Despite numbering Blackbeard as a sometime crewmate, Bellamy was known to be a merciful and generous pirate – gentlemanly in his ruthless trade. This reputation gained him a second nickname as ‘Prince of Pirates’ and his crew called themselves ‘Robin Hood’s Men’. His nickname ‘Black Sam’ was given to him because he didn’t like wearing the fashionable powdered wig and instead tied his long black hair with a band of cloth. While his days as a pirate lasted barely more than one year, he and his crew captured more than 50 ships before his untimely death at the age of 28. Samuel Bellamy was born in Hittisleigh in Devon, it is speculated, in February or March, 1689 and died on April 27th, 1717. There seems to be evidence that he returned to England and died penniless, however, and little is known for certain of his ultimate fate. Contemporaries believed that Avery made his way to Madagascar with his loot where he set himself up as a King, with his own fleet and thousands of men. He soon took to sea, and served on several different merchant vessels as well as ships of war when England went to war with France in 1688. He led an onboard mutiny in 1694 and turned to a life of piracy.Īvery made one big score – the Grand Moghul of India’s treasure ship “Ganj-i-Sawai” – before retiring. Some contemporary accounts spell his last name ‘Every’. Henry “Long Ben” Avery was born in Newton Ferrers near Plymouth sometime between 16. A – Z of West Country Pirates Henry Avery Devon Its sailors filled Britain’s navy creating the skills and physical toughness that would be needed when breaks in the almost constant naval wars and regular economic downturns pushed many into the alternative trade of piracy. The South West provided many of the ports, ships and men that enabled trade with Europe and the rest of the world as Britain began to build a global empire. However, it was less the remoteness of its location than its role in international trade that marked the West Country out as a centre for piracy. Ships and boats could be easily hidden in the many coves and inlets, which also made for great hiding places for pirated and smuggled goods. Traditionally, the coastline of South West England has lent itself to piracy. Its role in the history of piracy, however, is more than an invention of books, films and plays. Hollywood movies from the 1930s onwards have immortalised the broad West Country accent as the supposedly authentic voice of pirates from the Golden Age of Piracy. The West Country is synonymous with piracy and the exploits of many of the most famous pirates in history, including Sir Francis Drake, Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir John Hawkins and Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard.
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