Ignatius Pell was a pirate who served as the

boatswain A boatswain ( , ), bo's'n, bos'n, or bosun, also known as a deck boss, or a qualified member of the deck department, or the third hand on a fishing vessel, is the most senior Naval rating, rate of the deck department and is responsible for the ...

to Captain

Stede Bonnet Stede Bonnet (c. 1688 – 10 December 1718) was an English pirate who was known as the Gentleman Pirate because he was a moderately wealthy landowner before turning to a life of crime. Bonnet was born into a wealthy English family on the is ...

aboard the ''Royal James'', a ship previously named ''Revenge''. He was arrested in October 1718 and testified against his crew and captain.

Battle of Cape Fear River

While waiting out the

Atlantic hurricane season The Atlantic hurricane season is the period in a year, from June 1 through November 30, when Tropical cyclone, tropical or subtropical cyclones are most likely to form in the North Atlantic Ocean. These dates, adopted by convention ...

in the estuary of

Cape Fear River The Cape Fear River is a blackwater river in east-central North Carolina. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The river is formed at the confluence of the Haw River and the Deep River in the town of ...

, Ignatius took part in a battle between Bonnet's pirate vessel ''Royal James'' and two pirate hunters, the ''Henry'' and its accompanying sloop, commanded by

William Rhett Colonel William Rhett (4 September 1666 – 12 January 1723) was an English-born planter, politician and military officer who moved to the Carolinas, where he spent the majority of his life. Born in London, Rhett emigrated to North America in 1 ...

and commissioned by South Carolina governor

Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His singing, guitar playing and songwriting on his landmark 1936 and 1937 recordings have influenced later generations of musicians. Although his r ...

. Both sides ran aground, leaving only the ''Henry'' in range of the ''Royal James''. Despite the early advantage belonging to the pirates, changing tides freed the ''Henry'' first. Realizing they were trapped and outnumbered, Captain Bonnet ordered the gunpowder magazine blown in order to scuttle the ''Royal James''. This order was belayed by the crew and the pirates surrendered to Rhett. Along with the rest of the pirates, Ignatius Pell was arrested and brought to

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

on 2 October 1718.

Trial and testimony

Upon arriving in Charleston Pell was separated from the rest of the crew and held in the

provost marshal Provost marshal is a title given to a person in charge of a group of Military Police (MP). The title originated with an older term for MPs, '' provosts'', from the Old French (Modern French ). While a provost marshal is now usually a senior c ...

's house alongside Captain Bonnet and the

sailing master The master, or sailing master, is a historical rank for a naval Officer (armed forces), officer trained in and responsible for the navigation of a sailing ship, sailing vessel. In the Royal Navy, the master was originally a warrant officer who ...

, David Herriot. However, Bonnet and Herriot soon escaped, leaving Pell behind for unknown reasons. In the manhunt that followed Herriot was killed and Bonnet quickly recaptured, but the event evidently left an impression on Pell. He turned

King's evidence A criminal turns state's evidence by admitting guilt and testifying as a witness for the state against their associate(s) or accomplice(s), often in exchange for leniency in sentencing or immunity from prosecution.Howard Abadinsky, ''Organized ...

and agreed to testify against the crew of the ''Royal James'' and against Stede Bonnet personally. In his testimony, he confirmed the acts of piracy committed by the crew, though he made a point of exonerating a man named Thomas Nichols, claiming he had been pressed into service against his will and did not engage in the fighting. He also stated that Bonnet was captain in name only, the true authority on the ''Royal James'' being

quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land army, armies, a quartermaster is an officer who supervises military logistics, logistics and requisitions, manages stores or barracks, and distri ...

Robert Tucker. He unsuccessfully attempted to argue that Bonnet was therefore not responsible for the acts of piracy his crew had committed. Due in part to Pell's testimony, most of the crew (except Nichols) were convicted and sentenced to death. Despite Pell's efforts to mitigate his crimes, Stede Bonnet was also convicted and hanged on 10 December 1718. Pell may have returned to piracy; a newspaper article from 1724 reported Pell in command of a 12-gun pirate vessel of his own off the American east coast.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pell, Ignatius 18th-century pirates Year of birth missing Year of death missing British pirates Caribbean pirates

Battle of Cape Fear River

Trial and testimony

See also

References