APPENDIX A
1. Copy of Grant of Pirates’ Goods
William the Third, by the Grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, etc., To our Right-trusty and Well-beloved Counsellor, Sir John Somers, Knight, our Keeper of our Great Seal of England, Greeting.
We will and command you, That, under our said Great Seal of England, in your custody being, you cause these our letters to be made forth Patents, in Form following:
William the Third, by the Grace of God, etc., To all to whom these Presents shall come, or may in any wise concern, Greeting. Whereas upon divers Complaints and Informations to Us made, That Thomas Too, John Ireland, Thomas Wake, William Mace, alias Maze, and divers other our Subjects, Natives or Inhabitants of New England, New York, and elsewhere in our Plantations in America, had associated themselves with divers other wicked and ill-disposed Persons, in order to commit, and did frequently commit, many great Piracies, Robberies and Depredations, upon the Seas in the Parts of America, and in other Parts and places; in Violation of the Laws of Nations; to the Obstruction and Discouragement of Trade and Navigation; and to the Loss and Prejudice of our Subjects, and the Subjects of our Friends and Allies; and also to the Dishonouring of our Royal Authority, in case any of our Subjects, guilty of such great and detestable Enormities, should go unpunished; We did, by our Commission under our Great Seal of England, bearing Date the 26th Day of January, in the Seventh Year of our Reign, in order to bring the said Pirates, Free-booters, and Sea Rovers, and their accomplices, to Justice, give and grant full Power and Authority to Captain William Kidd, Commander of the Ship Adventure Galley, and to the Commander of the said Ship for the Time being, to apprehend, seize and take into Custody, the said Thomas Too, John Ireland, Tho Wake, and William Maze, and all other Pirates, Free-booters, and Sea Rovers, of what Nation soever, whom he should find, or meet with, upon the said Coasts or Seas of America, or in any other Seas or Parts, with their Ships and Vessels, and all such Merchandise, Money, Goods, and Wares, as should be found on board of them; and, in case of Resistance, to fight with, and compel the said Pirates, Free-booters, and Sea Rovers, to yield; and them to bring or cause to be brought, to a legal Tryal, to the end they might forthwith suffer condign Punishment, according to their Demerits: And we did also, by the same Commission, require the said Captain William Kidd to keep an exact Journal of his Proceedings, in relation to the Execution of our Royal Pleasure in the said Premises; and therein to set down the Names of such Pirates, and of their Ships and Vessels, as he should, as aforesaid, seize or take; and also to specify the Quantities and Particulars of the Arms, Ammunition, Provision, and Loading, of such Ships, and the true Values thereof: And whereas the said Ship Adventure Galley was, with our Knowledge, and Royal Encouragement, fitted out to Sea, for the Purposes aforesaid, at the great and sole charges of our right trusty and right well-beloved Cousin Richard Earl of Bellamont in the Kingdom of Ireland, and our trusty and well-beloved Edmund Harrison, Merchant, Samuel Newton, Gentleman, William Rowley Gentleman, George Watson Gentleman, and Thomas Renolls, of St. Martins: Now know ye, that We, out of due Regard to the Premises, and being graciously inclined that so chargeable an Undertaking, tending to such good and laudable Ends, should have meet and proper Encouragement and Reward; of our special Grace, certain Knowledge, and mere Motion have given and granted, and by these Presents do give and grant, unto the said Richard Earl of Bellamont, Edmund Harrison, Samuel Newton, William Rowley, George Watson, and Thomas Renolls, their Heirs, Executors, and Assigns, all and whatsoever Ships, Vessels, Goods, and Merchandizes, and Treasure, and other Things whatsoever, which since the Thirtieth Day of April, Anno Domini, 1690, have been taken or seized upon or with, or did belong to, or which shall be taken or seized upon or with, or which do or shall belong to the said Thomas Too, John Ireland, Thomas Wake, Wm. Maze or their Adherents, or any other Pirates, Free-booters, and Sea Rovers, by the said Captain William Kidd, or other Commander of the said Adventure Galley, or which by, or by means of the said Ship or Galley, shall be taken, or forced ashore, in any of our Plantations in America, or other our Dominions; as far as the said Premises, or any of them, do, shall, or may belong to Us, or can or may be granted or grantable by Us, or is or are in our Power to dispose of, in Right of our Crown of England, or as Perquisites of our Admiralty, or otherwise howsoever, and all our Right, Title, Interest, Claim and Demand whatsoever, of, in or unto the same, and every Part thereof; To have, hold, take, receive, and enjoy the said Ships, Vessels, Goods, Merchandizes, Treasure, and all and singular other the Premises hereinbefore-mentioned, and intended to be hereby granted, and every of them, and every Part and Parcel thereof, or such and so many of them, are, can or may be, in any manner granted or grantable by Us, unto the said Richard Earl of Bellamont Edmund Harrison, Sam Newton, Wm. Rowley, George Watson, and Thomas Renolls, their Executors, Administrators and Assigns, to their sole Use and Benefit, and as their own proper Goods and Chattels, without any Account thereof and therefore to be made or rendered to Us, our Heirs and Successors: And We do hereby for Us, our Heirs and Successors, charge and command the Commissioners of our Treasury now being, and the High Treasurer, or Commissioners of our Treasury for the Time being, and all other our officers of our Revenue, our Commissioners for executing the office of Lord High Admiral of England, now, and for the Time being, and all other our Admirals, Vice Admirals, Judge and Judges of our Court and Courts of Admiralty, Governors of all and every our Colonies, Islands and Plantations in America, Magistrates, Officials Military and Civil, and all other our loving Subjects whatsoever, That they be aiding and assisting in all and every matters and Things, as to them respectively shall appertain, as well as to the said Captain Wm. Kidd, in the seizing, apprehending, taking and securing, the said Pirates and their Ships and Vessels, and other the Premises hereinbefore mentioned, and intended to be hereby granted, every or any one of them, and in bringing the said offenders to Justice; as also unto the said Captain Wm. Kidd, and all others whom it may concern, in the seizing, securing, and delivering to them, the said Richard Earl of Bellamont, Edmund Harrison, Samuel Newton, Wm. Rowley, Geo. Watson, and Tho. Renolls, their assigns, Agents, and Servants, all and every the said Ships, Vessels, Goods, Merchandizes, Treasure, and other Things hereinbefore mentioned, and intended to be hereby granted, according to the true Intent and meaning hereof; and in such manner, as may most effectually contribute to the putting in Execution our gracious Intentions in and about the Premises, for and on the behalf of the said Richard Earl of Bellamont, Edmund Harrison, William Newton, William Rowley, Geo. Watson, and Thomas Renolls; And lastly, We do hereby declare and grant, That these our Letters Patents, or the Enrollment thereof, shall be, in and by all Things, firm, good, valid, sufficient, and effectual in the Law, notwithstanding the not naming, or not rightly naming, the Premises, or any Part thereof, or the true Value, or the Nature or Kind thereof; and notwithstanding the not mentioning, or not rightly mentioning, the Names of the said Pirates, Free-booters, and Sea Rovers, or any of them, or of the Possessors of the said Sloops, Vessels, Merchandizes, Goods, Treasure, and Premises, or any Part or Parcel thereof; and notwithstanding the ill naming, or not naming, or any Seas, Havens, Countries, or Places, wherein, or in which, the Premises hereby granted, or any Part or Parcel thereof, is or are, shall or may be found; and notwithstanding any mis-recital, non-recital, Incertainty, Defect, or Imperfection, whatsoever. In witness, etc.,
Witness, etc., Given under our Privy Seal, at our Palace of Westminster, the 30th Day of April, in the Ninth Year of our Reign.
Tho. Watkins.
Recepi vicesimo septimo
Die. Maii 1697
2. Articles of Agreement between Bellamont, Levingston and Kidd
Articles of Agreement, made this 10th Day of October 1695, between the Right Honourable Richard, Earl of Bellamont, of the one Part; and Robert Levingston Esquire, and Captain William Kidd, of the other part.