William Kyd
William Kyd | |
|---|---|
| Born | fl. 1400 |
| Died | 1453 |
Pirate | |
| Years active | 1430s–1450s |
| Rank | Captain |
| Base of operations | Exmouth |
| Commands | La Trinite |
William Kyd (fl. 1430–1453) was a 15th-century English pirate active in South West England from the 1430s until the 1450s. He and others, such as John Mixtow, William Aleyn and Clays Stephen, acted under virtual immunity from the law for over two decades while under the protection of corrupt custom officials.[1]
Biography
William Kyd first appears in a list of pirates published in 1431 as the master of the balinger La Trinite of Exmouth.[2] The previous year, he and a number of other pirates active in the West Country seized a Breton ship off the coast of Guernsey. Two years later, he joined William Aleyn and several others in capturing four ships carrying provisions to Rouen.
In 1436, sailing into the harbour of
In November 1453, in perhaps the biggest prize of his career, he captured The Marie of
References
- ^ "The Beginnings of English Maritime Enterprise". History. Volume 13 Issue 50 Page 97-106, July 1928.
- ^ Calendar of the patent rolls preserved in the Public Record Office. Henry VI, Vol. II. A.D. 1429–1436. London: HMSO, 1907. (pg. 133)
- ISBN 0-7146-1488-2
Further reading
- Born, Anne. A History of Kingsbridge and Salcombe. Chichester, UK: Phillimore, 1986.
- Gardiener, D.A., ed. A Calendar of Early Chancery Proceedings Relating to West Country Shipping, 1388–1493. Devon and Cornwall Record Society, 1976.
