1717–1718 Acts of Grace

Proclamations promising pardons for acts of piracy the Proclamation for Suppressing of Pirates the Act of Grace and Free Pardon (which freed Jacobites) Indemnity Act 1717 thumb|The 1717 proclamation as it appeared in The London Gazette The Proclamation for Suppressing of Pirates (also known simply as the Act of Grace, though not an Act of ParliamentButler Lindley S. 2000 Pirates, Privateers, and Rebel Raiders of the Carolina Coast https://archive.org/details/piratesprivateer00butl_0/page/11/mode/2up?q=act+of+grace Chapel Hill & London The University of North Carolina Press 12 0-8078-2553-0 registration)In the context of contemporary piracy, the pardon is often simply called the King's Pardon. was a royal proclamation issued by George I of Great Britain on 5 September 1717. It promised a pardon for acts of piracy committed before the following 5 January, to those pirates who surrendered themselves to the correct authority before a deadline. Originally, the surrender had to occur on or before 5 September 1718; this was later extended by a second proclamation to 1 July 1719.Brigham 1911 176–180 The proclamation also included bounties for the capture of pirates who failed to surrender before the deadline, as well as offering rewards for pirate crew members who facilitated the capture of their captains. In December 1718, a further extension of the deadline was suggested, in hopes of dissuading pirates from entering Spanish service during the War of the Quadruple Alliance.State Papers 1717–1718 398–399 (780, 9 December 1718) Background an introduction to contemporary Caribbean piracy, including the Republic of Pirates December 2021 Golden Age of Piracy Piracy in the Caribbean Piracy in the Atlantic World Republic of Pirates Precedent Acts of grace (piracy) Kings James I, James II and William III issued similar pardons or proclamations in the prior century. Pardons under James I With the end of the first Anglo-Spanish war under James I, and the corresponding end to English privateering in 1603, English sailors resorted to piracy.Senior 1976 7–11 In 1611, Captain Richard Bishop became one of the first notable pirates to be pardoned, having surrendered partly due to qualms about attacking English ships. He was allowed to keep his plunder.Senior writes that it is unclear whether Bishop was allowed to keep all his plunder.Senior 1976 41 In 1611, the English government was willing to offer a general pardon to pirates, on condition that they surrender their ships and goods. 1877 Calendar of State Papers, Ireland, James I. 1611–1614 https://archive.org/details/cu31924091770846/page/93 London Longman 93 (214, 11 August 1611) The following year, the privy council of James I offered a general pardon without this condition. At least 12 pirate crews surrendered to the general pardon,Earle 2005 61Senior 1976 72 though a large portion of Baughe's crew would shortly return to piracy.Senior 1976 72 Captain Roger Middleton, who sailed first to Ireland then to Mehdya to deliver the pardon, extracted bribes from pirates in exchange for their pardon.Senior 1976 71 The lack of competing pirates in Ireland due to the general pardon saw Henry Mainwaring become notorious in 1613 as leader of a pirate fleet. He would receive offers from Tuscany, Savoy, Tunis and Spain of a pardon should he surrender; however, consistent with his not attacking English ships, in June 1616 he instead accepted an English offer of pardon,Earle 2005 63Senior 1976 74 having sought one since the previous yearSenior 1976 145 (as too had Lording BarrySenior 1976 145–146). Clive Senior suggests that the government had an incentive to pardon pirates, since this would keep these potentially useful seamen available in case of war.Senior 1976 18 Proclamations of 1687–1688 Around the 1670s, an expedition to suppress piracy in the Spanish West Indies using pardons was planned, but never went ahead.Gosse Philip 2007 The History of Piracy https://archive.org/details/historyofpiracy0000goss/page/320 registration Mineola, New York Dover 978-0-486-46183-0 207, 320–322. On 22 May 1687, James II renewed the proclamation for the suppression of pirates, offering a limited time in which any pirate who surrendered would receive a pardon. That August, he commissioned Sir Robert Holmes to suppress piracy in a squadron sent to the West Indies.Haring Clarence H. Clarence H. Haring 1910 The Buccaneers in the West Indies in the XVII Century https://archive.org/details/buccaneersinwes00harigoog/page/n231 New York E. P. Dutton and Company 252–253 On 20 January 1688,DualDate The year officially began on 25 March until 1752, so this is sometimes (and contemporarily) dual dated or recorded as the previous year. James II issued a proclamation (offering pardons to pirates who surrendered to Holmes or to an appointee of his) in order to ensure that colonial governors would cooperate with Holmes and his agents.2315 26 January 1687 1Brigham 1911 140–142 Holmes' fleet achieved a temporary reduction in piracy, but the number of pirates had increased again by 1693. 1698 proclamation Pirate Round On 8 December 1698, William III issued a proclamation offering pardons to pirates east of the Cape of Good Hope who surrendered to Captain Thomas Warren. Henry Every and William Kidd were specifically exempted from receiving this pardon.Lloyd Charles Edward 1899 State trials of Mary, Queen of Scots, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Captain William Kidd. https://archive.org/details/statetrialsofmar00harrrich/page/129/mode/2up Chicago Callaghan and Company 129–130 By the time that Warren arrived in Madagascar, the Act of Grace had expired. By promising to extend the deadline for surrender, Warren obtained the surrender of Robert Culliford, among others; however, these pirates were taken to trial and all except Culliford were hanged.Grey 1933 148–149 The fact that pirates such as Joseph Bradish and those in Kidd's company were not offered amnesty by the authorities contributed to scepticism regarding acts of grace, including among the crew of Bartholomew Roberts more than two decades later.Grey 1933 207 Peace of Utrecht With armistices in 1712, followed by the Peace of Utrecht in 1713, the state of war (which had existed since 1702 as part of the War of the Spanish Succession) between England/Great Britain on one side and France and Spain on the other came to an end.Gerard James W. 1885 The Peace of Utrecht https://archive.org/details/cu31924027872021/page/n153 New York & London G. P. Putnam's Sons 134, 252, 261, 277, 283–284, 292 Employment for sailors became difficult to find and poorly paid, as privateering commissions became useless and as the Royal Navy discharged over 36,000 men (nearly three-quarters of those it had employed). In spite of the peace, Spanish guarda costa continued to seize English ships (based on their possession of Spanish coin), harming and imprisoning English sailors, as well as discouraging the merchant shipping which would otherwise have offered legitimate employment. This led some sailors to resort to piracy.Woodard 2007 86–87 Anti-piracy campaign In 1715, a Royal Navy anti-piracy campaign began in earnest.Earle 2005 183 No pirate ships were captured till 1717, the year that Scarborough 1711 6 caused the destruction of a pirate galley and a sloop near Saint Croix, but failed to capture the crew.Earle 2005 183State Papers 1716–1717 263–264 (484, 1 March 1717) At this time, some 20–30 pirate vessels remained at sea.Earle 2005 183 The reasons for the campaign's ineffectiveness till 1718Earle 2005 192 included the vastness of the seas in which pirates operated, pirates' better knowledge of those seas, outdated intelligence, and a desire to cut costs (which resulted in a lack of ships, maintenance and seamen).Earle 2005 183–186 The campaign's initial lack of success saw the British government resort to offering pardons to pirates by issuing the proclamation of 1717.Earle 2005 189 1717 proclamation Support for a pardon For several months, piracy in the West Indies – particularly around Jamaica – had been such a problem for the merchants and masters of ships of Bristol that they petitioned the king for its suppression. Following receipt of this petition, in May 1717, Secretary of State Joseph Addison asked the Council of Trade and Plantations to recommend to the king how best to achieve this.State Papers 1716–1717 311–312 (587 and 587 i, 27 May 1717) Having consulted merchants and other interested parties, the council agreed that the issue was urgent, replying that "the whole trade from Great Britain to those parts" was "in imminent danger of being lost". The council heard that piracy even reached the seas near the northern continent, and that at least one fourth-rate or two fifth-rates were required to suppress it. In addition, the consultees proposed a royal pardon for pirates who surrendered themselves; the council hoped that this would reform the pirates into law-abiding subjects. Finally, the council recommended that the Bahamas be settled and fortified to prevent pirates from sheltering there.State Papers 1716–1717 321–322 (596, 31 May 1717) Meanwhile, in Virginia, Lieutenant-Governor Alexander Spotswood recommended reducing the number of pirates either by force (to serve as a deterrent), or by offering a pardon to those who would submit – although he doubted that all the pirates would accept such an offer.State Papers 1716–1717 316–317 (595, 31 May 1717) In August 1717, soon-to-be Governor of Jamaica Nicholas Lawes advocated both royal clemency and an increased presence of warships to reduce the number of pirates and protect Jamaican trade.State Papers 1717–1718 17–18 (54, 29 August 1717) The pirates themselves threatened to attack Bermuda and (according to Lieutenant-Governor Bennett) "make a new Madagascar of it" if they were not offered a pardon, communicating this through the masters of captured ships.State Papers 1717–1718 260–262 (551, 31 May 1718) Contents Following a justification for the proclamation, the text defines who it is pirates may surrender to and by what date. We do hereby Promise and Declare, That in case any of the said Pirates shall, on or before the Fifth Day of September, in the Year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred and eighteen, Surrender him or themselves to One of Our Principal Secretaries of State in Great Britain or Ireland, or to any Governor or Deputy-Governor of any of Our Plantations or Dominions beyond the Seas, every such Pirate and Pirates, so Surrendring him or themselves, as aforesaid, shall have Our Gracious Pardon of and for such his or their Piracy or Piracies, by him or them Committed before the Fifth Day of January next ensuing. King George I A Proclamation for Suppressing of PiratesBrigham 1911 176–177 The proclamation also defined the following bounties for the capture of pirates who failed to surrender before the deadline. We do hereby further Declare, That in case any Person or Persons, on or after the Sixth Day of September, One thousand seven hundred and eighteen, shall Discover or Seize, or cause or procure to be Discovered or Seized, any One or more of the said Pirates, so neglecting or refusing to Surrender themselves, as aforesaid, so as they may be brought to Justice, and Convicted of the said Offence, such Person or Persons, so making such Discovery or Seizure, or causing or procuring such Discovery or Seizure to be made, shall have and receive as a Reward for the same, viz. For every Commander of any Pirate- Ship or Vessel the Sum of One hundred Pounds; For every Lieutenant, Master, Boatswain, Carpenter, and Gunner, the Sum of Forty Pounds; For every Inferior Officer the Sum of Thirty Pounds; And for every Private Man the Sum of Twenty Pounds. King George I A Proclamation for Suppressing of PiratesBrigham 1911 176–177 It further offered the following rewards for pirate crew members facilitating the capture of their captains.Brigham 1911 176–177 And if any Person or Persons, belonging to, and being Part of the Crew of any such Pirate-Ship or Vessel, shall, on or after the said Sixth Day of September, One thousand seven hundred and eighteen, Seize and Deliver, or cause to be Seized or Delivered, any Commander or Commanders of such Pirate-Ship or Vessel, so as that he or they be brought to Justice, and convicted of the said Offence, such Person or Persons, as a Reward for the same, shall receive for every such Commander the Sum of Two hundred Pounds; which said Sums the Lord Treasurer, or the Commissioners of Our Treasury for the time being, are hereby required and directed to Pay accordingly. King George I A Proclamation for Suppressing of PiratesBrigham 1911 176–177 1718 proclamation Support for a new proclamation Given the preparation of commissions to pardon acts of piracy which had occurred before 23 July 1718 (as opposed to 5 January, as in the original proclamation), that month the Council of Trade and Plantations directed governors to issue proclamations with this new date, and suggested that the king do the same.State Papers 1717–1718 326–327 (640, 25 July 1718) On 9 December, the council also recommended a further extension of the date, hoping to dissuade pirates from entering Spanish service during the War of the Quadruple Alliance. Response North America 300 Locations of Bermuda, Charles Town, Jamaica, London and New Providence Locations of Bermuda, Charles Town, Jamaica, London and New Providence Bermuda top 32 20 N 64 45 W New Providence 25 02 N 77 24 W Jamaica bottom 18 10 48 N 77 24 00 W London 51 30 26 N 0 7 39 W Charles Town 32 47 00 N 79 56 00 W Legal opinion In November 1717, Attorney General Edward Northey and Solicitor General William Thomson provided their legal opinion regarding the proclamation: The proclamation did not contain a pardon, but promised one; Murders committed during acts of piracy could be pardoned; Pirates would not have to forfeit their property, but property taken unlawfully could be retaken by its lawful owner; No pirate who surrendered before the deadline was excepted from the promise of a pardon.State Papers 1717–1718 104–105 (201, 14 November 1717) Furthermore, by late February 1718, it was decided that governors would require a commission under the Great Seal in order to grant royal pardons as promised by the proclamation.State Papers 1717–1718 188, 224 (390, 20 February 1718 and 466, 27 March 1718) Such commissions were ordered and prepared that July; in addition, governors were then permitted to pardon acts of piracy which occurred before 23 July 1718 (as opposed to the original date of 5 January 1718DualDate).State Papers 1717–1718 292, 305, 326–327 (589, 1 July 1718; 614, 11 July 1718; and 638–642, 23–25 July 1718) (Lt. Governor Spotswood and Governor Rogers received commissions for which this date was 18 August.State Papers 1719–1720 11 (33, 30 January 1719)) In the days following the 1718 proclamation, updated commissions were once again ordered and sent.State Papers 1717–1718 435–437 (801, 23 December 1718 and 803, 24 December 1718) New Providence When news of the proclamation reached Bermuda, Lieutenant-Governor Benjamin Bennett sent his son in December 1717 to the Republic of Pirates on New Providence.State Papers 1717–1718 170–171 (345 and 345 ii, 3 February 1718)Woodard 2007 228 The arrival of Bennett's son with copies of the proclamation caused the pirates there to divide into two factions, depending on whether they planned to accept the pardon.Woodard 2007 228 The faction rejecting the pardon included Jacobites,Fox Edward T. 2010 Jacobitism and the "Golden Age" of Piracy, 1715-1725 https://www.academia.edu/772352 International Journal of Maritime History 22 2 277–303 10.1177/084387141002200212 162372700 1 November 2021Woodard 2014: "This anti-pardon crowd included... pirates who held... "Jacobite" sympathies" and was led by Charles Vane.5706 23 December 1718 1Woodard 2014: "Their undisputed leader was Charles Vane." Those rejecting the pardon supported fortifying the island, as did those wishing to secure their plunder, but when a general council was called, no action was agreed on.Woodard 2007 231–232Johnson 1724 34–35 While the Jacobites sought support from George Camocke,Woodard 2007 230–231 other pirates sailed to nearby British colonies to receive a pardon, including Henry Jennings and around 150 others who sailed to Bermuda, most of whom would return to piracy.Johnson 1724 35 The likes of Christopher Condent, Christopher Winter and Nicholas Brown fled New Providence, with Winter and Brown sailing to Spanish Cuba.Woodard 2007 232 On 23 February 1718, Captain Vincent Pearse arrived at Nassau, having sailed from New York on Phoenix 1694 6.Woodard 2014: "On... February 23, the Phoenix arrived" Pearse's crew was informed of how to find Vane by pirates intending to accept the pardon.Woodard 2007 234 Although Vane's crew was apprehended and his sloop, the Lark, taken, pirates Hornigold, Leslie, Burgess and Nichols persuaded Pearse to release Vane and his crew as a show of good faith.Woodard 2007 234–235 Though Pearse lacked the authority to issue pardons, he offered signed certificates to pirates who would surrender to him.Woodard 2007 235 209 accepted this offer,Woodard 2007 236 less than half of the pirates on New Providence. Pearse produced a list of their names: Having already returned to piracy and attacked the crew of the Phoenix,Woodard 2007 237–238 on 4 April, Vane left New Providence on the recaptured Lark.Woodard 2007 239 Pearse and the Phoenix left four days later. Vane would return in late April,Woodard 2007 259 and again in July.Woodard 2007 260–261 Arrival of Governor Rogers On 24 July 1718, the new Governor of the Bahamas, Woodes Rogers, arrived off Hog Island (near Nassau),Woodard 2007 261 along with a series of vessels which included three Royal Navy warships.Woodard 2007 262 The following day, Vane left New Providence and escaped this force with Charles Yeats on Yeats' ship Katherine.Woodard 2007 265–266 When he set foot on New Providence on 27 July, Rogers was welcomed by pro-pardon pirates, including Thomas Walker, Hornigold, and Hornigold's and Josiah Burgess's crews.Woodard 2007 267Johnson 1726 275 (BurgessWoodard 2007 249 and Hornigold had already been pardoned by this time. Woodbury George The Great Days of Piracy https://archive.org/details/dli.ernet.507498/page/158 Elek Books Ltd London 1954 158) On 1 August, Rogers' new council granted the King's Pardon to some 200 pirates.Woodard 2014: "...on August 1... [t]he council met... that very day... accepting the surrenders of some two hundred pirates who had not yet taken the king's pardon." Edward England, having been among those rejecting the pardon,Woodard 2007 229 sailed to Africa after this.Johnson 1724 114 Following its departure on 10 September, the crew of the Buck (a sloop-of-war taken to New Providence by Rogers,Woodard 2014: "[Rogers] sailed... accompanied by... the private sloop-of-war Buck" now with reformed pirates among its crew) turned pirate.Woodard 2007 271 The Buck's new pirate crew included reformed pirates Thomas Anstis and Howell Davis,Johnson 1724 330 as well as a man who had come from England aboard the Buck, Walter Kennedy.Woodard 2007 271 Moreover, Rogers estimated that 150 pirates had left New Providence between the end of July and late October, including pirates hoping to join Vane.Woodard 2007 284 Indeed, that October saw the departure of three sloops, which two days later experienced a mutiny led by pardoned pirates John Auger, Phineas Bunce and Dennis McCarthy.Rogozinski 1999 17, 47, 207 Due to the threat from both committed pirates and the Spanish (particularly after news of the War of the Quadruple Alliance arrived in March 1719Woodard 2007 311), Rogers employed pardoned ex-pirates as pirate hunters and privateers.Woodard 2007 284 These included Hornigold, John CockramWoodard 2007 284 and Burgess.Woodard 2007 314 By the end of November 1718, the pirate hunters had captured more than 10 prisoners, including Nicholas Woodall.Woodard 2007 285–286 Eight such previously pardoned prisoners,Johnson 1726 341 including Auger and McCarthy, would be hanged that December.Woodard 2007 302–304 Rogers received a commission to pardon in January 1719. That month, he wrote of his doubts that most remaining pirates would surrender, stating that reducing their numbers would be difficult without a greater presence of naval vessels under a governor's control. Bermuda In February 1718, Lt. Governor Bennett was optimistic about the pardon, reporting that he had been giving certificates to pirates who surrendered, and requesting instructions regarding how to ensure surrendered pirates would receive their pardon.State Papers 1717–1718 170–171 (345, 3 February 1718) The need for such instructions became more pressing as pirates became impatient to leave Bermuda.State Papers 1717–1718 186 (384, 16 February 1718) The following March, Bennett reported that there were pirates who refused to take the pardon without assurance that they would be allowed to keep their plunder.State Papers 1717–1718 226–227 (474, 29 March 1718) From March to July, Bennett's worsening predicament was repeatedly relayed to Secretary of State James Craggs by the Council of Trade and Plantations,State Papers 1717–1718 224, 229, 253–254 (466, 27 March 1718; 485, 3 April 1718; and 539, 16 May 1718)State Papers 1717–1718 287 (580, 1 July 1718) which also blamed the fact that surrendered pirates were returning to piracy on governors' lack of any power to pardon without a commission. Bennett would receive this commission by the following October.State Papers 1717–1718 361 (714 i, 10 October 1718) Around April 1718, Henry Jennings took a privateering commission from Bennett to hunt Charles Vane.Woodard 2007 259 A year later, shortly after news of the War of the Quadruple Alliance arrived in New Providence,Woodard 2007 311 pirates from the Bahamas surrendered to Bennett in April 1719 and received the king's pardon. That May, more pirates surrendered on condition that they be allowed to keep their plunder. Bennett reported that the pardon was working, since he was now only aware of ongoing piracy by Christopher Condent and Edward England.State Papers 1719–1720 118 (227, 8 June 1719) Blackbeard USA North Carolina 300 Map of North Carolina, showing the locations of Charles Town, Beaufort and Bath Locations of Charles Town, Beaufort and Bath 1 Bath 35 28 28 N 76 48 32 W Beaufort 34 43 N 76 39 W Charles Town top 32 47 00 N 79 56 00 W 1 Blackbeard heard of the proclamation around 5 December 1717, from the captain of a sloop which he had attacked.Woodard 2007 223–225State Papers 1717–1718 150–151 (298 iii, 6 January 1718) Around early May 1718, on New Providence, about 300 of his roughly 700 men left his company, some intending to take the King's Pardon.Woodard 2007 245–246 During his blockade of Charles Town around the end of that month, Blackbeard rejected a pardon from Governor Robert Johnson.Woodard 2007 250–255 Around early June, near Beaufort, North Carolina, Blackbeard allowed Stede Bonnet to sail to Bath, North Carolina, to be pardoned by Governor Charles Eden. With Bonnet away, Blackbeard and about 100 others took the entire company's plunder – including Bonnet's share – and sailed to Bath along a different route, where they too received the King's Pardon.Woodard 2007 255–258 Blackbeard and Bonnet would each return to piracy, Blackbeard using the veneer of legality afforded to him by Eden and his pardon,Woodard 2007 258, 277–279 and Bonnet attempting to conceal his identity.Woodard 2007 275 Bonnet would later be executed,Johnson 1724 102–104 and Blackbeard would be killed while fighting Virginia authorities.Woodard 2007 295 Quartermaster William Howard, already convicted and sentenced, was pardoned after he was made aware that the deadline for surrendering had been extended,State Papers 1717–1718 425, 432 (800, 22 December 1718) while Israel Hands (who had also been convicted) was pardoned, apparently for testifying against corrupt North Carolina officials.Rogozinski 1999 150 South Carolina In June 1718, about two weeks after Blackbeard's blockade of Charles Town, Governor Johnson opined that the proclamation of pardon was ineffective due to the number of recipients who returned to piracy,State Papers 1717–1718 266–267 (556, 18 June 1718) believing that the proclamation had proved to be an encouragement to pirates, and that the number of pirates had tripled since its publication.State Papers 1717–1718 336–337 (660 (b), 19 August 1718 [13 June 1718]) During Charles Vane's blockade of Charles Town around 30 August 1718, Charles Yeats defected from Vane's command and, with a cargo of Guinean slaves, surrendered to Governor Johnson in exchange for a pardon.Woodard 2007 273 Jamaica From February to March 1718, Commander in Chief of Jamaica Peter Heywood reported that a considerable number of pirates had surrendered, including Hornigold.State Papers 1717–1718 175–6, 215–216 (357, 7 February 1718 and 447, 17 March 1718) However, that August, the council and assembly reported that the pirates were numerous in spite of the proclamation.State Papers 1717–1718 346 (681 iii, 1 September 1718) Governor Nicholas Lawes' commission to pardon arrived by the following October.State Papers 1717–1718 360 (713, 10 October 1718) When the proclamation of 1718 was read and news of the War of the Quadruple Alliance arrived in March 1719, Governor Lawes wrote of his expectation that more pirates would surrender, the pirates having "long wish[ed] for" such a war. He also remarked that more pirates would have surrendered beforehand had they not been supplied with necessities and information from people on shore.State Papers 1719–1720 63 (132, 24 March 1719) The following month, Lawes discussed how the proclamation was ambiguous regarding whether pirates who could not return stolen property to its lawful owner should be imprisoned, explaining that a prosecution against Henry Jennings which had highlighted this ambiguity had also dissuaded pirates from surrendering.State Papers 1719–1720 81–83 (167 and 167 i, 28 April 1719) Henry Jennings and Leigh Ashworth became privateers based in Jamaica.Woodard 2007 314 Ashworth resumed his piracy in May 1719.Woodard 2014: "Taking the pardon, Ashworth had...", "Ashworth's fate is unclear, but in May 1719 he was again stepping over the line between privateering and piracy" Elsewhere Governors Robert Hunter (of New York) and Samuel Shute (of Massachusetts and New Hampshire) each wrote of the proclamation's ineffectiveness in June 1718.State Papers 1717–1718 264–265 (553, 3 June 1718)State Papers 1717–1718 285–286 (575, 26 June 1718) In Virginia, due to fears that former pirates would return to piracy, a proclamation was issued that July to restrict their carrying arms or assembling in large numbers.State Papers 1717–1718 332–333, 335 (657 and 657 iii, 14 August 1718) Commissions to pardon pirates arrived in New England by that September,State Papers 1717–1718 347 (683, 2 September 1718) in Barbados by October,State Papers 1717–1718 361 (716 i, 11 October 1718) in the Leeward Islands by November,State Papers 1717–1718 390 (746, 14 November 1718) in Virginia by December 1718, and in Nova Scotia by March 1719.State Papers 1719–1720 50–51 (102 i, 11 March 1719) In December 1718, Secretary of State James Craggs warned governors against illegally receiving bribes in exchange for accepting pirates' surrender.State Papers 1717–1718 436–437 (803, 24 December 1718) As the Caribbean became less hospitable to pirates, Africa became the destination of Olivier Levasseur, Edward England and Paulsgrave Williams.Woodard 2007 320–321 See also Amnesty Indemnity Act 1717 Piracy Act 1717 Piracy Act 1721 Pardoned pirates Operation Paperclip Notes References Bibliography 1930 Calendar of State Papers, Colonial series, America and West Indies, Jan. 1716–July 1717 https://archive.org/details/sim_great-britain-public-record-america-and-the-west-indies_january-1716-july-1717 London HM Stationery Office State Papers 1716–1717 1964 Calendar of State Papers, Colonial series. America and West Indies, August 1717–Dec. 1718 https://archive.org/details/calendarofstatep17171718grea Vaduz Kraus Reprint State Papers 1717–1718 1933 Calendar of State Papers, Colonial series, America and West Indies, January, 1719–February, 1720 https://archive.org/details/sim_great-britain-public-record-america-and-the-west-indies_january-1719-february-1720 London HM Stationery Office State Papers 1719–1720 Brigham Clarence 1911 British Royal Proclamations Relating to America 1603–1783 https://archive.org/details/royalproclamations12brigrich/page/176 Worcester, Massachusetts American Antiquarian Society Earle Peter 2005 The Pirate Wars https://archive.org/details/piratewars0000earl/page/183 New York Thomas Dunne Books 9780312335793 registration Grey Charles 1933 Pirates of the Eastern Seas (1618-1723) A Lurid page of History https://archive.org/details/PiratesOfTheEasternSeasCharlesGrey/page/n171 London Sampson Low, Marston & Co., Ltd. Johnson Charles Captain Charles Johnson 1724 A General History of the Pyrates 2 London T. Warner Johnson Charles Captain Charles Johnson 1726 A General History of the Pyrates, vol. 2 4 London T. Woodward Rogozinski Jan 1999 Dictionary of Pirates https://archive.org/details/wordsworthdictio00rogo registration Ware, Hertfordshire Wordsworth Editions Ltd 1-85326-384-2 Senior Clive M. 1976 A Nation of Pirates https://archive.org/details/a-nation-of-pirates-clive-senior Newton Abbot David & Charles 0-7153-7264-5 Woodard Colin Colin Woodard 2007 The Republic of Pirates https://books.google.com/books?id=W5sIuoBrFwYC Harcourt, Inc. 978-0-15-101302-9 Woodard Colin Colin Woodard 2014 The Republic of Pirates https://books.google.com/books?id=KSlRAgAAQBAJ Pan Macmillan 978-1-44-724608-4 External links Text of the proclamation from 1717 in The London Gazette (original typesetting) Text of the proclamations from 1688, 1717 and 1718 (pp. 140–142, 176–180, modern typesetting) Category:1710s in the Caribbean Category:1717 in law Category:1717 in the British Empire Category:Works by George I of Great Britain Category:Pardon legislation Category:United Kingdom piracy law Category:Proclamations Category:Piracy in the Caribbean Category:Blackbeard Category:War of the Quadruple Alliance