Charles Vane - Capture and Execution

Capture and Execution

Vane's final blow came after his ship was wrecked in a storm in February 1719, separating him from his consort, Robert Deal. One of the only survivors, Vane was washed up on an uninhabited island in the Bay of Honduras. Eventually a ship arrived, but unfortunately for Vane it was commanded by an old acquaintance and former buccaneer Captain Holford. Holford would not rescue Vane from the island stating:

"Charles, I shan't trust you aboard my ship, unless I carry you a prisoner; for I shall have you plotting with my men, knock me on the head and run away with my ship a pirating. "

Before departing, Holford stated that he would be back on the island in a month, and threatened that if he found Vane still there, he would take him back to Jamaica and hang him. Another ship soon arrived and as none of the crew recognized Vane he was allowed on board. Unluckily, Captain Holford's ship met with this ship at sea, and the captain of Vane's ship invited Holford, a friend of his, to dine with him. While there, Holford saw Vane working aboard and informed the captain who Vane truly was. The captain quickly relinquished Vane to Captain Holford who locked him in his hold and promptly turned him over to the authorities in Jamaica. It is unclear why Vane seems to have been imprisoned for over a year before the trial. Vane may have been marooned longer than the few weeks recorded, or there may have been distant witnesses to gather once he was captured. Most likely his reputation had earned the disdain of pirates, royal mariners and the public at large and they wanted him to rot in gaol before being executed. During his trial, he was found guilty and sentenced to death on March 22, 1720. At his trial, numerous witnesses from merchant vessels captured by Vane testified against him, as did Vincent Pearse, Captain of the HMS Phoenix, who related how Vane had made a mockery of the King's pardon. When it was Vane's turn to present his defense, he called no witnesses and asked no questions. On March 29, 1721, Vane was hanged at Gallows Point in Port Royal. He died without expressing the least remorse for his crimes. After death, his body was hung from a gibbet on Gun Cay, at the mouth of harbor at Port Royal, as a warning against piracy.