HISTORY OF CAPTAIN KIDD

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On this page, I aim to recount the known facts about the life of William Kidd. There are many colourful and unsubstantiated tales of Kidd's life and times, especially his younger years. However, all historians agree that we just don't know enough about Kidd's early life, when he was in his 20's and 30's, a time that will always remain undocumented conjecture until new evidence can be produced.

Convention and popular myth has it that William Kidd was born, the son of a Presbyterian Minister, in Greenock, on the west coast of Scotland in or around 1645. However, research has shown that Kidd was probably born many miles away, on the east coast of Scotland, in or around Dundee in the year 1654. In 1695, Kidd gave evidence under oath in the case of Jackson and Jacobs v. Noell in the High Court of the Admiralty of England. At the hearing, he gave his age as 41 years, and his place of birth as Dundee ~ which is supported by an entry in the Dundee parish register of baptisms. The surname "Kidd" is a very popular surname in Fife, but is rarely seen on Scotland's west coast. His father is listed as a seaman, which explains why the chronicles of the day (Newgate Calendar) described Kidd as a man ~ "born to the sea". A few miles from Dundee is a small hamlet named "Carnock". Perhaps this is Kidd's true place of birth, which at some stage was misinterpreted and wrongly identified as "Greenock", which to this day still claims to be (I believe in error) Kidd's place of birth. For what it's worth, Kidd also named his Negro cabin boy "Dundee".

The only reason we believe he was born in the year 1645 is because of the written statement of Paul Lorain, the Minister in Attendance at Kidd's execution ~ in which he states that Kidd was a Scotsman of about 56 years of age. People simply deducted 56 from the year he was executed (1701) and came up with 1645 as his year of birth. No one seems to have challenged this estimation, and assumed Lorrain's judgment correct. There is absolutely no other evidence other than Lorrain's estimation to believe Kidd was in his mid/late 50's at the time of his execution. No church records exist to confirm that a William Kidd was born in Greenock in 1645. So how could Lorain have made such a glaring error in his estimation of Kidd's age? At the time of his examination, trial and execution, Kidd was an uncontrollable alcoholic, and may have been so, bearing in mind his lifestyle, for a considerable number of years previously. Alcoholism is a condition which always hastens premature facial aging. When you also consider that he probably spent his entire life on or around the sea ~ which would also have aged his appearance ~ it may be that he was nearer to 47 than his estimated 56 years of age at the time of his death.

A small sea box was discovered by the Palmer brothers inscribed "William Kidd - Leith". This may have been the first box Kidd took to sea with him, and in which he would have kept his few personal possessions. He probably joined his first ship as a young deck-hand sailing out of Leith, a small port on the northern outskirts of Edinburgh ~ on the east coast of Scotland.

His life as a young man is a complete mystery.. Nothing is known or documented of his whereabouts until he reached his mid thirties in 1689. Therefore, if he did go to sea at 15, there is a 20 years gap in our knowledge of his life and times. There is some inconclusive evidence to suggest that he spent some time in Devon and Cornwall in his early life. Many people have even speculated that during this time he was a member of various pirate or privateer crews. This is all pure speculation, as we simply do not know for sure where he went or what he did in the missing thirty years.

Kidd's life was first documented in 1689 when, as a member of a privateer crew in the Caribbean, he successfully commandeered a French ship and proudly sailed it into the harbour at Nevis, then an English Colony. Christopher Codrington, the Governor of the island renamed the ship "Blessed William" after King William III and appointed Kidd as Captain. Why Kidd was appointed Captain isn't clear. Perhaps he was the eldest and most senior crew member, or the most educated, or perhaps he knew how to spin a yarn! Whatever the reason, William Kidd had his first command, together with a privateer appointment issued by the Governor to defend the island against French marauders. Kidd was to keep goods sacked from the French to pay for his services. Captain Kidd was now ready and licensed to pillage.

Captain William Kidd
(believed to have been painted from a sketch drawn in Newgate whilst Kidd was awaiting trial)

In December 1689 the Blessed William joined a Royal Navy squadron headed by Captain Thomas Hewetson to attack the French sugar plantation at Mariegalante. The town was ransacked and by the end of the raid Kidd had stowed £2000 worth of booty in his hold. His crew received the customary share out and he was now a wealthy man by the standards of his day. Hewetson wrote of the raid in his journal, and said of Kidd "was a mighty man who fought as well as any man I ever saw”.

Shortly after this success, Kidd was ordered to join another squadron, but this time to attack French warships in a sea battle - a far more dangerous assignment. His crew refused to join the squadron. They argued that they were paid out of the proceeds from looting and pillaging, and would get nothing for taking part in such a hazardous mission. Kidd confronted them and reminded them that they were employed by the Crown as privateers, and should therefore loyally obey his orders. With the matter still unresolved, Kidd went ashore on Nevis. In the middle of the night his angry crew, led by Robert Culliford, cut cable and stole the "Blessed William", along with Kidd's booty in the hold. Angry and destitute, Kidd was given another ship, a sloop named "Antigua" and crew by the Governor to seek out and re-take the "Blessed William". Whether he did this or not isn't known, but this experience was to have a lasting affect on him, and may have influenced his behavior when, as I believe, he capitulated to the demands of his crew 10 years later in the Indian Ocean.

In 1690 Kidd suddenly turned up in New York. At the time, New York was in the middle of a rebellion. The self appointed leader of the colony, Jacob Leisler had refused to recognize the newly appointed Governor, Col. Henry Sloughter. Kidd, after assessing the situation, agreed to join forces with the Governor and offered to ferry guns and ammunition to help put down the rebellion. For this action, Kidd received £150 and a commendation from the Governor.

Kidd was now a well known and respected New Yorker. He met Sarah Bradley Cox Oort, the wife of John Oort, a wealthy landowner and businessman in the city. William and Sarah applied for a marriage license on May 16 1691, just two days after John Oort had suddenly and mysteriously died. The exact cause of death isn't known, however speculation and rumour was rife, with both Kidd and Sarah suspected of being implicated in his death. Nothing could be proved however, and so William and Sarah, together with Sarah's two daughters from a previous marriage, settled down to respectable married life. Kidd struck up a close friendship with Col. Benjamin Fletcher, the new colonial governor, who was later to be relieved from his post because of his dealings with well known pirates including Thomas Tew and Henry Every.

For the next five years Kidd assumed and lived the life of a successful New York businessman and citizen. He owned grand properties overlooking the Hudson and even secured a box pew in Trinity Church. Why Kidd left this apparent life of luxury to return to a life at sea isn't clear. Perhaps he had brine running through his veins, or wanderlust in his boots, or perhaps his imagination was fired from conversations with fellow mariners in the bars and dockyards of Long Island.

Whatever the reason, when he met Robert Livingston in New York, early in 1695, (a fellow Scotsman and confidant of King William III), Kidd was ready to accept a new challenge. Livingston's plan involved approaching financial backers in England who would fund the purchase and fitting out of a suitable ship. They would recoup their investment from the profits made from booty plundered in the Indian Ocean. The second part of his plan involved securing the services of an experienced privateer and trustworthy ship's captain - which is where Kidd fitted in.

England was at war with France at the time and King William needed funds to boost his dwindling exchequer. English merchant ships in the Indian Ocean were being attacked, putting trade with the east at great risk. What an opportunity!! If Kidd and Livingston could persuade the King to agree to their plan, Kidd could protect the Indian Ocean from piracy, and at the same time amass great wealth for himself and his backers from the proceeds of privateering and pillaging. The booty would then be taken to Boston, Massachusetts to share out with his backers. Later that year, Kidd sailed to England on board his sloop "Antigua" to meet up again with Livingston, in order to put the final touches to their plan. Once in London, Livingston introduced Kidd to Richard Coote, Earl of Bellomont ~ who possessed high ranking contacts and, most importantly, also had the ear of the King. His adventure was about to begin.

Kidd however had greater aspirations. He really wanted a Captain's commission in the Royal Navy, to sail under the King's standard, with full protection of the state, and a properly trained and disciplined crew. Bellomont and Livingston thwarted this idea. They wanted to make a profit, and you couldn't have a Royal Navy ship involved in this type of mission ~ which was always going to be dubious in it's nature. They put pressure on Kidd to accept the privateer appointment, implying that his sloop Antigua would be impounded by His Majesty's Customs should he refuse. Under this pressure, and with the promise of fabulous riches, Kidd accepted the terms of the proposed privateering commission.

With Kidd's services secured, Bellomont approached four of the most powerful men in England who agreed to join his syndicate. The other sleeping backers were The Earl of Romney (Master General of the Kings Ordinance), the Earl of Orford (First Lord of the Admiralty), Sir John Somers (Lord Keeper of the Great Seal) and the Duke of Shrewsbury (Secretary of State).

Bellomont, Livingston and Kidd signed the articles of agreement for the venture in October 1695. Bellomont was to provide 80% of the cost of the enterprise (which he obtained from the other four backers) totaling £6000. The remaining 20% (£1500) was to be invested by Livingston and Kidd.

The profits were to be divided so that the first 10% went to the King's exchequer, and of the remainder, 60% was to go to the anonymous backers, 15% to Kidd and Livingston and 25% to the crew. If the venture proved a failure, Kidd and Livingston underwrote to repay the backers their full investment of £6000.

The proposal was put to the King by Bellomont, who would later go on to replace Fetcher as colonial governor of New York, Massachusetts Bay and New Hampshire, and to whom Kidd would eventually plead his innocence on his return from the Indian Ocean.

The proposal document presented to King William III by the Earl of Bellomont
(see Document Page for detailed view)

The King agreed to the plan and issued "My trusty and well-beloved Captain Kidd" a commission to seize and apprehend "pirates, free-booters and sea-rovers, being our subjects, or of other nations associated with them". If they resisted, Kidd was encouraged "by force to compel them to yield". Kidd was also granted a special "Commission of Reprisals" that permitted him to attack and loot all French shipping. Kidd's commission however, expressly prohibited him from attacking shipping friendly to the Crown. "We do strictly charge and command you, as you will answer to the contrary at your peril, that you do not, in any manner, offend or molest our friends or allies, their ships or subjects, by colour or pretence of these presents, or the authority granted".

The actual Commission (Letter of Marque) given to Kidd by William III
(see Document Page for detailed view)

William the Third, by the grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, defender of the faith, &c. To our trusty and well beloved ~

Capt. Robert Kidd, commander of the Adventure Galley with a crew of 80 men and mounting 30 guns.
     Greeting: whereas we are informed, that Capt. Thomas Too, John Ireland, Capt. Thomas Wake, and Capt. William Maze or Mace, and other subjects, natives or inhabitants of New-York, and elsewhere, in our plantations in America, have associated themselves with diverse others, wicked and ill-disposed persons, and do, against the law of nations, commit many and great piracies, robberies and depredations on the seas upon the parts of America, and in other parts, to the great hindrance and discouragement of trade and navigation, and to the great danger and hurt of our loving subjects, our allies, and all others, navigating the seas upon their lawful occasions.
     Now know ye, that we being desirous to prevent the aforesaid mischief's, and as much as in us lies, to bring the said pirates, freebooters and sea-rovers to justice, have thought fit, and do hereby give and grant to the said Robert Kidd, to whom our commissioners for exercising the office of Lord High Admiral of England, have granted a commission as a private man-of-war, bearing date the 11th day of December, 1695, and unto the commander of the said ship for the time being, and unto the officers, mariners, and others which shall be under your command, full power and authority to apprehend, seize, and take into your custody as well the said Capt. Thomas Too, John Ireland, Capt. Thomas Wake and Capt. Win. Maze or Mace, as all such pirates, free-booters, and searovers, being either our subjects, or of other nations associated with them, which you shall meet with upon the seas or coasts, with all their ships and vessels, and all such merchandises, money, goods, and wares as shall be found on board, or with them, in case they shall willingly yield themselves; but if they will not yield without fighting, then you are by force to compel them to yield.
     And we also require you to bring, or cause to be brought, such pirates, freebooters, or sea-rovers, as you shall seize, to a legal trial, to the end they may be proceeded against according to the law in such cases. And we do hereby command all our officers, ministers, and other of our loving subjects whatsoever, to be aiding and assisting to you in the premises.
  And we do hereby enjoin you to keep an exact journal of your proceedings in execution of the premises, and set down the names of such pirates, and of their officers and company, and the names of such ships and vessels as you shall by virtue of these presents take and seize, and the quantities of arms, ammunition, provision, and lading of such ships, and the true value of the same, as near as you can judge.
      In witness whereof, we have caused our great seal of England to be affixed to these presents. Given at our court in Kensington, the 26th day of January, 1695, in the 7th year of our reign.

His ship "Adventure Galley" was launched at Deptford on the Thames in December 1695. She was a fast and highly maneuverable 34 gun galley with oars, a formidable fighting ship and perfect for her intended mission. Kidd hand-picked his crew from experienced seamen whom he believed would not turn to piracy. Nearly all the men he picked were married with families in England. In all he selected 70 men. He planned to sail to New York to recruit a further 80 men before embarking on his dangerous mission in the Indian Ocean.

On 27th February 1696 Kidd set sail on his grand adventure. He was barely underway when he was stopped by a Royal Navy warship in the Thames estuary, who impressed many of Kidd's best hand picked crew, leaving him with barely enough men to manage the ship. He sailed down the English Channel and called in to Plymouth where he recruited more crew for his voyage across the Atlantic. With enough crew to manage the ship, he set out for New York, arriving in July 1696. This seriously put Kidd under the pressure of time, for his commission required him to return to Boston with his booty by 20 March 1697 - a schedule that was going to be impossible to meet.

Kidd immediately set about recruiting more crew and taking on supplies for the long voyage that lay ahead. However, he soon realized that this wasn't going to be an easy task, for he had to compete with the many pirate ships who also recruited their crews in New York. To entice enough crewmen to sign on for the long voyage south, Kidd promised his recruits 60% of the prizes taken - far more than he was entitled to offer under the terms contained in the Articles of Agreement, which specified that his backers would receive 60% with his crew receiving only 25% ~ and then, only at the end of the mission. Even with this enticement, the standard of crew members recruited was far below that of the hand picked crew he had lost to the Royal Navy, and consisted mainly of privateers, pirates and free-booters.

This begs the question ~ why would Kidd, in an apparent confident and cavalier fashion, offer his recruits 60% of prizes taken to join his ship? ~ An offer which, if Kidd had been limited to the terms of the King's commission ~ would have been impossible to fulfill. Was Kidd on a dual mission? Was there another motive behind Kidd's Indian Ocean Adventure? What was Kidd up to? Within 24 hours of Kidd leaving New York, Livingston overheard the dockside talk of Kidd's generous offer to his recruits, and realizing the seditious implications of Kidd's actions, immediately dashed to Boston to inform Bellomont. Kidd was now already under suspicion, even before he had left American coastal waters.

The truth will never be known for sure, but it is interesting to note that Captain John Avery was in or around New York at the same time as Kidd (July/August 1696), after getting back from his famous Indian Ocean foray the previous April. Avery wrote in his Journal that he had buried most of his prizes taken in the Indian Ocean because he couldn't carry it all! He also lamented at not having brought back a little box of jewels the Princess had given him, since they were worthy of being placed in the King's crown. Avery's year of terror in the Indian Ocean earned him the titles "Arch Pirate" and "King of Pirates" ~ because the value of Avery's plunder may have been a hundred times greater than Kidd amassed during his Indian Ocean adventure.

On September 6, 1698 one of Avery's men, John Devin was apprehended in Providence RI. Appearing before the magistrates on the 20th, he shocked many in government. According to his testimony Avery came to Rhode Island after leaving Madagascar, "in April of 1696" said Devin, "Capt.. Every, alias Bridgeman, came to the harbor of Providence with the ship CHARLES, alias FANCY, where the captain and his ships crew, I being one of them, left the CHARLES behind and purchased other vessels to make their way to Ireland." He languished in jail for two months, but was set free, as he was no longer involved in piracy, and he was now a wealthy citizen. Devin did however infer the Governor of Rhode Island (Walter Clarke) assisted Avery in purchasing the vessels and supplies to escape.

Could it be that after hearing of Kidd's much heralded mission, Avery (alias Benjamin Bridgeman or Henry Every) slipped away from his Providence ~ Rhode Island hideaway, where his ship was being prepared for his eventual escape to Ireland, and secretly met Kidd in the back room of a Long Island tavern?

Avery knew that he could not return to the Indian Ocean because of his double crossing of Captains Wake, Mace and Ireland ~ who were all hunting for him. Perhaps Avery offered Kidd a lucrative deal to retrieve his treasure for him? This would certainly explain Kidd's sudden bout of generosity to his recruits and explain why there are TWO maps ~ apparently drawn by different hands.

Perhaps the Morgan map was drawn by Avery to show Kidd the way to his treasure island. Certainly the specified point of disembarkation and path taken around the island (denoted by a dashed line) seems to be part of a graphic demonstration of a story being related by one person to another. Could it be that Kidd found the island depicted on Avery's map, but when he saw the vast amount of treasure Avery had concealed, he decided it too dangerous to load on to the Adventure Prize, and simply relocated it on the same island for retrieval at a later date ~ hence Kidd's drafting of the Key map showing the relocation site/s ~ selected by Kidd.

In his normal duplicitous way, Kidd's plot would have involved reporting to Avery that he went to the indicated spot (as indicated on the Morgan map), but the treasure had already been removed. Also, Kidd would not have wanted to share 60% of his newly found hoard with his crew. After Kidd's arrest, Avery, himself a wanted man by the authorities and his peers alike, could not contact Kidd, so would have naturally presumed that Kidd did retrieve his treasure, but that it had been either confiscated by the authorities, or pillaged by Kidd's crew after Kidd's arrest. Even if Avery did make it back to his island at some later date, he would have found that his treasure had been removed from it's original location. No one knows for sure what became of John Avery. Some historians believe that Avery lived out a long and comfortable life near Broadhaven on the west coast of Ireland, but it is widely believed he died in poverty in Biddeford, North Devon, after being cheated by Bristol (UK) merchants out of a bag of precious stones (the remnants of his original plunder) ~ indicating that he never did retrieve his fabulous Indian Ocean cache. The surname "Avery" is a common name in and around Biddeford to this day.

This would also explain why certain historians believe the gold threaded cot blanket that Kidd gave to Gardiner's wife on his return to New York after his Indian Ocean adventure, came from Avery's sacking of the Gang-i-Sawai and its escort the Fateh Mohamed, and did not come from Kidd's seizure of the Quedagh Merchant (described later).

If this is the case, then Kidd and Avery may very well have been in league together, meaning that Kidd did unearth, inspect and relocate Avery's hoard (maybe in multiple cache sites on the island), and the true value of goods concealed is much greater than originally thought. Perhaps Kidd's offer to the House of Commons (described later) was to unearth just one of the relocated cache sites (he valued at £100,000) in return for his freedom? ~ keeping the remainder for himself!

Perhaps the text "20 TURTLES" that is written on the Key Map is indicating twenty burial sites? After all ~ turtles make landfall for only one reason ~ they dig a hole, deposit their precious eggs, cover their deposit with sand and then return to the sea!! There again, "TURTLES" may be a simple acronym for "Two Under Rood To Lay Evil Spirits"? ~ indicating the possibility of human sacrifice whose spirits would have guarded the treasure.

Kidd finally set sail for the Indian Ocean on 6th September 1696. On December 12 1696 in the early evening, Kidd was 100 miles northwest of Capetown. He had lost some of his sails in a storm and was making slow progress. He encountered a Royal Navy squadron off the Cape of Good Hope and requested new sails. When this was refused, he informed Commander Warren, who was leading the squadron, of his Royal Commission which entitled him to aid. Kidd threatened that if no help was offered, he would stop the first merchant ship he encountered and seize new sails. Following a heated argument, Warren, now highly suspicious of Kidd, threatened to impress 30 of Kidd's crew the following morning. Kidd could not afford to lose more crew, so in the middle of the night, he slipped away using his ship's oars until the squadron was out of sight. Fearful of being arrested for treason on the high seas, Kidd did not call into Capetown as he had originally planned, but continued his voyage on into the Indian Ocean.

In February 1697, Kidd called at the island of Mehila in the Comoros. Urgent repair work was needed on his ship after the long voyage from New York. It was here that Kidd lost 50 crew members to fever and disease within the space of a week. At this point, Kidd must have thought deeply about his situation. He had left London almost a year previously, and had still not taken a prize. The terms of his agreement required him to be back in Boston the following month with his booty! His provisions were running low and his crew, particularly the New York contingent, continually talked of piracy. With his ship repaired, and more crew members recruited to replace the crew who had died, Kidd set sail and headed north for the Malabar coast and mouth of the Red Sea on April 27 1697.

Kidd preyed on the East / West trade routes funneling in and out of the Red Sea

Kidd was now under great pressure. He had missed his deadline, his crew wanted payment and he was fearful of being found and arrested by the Royal Navy. It is during this time I believe Kidd turned to piracy. Remembering his experience in the Caribbean when he confronted his crew - and lost, he could not afford to lose another crew and risk total failure. This would have meant repaying his backers in full. With his mission hopelessly off course, I believe he capitulated to his crew's insatiable demands for piracy. Kidd tried to uphold the terms of his commission as best he could, (hence the murder of William Moore - which is described later), but faced with the constant threat of mutiny, he opted for the compromise that branded him a pirate, and which would lead to his eventual downfall.

In his frantic search for shipping to attack, Kidd had worked the "Adventure Galley" day and night until many of her joints had sprung. The bilge had to be pumped constantly, just to keep her afloat.

Kidd's mission was also hampered because of his difficulty in identifying legitimate prizes to attack. Under continual threat of piracy in the busy trade routes, merchant ships opted to fly whatever flag they felt safest with at the time. A vessel's true identity was often impossible to determine. In his effort to discover the nationality of a vessel, Kidd would regularly run up various flags to test the response of a potential prize. His crew had no time for their captain's etiquette. As far as they were concerned, all vessels sighted were fair game. The tension between Kidd and his crew escalated to breaking point.

In February 1698, almost a year after he had been expected to return from his mission, Kidd finally hit the jackpot in heavy seas off the Indian coast, north of Cochin. The "Quedagh Merchant" was a 500 ton Armenian merchant ship laden with gold, jewels, silver, silks, sugar and guns. Kidd considered this prize, together with previous smaller prizes, as ample compensation for his late return, and reward enough for his backers. The prize though was a legal nightmare. Owned by Indians, carrying a Persian cargo, crewed by Moors, and with an English Captain named Wright. All sailed together, allegedly under a French Pass. Kidd had to decide if this was a legitimate prize. The Pass was the key to the answer, and upon which hinged the outcome of his eventual trial. Kidd decided she was a legitimate prize and hoisted his English flag over her quarterdeck.

On April 1 1698 Kidd sailed his prize the "Quedagh Merchant", together with his own ship the "Adventure Galley" and an earlier prize the "Rouparelle" (sometimes referred to as the "Maiden") which Kidd had renamed the "November" back to Madagascar. During this voyage, Kidd gathered his crew and announced his plan to return to America with his ill-gotten gains. Many of his crew objected. They had just taken their richest prize and were hungry for more. They demanded to stay in the Indian Ocean to continue their piratical ways.

On his arrival at Isle de St. Marie, an unguarded and well known pirate ship named "Mocha Frigate" was at anchor in the harbour. The ship was captained by Robert Culliford, who, 10 years earlier had stolen Kidd's ship the "Blessed William" from the harbour in Nevis. Culliford's ship would have proved no match for Kidd's 34 gun warship, even in her dilapidated condition. Kidd had his chance to get even and at the same time uphold the terms of his commission to rid the region of pirates.

If you believe Kidd's trial account of these events, (at Kidd's trial conflicting accounts were heard) Kidd claimed he found himself at the mercy of his adversary after all but 13 of his own men deserted to join Culliford, and was therefore unable to attack the known pirate. Kidd alleged that Culliford then sacked and set fire to the "November", and then stripped the "Quedagh Merchant" and "Adventure Galley" of their guns, powder, shot, small arms and cables before turning his attention to Kidd. During the melee, Kidd claimed, Culliford also seized and burned his log and threatened to kill him. Kidd then alleged that he and his thirteen loyal crew members barricaded themselves inside his cabin. How long the alleged stand off lasted is not known. Kidd claimed he eventually surrendered to Culliford. In return for whatever Kidd offered, (which is subject to speculation as Kidd did not specify the terms of his surrender) Culliford spared Kidd's life and those of his crew who had stayed loyal to him.

Strangely enough, no mention was made of booty being pillaged from any of Kidd's ships, which may indicate that Kidd could have hidden his loot on his secret island en-route to Madagascar. If Kidd did have treasure and goods in his holds, Culliford would surely have taken it and Kidd would have reported it.

Six weeks after the alleged confrontation, in June 1698, Kidd claimed Culliford set sail in the "Mocha Frigate" to resume his pirate ways, leaving the stripped "Adventure Galley" and "Quedagh Merchant" lying otherwise unharmed in the harbour. The "Adventure Galley", leaking like a sieve, was now resting on the bottom of the harbour. Kidd claimed he transferred everything he could salvage from the "Adventure Galley" to equip the "Quedagh Merchant" and then torched the "Adventure Galley". Why he should set fire to a ship that, according to Kidd, was already resting on the bottom of the harbour baffles me. What would be the point? This is only one of numerous aspects of Kidd's courtroom account that just doesn't make sense.

I believe Kidd's courtroom testimony was a complete fabrication of the truth. The concocted story was Kidd's convenient account of how he "lost" his ship, his crew, his 34 cannons and his ship's log without admitting to trading with a known pirate. Kidd's account did not explain why Culliford allegedly spared his life, or why he left the "Adventure Galley" and "Quedagh Merchant" lying stripped but otherwise unharmed in the harbour at St. Marie. Kidd's account was deemed as incredible and beyond belief.

At his trial, his prosecutors would refer to this encounter with Culliford as evidence of Kidd's collusion with known pirates. The terms of the commission required Kidd to attack all pirates.

Perhaps the more logical explanation of events went like this, remembering that the account of good liar always contain a central thread of truth ~ from which the yarn is spun :-

Kidd knew his mission in the Indian Ocean was at an end. He had enough treasure and goods stowed on his island hide-away to share out with his backers, and was now keen to return to America. The majority of his crew demanded to continue their activities in the Indian Ocean, so after making the final share out, Kidd made for Madagascar, a pirate haven, where he knew his pirate crew would easily find new ships to join, and where he would be able to recruit a replacement crew. Kidd was probably pleased to be rid of them! Kidd also needed to convert his tradable assets into gold, silver, jewels etc. and replenish his newly acquired ship in readiness for the long return voyage to America.

When Kidd arrived at St. Marie, he was delighted to see Culliford's ship the "Mocha Frigate" at anchor in the harbour. Kidd, now aboard the "Quedagh Merchant", no longer needed his leaking fighting ship and offered Culliford (who he knew from previous campaigns in the Caribbean) the "Adventure Galley", and the members of his crew who demanded to stay in the Indian Ocean, in return for replacement crew, goods and money. Culliford, whose ship "Mocha Frigate" had been severely damaged in a skirmish with the British ship "Dorrill" in the Malacca Straits, (her main mast was sheared by a salvo from the "Dorrill") readily agreed and set about stripping the "Adventure Galley" to make her lighter to haul on to the careening beach. Kidd and Culliford soon forgot about past indiscretions, and enjoyed each others company in the taverns of St. Marie whilst Culliford waited for the "Adventure Galley" to be made sea worthy.

After Culliford had the "Adventure Galley" careened and made sea-worthy, (which would have taken him about six weeks) he and his newly acquired crew set sail in the "Adventure Galley" (which would have been re-named) to resume their acts of piracy in the Indian Ocean. Kidd then stripped the "November" of everything useful, sold off any goods of value from her hold and torched her in the harbour, along with the badly damaged "Mocha". Kidd later falsely claimed in testimony that the ships he had torched in the harbour were the "November" and "Adventure Galley".

Kidd could not admit trading his fighting ship "Adventure Galley" to a known pirate, even though she was in an un-seaworthy state. This is why he concocted his colourful but false story of the stand off with Culliford and the torching of the "Adventure Galley" in the harbour at St. Marie to account for his "losses".

Kidd then set about recruiting a replacement crew, stocked his hold with provisions, and set sail in the "Quedagh Merchant" for his island hide-away to conceal his personal hoard and await the onset of the monsoon season, before embarking for America. I believe Kidd also used this time to conceive and plot his colourful alibi to account for his losses and acquisitions. Kidd had put his devious and scheming plans into motion.

At this point Kidd must have made his decision to conceal his personal cache on his Island, rather than risk taking it back to America. I also believe there is a good chance that Kidd may also have buried the Adventure Galley's log along with the rest of his personal hoard on his island. For an experienced captain and navigator to willfully destroy his most important record would have been an anathema.

Kidd was required to declare ALL plundered goods to Bellomont on his arrival in America, and Kidd, displaying his customary duplicity, decided to keep a slice of his hard earned wealth for himself, rather than declare everything and receive only a small percentage.

This gave Kidd a big problem ~ what to do with his massive personal hoard. He must have thought long and hard about how he could transport this back to America in safety and secrecy. Kidd's newly recruited Madagascar crew were cut-throats and free-booters and largely unknown to him. He could not trust them and they certainly had no reason to show any loyalty to Kidd. Kidd knew that if he loaded his personal cache on board, his new crew was bound to get to know of it. Perhaps he was fearful of being killed by his ramshackle crew on the long return voyage home. Kidd would also have realized that even if he had made it safely back to America with his hoard, his crew's knowledge of his "unofficial" cache would surely have reached, in time, the ears of Bellomont; the new governor of Massachusetts; the person who was expecting to receive the plundered goods in their entirety for share out with Kidd's secret backers ~ and Kidd could not risk being found to have seditiously double crossed Bellomont ~ the King's representative.

Whatever the reason, crafty and cunning to the last, I believe Kidd solved his dilemma by opting to conceal his personal cache on his island, with the intention of returning at a later date, with a hand picked trusted crew, when the euphoria of his homecoming had passed to recover his hoard.

This is why I believe Kidd carefully drew and encoded his charts and cleverly concealed them in items of his ship's furniture, probably during his long return voyage to America. The clues that give the island's location and cache site are sophisticated, too sophisticated I believe for an intended short term concealment. This indicates to me that Kidd fully intended to return (maybe even a couple of years later) to recover his hoard.

Whether Kidd was a blood thirsty pirate, as legend would portray him, is open to debate. However, if Kidd was nothing else, he was a clever and crafty schemer, which he demonstrated on many occasions, perhaps one too many!

My theory, based on logic, seems to make much more sense. All you have to do is put yourself in his position ~ what would you have done?!! Without conclusive proof however, we can only speculate as to what actually happened. One thing is for sure ~ Kidd's courtroom account of events in the Indian Ocean, especially the alleged confrontation with Culliford in the harbour at St. Marie and the torching of the "Adventure Galley" did not stand the test of scrutiny and was dismissed by his accusers for what it was - an unbelievable tale of invented mitigation.

The ship discovered in the harbour of St. Marie by Barry Clifford (of the "Whydah" fame) may not be the "Adventure Galley" after all. If logic has any relevance, the ship could very well be the "November" and/or the damaged "Mocha" (the remains of the two ships may be lying side by side). I believe Kidd traded the "Adventure Galley" (and crew) to Robert Culliford, and did not torch her, as he stated in his discredited testimony. Shards of Ming porcelain found in the excavation may well have formed part of the "Maidens" manifest on her last trading run. Robert Culliford's partner in crime ~Dirk Chivers ~ also scuttled his acquired ship "New Soldado" (previously named "Great Mohammed) in the Harbour at St. Marie in September 1699, in his effort to block the passage of four Royal Navy warships that had been dispatched to the pirate haven to quell the pirate threat. It is very likely that the remains of several ships of the period may be found in the harbour. Old ships eaten out with sea worm were left to rot where they lay. However, if Barry and his team find the remains of two 17th century ships ~ lying side by side ~ burnt out in the harbour, or a substantial number of cannons (say 34!) and/or a substantial number of galley oarlocks in the wreck, then my theory is wrong and I stand corrected.

Kidd left the Indian Ocean for America in the "Quedagh Merchant" on November 15 1698, taking advantage of seasonal monsoons that would speed him around the cape and into the southern Atlantic. The monsoons would have kept Culliford and his fellow pirates in port whilst Kidd, laden with his precious cargo for share out with his backers, made his run past Madagascar from his island hide-away.

About the same time, a letter from the East India Company reached London, recounting numerous acts of piracy attributed to Kidd. Warren's Royal Navy squadron was dispatched from Capetown to the Indian Ocean to find, board and apprehend Kidd, whose reported actions was causing great embarrassment and alarm to his influential backers in London. Orders went out to the colonies to arrest Kidd on sight, should he turn up there. News of Kidd's pirate acts filtered down to the Houses of Parliament, where political opponents of Kidd's backers seized their opportunity to discredit and embarrass them. Kidd was now popularly regarded as a guilty man by the public before he had even been apprehended, let alone tried for his alleged crimes. The legend surrounding Captain Kidd's exploits and fantastic wealth was already running before him.

A few miles off the Venezuelan coast, Kidd is alleged to have stopped and boarded a brigantine under the command of John Corso, a Venetian merchant. To read the account of this encounter, click on the link below.

Kidd eventually arrived in the Caribbean, making landfall in Anguilla in April 1699. Upon hearing that the King had issued a Royal Warrant for their arrest for acts of piracy, his crew wanted to scuttle the "Quedagh Merchant" and disband, rather than surrender to the authorities. Kidd however, was so sure of his innocence, he convinced the majority of his crew to go with him to New York to clear their names.

It is interesting to note that all old charts refer to this region as the "Caribbean". The term "West Indies" is never used. When Kidd referred to his treasure in the "Indies", I believe he was referring to the region known as the East Indies or Indian Ocean.

On his way to New York, Kidd stopped of at Hispaniola (present day Haiti) where he bought a small sloop named "Antonio". He transferred most of his booty from the "Quedagh Merchant" to the "Antonio" and, with a crew of twelve, set sail for New York, leaving the remainder of his crew to guard the "Quedagh Merchant" and remainder of his plundered cargo in a small creek. Kidd, forever the devious schemer, was beginning to put his bargaining chips in place. What happened to the Quedagh Merchant after Kidd's arrest is not clear. It is believed she was scuttled after being stripped of her valuables and her hold emptied. Unconfirmed reports suggests that she may have been sailed to the coast of America before being scuttled.

On route, again as part of his devious bargaining plan, Kidd buried various items of his booty in several locations along the banks, and on various islands in the Hudson River. Why he did this, if he really believed himself innocent, is a mystery. His accusers would later refer to his furtive actions on the Hudson as conclusive demonstration of his guilt.

Kidd spent two weeks with his wife and step children in New York to prepare his account of events before his meeting with Bellomont in Boston. The first thing Kidd did was contact John Emmot, his attorney from Oyster Bay and instruct him to approach Bellomont on his behalf. Kidd needed to know Bellomont's stance before meeting him himself. Kidd gave Emmot the two French passes that would surely prove his innocence, to show to Bellomont ~ which he promptly confiscated. That was the last time Kidd was to see the passes, a fatal mistake. Bellomont wrote in July 1699....

“Captain Kidd in a sloop richly laden, came to Rhode Island, and sent one Emmot to Boston to treat about his admission and security. He said Kidd had left the great Moorish ship he took in India, called the Quedagh Merchant, in a creek on the coast of Hispaniola, with goods to the value of £30,000”

During this time, it is believed Kidd buried more goods in or around Long Island, Block Island and Gardiner's Island. He also sent Bellomont's wife gifts of pillaged trinkets and precious stones, presumably to smooth the path to Bellomont's door and to test Bellomont's resolve and reaction. Perhaps Kidd thought Bellomont, who was not a wealthy man, could be bribed. However Kidd's naive gesture backfired badly and only served to incense Bellomont, one of Kidd's secret backers who had now become his enemy and adjudicator. At their eventual meeting in Boston, Kidd related the story of his inability to manage his mutinous crew and referred to the French Passes which confirmed his belief that the shipping he had attacked were French. However, Bellomont, forever the King's representative and now acting with motives of his own self preservation, refused to accept Kidd's explanation of events in the Indian Ocean and promptly had Kidd arrested and clapped in irons.

Bellomont then turned his attention to members of Kidd's crew. To read an account of the examination and testament of one Nicholas Churchill, see Bellomont's Quest Page

In those days, persons accused of piracy could not be tried in the colonies, they could only be tried in England. Kidd and those of his crew who were arrested were transported back to England under guard on board the Royal Navy frigate HMS Advice to face their accusers and stand trial on five charges of piracy.

During this voyage, Kidd hinted for the first time of his concealed " goods and treasure in the Indies". His hints were reported but ignored. Kidd continued to drop hints of his buried goods in the Indies several more times during his incarceration, and even wrote to the House of Commons offering to take persons appointed by the House back to the Indies to recover the goods. I believe, for the reasons given above, that Kidd did leave his personal hoard on his island in the Indies, and did not transport his hoard back to America along with the rest of his plundered cargo.

After arresting Kidd and his crew, Bellomont sent his men to Gardiner’s Island to seize the concealed loot ~ estimated at the time to be worth £20,000 (around £2 million in today's value). All the treasure Kidd deposited there was uncovered and removed. Gardiner, who some historians have suggested was in league with Kidd, gave a statement to Bellomont in which he said that on the day Kidd and his men concealed the treasure, Kidd told him to "take three Negroes, two boys and a girl, ashore, to keep till he, the said Kidd, should call for them" and was therefore away from the island and not party to Kidd's seditious actions.

Kidd gave Gardiner gifts of cloth and four pieces of Arabian Gold. Gardiner said Kidd also buried a chest and a box of Gold, a bundle of quilts, and four bales of goods. Two members of Kidd's crew, named Cook and Parrot, gave Gardiner two bags of Silver which weighed thirty pounds, a small bundle of gold, gold dust of about a pound weight, a sash and a pair of worsted stockings.

A framed swatch of the cloth that Kidd gave to Gardiner and the plaque marking the site of Kidd's Gardiner's Island deposit ~ declaring that his treasure had been recovered

The booty that Kidd carried on his last voyage to America is well documented, and mostly accounted for, as can be seen in The Earl of Bellomont's manifest of Kidd's cargo and possessions shown below.

Bellomont's account of Kidd's possessions at the time of his arrest
(see Document Page for detailed view)

Bellomont's manifest of Kidd's cargo accounted for 1,111 ounces of gold, 2,353 ounces of silver, over a pound of precious stones (i.e. rubies and diamonds), 57 bags of sugar, and 41 bags of miscellaneous goods and artifacts.

The enduring questions are - we know what Kidd transported back to America to share out with his secret backers, but what did he leave behind? Was Kidd a clever and crafty schemer who took back only the goods he wished to share with his principals? - leaving his secret cache to remove at a later date? ~ when the euphoria of his homecoming had passed? Why else would he carefully draw and cleverly conceal three charts of his island if everything had been removed from his island and stowed on to the "Quedagh Merchant" before embarking for America? Why, after his arrest, did Kidd hint and refer (several times) to his hidden "goods and treasure in the Indies"?

The "Key Chart" was discovered concealed in his wife's work box. On the top of the box is a brass plate inscribed "Wm and Sarah Kidd - Their Box 1699". When did Kidd conceal this chart? The date 1699 is very significant. We know that Kidd left the Indian Ocean in November 1698, so we can safely assume that the box was either made, purchased or otherwise acquired during his voyage back to America, or after his return to America. In other words, Kidd could only have concealed the "Key Chart" during or after his return from the Indian Ocean, and before his arrest. (he spent two weeks with his wife and step daughters after his arrival in New York to prepare his account of events, before his meeting with Bellomont in Boston and ultimate arrest). If this is the case, then Kidd's charts are very important and indicate that his secret personal cache was deposited and left on his island in the Indian Ocean and not transported back to America along with the rest of his plundered goods. There would be absolutely no point in Kidd carefully drawing and concealing the chart of his island ~ after he had left the Indian Ocean ~ if he had no intention of returning to the island at a later date. Some historians believe that the charts relate to an earlier part of Kidd's life ~ maybe 30 years earlier ~ in 1669 when Kidd would have been around 24 years of age. If this is the case, why would a 54 years old Kidd carefully conceal a 30 years old chart in a newly acquired box after leaving the Indian Ocean in 1698? I fail to see the logic of this thesis. It must be more logical to assume that Kidd concealed his "new" chart of his island in the Indian Ocean in his "newly acquired" box during or after his return from the Indian Ocean.

Many researchers have taken the inscription "1669" that is featured on the Hardy Chest and the bureau chart to be references to the year. Perhaps there is another explanation to the reference "1669". Old Portuguese charts would certainly have been in use during Kidd's time in the Indian Ocean. It may be just a happy coincidence that "1669" is also the coordinates of St. Marie (Kidd's Indian Ocean base) on these charts ~ (16S ~ 69E). The longitude reference on the old Portuguese charts would have used Ferro as the prime meridian.

Kidd, after receiving the death penalty, and in his last desperate attempt to save his neck from the gallows, wrote a letter from Newgate Prison to Robert Harley, Speaker of the House of Commons offering to take persons appointed by the House To a place ~ "that in my late proceedings in the Indies I have lodged goods and treasure to the value of one hundred thousand pounds" ~ to recover the hoard. Where did he mean when he referred to the "Indies"? I believe he was referring to his island (that he charted) in the Indian Ocean. This region has always been known to early navigators as "The Indies". This question however will always remain unanswered until his island site (which I believe is known) is excavated and proof obtained.

The full text (including the spelling errors) of Kidd's letter is as follows:-

S'r,
The sence of my present Condition (being under Condemnation) and the thoughts of having bene imposed on by such as seek't my destruction thereby to fulfill their ambitious desires makes me uncapable of Expressing my selfe in those terms as I ought, therefore due most humbly pray that you will be pleased to represent to the Hon'bl. house of Comons that in my late proceedings in the Indies I have lodged goods and Tresure to the value of one hundred thousand pounds, which I desire the Government may have the benefitt of, in order thereto, I shall desire no manner of liberty but to be kept prisoner on board such shipp as may be appointed for that purpose, and only give the necessary directions and in case I faile therin I desire no favour but to be forthwith Executed acording to my Sentence. If y'r honbl. house will please to order a Comittee to come to me, I doubt not but to give such satisfaction as may obtaine mercy, most Humbly submitting to the wisdom of your great assembly I am

S'r Y'r Unfortunate humble servant

Wm Kidd

Kidd knew he was to be the scapegoat for his influential backers and the King's ill conceived entrepreneurship. He was denied the services of a defence counsel and only learned that he was also to be tried for the murder of William Moore after his two day trial on five charges of piracy had started.

One of the French Passes Kidd produced to Bellomont in Boston
(see Document Page for detailed view)

Morgan Map	Key Map

John Avery's Map? showing original cache site	William Kidd's Map? showing relocated cache site