Bartholomew Roberts (later called Black Bart, or Barti Ddu in Welsh)
Born: 17 May, 1682 in Pembrokeshire, Wales,
Died: 10 February 1722
Well, this famous pirate, me hearty, he be christened John Roberts. A name he later changed to Bartholomew Roberts. He first went to sea (around 13) when he joined the Royal Navy. Then by 1719 he’d become third mate on the Princess, a slave ship captained by Abraham Plumb for the Royal Africa Company. But, while at port in Ghana (West Africa) this ship was captured by pirates who forced some of the crew (including Roberts) to join their ship.
But luckily for Roberts his new captain, Howell Davis (also from Pembrokeshire) soon discovered he excelled at navigating. This, plus the fact they could both talk Welsh, and so talk in secret, meant he soon became an important part of the crew.
Davis’ pirates sailed the Royal James and the Royal Rover, but shortly after Roberts joined their crew the Royal James was abandoned due to woodworm damage. So, with all his crew on one ship, Davis raised the British Man-of-War flags and sailed into Principe’s harbour (Portugal). A few days later he invited the Portuguese governor to have lunch onboard his ship. He planned to hold him hostage and have the island pay for his return. However, the Portuguese discovered the Royal Rover’s sailors were really pirates, so, when Davis went to collect the governor, his ship was ambushed and Davis was shot dead.
The Royal Rover crew then, finding themselves without a leader, elected Roberts their new captain despite him only having been a pirate for six weeks. (He was most likely chosen for his skill at navigating and his outspoken, direct nature.)
As captain, the first thing Roberts did was revenge Davis’ death, by sailing straight back into port at night, attacking the Portuguese and taking anything of value. This gained him respect from his crew, a popularity that grew as, over the next few weeks, he led them to successfully rob several ships. Robert’s flag at this time showed himself and Death holding an hourglass. (A design possibly chosen because many at the time thought him to be bullet-proof.)
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