Joseph Bradish (1672–1700) was a

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

best known for a single incident involving a

mutiny Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military or a crew) to oppose, change, or remove superiors or their orders. The term is commonly used for insubordination by members of the military against an officer or superior, ...

History

Joseph Bradish was born in

Sudbury, Massachusetts Sudbury is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 18,934. The town, located in Greater Boston's MetroWest region, has a colonial history. History Incorporated in 1639, the boundar ...

, on 28 November 1672. His parents, Joseph Bradish and Mary Frost Bradish, were children of English settlers who had arrived in Massachusetts in the 1630s. Bradish signed on as a mate with the

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

-bound 300-ton

pink Pink is a pale tint of red, the color of the Dianthus plumarius, pink flower. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, p ...

''Adventure'' out of London in March 1698. ''Adventure''s

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

, Thomas Gullock, was much disliked and Bradish organized a

against him. When Gullock and some officers went ashore in the

Spice Islands In the culinary arts, a spice is any seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance in a form primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for ...

, Bradish's men cut the anchor cables, put anyone who would not follow them off in a small boat, and stole the ship. Bradish was elected captain and shared the ship's treasure with his men. They sailed to

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

and

Ascension Ascension or ascending may refer to: Religion * "Ascension", the belief in some religions that some individuals have ascended into Heaven without dying first. The Catholic concept of the Assumption of Mary leaves open the question of her deat ...

to resupply and then headed to America. They arrived off Nassau Island in March 1699. There they hired local sloops to offload their cargo, after which they

scuttled Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull, typically by its crew opening holes in its hull. Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vesse ...

''Adventure''. Most of the crew dispersed on horseback. Bradish and a few others convinced a local officer, Colonel Pierson, to stash several bags of jewels and coins before heading to

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. They had hoped to obtain a pardon under the

1698 Act of Grace Acts of grace, in the context of piracy, were state proclamations offering pardons (often royal pardons) for acts of piracy. General pardons for piracy were offered on numerous occasions and by multiple states, for instance by the Kingdom of Eng ...

, which offered a pardon to pirates who willingly surrendered.

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

authorities were ready for them, arresting Bradish and his men. He was kept in the same jail which had held

William Kidd William Kidd (c. 1645 – 23 May 1701), also known as Captain William Kidd or simply Captain Kidd, was a Scottish-American privateer. Conflicting accounts exist regarding his early life, but he was likely born in Dundee and later settled in N ...

until recently. In June Bradish escaped with the help of the jailer, a relative of his. He was recaptured in October north of

Saco, Maine Saco ( ) is a city in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,381 at the 2020 census. It is home to Ferry Beach State Park, Funtown Splashtown USA, Thornton Academy, as well as Saco Valley Shopping Center. General Dynamics ...

after New York's Governor Bellomont offered a reward for his capture. Meanwhile Bellomont arranged for the recovery of Bradish's treasure, which Bradish and his men had secreted across New England with Pierson and others. Bellomont complained that he had no authority to put pirates to death, so Bradish was sent to England in March 1700 aboard , along with fellow prisoners Kidd and James Gilliam and many of Kidd's former crew. Bradish was tried, convicted, and hanged, gibbeted along with Kidd as a warning to other pirates. As late as 1720, his name was known to pirates. Sailors captured by

Bartholomew Roberts Bartholomew Roberts (17 May 1682 – 10 February 1722), born John Roberts, was a Welsh pirate who was, measured by vessels captured, the most successful pirate of the Golden Age of Piracy. During his piratical career, he took over 400 prize shi ...

reported that Roberts' men refused to believe offers of amnesty, saying, "they would have no dealings with Acts of Grace, by which to be sent to hang a-sundrying at Hope Point as were the companies of Kidd and Bradish, trepanned under lying promises."

History

See also

References

Further reading