamation agaynst the maintenaunce of Pirates.

Elizabeth I

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Note on the e-text: this Renascence Edition was transcribed in July 2002 by Heather Ward, University of Oregon Libraries, from the 1569 text. Content unique to this presentation is copyright © 2002 The University of Oregon. For nonprofit and educational uses only. Send comments and corrections to the Publisher, rbear[at]uoregon.edu.

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By the Queene.

A Proclamation agaynst the maintenaunce of Pirates.

THE Queenes Maiestie vnderstandeth, that although by her former commaundementes notified by proclamation to all her subiectes, and namely to her officers in her Portes, for the staying, ceassing, and suppressing of all occasions of piracies: yet some numbers of vessels armed with certayne disordered persons mixt of sundry nations, do still haunt the narowe seas, and resort secretly into small Creekes and obscure places of this Realme for reliefe of vitayles, and suche lyke: And for their better defence to escape apprehension, do colourably pretende that they be licenced to serue on the seas, and are not to be accompted culpable as pirates. For remedie whereof, and to the intent no maner of pretext shall serue eyther suche persons to commit piracies, or any other that shall relieue them for priuate gayne or fauour by fayned colours or pretence of ignoraunce: Her Maiestie straightly chargeth and commaundeth all maner officers and ministers, hauying rule and charge within any Port towne, or hauying aucthoritie to make deputies vnder them in any Creeke or landing place whersoeuer the same be, that from hencefoorth no maner of person comming from the sea, be suffred to haue any vittayle, munition, or any other reliefe for hym selfe, his company, or vessell, except it be suche as are notoriously knowen to apparteyne to marchauntes shippes, passengers, or fishermen, hauing neede thereof. Neyther that any person do bye or receaue any wares or goodes of any person directly or indirectly comming from the seas, vntyll the same wares or goodes be brought and landed openly according to the lawes of the Realme in places accustomed, with consent of the officers of the customes, and that all dueties be first payde for the same, accordying to the vsage of marchauntes, vppon payne that whosoeuer shall do the contrarie, or be consentyng thereto, shalbe vppon due information committed to prison, there to remayne without bayle, vntyll inquisition be made (accordyng to the lawes of this Realme) of them and their factes, as in cases of piracies, and to be adiudged and executed as pirates, as by lawe shalbe ordered. And whosoeuer shall geue information hereof agaynst any officer of the customes, or any their deputies, and shalbe able to proue the same, if any wise the Infourmer be meete to exercise the same office, they shall inioy the same, or otherwyse shalbe duely and liberally recompensed accordyng to their demerites.    

     Furthermore her Maiestie wylleth and commaundeth all maner her officers, and specially Wardens of Portes, Uiceadmiralles, Constables, or Capitaynes of Castles vpon the seas, and al other hauying any office in Port townes or places of landyng, that they shall foorth with, as they wyll aunswere at their vttermost peryll, to do theyr vttermost in their iurisdictions to enquire, lay wayte, and thereby apprehende al maner of persons that do haunt the seas with any kynde of vessels armed, beying not an apparaunt marchaunt, and vtterly to stay all others makying preparation therto, and their vessels, other then such only as shalbe openly knowne to be ordinarie marchauntes, passengers, or vsuall fisshermen: And not from hencefoorth to alowe or admit any allegation of licence to sayle vpon the seas with any vessell armed, but suche as are notoriously belongyng to her Maiestie, and may be sent to the seas for keping the same free from pirates. And if any maner of person shall herein be founde culpable, or manyfestly negligent: her Maiestie letteth them certaynely to vnderstande, that their punishment shalbe pursued agaynst them with such seueritie, as the example thereof shall hereafter remayne for others to beware howe in suche cases to offende.
       Gyuen at Otelande the thyrde day of August, 1569, in the eleuenth yere of her
       Maiesties raigne.

God saue the Queene.

Imprinted at London in Powles
Churchyarde, by Richarde Iugge and Iohn Cawood,
Printers to the Queenes Maiestie.

Source: http://www.luminarium.org/renascence-editions/eliz3.html

HMS Scarborough almost captures Sam Bellamy

Thanks to Baylus Brooks, who found this document. I agree with him that this appears to be the event where Hume almost captured Samuel Bellamy.

Secrétariat d'État à la Marine - Correspondance à l'arrivée en provenance de la Martinique 1716-1717 : La Varenne (Antoine d'Arcy de), gouverneur général des îles du Vent  ◾ Mémoires, états et documents divers  ◦ Course, flibuste et piraterie

Extraits d'une information relative aux forbans détruits par le capitaine Hums, commandant la frégate anglaise Scarborough ([1717])

Cote de référence

FR ANOM COL C8A 22 F° 52

Summary:

Excerpts from information about the pirates destroyed by Captain Hume, commander of the English frigate Scarborough ([1717])

feuilles 99-100:

Excerpt from the information I received concerning the pirates destroyed by Mr. Hume, Commanding the Scarborough ship of the King my master.

On the 6th of January, old Stile, the said Captain Hume made his way from Antigua to go after the pirates. We have a news that he had met in a harbor of St. Croix Island a vessel which had ninety men on board, which, ascending from St. Thomas, had encountered a negro vessel which he had taken and brought with him into a harbor of St. Thomas, where he had met a small vessel commanded by a Mr. Mitleton of the dependency of St. Christopher or the other little isles, which he took and obliged the master of the said vessel to steer it into a St. Croix harbor intended to prepare this vessel for their use, and forced the said Mitleton to serve them because he is Carpenter and pilot promising to give him as reward ten Negros for him to make all possible diligence.

LInk to page showing original document 

But so soon as the said vessel was refitted and careened, Mr. Hume arrived happily in this harbor, and seeing that they could not retreat their vessel and boat, they sank their boats between our ship as many as they and the rest went on board the boat belonging to Mitleton, who had the favor of night, and drawing little water from the said harbor, and that those who had gone on board his vessel had set fire to it, jump into the air, hence we conjecture that they have almost all paid, but we are not certain of the quantity. You may be sure that this news is true, as many people have assured me, and having spoken to Mr. Mitleton after this action, which was known on board our ship before the pirate jumped into the air. We are not at first on board their ship, from whence it came, or whither it was, there was no nation whatsoever.

Signed Hamilton