Peter Harris was the name of two

buccaneer Buccaneers were a kind of privateer or free sailors, and pirates particular to the Caribbean Sea during the 17th and 18th centuries. First established on northern Hispaniola as early as 1625, their heyday was from the Restoration in 1660 u ...

s, an uncle and his nephew, who were active (separately) in the late 17th century.

Peter Harris (the elder)

Peter Harris (died May 1680) was an English buccaneer. As early as 1671 Harris was part of

Henry Morgan Sir Henry Morgan (; – 25 August 1688) was a Welsh privateer, plantation owner, and, later, the lieutenant governor of Jamaica. From his base in Port Royal, Jamaica, he and those under his command raided settlements and shipping ports o ...

's flotilla which sacked

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

. By 1677 he had received a privateering commission to legitimize his activities. After capturing a powerful 28-gun Dutch vessel in late 1679, he played a significant role in the Pacific Adventure, a privateering expedition led by Richard Sawkins and John Coxon. Harris served as one of the captains during this expedition, alongside

Bartholomew Sharp Bartholomew Sharp (c. 1650 – 29 October 1702) was an English buccaneer and privateer. His career of piracy lasted seven years (1675–1682). In the Caribbean he took several ships, and raided the Gulf of Honduras and Portobelo. He took comman ...

and Edmund Cooke. HMS ''Success'' caught Sawkins and was on the hunt for Harris in early 1680 but ran ashore and was lost. On 25 April 1680, the buccaneers raided the mining town of Santa Maria, situated east of

Panama City Panama City, also known as Panama, is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has a total population of 1,086,990, with over 2,100,000 in its metropolitan area. The city is located at the Pacific Ocean, Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, i ...

, Sharpe having mediated an argulent between Coxon and Harris. After plundering the town, they set it ablaze and traveled downstream to the Pacific using canoes. By 3 May, the buccaneers arrived at the port on Perico island, off the coast of Panama City. There, they encountered a Spanish fighting force composed of several

barque A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel with three or more mast (sailing), masts of which the fore mast, mainmast, and any additional masts are Square rig, rigged square, and only the aftmost mast (mizzen in three-maste ...

s and other ships. Despite ultimately emerging victorious, the buccaneers suffered the loss of twenty men, including Captain Harris.

Peter Harris (the younger)

There was another buccaneer named Peter Harris, who was a nephew of the elder Captain Harris. This second Peter Harris was active in the same region during the years 1684 to 1685. In July 1684 he led an alliance of pirates and natives to repeat his uncle's sack of Santa Maria. After a skirmish against Spanish ships he joined Charles Swan in August to attack

Paita Paita is a city in northwestern Peru. It is the capital of the Paita Province which is in the Piura Region. It is a leading seaport in the region. Paita is located 1,089 km northwest of the country's capital Lima, and 57 km northwest of ...

. He was later given command of one of William Knight's prize ships, participated in another attack on Panama, then joined Edward Davis. He may have crossed the Pacific but records of his activities stop there. Some witnesses reported him still sailing alongside Davis as late as mid-1686.

References

English pirates Year of birth missing 17th-century pirates Privateers Piracy in the Caribbean {{England-bio-stub

Peter Harris (the elder)

Peter Harris (the younger)

See also

References