A General History of the Pirates · Chapter
Of Captain Anstis, and His Crew explained
This chapter details the career of Thomas Anstis, who began as one of six conspirators at Providence in 1718 and later separated from Bartholomew Roberts in April 1721.
What happens
This chapter details the career of Thomas Anstis, who began as one of six conspirators at Providence in 1718 and later separated from Bartholomew Roberts in April 1721. It recounts his cruises in the West Indies, the brutal assault on a female passenger aboard the Irwin, the capture of the Morning Star, and the crew's petition for a royal pardon. After hiding on an uninhabited island near Cuba for nine months, the crew eventually dispersed; Anstis was shot in his hammock by his own men, and the surviving pirates surrendered at Curaçao, where they were tried and hanged.
Themes in this chapter
Violence, Brutality, and Moral Depravity
The chapter recounts the brutal assault on a female passenger aboard the Irwin, where twenty-one pirates raped her, broke her back, and threw her into the sea.
Corruption of Colonial Governance
The pirates' petition for a pardon and their internal governance issues (malcontents, divided councils) illustrate the breakdown of authority and the struggle for legitimacy.
Pirate Democracy Versus Maritime Tyranny
The crew's use of a round-robin petition and their democratic decision-making (e.g., voting on enterprises) reflect pirate notions of collective governance.
Characters to notice
- Thomas Anstis
Central figure of the chapter; began as a pirate at Providence in 1718, separated from Roberts in 1721, and was eventually shot in his hammock by his own crew.
- Howel Davis
One of the six original conspirators at Providence; later killed at the island of Prince's.
- Walter Kennedy
One of the six original conspirators; later hanged at Execution Dock.
- Bartholomew Roberts
Commodore from whom Anstis separated on April 18, 1721; the crew claimed they were forced into piracy by Roberts.
- John Fenn
Former gunner of Anstis, appointed captain of the Morning Star; later captured and executed at Antigua.
- Jones
Boatswain of the Good Fortune who proposed the uninhabited island near Cuba as a safe retreat.
Key passages
“The colonel was very much abused and wounded, for endeavouring to save a poor woman, that was also a passenger, from the insults of that brutish crew; and the pirates prevailing, twenty-one of them forced the poor creature successively, afterwards broke her back and flung her into the sea.”
Colonel Doyly was severely beaten and injured when he tried to protect a female passenger from the pirates; the crew overpowered him, and twenty-one pirates raped the woman, then broke her back and threw her overboard.
Illustrates the extreme violence and brutality of Anstis' crew.
“To his most sacred Majesty George, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, etc. The humble petition of the company, now belonging to the ship Morning Star , and brigantine Good Fortune , lying under the ignominious name and denomination of pirates.”
The crew addressed a humble petition to King George I, describing themselves as the company of the Morning Star and Good Fortune, though they were known as pirates.
Shows the pirates' attempt to seek legal pardon and distance themselves from their criminal label.
“Anstis, in the brigantine, escap'd, by having a light pair of heels, but it put his company into such a disorder, that their government could never be set to rights again; for some of the newcomers, and those who had been tir'd with the trade, put an end to the reign, by shooting Tho. Anstis in his hammock, and afterwards the quartermaster, and two or three others; the rest submitting, they put into irons, and surrender'd them up, and the vessel, at Curaçao, a Dutch settlement, where they were try'd and hang'd.”
Anstis escaped in the brigantine because it was fast, but the crew fell into chaos; some newer members and those weary of piracy shot Anstis in his hammock, killed the quartermaster and others, then put the rest in irons and surrendered the vessel at Curaçao, where they were tried and hanged.
Describes the mutiny and end of Anstis' pirate career.
