Lewis Ferdinando (first name also Lodowick, fl. 1699–1700) was a pirate active near Bermuda during the Golden Age of Piracy.

Lewis Ferdinando
Other namesLodowick
OccupationPirate
Years active1699–1700
EraGolden Age of Piracy
Piratical career
Base of operationsBermuda
CommandsSamuel's Adventure

History

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Ferdinando in his ship Samuel's Adventure was prolific enough to inspire Bermudan merchant Samuel Saltus to grant power of attorney to a friend in Charles Towne, South Carolina, allowing him to sue for possession of Saltus’ stolen ship on the off chance that it turned up there.[1] Saltus’ sloop had been taken by Ferdinando in 1699; Matthew Tryer (or Tyrer) was tried for piracy for the capture but was acquitted.[2] Carolina Governor Joseph Blake ordered that Tryer not be tried again for any of Ferdinando's piracies.[1] Ferdinando had taken nine ships in 1700 alone, making him a particular target for privateers commissioned by Bermuda's governor Benjamin Bennett.[3] At least one of the ships he took belonged to John Trimingham, among Bermuda's wealthiest citizens.[3]

In April 1700 Ferdinando had the captains of two captured ships aboard his own. While there he had them witness a letter he wrote absolving of piracy a sailor named Briggs whom he'd forced into serving the pirates. He released the sailor with other prisoners; arrested for piracy some years later, Briggs produced the letter, and Governor Bennett had him formally acquitted.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Vincent, John Martin (1894). The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science. Baltimore MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 45–46. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  2. ^ Gosse, Philip (1924). The Pirates' Who's Who by Philip Gosse. New York: Burt Franklin. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  3. ^ a b Jarvis, Michael J. (2012). In the Eye of All Trade: Bermuda, Bermudians, and the Maritime Atlantic World, 1680-1783. Chapel Hill NC: UNC Press Books. pp. 241, 271. ISBN 9780807895887. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  4. ^ Fox, E. T. (2014). Pirates in Their Own Words. Raleigh NC: Lulu.com. pp. 78–79. ISBN 9781291943993. Retrieved 1 September 2017.