![]() The Quedagh Merchant was an Indian ship hired to transport goods from the French East India Company by Armenian merchants. Word of the theft of this amazing treasure reached England however, and Kidd was branded as a common pirate. Captain Kidd captured the Quedagh Merchant full of East Indian goods like gold, silver, satins, and silks. From Privateer to Pirateįollowing Moore’s murder, Captain Kidd began to attack non-enemy ships and on January 30, 1698, he struck gold. This murder was the start of the demise of Captain Kidd. After one of his associates, a man named William Moore told Captain Kidd to attack a ship that was not at war with England and that doing so would be considered an act of piracy, Kidd killed Moore. Several vessels were out of bounds of his commission and he could not attack, so the crew of the Adventure Galley became irate.Īfter a cholera outbreak on the ship killed some of the crew, other men left Captain Kidd’s employ and the crew remaining began to threaten mutiny. With the letter in hand, Captain Kidd and his crew set sail on a ship known as the Adventure Galley.Īnd, at first, his piratical adventures were a disaster, with Captain Kidd failing to attack and capture other pirates or enemy ships. This letter was effectively a “Get Out of Jail Free” pass authorizing Kidd to attack, destroy, and loot other ships. In 1696, King William III of England gave Captain Kidd a letter that authorized Kidd as a privateer. What Became of Anne Bonny, Irish Pirate of the Caribbean?.Can You Find the Treasure? The Unsolved Code of the Pirate Levasseur.At this time England was fighting a war against France, and acting under this license, Kidd had considerable latitude to attack French vessels, effectively operating as a pirate under the protection of the British government. Historians have confirmed that he moved to New York City when it was under English control, where he worked on ships and became a privateer.Ī privateer is a private person or vessel that has been commissioned to engage in maritime warfare. Not much is known about Kidd’s early years. William Kidd was born in Dundee, Scotland at some point in 1645. Modern-day treasure hunters have scoured the world in search of Captain Kidd’s treasure, hoping to become rich beyond their wildest dreams. It is believed that Captain Kidd, like many pirates, buried his treasure in an unknown spot before his death. The story of his transition from pirate hunter to hunted pirate has led to many exciting searches for his treasure. One such legendary pirate was Captain Kidd. Legendary pirates like Blackbeard, Calico Jack, Gráinne Ní Mháille, and more can be found in many books, movies, music, and video games. However, No treasure has yet been found on Deer Isle.Tales of swashbuckling pirates, high adventures on the seven seas, and buried treasure have always entertained us. Before he was hanged, Kidd supposedly gave his wife Sarah Kidd (1691-1701) a piece of parchment on which was written 44-10-66-18, later interpreted as the latitude and longitude of Deer Isle. However, the extent of his crime was exaggerated by British government officials, and Kidd was hanged.Ĭaptain Kidd allegedly buried treasure in several places. He turned to piracy-out of desperation-for only a brief time. Popularly stereotyped as a hang-'em-from-the-yardarms pirate, Captain William Kidd was actually not a pirate in the true sense of the word. ![]() Later, after negotiations had failed and Kidd was hanged, at least part of this treasure was recovered. Then he started negotiating with Lord Bellamont, governor of New York, offering this treasure, worth more than pound 50,000, in exchange for his life. He immediately went to Gardiners Island, off New York's Long Island, where he buried a box of gold and a chest of other treasure one mile from the manor house on the eastern end of the island. In 1699 Kidd was in the Caribbean, carrying a cargo of gold, jewels, and silks, when he heard that he had been declared an outlaw. He was hanged on for murder and piracy, although historians believe he was unjustly accused today. William Kidd was a Scottish sailor, who became famous for his trial before English Parliament in 1700.
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