The term “pirate” often invokes images of marauding scalawags, sometimes with pegged wooden legs and eye patches, pillaging ships out on the high seas. And thanks to Disney, many folks also readily know about those infamous pirate dwellings throughout the Caribbean. But you shouldn’t assume incorrectly that pirates weren’t also part of the makeup of all our favorite regional dwellings in Delmarva. Let the records show that pirates not only visited coastal locales throughout the Chesapeake region but actually frequented the area abundantly.
In this Flashback Friday Feature, I’m providing an overview history of the long legacy of piracy throughout Delmarva. It may surprise you to discover just which famous pirates made up the Chesapeake pirate ensemble and the impact they had in helping to define and shape our history.
What is a Pirate?
The word “pirate” remains the most universal umbrella term for various different groups of marauding seafolk, but you’ve undoubtedly heard many others as well. There’s the French-derived “buccaneer,” for instance, which often applied to those inhabiting the Caribbean and the Central American Pacific regions. There were also “corsairs,” a term often associated with those known to frequent the Mediterranean between the 14th and 19th centuries. Perhaps you’ve even heard the word “mooncusser” once or twice. This is an Americanized pirate derivative applied to those known for orchestrating shipwrecks on land through use of lantern trickery and sand dunes on the darkest of nights when there was no moonlight to foil their plans.
Another similarly connotated term you’ve likely heard is that of a “privateer,” or “picaroon” (in British English). This form of piracy differs, however, in that privateers were actually given the okay by their home nations to attack and capture enemy ships.
The First Act of Chesapeake Piracy
Many historians agree that the Golden Age of Piracy largely occurred between the years 1690 and 1740 and was at first concentrated in tropical regions, such as the Caribbean, before groups started heading further north along the East Coast (a result of being pursued by the British Navy). Yet interestingly enough Kent Island was actually site to one of the earliest known acts of piracy in the New World.
This occurred in the 1630s with William Claiborne—an unlikely pirate who happened to own a plantation on Kent Island, operate a successful trading post, and even formerly served in a leadership position in the Virginia Colony. It was the reestablishment of his land on Kent Island as part of Maryland territory by Lord Baltimore that led Claiborne into piracy. Under these conditions, Claiborne would have needed to purchase a whole new trading license to continue operating his post.
This didn’t set well with Claiborne. His first act of piracy occurred in 1635 when he instigated an attack on a Maryland fur trading post on Palmer’s Island. He then moved on to attacking ships in the Chesapeake. This eventually resulted in his land on Kent Island being seized by the Maryland General Assembly in 1638.
Claiborne escaped what could have been harsher punishment for his crimes, but never reasserted control over his lost Kent Island land. He eventually retired to Romancoke in Virginia in 1660 and passed away in 1677.
Why Pirates Loved the Eastern Shore
Claiborne’s act of piracy may have been the first notable record for such marauding in the Chesapeake Bay Area, but it was by no means the only account. In fact, pirates were actually drawn to the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern Shore for so many appealing reasons. For instance, there were all those alluring coves, waterways, and other intricate routes that could serve as hindering escapes when needed. The dense, obscured areas and inaccessibility of some spots even proved to be viable hiding grounds for “obtained treasures,” to be stashed away or buried at.
With all the increasing trade and commerce going on throughout the early 17th century between the Virginia and Maryland Colonies and England, pirates soon pegged the southern portion of the Chesapeake as the premium place to set up attacks on arriving vessels. Privateering interests also later followed suit for various reasons, especially into the 18th century predating and concurring with the American Revolution.
Pirates had many favored haunts throughout the Delmarva Peninsula, so many in fact that it would be hard to list them all. Some well-known areas that were especially teaming with pirates back in the day included Fenwick Island and Lewes in Delaware and Vienna in Maryland. Sussex County in Delaware in general, along with Worcester County, Maryland were hotspot havens. Calvert County and St. Mary’s in Maryland also had an abundance. And it goes without saying that most of the Virginia coastal area was prime pirate territory.
Local Ties to Renowned Pirates
There have been several notable pirate ties to the Eastern Shore through the years. There was William Kidd, for example, who commandeered the Adventure Galley and was notoriously wanted for capturing several European ships near Madagascar and the Red Sea. He arrived on the Delaware coast in the 1690s and then sailed for Boston, where he was later arrested and deported to England. Theophilus Turner was one of the men who arrived in Delaware with Kidd, later heading up the Bay on Andrew Gravenrod’s sloop with intentions for settling in the Tidewater area with his treasures. Things didn’t work out for him when they weighed anchor in the Severn River and Turner was later arrested, sent to England, and his treasure confiscated.
But one of the most famous pirates from Chesapeake Bay history was none other than Edward Teach, more commonly known as Black Beard. That’s right, Black Beard the Pirate frequently liked to head to the Eastern Shore. He even had a favored stop in Delaware where he often had his boat cleaned, maintained, and prepared before heading out to sea. Furthermore, locals liked Black Beard. That’s why they named a town and creek “Blackbird” in his honor. Various locations throughout Maryland and Virginia also named certain places for him. And on that note, it’s worth mentioning that Black Beard also found many opportunities for pillaging in the Virginia region, particularly off the Virginia capes.
One of the most fascinating close-to-home historical pirate accounts came about in the 1690s when three retired pirates—Edward Davis, Lionel de la Wafer, and John Hinson—were apprehended by Captain Rowe of the Dumbarton. Following a year of jailtime in Jamestown, the men were tried for past crimes and even pleaded their case to the Virginia Council in order to receive a lesser punishment. In the end, it was agreed that they would return their confiscated treasures to England, minus 300 hundred pounds worth (one hundred for each man) to be paid to the government for their crimes. That amount of 300 pounds was eventually used to fund the building of the College of William and Mary.
Pirate Assistance in Delmarva Developments
It’s interesting to think that stolen pirate loot helped to establishment of the College of William and Mary. Yet there are a number of other ways in which Chesapeake Bay pirates proved beneficial to the area and by extension the developmental history of the United States.
Before Delaware was its own state, for instance, it was part of Pennsylvania. Yet many areas in what is now Delaware were prone to pirate attacks, which locals were powerless to fight against owing to Quaker pacifistic laws at the time. So, it was in the best interest economically and locally for the people in these regions to be their own defense—a partial contributor in the formation of the state of Delaware.
Also, as previously mentioned, privateers played a crucial role in helping colonial efforts along in eventually winning independence from British rule via the American Revolution. It’s also worth mentioning how pirates often attacked British ships carrying taxed products and sold Colonists the goods, sans taxes.
Last Pirate Acts in the Chesapeake
The last official act of “traditional piracy” in the Chesapeake took place in 1807, with the capturing of the Othello by French pirates on the Patuxent River. Yet, other less conventional acts of piracy persisted, primarily in relation to the booming oyster industry following the American Civil War era. This alternative pirating took the form of illegal oyster dredging by night—an act that continued well into the 20th century in what went on to be known as the Oyster Wars. The final act of oyster pirating came in 1959, ending in a fatal shooting. Delmarva governments have since established unified protective measures for managing oyster populations and improving Chesapeake Bay quality and wellbeing.
This is only a brief account of literally hundreds of years of piracy on local surrounding waterways. The extensive history in its entirety is even more fascinating and, in my opinion, certainly worthy of being made into a competing blockbuster hit.