Revenge, later Royal James

Every statement above that rests on a checked claim carries a small number; the numbers lead here. Each entry gives what is claimed, how far the record supports it, and where it comes from.

1. Stede Bonnet was defeated and captured at the mouth of the Cape Fear River on 26 to 27 September 1718 by a South Carolina expedition under Colonel William Rhett, in an action called the Battle of Cape Fear River or the Battle of the Sandbars, in which all three fighting vessels grounded on the falling tide and exchanged small arms fire for about five to six hours until the returning tide floated Rhett's heavier force first and Bonnet surrendered. Unverified Reported, not yet checked against the record. Period narrative: Nic Butler, "The Pirate Executions of 1718", Charleston Time Machine, Charleston County Public Library; "The Tryals of Major Stede Bonnet, and Other Pirates" (London, 1719)
2. Casualties in the Cape Fear action fell mainly on Rhett's two sloops, and the two accounts differ. The Governor and Council of South Carolina, writing on 21 October 1718, reported that "Wee had killed on board Collo. Rhett eight men and fourteen wounded, of which four are since dead, and on board Capt. Hall, two killed and six wounded", that is ten killed outright, twenty wounded, and four of the wounded dead by the time of writing. The printed narrative of 1724 gives instead "killed in this Action, on Board the Henry, ten Men, and fourteen wounded; on Board the Sea Nymph, two killed and four wounded", that is twelve killed and eighteen wounded, and puts the pirates' loss lower, at "seven killed and five wounded, two of which died soon after of their Wounds". The figures of fourteen dead and twenty wounded sometimes attributed to the Governor and Council are an aggregation of their numbers rather than their wording. Disputed The sources disagree, and we say how. Official correspondence and printed narrative: Governor and Council of South Carolina to the Council of Trade and Plantations, Charles Town, 21 October 1718, item 730 in Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, volume 30, 1717-1718, ed. Cecil Headlam (London, 1930), pp. 359-381 at page 367 (C.O. 5, 1265. No. 121; and 5, 1293. pp. 173-175), read on British History Online; and Charles Johnson, A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates (London, 1724), chapter IV, Of Major Stede Bonnet and His Crew
3. Held under guard in the town marshal's house at Charles Town because the town gaol was inadequate, Bonnet escaped on or about 24 October 1718, reportedly in disguise and with the help of sympathisers, in company with his sailing master Herriot; Rhett pursued and the pair were recaptured on or near Sullivan's Island, Herriot being killed in the taking and Bonnet returned to custody. Unverified Reported, not yet checked against the record. Period narrative: Nic Butler, "The Pirate Executions of 1718", Charleston Time Machine, Charleston County Public Library; "A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates" (1724), attributed to Captain Charles Johnson, for the escape narrative only
4. The printed record of the Charles Town trials names Stede Bonnet's vessel as the sloop Revenge, alias Royal James, and names Bonnet as her commander; she was a sloop, and a different vessel from Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge. Confirmed Directly supported by the record. Trial pamphlet: The Tryals of Major Stede Bonnet and Other Pirates (London: printed for Benj. Cowse, 1719), llscd.201000158861859; The Information of David Herriot and Ignatius Pell (from the 1719 Tryals), transcribed on B. C. Brooks, A Writer's Hiding Place
5. The Revenge was renamed the Royal James: the Information of David Herriot and Ignatius Pell has the Revenge afterwards called the Royal James, and Johnson's General History says the crew renamed her. Confirmed Directly supported by the record. Sworn information and period narrative: The Information of David Herriot and Ignatius Pell (from the 1719 Tryals), transcribed on B. C. Brooks, A Writer's Hiding Place, Information sworn 24 October 1718 to Richard Allen and Thomas Hepworth JJP; Testimony of Ignatius Pell in the Tryal of Stede Bonnet (from the 1719 Tryals), transcribed on B. C. Brooks; A General History of the Pyrates, chapter IV, 'Of Major Stede Bonnet and His Crew'
6. The Royal James tried at Charles Town in 1718 is the vessel the trial heading describes as formerly called the Revenge and afterwards the Royal James, that is, the same hull Stede Bonnet had sailed as the Revenge. Very likely Strong evidence, short of proof. Period narrative: A General History of the Pyrates (Chap. IV Of Major Stede Bonnet and his Crew; and the Capt. England chapter), EBook 40580; The tryals of Major Stede Bonnet and other pirates (Charles-Town admiralty sessions 28 October to 12 November 1718), KF223.B594 B594 1719
7. Bonnet's sloop Revenge is a separate vessel from Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge, which the Information describes as a ship of forty guns mounted, commanded by Edward Thatch, although popular accounts conflate the two. Very likely Strong evidence, short of proof. Sworn information: The Information of David Herriot and Ignatius Pell (from the 1719 Tryals), transcribed on B. C. Brooks, A Writer's Hiding Place, Information sworn 24 October 1718 to Richard Allen and Thomas Hepworth JJP
8. Bonnet's Royal James is a separate vessel from the Royal James that Edward England re-christened in 1719, the ship Pearl of Captain Tyzard, which England fitted out and renamed; the shared name is a coincidence of naming and not one ship. Confirmed Directly supported by the record. Period narrative: A General History of the Pyrates (Chap. IV Of Major Stede Bonnet and his Crew; and the Capt. England chapter), EBook 40580
9. Johnson's General History has Bonnet fitting the Revenge out at Barbados at his own expense with ten guns and about seventy men, and paying his crew wages rather than shares; no document of the period read for this account covers the Barbados origin, and the trial gives no gun count. Possible Consistent with the evidence, not established. Period narrative: A General History of the Pyrates, chapter IV, 'Of Major Stede Bonnet and His Crew'; A General History of the Pyrates (Chap. IV Of Major Stede Bonnet and his Crew; and the Capt. England chapter), EBook 40580; Stede Bonnet and the Golden Age of Piracy (Law Library blog)
10. Johnson's General History has Bonnet taking the Revenge out of Barbados by night and making a first cruise off the Capes of Virginia in 1717, plundering four vessels there (the Anne of Captain Montgomery from Glasgow, the Turbet of Barbados which was burned, the Endeavour of Bristol and the Young of Leith), then taking two more off the bar of South Carolina in August 1717 (a Barbados sloop under Joseph Palmer and a New England brigantine under Thomas Porter) before careening at a North Carolina inlet. Possible Consistent with the evidence, not established. Period narrative: A General History of the Pyrates, chapter IV, 'Of Major Stede Bonnet and His Crew'; Stede Bonnet and the Golden Age of Piracy (Law Library blog)
11. Bonnet fell in with Edward Thatch, his crew joined Thatch in consortship, and Bonnet was set aside from command: the Information has him aboard Thatch's ship but out of command, having been turned out of it some time before by Thatch and the pirate crew. Very likely Strong evidence, short of proof. Sworn information: The Information of David Herriot and Ignatius Pell (from the 1719 Tryals), transcribed on B. C. Brooks, A Writer's Hiding Place, Information sworn 24 October 1718 to Richard Allen and Thomas Hepworth JJP; A General History of the Pyrates, chapter IV, 'Of Major Stede Bonnet and His Crew'
12. While Bonnet was set aside the sloop was commanded by Thatch's man Richards, and at the Bay of Turneff in April 1718 she slipped her cable under him and came up flying a black flag. Very likely Strong evidence, short of proof. Sworn information: The Information of David Herriot and Ignatius Pell (from the 1719 Tryals), transcribed on B. C. Brooks, A Writer's Hiding Place, Information sworn 24 October 1718 to Richard Allen and Thomas Hepworth JJP; A General History of the Pyrates, chapter IV, 'Of Major Stede Bonnet and His Crew'
13. After the Queen Anne's Revenge and David Herriot's Adventure were lost at Topsail Inlet, Thatch departed in a small Spanish sloop and left the Revenge to Bonnet, who resumed command of his vessel. Very likely Strong evidence, short of proof. Sworn information: The Information of David Herriot and Ignatius Pell (from the 1719 Tryals), transcribed on B. C. Brooks, A Writer's Hiding Place, Information sworn 24 October 1718 to Richard Allen and Thomas Hepworth JJP; A General History of the Pyrates, chapter IV, 'Of Major Stede Bonnet and His Crew'
14. On resuming command Bonnet renamed the sloop the Royal James and took the alias Captain Thomas, being arraigned as Stede Bonnet, alias Edwards, alias Thomas. Possible Consistent with the evidence, not established. Period narrative: A General History of the Pyrates (Chap. IV Of Major Stede Bonnet and his Crew; and the Capt. England chapter), EBook 40580
15. Bonnet obtained the King's pardon and a clearance at North Carolina to sail for the island of St. Thomas, the Information recording his design to go there and take a commission against the Spaniards; whether he meant it is not settled by the record. Very likely Strong evidence, short of proof. Sworn information: The Information of David Herriot and Ignatius Pell (from the 1719 Tryals), transcribed on B. C. Brooks, A Writer's Hiding Place, Information sworn 24 October 1718 to Richard Allen and Thomas Hepworth JJP; A General History of the Pyrates, chapter IV, 'Of Major Stede Bonnet and His Crew'
16. Under Bonnet's resumed command the Revenge alias Royal James cruised northward in July 1718 off Cape Henry and Delaware Bay and took several prizes, among them two ships bound from Virginia to Glasgow, two snows, and the sloops Fortune (Thomas Read master) and Francis (Peter Manwareing master), which were kept. Very likely Strong evidence, short of proof. Sworn information: The Information of David Herriot and Ignatius Pell (from the 1719 Tryals), transcribed on B. C. Brooks, A Writer's Hiding Place, Information sworn 24 October 1718 to Richard Allen and Thomas Hepworth JJP; A General History of the Pyrates, chapter IV, 'Of Major Stede Bonnet and His Crew'
17. The sloops Fortune (Thomas Read master) and Francis (Peter Manwaring or Manwareing master) lay in company with the Royal James at Cape Fear and are the two vessels named in Bonnet's indictments; Johnson's running narrative and the indictments give different capture dates, the indictments dating the Francis to 2 August and the Fortune to 31 August 1718. Possible Consistent with the evidence, not established. Period narrative and indictment text: A General History of the Pyrates (Chap. IV Of Major Stede Bonnet and his Crew; and the Capt. England chapter), EBook 40580
18. About 12 August 1718 Bonnet brought the Revenge alias Royal James into the Cape Fear River to repair her, she being badly leaky, and stayed until about 29 September, waiting for the hurricane season to pass and bound afterwards for St. Thomas. Very likely Strong evidence, short of proof. Sworn information: The Information of David Herriot and Ignatius Pell (from the 1719 Tryals), transcribed on B. C. Brooks, A Writer's Hiding Place, Information sworn 24 October 1718 to Richard Allen and Thomas Hepworth JJP; A General History of the Pyrates, chapter IV, 'Of Major Stede Bonnet and His Crew'
19. During the near two months the sloop lay in the Cape Fear River careening and repairing, her crew took a small shallop of about six tons belonging to one Dalton and broke her up for timber to mend the Revenge alias the Royal James. Likely More likely than not on the evidence we have. Sworn information and public history: The Information of David Herriot and Ignatius Pell (from the 1719 Tryals), transcribed on B. C. Brooks, A Writer's Hiding Place, Information sworn 24 October 1718 to Richard Allen and Thomas Hepworth JJP; A General History of the Pyrates (Chap. IV Of Major Stede Bonnet and his Crew; and the Capt. England chapter), EBook 40580; The Pirate Hunting Expeditions of 1718, Charleston Time Machine
20. Colonel William Rhett was commissioned by Governor Robert Johnson and fitted out two sloops against Bonnet, the Henry (eight guns, seventy men, Captain John Masters) and the Sea Nymph (eight guns, sixty men, Captain Fayrer Hall), about 130 men in all; the accounts differ on when the expedition sailed, Johnson putting Rhett aboard the Henry on 14 September and over the bar on the 15th, while the Charleston account gives a commission of 4 September and a departure on the 10th. Very likely Strong evidence, short of proof. Period narrative and public history: A General History of the Pyrates (Chap. IV Of Major Stede Bonnet and his Crew; and the Capt. England chapter), EBook 40580; The Pirate Hunting Expeditions of 1718, Charleston Time Machine
21. Rhett took possession of the sloop, found that the man calling himself Captain Thomas was Major Stede Bonnet, weighed from Cape Fear on 30 September and arrived at Charles Town on 3 October 1718 with the prisoners and the captured sloop; a Charleston public history account instead puts Bonnet and about thirty-five mariners ashore at Charleston about 5 October. Likely More likely than not on the evidence we have. Period narrative and public history: A General History of the Pyrates (Chap. IV Of Major Stede Bonnet and his Crew; and the Capt. England chapter), EBook 40580; The Pirate Hunting Expeditions of 1718, Charleston Time Machine; The Charleston Pirate Trials of 1718
22. The men taken in the Royal James were tried at the Court of Vice-Admiralty at Charles Town, Nicholas Trott presiding, between 28 October and 12 November 1718, on two indictments for taking the Francis and the Fortune. Very likely Strong evidence, short of proof. Trial pamphlet and public history: A General History of the Pyrates (Chap. IV Of Major Stede Bonnet and his Crew; and the Capt. England chapter), EBook 40580; The Charleston Pirate Trials of 1718, Charleston Time Machine; The Tryals of Major Stede Bonnet and Other Pirates (London: printed for Benj. Cowse, 1719), llscd.201000158861859
23. The Information of David Herriot and Ignatius Pell was sworn on 24 October 1718 before Richard Allen and Thomas Hepworth; both men turned King's evidence and were not tried with the others, so the principal narrative of the sloop comes from two witnesses with an interest in the telling. Very likely Strong evidence, short of proof. Sworn information: The Information of David Herriot and Ignatius Pell (from the 1719 Tryals), transcribed on B. C. Brooks, A Writer's Hiding Place, Information sworn 24 October 1718 to Richard Allen and Thomas Hepworth JJP; The Tryals of Major Stede Bonnet and Other Pirates (London: printed for Benj. Cowse, 1719), llscd.201000158861859
24. The Tryals of Major Stede Bonnet and Other Pirates was printed at London for Benjamin Cowse in 1719, the proceedings having been held at Charles Town in October and November 1718; the frequently seen printing date of 1721 is erroneous. Confirmed Directly supported by the record. Trial pamphlet and catalogue record: The Tryals of Major Stede Bonnet and Other Pirates (London: printed for Benj. Cowse, 1719), llscd.201000158861859; Catalogue record for The Tryals of Major Stede Bonnet (imprint), record 1256062
25. Johnson's General History corroborates the trial record on the consortship with Thatch, Richards's command of the sloop, Bonnet's reassumption of her, the renaming to Royal James and the leaky Cape Fear refit; the Barbados origin, the ten guns, the seventy men and the payment of wages are carried by Johnson alone. Confirmed Directly supported by the record. Sworn information and period narrative: The Information of David Herriot and Ignatius Pell (from the 1719 Tryals), transcribed on B. C. Brooks, A Writer's Hiding Place, Information sworn 24 October 1718 to Richard Allen and Thomas Hepworth JJP; A General History of the Pyrates, chapter IV, 'Of Major Stede Bonnet and His Crew'
26. The trial record read for this account gives no gun count for the Revenge or the Royal James: the figure of ten guns comes from Johnson alone, and the later figures of twelve guns and then eight guns by the time of Cape Fear come from later accounts. Possible Consistent with the evidence, not established. Trial testimony and period narrative: Testimony of Ignatius Pell in the Tryal of Stede Bonnet (from the 1719 Tryals), transcribed on B. C. Brooks; A General History of the Pyrates, chapter IV, Of Major Stede Bonnet and His Crew; Battle of Cape Fear River (1718)
27. No contemporary builder's certificate, certificate of registry or survey of the sloop has been located, so her dimensions, tonnage and rig in the Royal James phase rest on the trial narrative and on Johnson rather than on a ship's document. Confirmed Directly supported by the record. Documented absence: A General History of the Pyrates (Chap. IV Of Major Stede Bonnet and his Crew; and the Capt. England chapter), EBook 40580; The tryals of Major Stede Bonnet and other pirates (Charles-Town admiralty sessions 28 October to 12 November 1718), KF223.B594 B594 1719
28. No wreck, archaeological site or material remains of the Royal James have been identified; she was captured whole and carried into Charles Town rather than lost, and the later fate of the hull is not recorded in the sources read for this account. Confirmed Directly supported by the record. Documented absence: A General History of the Pyrates (Chap. IV Of Major Stede Bonnet and his Crew; and the Capt. England chapter), EBook 40580; The Pirate Hunting Expeditions of 1718, Charleston Time Machine
29. On the evening of 26 September 1718 Rhett entered the Cape Fear River and sighted the Royal James with her two prizes; in a running fight the next day all the vessels grounded, and after a fire-fight of near five hours the Royal James surrendered under a flag of truce. Very likely Strong evidence, short of proof. Period narrative and public history: A General History of the Pyrates (Chap. IV Of Major Stede Bonnet and his Crew; and the Capt. England chapter), EBook 40580; The Pirate Hunting Expeditions of 1718, Charleston Time Machine