Joseph Thompson | |
|---|---|
| Died | 1719 (1720) |
| Occupation | Pirate |
| Known for | A single incident involving grenades |
| Piratical career | |
| Base of operations | Caribbean |
| Commands | Eagle |
Joseph Thompson (died 1719) was a pirate fromTrinidad, Cuba,[1] (then part ofNew Spain) and was active in theCaribbean. He is primarily known for a single incident involvinggrenades.
Thompson was among 209 pirates onNew Providence who declared to CaptainVincent Pearse their intention to accept a1718 offer of amnesty and pardon. Along withCharles Vane and a few others, he soon returned to piracy.[2] After picking up additional crew for his sloopEagle (some of whom had served withWilliam Moody), he captured and looted several ships in the vicinity.[3] In December 1718 in full view ofPort Royal[4] Thompson captured a ship calledKingston whose cargo was worth over £20,000. The ship's owners complained to Jamaican GovernorNicholas Lawes, but there were noRoyal Navy warships available.[5]
Instead Lawson issued commissions to twosloops in the harbor,[4] promising them a share of the pirates' treasure in addition to the rewards guaranteed byKing George's September 1717 proclamation to combat piracy.[5] The two sloops sailed before year's end, encountering the pirate ship and another captured vessel. The pirate vessel under Captain Thompson raised a black flag and moved to attack.[1]
Thompson's ship came alongside one of the pirate-hunters and "threw vast numbers of powder flasks, granado shells, and stinkpots into her which killed and wounded several, and made others jump overboard."[5] The other pirate-hunter picked up the survivors, whose stories of the fight "so disheartned the men on board ye other vessell, the pyrate having a superior force, that they made the best of their way back to Port Royal."[5] Thompson's 150-man crew, "banditti of all nations,"marooned the remaining sailors on theCayman Islands.[5]
Jamaica's merchants pleaded again with Lawes to do something about Thompson. Lawes commissioned four more 10-gun, 80-man sloops with help from the merchants,[6] and after refitting another in Port Royal plus the arrival of the fifth-ratefrigate[7]HMS Ludlow Castle, divided his forces to protect incoming merchants and hunt down Thompson. Four of the sloops soon cornered Thompson's ship, killing him and recovering theKingston.[6] Some of his surviving crew were captured to await trial inBermuda, where they were found guilty and hanged in 1720.[3]