'A man of exceptional ability.' Discuss with reference to the career of Henry Every.

‘A man of exceptional ability.’ Discuss with reference to the career of Henry Every.

In order to form a judgement upon the career of any notorious pirate, the historian must first be able to separate the fact from the fiction. History records the pirate as nothing more than a common criminal. However, a fairytale barrier stands between the investigator and the true identity of the individual. The pirate has been extensively portrayed in historical and modern literature, with works such as ‘Treasure Island’ serving to enhance the myth surrounding figures such as Henry Every. It is often the case that the historian has surprisingly little evidence to work with, having as they do to chip away at the romance in order to reveal the actual person. Every is just such a figure. His history has been clouded by dramatic accounts of his career stretching back as far as 1713. That his brief career as a pirate was successful is beyond a doubt. His pillaging of Muslim vessels tested the limits of British diplomacy. This success however is no reflection of Every’s ability as a seafarer, tactician or pirate. This essay will assess whether the success of Every can be put to luck or whether he was a man of exceptional ability.

Today Every is not as widely known as other notorious pirates of his age. Sources following the early years of Every are vague and conflicting. According to historian Daniel Defoe, Every was born in Plymouth in 1653, although other sources dispute this claiming the mid 1660s as a more accurate date. Living in Plymouth, Every was never far away from the docks and became accustomed to seafaring from an early age. The first records of Every’s employment show him to be midshipman aboard the Royal Navy battleship ‘Rupert’. Promotion was to follow swiftly when in the summer of 1689, ‘Rupert’ overpowered a large French convoy preventing vital supplies reaching Ireland. Every was swiftly promoted to ‘mate’, suggesting he demonstrated considerable ability in his duties. Records of such success early in his career are of great significance portraying as they do an extremely able seaman with considerable experience.

Every was discharged in the summer of 1690, but left with combat experience at sea as midshipman and mate. His next commission was to be a desirable one, implying that he left the Royal Navy with strong recommendations. Every became first mate aboard the ‘Duke’, one of four heavily armoured ships owned by Spanish merchants. The voyage aimed to trade; raid French islands and salvage lost Spanish shipping. The expedition seemed flawless with investors backing a total of £32,000. However, far from being the lucrative job opportunity anticipated by Every, the voyage would lead him to an unexpected career change.

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The voyage of 1693 seemed destined to failure long before Every’s ship reached the port of Coruña. During the crossing the fleet encountered unusually bad weather and due to the detention of the fleets admiral, did not anchor at its destination until early 1694. Opinion amongst the crew was also extremely divided over the Irish captain O’Byrne. O’Byrne had been arrested in London prior to the fleets departure on suspicion of treason. Many amongst the crew believed that a man with such a reputation was unfit to assume command of a vessel. This unease was worsened by a four month delay at Coruña and the death of the respected Captain Strong. The lengthening delay and conflict over O’Byrne were major factors in the outbreak of rebellion, but the catalyst for disaster was the director’s delay in paying wages. Although withheld pay of eight months or longer was not uncommon in maritime practice, the director’s dismissal of petitions from the crew and the crews families was greeted with anger. While spending their fourth month anchored in port with no money to purchase commodities and no orders coming from the directors, the crew’s anger came to a head.

On the first of May, according to John Dann, bosun’s mate a some of the crew “proposed to Captain Every… to carry away the shipp, which was agreed on and sworne too.” The mutiny of the expedition was not the idea of Every. The fact that the idea was proposed by the conspiracy offering the leadership to Every demonstrates the respect that he commanded amongst the crew. Although Every was of a high rank onboard ship he had got there through the lower decks. He was one of the crew and as such held their trust and respect. It is again a strong indicator that Every was indeed a man of exceptional ability. A mutiny of four heavily armoured vessels would have been an exceptionally dangerous task. The conspirators would have chosen the most able man amongst them to lead such an undertaking.

From this point Every took control of the mutiny, rallying those who he could trust and organising the strike to the smallest detail. The event demonstrates Every’s ability as a leader, co-ordinating the move between four ships in order to take the flagship of the fleet, the ‘Charles’. Despite taking fire from the ‘Charles’ and the fort at la Coruña, Every made off with the ‘Charles’ without bloodshed or significant damage to the vessel. The stealth and efficiency of the mutineers led and inspired by Every is again testimony to the ability of the man.

Every was an exceptional pirate in terms of his kindness and decency. He was not an aristocrat but a man true to his lowly beginnings. Wherever possible it seems that he treated his men and captives as equals, earning as he did his reputation as the Robin Hood of the pirate world. This can best be demonstrated by his actions in the immediate aftermath of the ‘Charles’ mutiny. Having determined to seek his fortune as a pirate he turned loose all those on board not part of the mutiny with as much human decency as the circumstances permitted. It was his conduct as much as his success as a pirate that transformed him into a living legend. Ballads and plays based on his life from the time of and immediately after his death demonstrate his reputation as a ‘brave outlaw’ and have contributed a great deal to the romance which has fostered about his life story. The best example that can be given is that of ‘the Successful Pirate’, performed in Drury Lane in 1713, in which Every is portrayed as a heroic pirate king. It is just such romance, reputation and embellishment that the historian needs to be wary of when drawing conclusions as to the ability of Every.

Every, being the most able, experienced and respected amongst the mutineers assumed captaincy of the pirate vessel renamed as ‘the fancy’. The early months in Every’s career as a pirate were successful without being remarkable. The heavily armoured ‘fancy’ was more than a match for all merchant vessels as Every plundered three British vessels off the Cape Verde Islands and captured two Danish vessels off the African coast. Prizes taken by the ‘fancy’ were to be divided equally amongst the crew with a larger share going to Every. Evidence suggests that Every did not dream of fabulous wealth a rarely treated himself to extravagances. Records indicate that most of his Royal Navy wage was transferred to his family via an agent, keeping little for himself for tobacco and such. Historians have argued that the ‘fancy’s quest for bigger and richer targets was fuelled more by the desire of the crew, rather than that of Every. Every had seen for himself the cost of inaction as it had been the chief cause of unrest in the build up to the mutiny. The looting was both a means of wealth and of keeping the crew happy in a lawless environment. Although some historians dispute such a claim, this is again evidence of the exceptional ability of Every in terms of diplomacy and leadership.

In 1695 Every made for the Arabian coast having rearmed in Madagascar. The ‘Fancy’, armed with forty-six guns and a crew of 150 men joined forces with a host of other pirate vessels including the ‘Pearl’, the ‘Portsmouth Adventure’ and the ‘Amity’ in order to raid the richly laden pilgrim fleet, sailing from India to Mecca. The fleet bearing merchants and vessels of the Mogul Empire were stuffed with spices and cloth for trading. The total value of the loot would be comparable to the great Spanish trasure fleet. The first vessel to fall victim to the pirate fleet was the ‘Faith Mahmamadi’, a merchant ship that was looted of gold and silver to the value of £50,000. To date, this was Every’s greatest haul as a pirate. His skill and anticipation in taking the vessel made himself and his crew rich men. However, his next and final victim would mark Every in history as one of the most infamous pirates of all time.

The ‘Ganj-i-Sawai’ was the largest and best defended of the vessels belonging to the Great Mogul. Believing the vessel to be a Dutch merchant ship, the pirate fleet moved in to attack the most formidable target Every had ever confronted. It is ironic that on the event of Every’s greatest victory it would be luck not Every’s skill that would provide victory. The ‘Fancy’s opening salvo brought down the main mast of the ‘Ganj-i-Sawai’ essentially crippling the vessel. The Mogul vessel was a formidable opponent and was at least a match for the ‘Fancy’, armed with forty guns and a crew armed with four hundred rifles. The battle over the crippled ship was a long and bloody one lasting over two hours. However, when she was eventually boarded she was found to be carrying one of the biggest hauls ever taken by a pirate crew. Wealth of over £200,000 meant a share of over a thousand pounds for each member of the crew and made Every the most wanted man in England.

Having bagged such a prize, Every decided to end his brief and glittering career as a pirate. His actions off the Arabian coast caused enormous diplomatic problems for England. The Mogul Emperor was enraged at the attack and threatened to remove all English presence from his empire, including the financially vital ‘East India Company’. With such a prize on his head and such wealth in his pocket, Every’s fleet was disbanded. Like the beginning of his life, very little is known about how Every ended his days. Some historians believe that he settled in America as a rich man under the name of Captain Benjamin Bridgeman. However, others believe that unable to cash in on his wealth due to it being in the form of diamonds, he was cheated out of his fortune by merchants and died in Britain as a poor man. Due to the lack of evidence, the point will probably never be cleared up.

Every will live in popular culture as a romanticised figure typifying the pirate stereotype. He is the ‘Robin Hood’ of the pirate world, fair and kind with his men and providing for his family. However, Captain Henry Every was a seafarer of exceptional ability. Evidence from his first records of employment suggests that he was outstanding in his service with the Royal Navy. His quick promotion and following recommendation show that he was outstanding in his field. As a pirate Every instigated the mutiny on board the ‘Charles’ and led the vessel to open waters without bloodshed. His diplomacy held together a mutinous crew in doing so landed one of the greatest hauls ever taken by a pirate. That his greatest prize was taken by luck rather than guile is ironic but certainly not typical of the man. He is rightly famed as one of the greatest pirates of the age.

Bibliography.

Cordingly, David – Life Among the Pirates – The Romance and the Reality – 1995

Baer, Joel H. – Captain John Avery and the Anatomy of a Mutiny – 1994

Senior, Clive – A Nation of Pirates.

Cordingly, Life Among the Pirates – p36

Baer, Joel H – Anatomy of a Mutiny – p3

Baer, Joel H – Anatomy of a Mutiny p13

Cordingly, Life Among the Pirates – p36

Cordingly, Life Among the Pirates – p 34

Baer, Joel H – Anatomy of a Mutiny – p4

Cordingly, Life Among the Pirates – p 34