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Robert Culliford (c. 1666 – unknown; last name occasionally reported asCollover) was apirate fromCornwall who is best remembered for repeatedlychecking the designs of CaptainWilliam Kidd.
Culliford and Kidd first met as shipmates aboard the French privateerSainte Rose in 1689; there were only six other Britons aboard. After theWar of the Grand Alliance broke out, Kidd, Culliford, and their British comrades mutinied against a French prize crew, taking the ship from French CaptainJean Fantin and renaming it theBlessed William, with Kidd put in command.[1] In February 1690, Culliford led his own mutiny and deprived Kidd of his command. The pirates electedWilliam Mason as captain.
Culliford sailed with the pirates through the Caribbean, sacking ships and attacking a town. They went to New York to sell their booty.[2] Mason was granted aletter of marque byJacob Leisler, then acting governor of New York, and Culliford accompanied the pirates as they ransacked and laid waste two French Canadian towns. The pirates also captured a Frenchfrigate namedL'Esperance. Mason granted this ship to Culliford, who renamed it theHorne Frigate, Culliford's first pirate command.[3] However, the pirates lost most of their booty when the twoketches they sent to bring their wealth to New York fell into the hands of French privateers. The disappointed Culliford returned to New York with Mason, where they returned aboard a single ship, theJacob, another captured French vessel, and set sail in December 1690. Culliford served as captain'squartermaster, one of two quartermasters aboard theJacob.[4]
Culliford and his fellow pirates eventually made their way to India, landing atMangrol in 1692, where they robbed and abused the local population. TheGujaratis eventually captured Culliford and seventeen of his comrades, and Culliford spent the next four years in a Gujarati prison.[5]
In the spring of 1696, Culliford and some of his comrades escaped and made their way toBombay, where they signed aboard theEast India Company ketchJosiah. InMadras they commandeered the ship, returned to piracy, and sailed for theBay of Bengal.[6]
Near theNicobar Islands, the crew retook the ship and marooned Culliford. He was rescued byRalph Stout, captain of theMocha. When Stout was killed in 1697, Culliford became captain, briefly sailing alongside theCharming Mary (formerly captained byRichard Glover, thenRichard Bobbington, and laterJohn Ireland).[1] Cullingford then pursued the British shipDorill, but theDorill opened fire and severed theMocha's mainmast. Culliford retreated to St. Mary's Island (Île Sainte-Marie) off easternMadagascar, plundering ships along the way. At Saint Mary's, Culliford plundered a French ship with £2,000 worth of cargo.
Meanwhile, William Kidd, hunting pirates, found Culliford at St. Mary's Island. While plotting to capture Culliford's ship most of Kidd's crew (who had grown angry with their captain) abandoned Kidd and signed on with Culliford. Culliford and his new crew then set off in late June 1698, leaving Kidd and his ransacked ship to fend for themselves on St. Mary's Island.
Shortly after departing Saint Mary's Island, Culliford met up withDirk Chivers. They joined forces withJoseph Wheeler and captured theGreat Mohammed in theRed Sea in September 1698. TheGreat Mohammed carried £130,000 in cash. While returning to Saint Mary's Island they plundered another ship in February 1699.
In June 1699 Culliford was living atEdward Welch settlement on Ile Ste. Marie near Madagascar with fellow CaptainJohn Swann; while there, Swann was referred to as “a great consort of Culliford’s, who lives with him.”[7] Because of this, Culliford is occasionally cited as abisexual orhomosexual pirate.[8] But lack of evidence leaves the exact nature of their relationship unclear.[9]
At St. Mary's a number of his sailors elected to return to America, payingGiles Shelley to take them on as passengers aboard theNassau.[10] While at Saint Mary's Island, four British warships underCommodore Thomas Warren arrived. The pirates were offered a royal pardon under the1698 Act of Grace, which Culliford accepted despite its expiration.[11] He was arrested despite the pardon, and taken to theMarshalsea prison on 1 August 1700.[12] He was tried for piracy of theGreat Mohammed and his pardon was ruled invalid. He was saved from hanging, because he was needed inSamuel Burgess' trial. Following the trial, Culliford disappeared from record, and rumour has it that he next served on a naval ship, after which he disappears from the records like another famous pirate -Henry Every.
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