Robert Culliford
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Robert Culliford (c. 1666 – unknown; last name occasionally reported as Collover) 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 ...
from
Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
who is best remembered for repeatedly ''checking the designs'' of Captain
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 ...
.


Early career and capture

Culliford and Kidd first met as shipmates aboard the French privateer ''Sainte Rose'' in 1689; there were only six other Britons aboard. After the
War of the Grand Alliance The Nine Years' War was a European great power conflict from 1688 to 1697 between Kingdom of France, France and the Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg), Grand Alliance. Although largely concentrated in Europe, fighting spread to colonial poss ...
broke out, Kidd, Culliford, and their British comrades mutinied against a French prize crew, taking the ship from French Captain
Jean Fantin Jean Fantin (fl. 1681–1689) was a French pirate active in the Caribbean and off the coast of Africa. He is best known for having his ship stolen by William Kidd and Robert Culliford. History The ship ''Le Trompeuse'' (The Trickster) passed thro ...
and renaming it the ''Blessed William'', with Kidd put in command. In February 1690, Culliford led his own mutiny and deprived Kidd of his command. The pirates elected
William Mason William, Willie, or Willy Mason may refer to: Arts and entertainment *William Mason (poet) (1724–1797), English poet, editor and gardener *William Mason (architect) (1810–1897), New Zealand architect *William Mason (composer) (1829–1908), Ame ...
as captain. Culliford sailed with the pirates through the Caribbean, sacking ships and attacking a town. They went to New York to sell their booty. Mason was granted a
letter of marque A letter of marque and reprisal () was a Sovereign state, government license in the Age of Sail that authorized a private person, known as a privateer or French corsairs, corsair, to attack and capture vessels of a foreign state at war with t ...
by
Jacob Leisler Jacob Leisler ( – May 16, 1691) was a German-born politician and colonial administrator in the Province of New York. He gained wealth in New Amsterdam (later New York City) in the North American fur trade and tobacco business. In what became k ...
, then acting governor of New York, and Culliford accompanied the pirates as they ransacked and laid waste two French Canadian towns. The pirates also captured a French
frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...
named ''L'Esperance''. Mason granted this ship to Culliford, who renamed it the ''Horne Frigate'', Culliford's first pirate command. However, the pirates lost most of their booty when the two
ketch A ketch is a two- masted sailboat whose mainmast is taller than the mizzen mast (or aft-mast), and whose mizzen mast is stepped forward of the rudder post. The mizzen mast stepped forward of the rudder post is what distinguishes the ketch f ...
es they sent to bring their wealth to New York fell into the hands of French privateers. The disappointed Culliford returned to New York with Mason, where they returned aboard a single ship, the ''Jacob'', another captured French vessel, and set sail in December 1690. Culliford served as captain's
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 ...
, one of two quartermasters aboard the ''Jacob''. Culliford and his fellow pirates eventually made their way to India, landing at Mangrol in 1692, where they robbed and abused the local population. The
Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...
is eventually captured Culliford and seventeen of his comrades, and Culliford spent the next four years in a Gujarati prison.


Escape and new adventures

In the spring of 1696, Culliford and some of his comrades escaped and made their way to
Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...
, where they signed aboard the
East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...
ketch ''Josiah''. In
Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...
they commandeered the ship, returned to piracy, and sailed for the
Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. Geographically it is positioned between the Indian subcontinent and the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese peninsula, located below the Bengal region. Many South Asian and Southe ...
. Near the
Nicobar Islands The Nicobar Islands are an archipelago, archipelagic island chain in the eastern Indian Ocean. They are located in Southeast Asia, northwest of Aceh on Sumatra, and separated from Thailand to the east by the Andaman Sea. Located southeast of t ...
, the crew retook the ship and marooned Culliford. He was rescued by Ralph Stout, captain of the ''Mocha''. When Stout was killed in 1697, Culliford became captain, briefly sailing alongside the ''Charming Mary'' (formerly captained by Richard Glover, then Richard Bobbington, and later
John Ireland John Benjamin Ireland (January 30, 1914 – March 21, 1992) was a Canadian-American actor and film director. Born in Vancouver, British Columbia and raised in New York City, he came to prominence with film audiences for his supporting roles i ...
). Cullingford then pursued the British ship ''Dorill'', but the ''Dorill'' opened fire and severed the ''Mocha'' mainmast. Culliford retreated to St. Mary's Island (
Île Sainte-Marie Nosy Boraha , also known as Sainte-Marie, main town Ambodifotatra, is an island off the east coast of Madagascar. The island forms an administrative district within Analanjirofo Region, and covers an area of 222 km2. It has a population e ...
) off eastern
Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...
, plundering ships along the way. At Saint Mary's, Culliford plundered a French ship with £2,000 worth of cargo. Meanwhile, William Kidd, hunting pirates, found Culliford at St. Mary's Island. While plotting to capture Culliford's ship most of Kidd's crew (who had grown angry with their captain) abandoned Kidd and signed on with Culliford. Culliford and his new crew then set off in late June 1698, leaving Kidd and his ransacked ship to fend for themselves on St. Mary's Island. Shortly after departing Saint Mary's Island, Culliford met up with
Dirk Chivers Dirk Chivers (, last name occasionally Shivers) was a Dutch pirate active in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. Early career Dirk Chivers is first recorded as a crew member of the ''Portsmouth Adventure'', , under Captain Joseph Faro (or Farrell) arou ...
. They joined forces with
Joseph Wheeler Joseph "Fighting Joe" Wheeler (September 10, 1836 – January 25, 1906) was a military commander and politician of the Confederate States of America. He was a cavalry general in the Confederate States Army in the 1860s during the American Civil ...
and captured the ''Great Mohammed'' in the
Red Sea The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...
in September 1698. The ''Great Mohammed'' carried £130,000 in cash. While returning to Saint Mary's Island they plundered another ship in February 1699. In June 1699 Culliford was living at
Edward Welch Edward Welch may refer to: *Edward Welch (architect), Welsh architect * Edward F. Welch Jr., United States Navy admiral * Edward Welch (pirate), Madagascar-based pirate trader *Ed Welch Edward William Welch (born 22 October 1947) is an Engli ...
settlement on Ile Ste. Marie near Madagascar with fellow Captain John Swann; while there, Swann was referred to as “a great consort of Culliford’s, who lives with him.” Because of this, Culliford is occasionally cited as a
bisexual Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...
or
homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" exc ...
pirate. But lack of evidence leaves the exact nature of their relationship unclear. At St. Mary's a number of his sailors elected to return to America, paying Giles Shelley to take them on as passengers aboard the ''Nassau''. While at Saint Mary's Island, four British warships under Commodore Thomas Warren arrived. The pirates were offered a royal 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 Culliford accepted despite its expiration. He was arrested despite the pardon, and taken to the
Marshalsea The Marshalsea (1373–1842) was a notorious prison in Southwark, just south of the River Thames. Although it housed a variety of prisoners—including men accused of crimes at sea and political figures charged with sedition—it became known, ...
prison on 1 August 1700.Zacks 2002, p. 332. He was tried for piracy of the ''Great Mohammed'' and his pardon was ruled invalid. He was saved from hanging, because he was needed in
Samuel Burgess Captain Samuel Burgess was a member of Captain William Kidd's crew in 1690 when the ''Blessed William'' was seized by Robert Culliford and some of the crew, with William May named as captain. In 1693, Edward Coates became captain and Burgess ...
' trial. Following the trial, Culliford disappeared from record, and rumour has it that he next served on a naval ship, after which he disappears from the records like another famous pirate -
Henry Every Henry Every, also known as Henry Avery (20 August 1659Disappeared: June 1696), sometimes erroneously given as Jack Avery or John Avery, was an English pirate who operated in the Atlantic and Indian oceans in the mid-1690s. He probably used s ...
.


Notes


References

* Zacks, Richard (2002). ''The Pirate Hunter : The True Story of Captain Kidd''. Hyperion Books () {{DEFAULTSORT:Culliford, Robert Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 1660s births 17th-century English criminals English pirates People from Cornwall Inmates of the Marshalsea 17th-century pirates