Thomas Henley | |
|---|---|
| Piratical career | |
| Type | Privateer |
| Years active | 1683–1685 |
| Base of operations | Red Sea,Caribbean |
Thomas Henley[a] (fl. 1683–1685) was a pirate andprivateer active in theRed Sea and theCaribbean.
Henley set out fromBoston in 1683 alongsideChristopher Goffe andThomas Woolerly (or Wollervy), sailing for the Red Sea to plunder Arab ships off theMalabar coast.[1] Some of Henley’s crew left his ship while in theIndian Ocean, sailing back to the Caribbean and then toNew England with Woolerly. They were tried for piracy (which they openly admitted) but were acquitted for lack of evidence and witnesses, and were allowed to keep their treasure.[2]
By 1684 he was back in the Caribbean, wherebuccaneer and privateerBartholomew Sharp captured him and took his 18-gun, 100-man frigateResolution, renaming itJosiah.[3] Henley’s ship was formerly calledValdivia when Henley captured it from the Spanish. Sharp was accused of piracy for taking Henley’s ship without presenting it to anAdmiralty Court for confirmation, but he was acquitted.[4]
The following year Henley and Goffe put in atBermuda in possession of a Dutch prize ship, taken on a privateering commission from Governor Lilburne of theBahamas. Bermudan Governor Coney imprisoned Henley and tried to seize the ship, but everyone from the local militia leaders to the sheriff to the Governor’s own Council members resisted prosecuting Henley and Coney was forced to release him.[5] Coney lamented that “it is the intention of the people to make this island a pirates’ refuge.”[5] Henley was afterwards pronounced a pirate by the government of Jamaica, and warned Cony that more pirates were coming.[5] There are few records of his subsequent activities.
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
