Edward Low
Edward Low | |
---|---|
Pirate | |
Years active | c.1721–c.1724 (possibly to 1739+) |
Rank | Captain |
Base of operations | Atlantic Caribbean |
Commands |
|
Edward "Ned" Low (also spelled Lowe or Loe; 1690–1724) was a notorious
Low captained a number of ships, usually maintaining a small fleet of three or four. Low and his pirate crews captured at least a hundred ships during his short career, burning most of them.[1] Although he was active for only three years, Low remains notorious as one of the most vicious pirates of the age, with a reputation for violently torturing his victims before murdering them.[2]
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle described Low as "savage and desperate," and a man of "amazing and grotesque brutality."[3] The New York Times called him a torturer, whose methods would have "done credit to the ingenuity of the Spanish Inquisition in its darkest days."[4] The circumstances of Low's death, which took place around 1724, have been the subject of much postulation.
Early life
According to Charles Johnson's A General History of the Pyrates, Edward Low was born in Westminster, London, England, in 1690.[5] He was described as
Most of his family appear to have been thieves. While young, his brother, Richard, was small for his age and is said to have been carried around in a basket on a friend's back; in a crowd, Richard would snatch the hats and wigs of passers-by. Richard later took to other forms of criminal activity and ended up hanged at Tyburn in 1707 for the burglary of a house in Stepney.[5][7][8]
Life in Boston
As he advanced in age, Low tired of pickpocketing and thievery and turned to burglary. Eventually, he left England, and traveled alone to the New World around 1710. He spent three to four years in various locations, before settling in Boston, Massachusetts.[7] On 12 August 1714, he married Eliza Marble at the First Church of Boston.[9] They had a son, who died when he was an infant, and then a daughter named Elizabeth, born in the winter of 1719.[7]
Eliza died in childbirth, leaving Low with his daughter.[5] The loss of his wife had a profound effect on Low: in his later career of piracy, he would often express regret for the daughter he left behind, and refused to press-gang married men into joining his crews.[7] He would also allow women to return to port safely.[10] At first working honestly as a rigger, in early 1722 he joined a gang of twelve men on a sloop headed for Honduras, where they planned to collect a shipment of logs for resale in Boston.[5][6]
Low was employed as a patron, supervising the loading and carrying of the logs. One day, he returned to the ship hungry, but was told by the captain he would have to wait to eat, and that he and his men would have to be satisfied with their ration of rum. At this, Low "took up a loaded musket and fired at the captain but missed him, [and] shot another poor fellow through the throat".[11]
Following this failed mutiny, Low and his friends were forced to leave the boat. A day later, Low led the twelve-man gang, including Francis Farrington Spriggs, who went on to become a notorious pirate in his own right, taking over a small sloop off the coast of Rhode Island. Killing one man during the theft, Low and his crew turned pirate, determined "to go in her, make a black Flag, and declare War against all the World."[4][5]
Piracy
First mate
Low, using his newly captured ship, lay in wait on a popular shipping route between Boston and New York. Within a few days, he and his crew seized a sloop out of Rhode Island and plundered it. His crew cut the rigging away to prevent the sloop returning too quickly to port to raise the alarm.[6] He then captured a number of unarmed merchantmen near Port Rosemary.[12]
Of all the pyratical crews that were ever heard of, none of the English name came up to this, in barbarity. Their mirth and their anger had much the same effect, for both were usually gratified with the cries and groans of their prisoners; so that they almost as often murdered a man from the excess of good humour, as out of passion and resentment; and the unfortunate could never be assured of safety from them, for danger lurked in their very smiles.
— Captain Charles Johnson on Low's brutality.[5]
Low headed south and began operating in the waters of Grand Cayman, including being lieutenant to the established pirate George Lowther, who captained the Happy Delivery,[1][12] a 100-ton Rhode Island sloop with eight cannon and ten swivel guns. When she was "destroyed by Indians", Lowther and his crew transferred to a sloop named the Ranger. Lowther's crew was constantly expanded by desperate sailors willing to join him.[13] Fast acquiring a taste for cruelty, Low taught Spriggs a torture technique that involved tying a victim's hands with rope between their fingers and setting it alight, burning their flesh down to the bones.[11]
Following a number of successful raids, Lowther eventually captured a large 6-gun brigantine named Rebecca on 28 May 1722.[5] He gave it to Low to captain. With a crew of 44, Low amicably dissolved his partnership with Lowther.[12]
Pirate captain
In one notable raid in June 1722, Low and his crew attacked thirteen New England fishing vessels sheltering at anchor in Port Roseway, Shelburne, Nova Scotia. Although outnumbered, Low hoisted his Jolly Roger flag and declared that no mercy would be given to the fishermen if any resisted. The fleet submitted and Low's men robbed every vessel. Low chose the largest, an 80-ton schooner, which he renamed The Fancy, armed with 10 guns, to become his flagship.[1] He sank the other ships of the fleet and abandoned the Rebecca.
Low's tactics consisted primarily of hoisting
Captain Loe, with the usual Compliments, welcomed me on board, and told me, He was very sorry for my Loss, and that it was not his Desire to meet with any of his Country-men, but rather with Foreigners, excepting some few that he wanted to chastise for their Rogueishness, as he call'd it.
— Captain George Roberts (possibly Daniel Defoe writing as George Roberts) on an uncorroborated meeting with Low.[18]
Low abandoned his plans of plundering the rich shipping trade off the coast of Brazil, and moved on to the Caribbean. George Roberts, a mate on the British ship King Sagamore, recounted a meeting with Low aboard the Rose Pink. Roberts' ship was captured by Low's fleet, of which he was now styling himself "Commodore".[17]
Capsizing of the Rose Pink
Forty leagues (120 nautical miles or around 220 km) to the east of Surinam, Low and his fleet of two ships (the Rose Pink and the Fancy, captained by a young Charles Harris) dropped anchor to remove growth such as seaweed and barnacles from the outside and bottom of the boats, in a process known as careening; no dry dock was available to pirates.[19]
Still relatively inexperienced, Low ordered too many men to the outside of the boat to work on the buildup, and the Rose Pink tipped too far. The portholes had been left open, and the vessel took on water and sank, taking two men with her. The Rose Pink had been carrying most of the provisions. Low was captaining a schooner, the Squirrel—and his crew were forced to strictly ration their fresh water to half a pint (around 275 ml) per man, per day.[19]
Failing to reach their initial destination of Tobago due to light winds and strong currents, Low's depleted fleet made it to Grenada, a French-owned island. Hiding most of his men below deck, he was permitted to send men ashore for water. The following day, a French sloop was sent out to investigate, but was captured when Low's men emerged from hiding. Low, now commanding the captured sloop (renamed the Ranger), gave the schooner Squirrel to Spriggs, his quartermaster, who renamed it the Delight, before sailing away in the middle of the night with a small crew following a disagreement with Low over the disciplining of one of Spriggs' crew.[20]
Early 1723
The Pyrates [were] waiting there for them, took them and Plundered them; they cut and whiped some and others they burnt with Matches between their Fingers to the bone to make them confess where their Money was, they took to the value of a Thousand Pistoles from Passengers and others, they then let them go, but coming on the Coast off of the Capes of Virginia, they were again chased by the same Pyrates who first took them, they did not trouble them again but wished them well Home, they saw at the same time his Consort, a Sloop of eight Guns, with a Ship and a Sloop which were supposed to be Prizes, they were Commanded by one Edward LOW. The Pyrates gave us an account of his taking the Bay of Hondoras from the Spaniards, which had surprised the English and taking them, and putting all the Spaniards to the Sword Excepting two boys, as also burning The King George, and a Snow belonging to New York, and sunk one of the New England Ships, and cut off one the Masters Ears and slit his Nose, all this they confessed themselves.
— The American Weekly Mercury, 6 June–13, 1723[21]
Low's new fleet captured many more sloops, including one that Low kept, naming it the Fortune. During a trial on 10 July 1723 for a number of Low's crew members, a sailor on board the Fortune, John Welland, recalled how Low stripped his boat, including gold to the value of
Following this, Low's fleet captured a Portuguese ship called the Nostra Signiora de Victoria on 25 January 1723. The Victoria's captain allowed a bag containing approximately 11,000 gold
One story describes Low burning a French cook alive, saying he was a "greasy fellow who would fry well"; another tells how he once killed 53
Low, like other pirates of the time, tried to intimidate his victims into surrendering by threatening to kill or torture them. The crew of the targeted ship would hinder their officers from defending her, so afraid were they of reprisals.[24] One failed torture session led to one of Low's crew members accidentally cutting him in the mouth. Botched surgery left Low scarred.[5]
A snow called the Unity was added to the fleet and used as a tender, but was abandoned during an encounter with a man of war named the Mermaid.[1] As Low's success increased in the Caribbean, so did his notoriety. Eventually, a bounty was placed on his head, and Low set out for the Azores, again teaming up with Charles Harris. As they terrorised the Azores, the pressure increased from the authorities, who by then had taken special notice of Low, despite the other hordes of pirates in operation at the time.[6]
A defeat
Low, Harris and their ships left the Azores for the
Twenty-five of the crew of the Ranger, including the ship's doctor, were tried between 10 July and 12 July, with Solgard giving evidence and recounting the battle.
End of Low's career
Low, still captaining the Fancy, sailed north. He captured a
Heading south again, Low captured a 22 gun French ship and a large Virginian merchant vessel, the Merry Christmas, in late June 1723. Following the defeat by the Greyhound, Low became "peculiarly cruel" to his English victims.[10] His fleet of three ships rejoined forces with George Lowther in July. In late 1723, Low and Lowther's fleet captured the Delight off the coast of Guinea, mounting fourteen guns on her, with command being given to Spriggs. Two days later, Spriggs and Lowther both abandoned Low, leaving him the Merry Christmas, by now mounted with 34 guns, as his sole ship.[5]
Fate
There are conflicting reports on the circumstances of Low's death. Captain Charles Johnson—considered by some to be Daniel Defoe writing under a pseudonym[26]—in his A General History of the Pyrates, - at odds with other sources - stated that Low and the Fancy were last sighted near the Canaries and Guinea. However, at the time of his 1724 book, no further reports had surfaced. He noted one rumour that Low was sailing for Brazil and another that Low's ship sank in a storm with the loss of all hands.[5] The National Maritime Museum in London states that he was never caught, ending his days in Brazil.[2]
The Pirates Own Book, and Ossian -of questionable authenticity- suggest that Low was set adrift without provisions by the crew of the Merry Christmas in a
Men of HMS Diamond reported encountering a periagua with nine men aboard in March 1726, recognising one of them as Low. Diamond had lost her canoe and could not give chase, leaving Low to his fate near Roatan where he was supposedly killed by the indigenous Miskito.[28] Still later in late 1739, a man identified as the "famous Ned Low, formerly well known here for his piracies" was spotted escaping a Spanish fort at Porto Bello. He had been among the fort's gun crews when the city was attacked by British forces during the War of Jenkins' Ear.[28]
Flags
Initially, Low used the same flag as his associate
Articles
Low had a set of Articles, a code of conduct.[22] The Articles listed below are attributed to Low by The Boston News-Letter. The first eight of these articles are essentially identical to those attributed to Lowther by Charles Johnson.[5]
It is likely that both reports are correct and that Low and Lowther shared the same articles, with Low's two extra articles being an ordonnance, or amendment, adopted after the two crews separated.
I. The Captain is to have two full Shares; the [Quarter] Master is to have one Share and one Half; The Doctor, Mate, Gunner and Boatswain, one Share and one Quarter.
II. He that shall be found guilty of taking up any Unlawfull Weapon on Board the Privateer or any other prize by us taken, so as to Strike or Abuse one another in any regard, shall suffer what Punishment the Captain and the Majority of the Company shall see fit.
III. He that shall be found Guilty of Cowardice in the time of Ingagements, shall suffer what Punishment the Captain and the Majority of the Company shall think fit.
IV. If any Gold, Jewels, Silver, &c. be found on Board of any Prize or Prizes to the value of a Piece of Eight, & the finder do not deliver it to the Quarter Master in the space of 24 hours he shall suffer what Punishment the Captain and the Majority of the Company shall think fit.
V. He that is found Guilty of Gaming, or Defrauding one another to the value of a Royal of Plate, shall suffer what Punishment the Captain and the Majority of the Company shall think fit.
VI. He that shall have the Misfortune to loose a Limb in time of Engagement, shall have the Sum of Six hundred pieces of Eight, and remain aboard as long as he shall think fit.
VII. Good Quarters to be given when Craved.
VIII. He that sees a Sail first, shall have the best Pistol or Small Arm aboard of her.
IX. He that shall be guilty of Drunkenness in time of Engagement shall suffer what Punishment the Captain and Majority of the Company shall think fit.
X. No Snaping of Guns in the
Hould.
Legacy
Edward Low's acts, along with those of other pirates of the period such as Edward "Blackbeard" Teach, Bartholomew "Black Bart" Roberts, and William Fly, led to a great increase in the military presence to protect shipping lanes, resulting in the effective end of the Golden Age of Piracy.[24]
By 1700, the European states had enough troops and ships at their disposal, following the end of a number of wars, to begin better protecting their important colonies in the West Indies and in the Americas without relying on the aid of privateers. Pirates based in the Caribbean were chased from the seas by a new British squadron based at Port Royal, Jamaica, and a smaller group of Spanish privateers, sailing from the Spanish Main, known as the Guarda de Costa, or simply the Guarda.[6][24]
Less is recorded of Low than of other equally prolific pirates such as Teach and Stede Bonnet. Howard Pyle, in an 1880 children's book on pirates, said: "No one stood higher in the trade than [Low], and no one mounted to more lofty altitudes of bloodthirsty and unscrupulous wickedness. 'Tis strange that so little has been written and sung of this man of might, for he was as worthy of story and of song as was Blackbeard."[30] Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in his work The Green Flag, described Low as "savage and desperate", and a man of "amazing and grotesque brutality".[3] The New York Times said "Low and his crew became the terror of the Atlantic, and his depredations were committed on every part of the ocean, from the coast of Brazil to the Grand Banks of Newfoundland".[4]
Low has featured on stamps and commemorative currency around the Caribbean. A
"Ned Low" is one of the pirates featured on the
Some of Low's haunts, such as the waters around the
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Guide to Edward Low". chronofus.net. 2004. Archived from the original on 2012-02-14. Retrieved 2007-09-27. Bibliography for data: [1] Archived 2018-09-21 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "London and the Pirates". PortCities. 2004. Retrieved 2007-09-25.
- ^ a b Doyle, Arthur Conan (1900). "III". The Green Flag. Project Gutenberg.
- ^ a b c d e f "The "Great" Edward Low: The Most Merciless Pirate Known to Modern Times". The New York Times. 1892-08-14.
- ^ .
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Ellms, Charles (1837). "The Life of Edward Low.". The Pirates Own Book: Authentic Narratives of the Most Celebrated Sea Robbers. Project Gutenberg.
- ^ .
- ^ "Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 6.0), trial of Richard Low (t17071210-24)". Old Bailey. 10 December 1707. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
- ^ "Boston, MA Marriages 1646–1751, from Record Commissioner's Reports 9 (1649–1699) and 150 (1700–1751)". 1898. Archived from the original on 2013-02-01. Retrieved 2007-10-04.
- ^ Watson, John Fanning (1857). "4–5, Vol II". Watson's Annals of Philadelphia And Pennsylvania. USGenWeb Archives.
- ^ a b c Harper, Matthew (March 2005). "When Pirates Ruled..." Bay Islands Voice. Archived from the original on 20 June 2019. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
- ^ ISBN 0-02-788520-8.
- ^ a b Ossian, Rob (2006). "Edward Low". thepirateking.com. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
- ^
- ^ ISBN 978-1-58218-442-5.
- ^ a b "Pirate Biography". New England Pirate Museum. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
- ^ OCLC 33246073.
- ^ Roberts, George (1726). The Four Years Voyages of Capt. George Roberts. p. 1 – via Internet Archive.
Voyages of Capt. George Roberts.
- ^ .
- ^ Ossian, Rob. "Francis Spriggs". thepirateking.com. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
- ^ "The American Weekly Mercury". Andrew Bradford. 6–13 June 1723. Archived from the original on August 12, 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-04.
- ^ a b c Updike, Wilkins (1833). "Appendix". Memoirs of the Rhode Island Bar. Harvard University. pp. 260–294.
Edward Low.
– recount of the trial of many of Low's men, including verdict and witness statements, and Low's articles. - ^ Cordingly, David (2003-12-02). Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl DVD extra (DVD). Walt Disney Pictures.
My theory is that he deliberately cultivated a terrifying image, because it made their life easier—when they came up beside somebody, ran up the Jolly Roger flag, hopefully everybody would surrender without a fight. So, I think that was part of it, this terror image cultivated by torture and nasty things.
- ^
- ^ Gosse, P (1968). The Pirates' Who's Who, Giving Particulars Of The Lives and Deaths Of The Pirates And Buccaneers. Lenox Hill. p. 155.
- OCLC 36969645.
- ISBN 9780486290645. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-3990-9434-4. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
- ^ "piratesinfo.com". Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
- ^ Pyle, Howard (1903). Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates. Project Gutenberg.
- ^ Scott catalogue, volume II
- ^ Voyer, J. Larry. "Pirates, Buccaneers & Privateers—An English Graphical Biography". larryvoyer.com. Archived from the original on 2004-07-04. Retrieved 2007-10-04.
- ^ "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End—Official Website". Disney.com Network. 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
- TV Insider. Retrieved 2017-11-23.
- ^ "Full Cast of Our Flag Means Death: Every Main Actor & Character In Both Seasons". the-direct. 2023-10-10. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
- ^ Keddy, Sarah (1997-07-23). "Elusive Isle Haute captures scientists' imaginations". The Register. Retrieved 2007-10-04.
Further reading
- Flemming, Gregory. At the Point of a Cutlass: The Pirate Capture, Bold Escape, and Lonely Exile of Philip Ashton. (http://gregflemming.com), ForeEdge (2014) ISBN 978-1611685152
- ISBN 0-15-600549-2
- ISBN 0-486-42131-7
- ISBN 0-89587-098-3
- Crooker, William S; Roberts, Bartholomew; Kidd, William; Easton, Peter. Pirates of the North Atlantic. Nimbus Publishing, Halifax (2004) ISBN 1-55109-513-0
- Scoggins, Rebekah. Methods of Torture among the Caribbean Pirates. Agnes Scott College (2005)
- ISBN 1-84467-008-2
- Whedbee, Charles Harry. Pirates, Ghosts, and Coastal Lore: the Best of Judge Whedbee. John F. Blair (2004) ISBN 0-89587-295-1