Course:History 344 Nasty Families/Calamities/Piracy

Some might see piracy as a profession but most societies, both contemporary and historical, see it as a menacing force. Piracy plagued England in the 17th century. Coastal villages and townships, fishermen, traders, and even people simply traveling between England and the rest of Europe lived in fear of these despicable scallywags. The Reverend Devereux Spratt was one such victim of some Algerian pirates, who in 1641 captured him on a relatively short journey between Ireland and England. Many pirates would kidnap Englishmen and women and ship them off to North Africa, where, if they survived the journey, they would be sold into the slave trade. In the early 17th century, piracy around England was at its "zenith." A group of pirates from the North Coast of Africa attacked not only English civilian vessels but coastal villages as well, slipping into villages at night and spiriting away their victims. There was one report of an entire village in Ireland being kidnapped.

These pirates didn’t limit themselves to civilian targets, but also plundered many British Royal Naval vessels. According to figures from 1609 – 1616, 466 vessels were plundered and 27 more in one year around Plymouth. This continued on into the late 17th century. All said and told scholars estimate the number of seamen and women captured to be around 8,000. This loss was catastrophic to England’s already struggling economy. Many pirates, notably the Barbary Corsairs, were certified by their governments to pirate the Christian nations of Europe, including England. However, this tactic wasn't used by one group alone. A number of states would, during times of war, commission privateers to plunder enemy military and domestic vessels. Although piracy was considered anathema to a functioning society, it was also a necessary evil in which most warring nations were involved.