Benjamin Hornigold - Overthrow and Pardon

Overthrow and Pardon

Despite his apparent maritime supremacy, Hornigold remained careful not to attack British-flagged ships, apparently to maintain a legal fiction that he was a privateer operating against England's enemies in the War of the Spanish Succession. This scrupulous approach was not to the liking of his lieutenants, and in November 1717 a vote was taken among the combined crews to attack any vessel they chose. Hornigold opposed the decision and was replaced as captain. At the time, Edward Teach was commanding Hornigold's second ship and most likely did not learn of the mutiny until the two ships met later in the year. It was most likely at this time the two pirates went their separate ways, with Teach setting sail for the Caribbean once again, leaving Hornigold to limp back to New Providence in command of a single sloop and a token crew. He continued piracy operations from Nassau until December 1717 when word arrived of a general pardon for pirates offered by the King. Hornigold sailed to Jamaica in January 1718 (note: the English had not yet accepted the Gregorian Calendar, so by their point of view, it was January 1717 with the new year of 1718 not starting until March - see British Calendar Act of 1751) and took the pardon from the governor there and, later, became a pirate hunter for the new governor of the Bahamas, Woodes Rogers.