Christopher Winter (

fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...

1716–1723) was an English pirate active in the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

. He is best known for sailing in Spanish service and launching the career of

Edward England Edward England (–1721) was an Irish pirate. The ships he sailed on included the ''Pearl'' (which he renamed ''The Royal James'') and later the ''Fancy'', for which England exchanged the ''Pearl'' in 1720. His flag was the classic Jolly Rog ...

History

Winter was active in the Nassau, Bahamas area in 1716. The following year

King George King George may refer to: People Monarchs ;Bohemia *George of Bohemia (1420-1471, r. 1458-1471), king of Bohemia ;Duala people of Cameroon * George (Duala king) (late 18th century), king of the Duala people ;Georgia *George I of Georgia (998 or ...

offered a pardon to all pirates who surrendered within a year. Winter kept active, capturing a merchant ship near

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

and forcing one of its crewmen, Edward England, into piracy. England embraced piracy and Winter returned with him to the

Republic of Pirates The Republic of Pirates was the base and stronghold of a loose confederacy run by privateers-turned-pirates in Nassau on New Providence island in the Bahamas during the Golden Age of Piracy for about five years from 1713 until 1718. While i ...

New Providence New Providence is the most populous island in The Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. On the eastern side of the island is the national capital, national capital city of Nassau, Bahamas, Nassau; it had a population of 246 ...

. Finally electing not to accept the pardon, Winter sailed with Nicholas Brown to

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

where they converted to Catholicism and signed on as ''

guarda costa ''Guarda costa'' or ''guardacosta'' ("coast guard") was the name used in the Spanish Empire during the 17th and 18th centuries for the privateers based off their overseas territories, tasked with hunting down piracy, contraband and foreign private ...

privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...

s with the Spanish. Winter began attacking English ships and settlements off Jamaica, raiding them for slaves which he took back to Cuba. Governor

Nicholas Lawes Sir Nicholas Lawes ( – 18 June 1731) was a British judge and colonial administrator who served as the List of governors of Jamaica, governor of Jamaica from 1718 to 1722. Early life Nicholas Lawes was born to Nicholas and Amy Lawes. ...

of Jamaica complained to Spanish officials in

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger, more populous island of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the country. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is the southernmost island in ...

and Cuba and even sent the warship to demand the return of Winter, Brown, and the ships and slaves they’d captured. The Spanish sheltered Winter and Brown, claiming “as for those English Fugitives you mention, they are here as other Subjects of our Lord the King, being brought voluntarily to our holy Catholick Faith, and have received the Water of Baptism.” Winter is recorded as active in Spanish service through 1723; despite being called among “the most notorious rogues and renegades of all,” his further activities are not known, and he “otherwise remains a footnote in history.”

References

18th-century pirates Year of birth missing Year of death missing English pirates Caribbean pirates Pardoned pirates 18th-century English slave traders Spanish privateers {{Pirate-stub

History

See also

References