The Flying Gang was an 18th-century group of

pirates 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 ...

who established themselves in Nassau, New Providence in

the Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of ...

after the destruction of

Port Royal Port Royal () was a town located at the end of the Palisadoes, at the mouth of Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1494 by the Spanish, it was once the largest and most prosperous city in the Caribbean, functioning as the cen ...

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 ...

. The gang consisted of the most notorious and cunning pirates of the time, and they terrorized and pillaged the Caribbean until the Royal Navy and infighting brought them to justice. They achieved great fame and wealth by raiding salvagers attempting to recover gold from the sunken

Spanish treasure fleet The Spanish treasure fleet, or West Indies Fleet (, also called silver fleet or plate fleet; from the meaning "silver"), was a convoy system of sea routes organized by the Spanish Empire from 1566 to 1790, which linked Spain with its Spanish Empi ...

. They established their own codes and governed themselves independent from any of the colonial powers of the time. Nassau was deemed 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 ...

as it attracted many former

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 looking for work to its shores. The

Governor of Bermuda The governor of Bermuda (officially Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Somers Isles (alias the Islands of Bermuda)) is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Bermuda. For the purposes of this arti ...

stated that there were over 1,000 pirates in Nassau at that time and that they outnumbered the mere hundred inhabitants in the town.

Benjamin Hornigold

Benjamin Hornigold turned to piracy in the aftermath of the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...

, seeing great opportunity in the

Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...

to intercept Spanish and French shipping; an appealing idea to earn his way after the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

was financially drained and the Admiralty mothballed its fleet, releasing over half of its labour force. Hornigold's career in piracy began with dividing his men into three different parties to raid Spanish plantations spotted along 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 ...

coast, to further launch a year-long reign of terror over the

, capturing an estimated 60,000 pounds. In November 1715, Hornigold seized the English ship ''Mary'', a sloop with capacity for 140 men and six guns, and in this, he sailed into Nassau harbour along with a captured Spanish vessel. He then proclaimed that every pirate in the area would fall under his protection. Hornigold called this group of ruffians the Flying Gang and took over Nassau, making it a pirate haven. Hornigold remained reluctant to attack English ships, though he would encourage his allies, such as

Samuel Bellamy Captain Samuel Bellamy ( 23 February 1689 – 26 April 1717), erroneously known as "Black Sam" Bellamy, was an English sailor turned pirate during the early 18th century. He is best known as one of the wealthiest pirates in the Golden Age of Pi ...

, to do so. Hornigold's patriotism was infuriating for his crew members and they mutinied and cast Hornigold aside as captain. When in September 1717 King

George I George I or 1 may refer to: People * Patriarch George I of Alexandria (fl. 621–631) * George I of Constantinople (d. 686) * George of Beltan (d. 790) * George I of Abkhazia (ruled 872/3–878/9) * George I of Georgia (d. 1027) * Yuri Dolgoruk ...

issued a proclamation granting royal pardon for all piracies committed, Hornigold, who regularly regarded himself as more a privateer than a pirate, saw an opportunity to invest his booty into legal trade. In 1719, Hornigold resumed full-time work as a privateer under the operations of

Woodes Rogers Woodes Rogers ( – 15 July 1732) was an English sea captain, privateer and colonial administrator who served as the List of governors of the Bahamas, governor of the Bahamas from 1718 to 1721 and again from 1728 to 1732. He is remembered ...

, Governor of The Bahamas. Hornigold spent the remainder of his life hunting his old prodigies.

Henry Jennings

The Flying Gang's co-founder, Henry Jennings, started his infamous pirating career after the War of the Spanish Succession and his fearsome reputation developed after one venturous raid in July, 1715. A hurricane sunk a Spanish treasure fleet just off of Florida and King

Philip V of Spain Philip V (; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was List of Spanish monarchs, King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724 and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign (45 years and 16 days) is the longest in the ...

declared the treasure to be rightful property of Spain. Spanish crews were immediately dispatched to salvage the wreck. Jennings outnumbered the Spanish, who had built a fort at St Augustine to protect the treasure, and Jennings took the treasure for himself. Jennings mentored other well-known pirates such as

Charles Vane Charles Vane (c. 1680 – 29 March 1721) was an English pirate who operated in the Bahamas during the end of the Golden Age of Piracy. Vane was likely born in the Kingdom of England around 1680. One of his first pirate ventures was under the l ...

. Jennings was also known for a botched attack on a French merchant vessel, causing great diplomatic unrest. Driven by greed, Jennings' friend,

Sam Bellamy Captain Samuel Bellamy ( 23 February 1689 – 26 April 1717), erroneously known as "Black Sam" Bellamy, was an English sailor turned pirate during the early 18th century. He is best known as one of the wealthiest pirates in the Golden Age of Pir ...

, double-crossed Jennings, leading Jennings to brutally kill a group of captured British and French prisoners in retaliation. When Jennings returned to Jamaica following his latest raid, he found himself officially declared a pirate by King George I. Forced to flee, he headed for the Bahamas, setting up a new life in the New Providence. He became the unofficial governor of Nassau and received a formal pardon from Governor of Bahamas,

. Henry Jennings was an unusual pirate because he lived to enjoy old age.

Josiah Burgess

Alongside

Benjamin Hornigold Benjamin Hornigold (c. 1680–1719) was an English pirate towards the end of the Golden Age of Piracy. Born in England in the late 17th century, Hornigold began his pirate career in 1713, attacking merchant ships in the Bahamas. He helped to e ...

and Henry Jennings, Burgess was among the most influential pirates in Nassau in early 1717. That September

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. Captain Vincent Pearse of sailed to the Caribbean in March 1718 to deliver the news. The "commanders and ringleaders" of the pirates - Burgess, Hornigold, Francis Leslie, and Thomas Nichols - implored Pearse to release

and other prisoners as an enticement to the other gathered pirates. Pearse relented, and over 200 pirates surrendered, including Burgess.

Edward Teach

Edward Teach, more famously known as Blackbeard, may be the most legendary and terrifying pirate from the

Golden Age of Piracy The Golden Age of Piracy was the period between the 1650s and the 1730s, when maritime piracy was a significant factor in the histories of the North Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Histories of piracy often subdivide the Golden Age of Piracy into th ...

. Teach met and joined the crew of

in the

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 ...

after Teach had concluded his time as a privateer in the War of the Spanish Succession. The two became a dynamic duo, successfully raiding ships and pirating throughout the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

. When Hornigold retired in 1717 and gave his head title to Teach,

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 ...

joined Teach's crew. In November 1717, Teach attacked a French merchant vessel ''La Concorde'' off the coast of Saint Vincent. He took the ship for his own and renamed it ''

Queen Anne's Revenge ''Queen Anne's Revenge'' was an early-18th-century ship, most famously used as a flagship by Edward Teach, better known by his nickname Blackbeard. The date and place of the ship's construction are uncertain, and there is no record of its action ...

'', equipping it with 40 guns. Teach would wear three pistols across his chest and put lit matches under his hat to create a terrifying mist, creating a notorious and fearsome look about him. There are no verified accounts of Teach murdering or harming his captives, despite his reputation. In June 1718, Teach ventured to the Governor of

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

for a pardon after having stripped the ''Revenge'' of its provisions and marooned its crew. He settled in Bath with a wife and found work as a privateer in 1718. While on an expedition, Teach encountered

and a group of other infamous individuals including

John Rackham John Rackham (hanged 18 November 1720), perhaps known as Calico Jack, was a pirate captain operating in the Bahamas and Jamaica during the early 18th century. Rackham was active in 1720, towards the end of the "Golden Age of Piracy". He is mos ...

, Robert Deal, and

Israel Hands Israel Hands, also known as Basilica Hands, was an 18th-century pirate best known for being second in command to Edward Teach (c. 1680 – 22 November 1718), better known as Blackbeard. His name serves as the basis for the name of the villainou ...

. They spent several drunken nights loitering together until Lieutenant

Robert Maynard Robert Maynard (19 September 1684 – 4 January 1750) was a British Royal Navy officer. Little is known about Maynard's early life, other than that he was born in England in 1684 and then later joined the English Navy. He was made a lieutenant ...

was ordered to capture Teach. This led to a bloody battle upon Maynard's ship and Teach was eventually killed after being stabbed 20 times and shot at least 5 times. His head was later hung from the bow of Maynard's ship. There is also documentation that his name was "Thatch" instead of "Teach", since "Thatch" is a recognized name in the British Navy during his training years but "Teach" is not.

Charles Vane

Charles Vane was a pirate renowned for his sadistic and cruel ways. He ignored the

Pirate code Pirate articles, or articles of agreement were a code of conduct for governing ships of pirates, notably between the 17th century, 17th and 18th century, 18th centuries, during the so-called "Golden Age of Piracy". The typical pirate crew was an u ...

and showed little respect for his fellow crew members, despite his wittiness and skillfulness when it came to sailing. He was merciless towards his prisoners, turning to torture and murder when given the opportunity. Yet, Vane was admired for his great navigating and fighting skills. He made his first appearance in piracy history when he became a sailor of Captain Henry Jennings' crew. After Jennings' crew raided Spanish camps that had salvaged sunken treasure from a Spanish Treasure Fleet in 1715, Vane used his share to outfit his own ship, renaming it ''Ranger''. For two years, Vane used Nassau as a base for plundering merchant ships, along with many other notorious pirates collectively known as the Flying Gang. Vane declined a pardon from the Governor of The Bahamas,

, and was later pursued by

, who was under Rogers employ. Vane escaped to the Carolinas and on one occasion, conducted a blockade of Charleston Port. It is said that Vane's piracy almost stopped the slave trade at one point because of so few ships entering port. Vane later faced mutiny by his crew members, who disapproved of his wicked ways and selfishness. Eventually, Vane was ditched as captain and left on a small ship and in his place, his quartermaster was named captain. Vane was imprisoned in

by Captain Holford in 1719. Vane's former accomplices spoke out against him during trial and Vane gave no defense. Vane's piracy career was the most lucrative of any pirate, but it was his ego that eventually cost him his life. Vane was hanged on 29 March 1721 and his body was hung at Gun Bay as a warning to others who defied the law.

John Rackham

John Rackham started his pirate career during the mutiny against Charles Vane after he refused to attack a French ship. He is most known for his flag, the Jolly Roger, and that his crew consisted of both men and women. When Rackham went to Nassau he met

Anne Bonny Anne Bonny (disappeared after 28 November 1720) was a pirate who served under John Rackham. Amongst the few recorded female pirates in the Golden Age of Piracy, she has become one of the most recognized pirates of the era, as well as in the ...

and started an affair with her. The two of them went out on the seas and recruited people from the ships they attacked. Rackham was captured after a drunken battle and he was sent to Port Royal to be hanged. His body was later gibbeted and put on display on a very small islet at a main entrance to Port Royal now known as Rackham's Cay.

Stede Bonnet

Stede Bonnet was a

plantation owner The planter class was a racial and socioeconomic class which emerged in the Americas during European colonization in the early modern period. Members of the class, most of whom were settlers of European descent, consisted of individuals who ow ...

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

before he became a pirate. He became known as the "Gentleman Pirate". He plundered ships on the east coast of America before meeting up with Blackbeard in Nassau. During his battles he was wounded and could not lead, instead he followed Blackbeard and his crew during many successful raids. Bonnet lost almost everything when his crew left him to serve aboard the ''Queen Anne's Revenge''.

Mary Read

Mary Read started her career in the Royal Navy disguised as a man. She became one of the pirates in Nassau after her ship was captured. In 1720, she joined Jack Rackham's crew. It is said that she only revealed that she was a woman to Anne Bonny. When she and Bonny were captured she said that they were pregnant to avoid hanging. She became sick and died in prison.

Anne Bonny

Anne Bonny was a woman who moved to Nassau sometime between 1715 and 1718. According to the unreliable book, ''A General History of the Pyrates'', Bonny met John Rackham and fell in love with him. She joined Rackham and Mary Read to become a pirate. British authorities captured Bonny and other members of Rackham's crew off Jamaica on October 22nd 1720. Rackham, Bonny, Read and the others were tried at

Spanish Town Spanish Town (Jamaican Patois: Spain) is the capital and the largest town in the Parishes of Jamaica, parish of St. Catherine, Jamaica, St. Catherine in the historic county of Middlesex, Jamaica, Middlesex, Jamaica. It was the Spanish and Briti ...

, Jamaica. Bonny and Read were found guilty on November 28th, and sentenced to death. Upon sentencing, Bonny and Read claimed that they were pregnant. 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. ...

temporarily postponed the execution. There is no definitive record of Anne Bonny after 1720 which has led to much speculation about what happened to her.

Samuel Bellamy

After a mutiny to

in 1716, Samuel Bellamy became one of the richest pirates ever. New investigations of his flagship ''Whydah'' show that when he died in 1717, he had over five tons of cargo.

Olivier "La Buse" Levasseur

Like so many other Pirates, Olivier Levasseur did not want to stop being a pirate after the end of the

War of Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish ...

. He was called the "Buzzard" for his bold attacks and raids. Levasseur had an enormous treasure that is worth an estimated £1 billion. When he was about to be hanged in 1730, he threw away a

cryptogram A cryptogram is a type of puzzle that consists of a short piece of encrypted text. Generally the cipher used to encrypt the text is simple enough that the cryptogram can be solved by hand. Substitution ciphers where each letter is replaced by ...

that he said would lead to his treasure. Many adventurers and treasure hunters have searched for the treasure, but none have found it.

Paulsgrave Williams

Paulsgrave Williams was Bellamy's companion and with him looted the remains of the Spanish Treasure Fleet in 1716. But when he arrived much of the treasure had already been taken. Williams decided to "relieve" other ships of their treasure instead and started his career as a pirate. Unlike his partner Williams always wore a white wig. Many people commented on the big contrast between his white hair and sunburned skin.

Edward England

Edward England was captured by the pirate captain Christopher Winter and forced to join the crew. He took part in Henry Jennings' expedition for the sunken 1715 Treasure Fleet off the coast of Florida, and then began sailing with Charles Vane in 1718. Other prominent pirates accepting the King's Pardon, England and some of his men sailed for Africa. Along his way he spawned the career of

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 ...

, among others.

References

{{Pirates 18th-century pirates Caribbean pirates Blackbeard Piracy in the Caribbean Piracy in the Atlantic Ocean category:Maritime folklore