Stede Bonnet

There was a time when pirates roamed the shores of the Eastern United States, and North Carolina had its share of them. Stede Bonnet was perhaps the best known of the pirates, after Blackbeard, and was almost the antithesis of Blackbeard. He came from a better background than most pirates, purchased his ship instead of stealing it, and hired his crew instead of conscripting them. He was educated and had been a major in the British army. In fact, he became known as the “Gentleman Pirate.”

For a brief time in 1718, Bonnet joined up with Blackbeard, but the partnership didn’t last long. Reportedly, Blackbeard tried to take advantage of Bonnet, and the two parted ways. After receiving a gubernatorial pardon, Bonnet tried to turn to the more acceptable pursuit of privateering. He changed his name to Captain Thomas and that of his ship from Revenge to Royal James but soon returned to keeping all the spoils for himself and the life of a pirate.

In Bonnet’s last days, he stopped off at the mouth of the Cape Fear River in North Carolina to make some needed repairs to his ship. Colonel William Rhett, who had been sent in pursuit of pirates, followed. Both his and Bonnet’s ships ran aground near Bald Head Island, and they traded gunfire. Rhett’s ship got free first, and Bonnet and his men were taken to Charles Town to stand trial. Although Bonnet escaped for a brief time, he was recaptured on Sullivan’s Island and hanged on December 10, 1718. His career as a pirate had been a short one.

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