Pirate Nests and the Rise of the British Empire, 1570-1740

by Mark G. Hanna

Analyzing the rise and subsequent fall of international piracy from the perspective of colonial hinterlands, Mark G. Hanna explores the often overt support of sea marauders in maritime communities from the inception of England's burgeoning empire in the 1570s to its administrative consolidation by the 1740s. Although traditionally depicted as swashbuckling adventurers on the high seas, pirates played a crucial role on land. Far from a hindrance to trade, their enterprises contributed to commercial development and to the economic infrastructure of port towns.

English piracy and unregulated privateering flourished in the Pacific, the Caribbean, and the Indian Ocean because of merchant elites' active support in the North American colonies. Sea marauders represented a real as well as a symbolic challenge to legal and commercial policies formulated by distant and ineffectual administrative bodies that undermined the financial prosperity and defense of the colonies. Departing from previous understandings of deep-sea marauding, this study reveals the full scope of pirates' activities in relation to the landed communities that they serviced and their impact on patterns of development that formed early America and the British Empire.

Genres: History, Pirates, Nonfiction, Read For School

464 pages, Paperback

First published June 10, 2015

Reviews

[Cindy Vallar · Rating 5 out of 5]

In December 1699, William Penn visited his colony to see for himself whether Pennsylvanians were guilty of fostering piracy. He was appalled at what he unearthed, including the fact that his own cousin, Governor William Markham, colluded with pirates and Markham’s daughter had even married one. But what Penn and London did not comprehend was that people living on the peripheries of England’s empire viewed pirates far differently than London did. Their very survival depended on these marauders, for England could neither provide all the goods the colonists needed nor protect them from enemies like Spain and France.

Hanna examines and analyzes this support and protection. He also considers how piracy, as well as colonial politics and society, changed over time, assessing the role popular print played in that evolution. In addition, he looks at legal issues that both hindered and helped in the prosecution of pirates.

He begins this study with “The Elizabethan West Country: Nursery for English Seamen . . . and Pirates, 1570-1603,” detailing the political struggles that initially supported piracy under the Tudors, but stopped once James I ascended the throne. The Killigrews are discussed, as is Sir Francis Drake, who came to the conclusion that piracy wasn’t as attractive as he once thought. If the West Country was to survive, it needed to do so through trade and colonization.

As England withdrew her support of sea marauders, these men moved to Ireland. Some became renegades who sailed for the Barbary States. Chapter two, “Piratical Colonization, 1603-1655,” discusses this transition. It also covers the effect of England’s Civil War on colonial ports. Comparisons are made between Bermuda and Algiers, and American settlements and Caribbean ones.

The third chapter – “Contesting Jamaica’s Future, 1655-1688” – sees the emergence of the term “privateer” and English buccaneers during wars against the Dutch and France. Focus is placed on Henry Morgan, who rose to command them, and governors, like Sir Thomas Modyford, who supported them. The rise of Port Royal and slavery, as well as one of the earliest piracy trials outside of England (1671), are also examined.

“South Sea Pirates Sail North, 1674-1688,” is the next chapter. Particular emphasis is placed on Boston, Newport, Charles Town, and New Providence. Here Hanna analyzes why these ports welcomed pirate, when others did not. This is also when England’s and colonial perspectives began to differ in regards to pirates.

When havens in the Caribbean dried up, the pirates moved to Madagascar and the Indian Ocean. This period is examined in “The Rise of the Red Sea Pirates, 1688-1696.” Monopolies, such as the East India Company, allowed piracy to flourish. Merchants, like Frederick Philipse, and governors, like William Markham and Benjamin Fletcher, colluded with pirates like Thomas Tew and Henry Every.

A series of events culminated in 1696 to impact the colonists’ support of pirates. These are discussed in chapter six, “The Spirit of 1696: Initiating Imperial Revolution.” London tasked Edward Randolph, surveyor general of customs in America, with reporting on the complicit governors and merchants; he, in turn, would write a treatise on how to suppress piracy. One of the other key episodes involved the pirate trials of some of Henry Every’s men.

One of the most vocal families on the scourge of piracy was the Mathers of New England. They, as well as Edward Randolph, Richard Coote, and Robert Snead, are topics covered in chapter seven, “Setting up for Themselves, 1697-1701.” During this time, debates arose as to exactly who had political power over the colonialists. While these men were strong believers in anti-piracy, they also expected to profit from such agendas.

Chapter 8, “George Larkin’s Tour, 1701-1703,” looks at the Board of Trade’s jurist who was sent to North America to train local authorities in the law and the proper administration of piracy trials. (For the first time, pirates could legally be tried outside of England.) Newspapers and other print media also brought the colonies under closer scrutiny in England, which resulted in making colonial authorities adhere to laws and policies.

But the first legal pirate trial outside of England was rife with irregularities, and these are showcased in the ninth chapter, “Captain Quelch’s Warning: The Transformation of Pirate Nests, 1704-1713.” The aftermath of that trial gave rise to formal legislation to distinguish privateers from pirates.

By the time Edward Low went on the account, pirates were no longer seen in a favorable light. They posed serious dangers to maritime trade, and their ideas of equality gave rise to fear within the social elite. This transformation is covered in chapter ten, “‘Abandon’d Wretches’: Rethinking the War on Pirates, 1713-1740.”

The text is accompanied by illustrations (maps and plates) and an index. Rather than include a bibliography, Hanna provides details of his source material in footnotes. Aside from traditional citations, these also provide readers with interesting historical tidbits and explanations not covered in the main narrative.

In his conclusion, “Piratical Societies: Trends and Lessons,” Hanna recaps key concepts he’s covered. The book ably details the symbiotic relationship between pirates and colonial ports. This study also illuminates the differences in perspective between England and her colonies. The economic, legal, cultural, and political transformations that take place from the mid-sixteenth century to the middle of the eighteenth are deftly drawn. Hanna also demonstrates that “[t]he patterns that bred piratical societies should compel us to pay closer attention to the people and communities on land that have fostered piracy well beyond the age of sail.” (423-24)

What began as a dissertation on Charles Town, South Carolina and Newport, Rhode Island’s support of piracy has blossomed into a complex study of English piracy, places that provided pirates safe haven, and the transition from venerated sea marauders to a villainous scourge that needed to be stopped.

[Kelly McLoughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compelling! Reintroduces the narrative on pirates!! Hanna writes with an intrigue and passion that is quite obvious and makes the reader more interested. This book has sparked an interest in me to continuing reading about Cotton Mather, Puritanism, and Quakers and their relationship with pirates. For anyone interested in pirates, British empire building, and juicy drama, this is the book for you!

[Truls Ljungström · Rating 3 out of 5]

spännande om man är intresserad av marinhistoria.

[zu Serrahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fascinating study of how illicit economies and maritime violence played a key role in the early British empire, especially the North American colonies. It builds an effective concept of piracy that goes well beyond the narrow “Golden Age” piracy most often studied. It also details the legal innovation pursued by imperial administrators in their attempts to grapple with the challenges of piracy and colonial resistance - which had serious implications for certain events near the end of the 18th century.

In many ways this is a messy story, with key characters popping up again and again in different contexts and I sometimes lost track of who exactly was who and what they had been up to in the past. While possibly unavoidable, and possibly my fault as an inattentive reader, that would be my one criticism of the book.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the formation of the British Empire, piracy, or colonial and Revolutionary era American history.

This book also completely destroys any sort of romanticized view of pirates, which is a nice bonus.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't give this book my full attention though I gave it enough to learn from it about the relationship between the empire and those places dubbed "pirate nests." Hanna discusses why colonists looked the other way when pirates came and why, and at what point, they stopped looking the other way. He shows how they were benefited by the pirates and resented government attempts to interfere. When they stopped benefiting from them, they started helping the government in apprehending them.

[Evan Þ. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This's a history of piracy and privateering, from the point of view of their collaborating communities on shore, whether in Britain itself or in America. In real life, pirates didn't bury their plunder when they had any other option; they wanted to sell it - whether for carousing or for retirement on land. Many communities on the periphery of global trade (whether 1500's Cornwall or 1600's America) were happy to buy it, because pirates provided needed goods.

Up until the 1700's, piracy was viewed as a patriotic temporary job. Most pirates sailed under a privateer's commission (usually not strictly valid) and plundered other countries' ships. With such incentives, the imperial government struggled to enforce its laws at all.

This's a fascinating view of incentives and trade in the margin of law.

[Jindřich Zapletal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a legal history of variations of piracy in early modern British Empire.

The main point is that Atlantic colonies viewed piracy as a way to provide some measure of guarantee against foreign maritime incursions and desperately needed specie for their monetary needs. So, they tolerated piracy or even integrated it into their societies despite royal pressure to criminalize it. The process of elimination of piracy was an important adulthood test of the empire and its legal system.

The book may be too long just to make this point, but it does illustrate it on central, well-researched, and fairly entertaining events. Just do not think this is a book about pirate adventures. You will not learn about Henry Morgan the robber and sadist, but about Henry Morgan's legal maneuvering as an acting governor of Jamaica. One take-home lesson of the book is that these two faces of piracy were inseparable.

The book has a direct competitor, Burgess: The politics of piracy; I prefer Hanna's treatment but they seem to me pretty similar on most accounts.

[Mike Imbrenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for a work project. A legal history of piracy in the British Empire. Heavily focused on middle of covered period. Engaging and well researched.

[Garrentt Duffey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good historical and academic book on pirates. Innovative in its broad lens and framework in connecting the sea and land communities. A standout in pirate histories.

[Charlie Foks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yay pirates. Really liked the linking of pirates to inland communities. Let’s see what mark I get!

[Luca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Hanna's "Pirate Nests and the Rise of the British Empire, 1570-1740" is an engrossing exploration into the complex interplay between piracy and the development of the British Empire. Hanna dives deep into the world of pirates, privateers, and colonial officials, shedding light on how these rogue sailors were not just marauding criminals but also significant actors in the geopolitical and economic growth of the British Empire.

Hanna's writing is detailed and rich with historical anecdotes, making the book both informative and entertaining. His extensive research is evident, as he draws from a wide array of primary sources, including correspondence between Whitehall and colonial administrations. This meticulous approach offers readers a vivid picture of the period and the multifaceted roles pirates played.

One of the standout aspects of "Pirate Nests" is how Hanna contextualizes piracy within the broader framework of empire-building. He convincingly argues that pirates were instrumental in establishing and maintaining British colonial footholds. By attacking Spanish ships and settlements, pirates indirectly supported British interests, acting as informal agents of empire expansion. Hanna writes, "Pirates, often considered the enemies of all nations, in many instances, contributed to the very foundations of the British Empire" (p. 234). This perspective challenges the traditional view of pirates as mere outlaws, instead presenting them as complex figures whose actions had far-reaching consequences.

However, the book is not without its flaws. One critique lies in Hanna's occasional overreach in linking piracy to the development of American democracy. He suggests that the egalitarian and democratic practices aboard pirate ships influenced colonial attitudes towards governance. While it's true that pirate ships often operated on principles of shared decision-making and elected leadership, the leap to seeing these practices as direct precursors to American democratic ideals feels somewhat speculative. Hanna states, "The democratic practices aboard pirate ships provided a blueprint for the democratic tendencies that would later shape American society" (p. 321). This claim, while intriguing, lacks sufficient evidence and seems to romanticize the pirates' influence.

Another point of contention is Hanna's reliance on correspondence between Whitehall and the colonies. While these letters are invaluable for understanding the official stance on piracy, they can sometimes provide a narrow view. Colonial governors and officials had their own agendas, and their reports might not always accurately reflect the realities on the ground. This over-reliance occasionally leads to a one-sided narrative that doesn't fully account for the complexities and varied perspectives within the colonies themselves.

Despite these criticisms, "Pirate Nests" remains a compelling read. Hanna's ability to weave together economic, political, and social threads into a cohesive narrative is commendable. His portrayal of pirates as more than just criminals, but as key players in the formation of the British Empire, is thought-provoking and adds depth to our understanding of this period.

In conclusion, "Pirate Nests and the Rise of the British Empire, 1570-1740" is a fascinating book that offers some fresh perspective on piracy and its impact on history. While some of Hanna's conclusions may be debatable, his thorough research and engaging writing make this a must-read for anyone interested in maritime history or the early modern British Empire. I would rate it 4 stars, acknowledging both its strengths and its occasional overreaches.

[Thom DeLair]

Hearing an interview with the author who said he was initially interested in generational changes over history but got sucked into learning about pirates, I could certainly relate. As the book explains, pirates and their trafficking across the Atlantic (as well as further afield) played a crucial role in establishing the North American colonies in the 17th century.

The book strongly emphasizes a new perspective on pirates, instead of isolated renegades like Jack Sparrow, we have folks like Quakers harboring them as their pirate booty was contributing to the prosperity of the American colonies. From a state-development point of view, the change over from 17th to 18th century relationships of the English government and pirates - aiding the state, to being stamped out was particularly interesting. The second last page mentions Somalia, which was in the back of my mind while I read about Sir Julius Caesar's failed attempts to reign in piracy during the Elizabethan Age.

The book traffics across various topics and intercepts important processes of other books I read about the period. Pirating in the colonial age was one of the few ways the colonies could obtain precious metals to mint coin, otherwise they would have to produce paper money on a fiat policy, which the colonies ended up doing in the early 1700s when piracy was becoming a taboo. As "international waters" were lawless at the time, the role of ending piracy policies in Britain was an important developmental step toward establishing international maritime law a century later (see Citizen Sailor by Rosenthal). The book also talks about shadowy Puritan patriarch Robert Rich, Earl of Warwick, someone I had wanted to learn more about.