John Morris (pirate)

John Morris (fl. 1663–1672, last name occasionally "Morrice") was an English buccaneer active in the Caribbean during the 1660s and early-1670s. His son, John Morris the Younger, held a command of his own ship during his father's later expeditions against Portobelo and Maracaibo. John Morris the Younger was one of the commanders killed in an explosion during a party on board Henry Morgan's flagship in 1670.

Biography

Serving with Admiral Christopher Myngs during his campaign against Spain in the West Indies during the early 1660s, he would become associated with many future prominent privateers of the era and later bought four captured prizes from Myngs.

One of the early buccaneers participating in the expeditions against Spanish strongholds in Mexico and Nicaragua in late 1663 and early 1664, Morris sailed with Henry Morgan, David Marteen, Captain Jackman, Captain Kelly and Captain Freeman against Spanish strongholds in the Caribbean under privateering commissions granted by then governor Thomas Modyford. ^[1]

Arriving off the coast of Mexico, Morris and the others anchored their ships at the mouth of the

In 1670, Morris encountered Portuguese pirate Manuel Ribeiro Pardal, who had long been raiding shipping under a letter of marque from Spain, and boarded his ship, San Pedro y La Fama, while sailing off the northern coast of Cuba. Many of his crew were killed by Morris's crew after jumping overboard in panic, and Pardal himself was shot through the neck.^[2]

Morris would later serve under Morgan in his later raids against

In January 1672, he left Port Royal with HMS Assistance under Major William Beeston and sailed towards Havana in search of privateers. During the voyage, as described in Beeston's logbook, Morris was a skilled pilot who greatly assisted Beeston and other British Captain's unfamiliar with Caribbean waters. During the six-week voyage, the expedition successfully captured Marteen's former sloop Charity, now under Captain Francis Witherborn, and the Mary under Captain Du Mangles bringing back a total of forty three prisoners.

By that September Lynch had again dispatched Morris to hunt rogue privateers who were harassing the Spanish. In particular he was to hunt down Jelles de Lecat (known as "Captain Yellows"); Morris just missed bringing in Lecat in 1670 when he encountered Pardal. Instead Morris joined the bay-men in hauling logwood, which proved safer and more profitable than privateering: "Capt. Wells, in the Civilian of Jamaica from Triste in the Bay of Campeachy, bound with logwood for New England, reports ... that Capt. Morrice in the Lilly, a late pirate pardoned by Sir Thos. Lynch and pretended to be sent against Yellows, a late privateer revolted to the Spaniards, yet never attempted to pursue him though at Villa de Mors 70 leagues from him, but has laden his frigate with logwood."^[3]

In popular culture

• Age of Pirates 2: City of Abandoned Ships (2009 video game) features a character named John Morris who lives in the Port of Spain.

References