Edward Miller (pirate)

Edward Miller[1] (fl. 1718–1720) was an English pirate active in the Caribbean.

Edward Miller
NationalityEnglish
OccupationPirate
Years active1718-1720
Piratical career
Base of operationsCaribbean

History edit

King George offered a full pardon in September 1717 to all pirates who surrendered within twelve months. Captain Vincent Pearse sailed HMS Phoenix to New Providence to deliver the offer. Over 200 pirates surrendered to him in March 1718, including Miller.[2]

Miller had returned to piracy by 1720. Authorities in New York accused him of piracy early that year,[3] after which he sailed to Nassau.[4] Royal Navy Captain Edward Vernon had been stationed in the area at the time and noted that an English warship had chased Miller away, preventing him from putting into port to resupply. A few months later Vernon accused a Port Royal tavern keeper of smuggling supplies and sailors to Miller.[3]

Vernon believed that Miller was planning on joining forces with Daniel Porter and William Fox, who had also accepted the King's Pardon and returned to piracy.[3] Porter and Fox attacked ships and plantations in the area; later Porter, along with Richard Tookerman, met with Bartholomew Roberts to ask him for advice and supplies.[5] Miller's fate, and whether Miller was with Porter during any or all of these events, is not known.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ First name uncertain. Initially referred to only as "Miller;" later references to "Edw. Miller" presumed to be the same individual.
  2. ^ "Pearse to Admiralty 3 Jun 1718". baylusbrooks.com. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  3. ^ a b c Headlam, Cecil (1933). America and West Indies: June 1721, 1-15 | British History Online (Vol 32 ed.). London: His Majesty's Stationery Office. pp. 329–346. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  4. ^ Cordingly, David (2013). Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates. New York: Random House Publishing Group. ISBN 9780307763075. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  5. ^ Gosse, Philip (1924). The Pirates' Who's Who by Philip Gosse. New York: Burt Franklin. Retrieved 23 June 2017.