Considering the average sailor made only £3 per month in the Royal Navy or a merchant ship with no chance of being promoted to captain it wasn't hard to see the appeal. Since Davis was also Welsh, they were able to communicate in secret and this allowed John Roberts to climb through the ranks.ĭespite being conscripted into piracy, Roberts soon came to like the Pirates Culture. Roberts and several of his crew were forced to join the pirates however, Davis soon came to realize Robert's talent at navigating. One day, while they were anchored along the Gold Coast of Africa (near Ghana) the Princess was captured by pirates led by Howell Davis who commanded the Royal Rover and the Royal James. In 1719 he was made third made of a slave trading ship called the Princess for the Royal Africa Company under Captain Abraham Plumb. He is thought to have left at thirteen in 1695, but there is no further record of him until 1718 when he was a mate aboard a sloop. Early Lifeīorn in 1682 in Haverfordwest, Wales, John Roberts left home very early to join the Royal Navy. While Samuel Bellamy takes the prize for most cargo stolen, Bartholomew Roberts captured the most vessels of any pirate at over 470. Given the nickname 'Black Bart', this was never used in his lifetime. He operated from 1719 to 1722, taking over ships off the coast of the Americas and Africa with impunity. Some think he adopted the nickname Bartholomew in reference to the legendary buccaneer Bartholomew Sharp and in order to hide his true identity. In fact his death is considered the culmination of the entire era as no other notorious pirates emerged after him in this period. Bartholomew Roberts - A General History of Pyrates (1725)īartholomew Roberts ( – 10 February 1722), also known by his original name John Roberts was one of the most successful pirates of the Golden Age of Piracy.
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