Benjamin Hornigold, also known as Ben Hornigold, Benjamin Hornygold, or Benjamin Hornagold was an eighteenth-century English ship captain. He sailed variously as a pirate (1713–1718) and briefly as a pirate hunter for the royal governor of the Bahamas (1718–1719). Hornigold was renowned for his feats during the Golden Age of Piracy (1650–1730). He was considered one of the ablest seamen of the period, and he was noted for his influence upon the notorious career of his second-in-command Edward Teach (1680–1718), later known as Blackbeard, to whom he gave his first captaincy. In addition, he was also a mentor to Sam Bellamy (1689–1717), alternatively known as “Black Sam” or the “Prince of Pirates,” who in spite of his short career was considered one of the most successful pirates of the period. Hornigold is known to have captained a number of captured vessels including the Ranger, La Concorde, Happy Return, Benjamin, and Adventure. Given his successes, Hornigold was widely considered a leader among the pirates of the period, and he was a founding member of the Pirate Republic along with John Cockram (1689–1719), who together called themselves the Flying Gang. Despite his reputation as a leader among pirates, Hornigold accepted a royal pardon and remained in the service of the British monarch as a privateer, serving as a trusted aide to Woodes Rogers.
Benjamin Hornigold was born 1680 in Norfolk, England. Unfortunately, little is known about his early life. However, it is likely that he took an early interest in ships, the Atlantic Ocean, and life on the sea, growing up near port towns such as Great Yarmouth or Lynn. Early accounts of Hornigold tell of him turning pirate in 1713 and place his activities in either the West Indies or along the American Atlantic coast. Given his reticence to attack British vessels, it is likely that he began his naval career as an English privateer during the War of Spanish Succession or Queen Anne’s War (1701–1714) and only transitioned into piracy afterward. Indeed, throughout his career and despite the size of his fleet, Hornigold remained wary of attacking British vessels and was known to be forgiving toward prisoners to maintain an appearance of legitimacy in the eyes of the British crown.
By 1715 Hornigold commanded a ship of his own and within a year he was considered a noteworthy pirate, as well as a respected captain in his own right. During this period, Hornigold typically sailed out of New Providence, which he and his contemporaries used as a base for resupply, repair, and illegal trade dealings. Throughout much of 1717, Hornigold worked in conjunction with Sam Bellamy harassing local merchants as well as French and Spanish vessels in the Caribbean. During this period, Hornigold became increasingly aware of his shipmate Edward Teach’s abilities and soon awarded him a ship of his own to captain. Thereafter, Hornigold and Teach worked as partners throughout the Caribbean, slowly expanding their take and the size of their fleet. However, Hornigold’s steadfast refusal to attack British vessels and his reputation for being forgiving to prisoners led to a division between himself and Teach that eventually forced a parting of the ways. Soon after, Hornigold’s crew slowly came to agree with Teach that good opportunities for profit were being passed over, leading them to mutiny and replace him as captain in late 1717.
Shortly after Hornigold returned to Nassau, the “Pirates’ Republic,” he learned of newly appointed governor Woodes Rogers’s offer of pardon for pirates. Hornigold began publicly advocating in favor of pirates accepting the offered pardon and sought to convince other pirates and his former colleagues throughout the region to accept as well. Given Hornigold’s reputation and standing within the pirate community, many of his brethren did in fact accept the British pardon. By February 1718 Hornigold had accepted the offer and set sail for Jamaica to receive a commission from Governor Woodes Rogers to became a pirate hunter. Hence, from 1718 until 1719, Hornigold patrolled the Bahamas as a British privateer searching for pirates including Charles Vane (1680–1721), Stede Bonnet (1688–1718), and John Auger (ca. 1696–1718). Hornigold’s period as a pirate hunter, however, was much celebrated but short lived. During a voyage to Mexico in 1719, he was caught in a hurricane off the coast and his ship ran aground on a reef. The accident led to the loss of his ship and presumably his own death by drowning at the age of thirty-nine.
Sean Morton
See also Bellamy, Samuel “Black Sam”; Rackham, John “Calico Jack”; Thatch, Edward “Blackbeard”; Vane, Charles
Further Reading
Baer, Joel H., ed. 2007. British Piracy in the Golden Age: History and Interpretation, 1660–1730. London: Pickering & Chato.
Levine, Robert M., and Kris Lane. 1998. Pillaging the Empire: Piracy in the Americas, 1500–1750. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe.
Woodard, Colin. 2008. The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down. Orlando, FL: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.