Edward Low
c. 1690 – c. 1724
Capt Edward Low in ye Hurricane which He and All the Crew had Like to Perish'd by J Nicholls and James Basire, hanging in the National Maritime Museum in London
Nickname:	Ned Low
Type:	Pirate
Place of birth:	Westminster, London
Place of death:	Disputed, probably Martinique
Allegiance:	None
Years of service:	c. James Basire, also known as James Basire Sr, (1730-1802 was a British Engraver. The National Maritime Museum (NMM in Greenwich, England is the leading Maritime museum of the United Kingdom and may be the largest museum London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Piracy is Robbery committed at sea or sometimes on shore without a commission from a sovereign Nation (as distinct from Privateering Westminster is an area of Central London, within the City of Westminster. Martinique is an Island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, having a land area of 1128 km² 1721 – c. 1724
Rank:	Captain
Base of Operations:	Atlantic Caribbean
Commands:	Rebecca Rose Pink Ranger Fancy Merry Christmas

Captain Edward "Ned" Low, also Lowe or Loe, (c. The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting 1690 – c. 1724) was a notorious English pirate during the latter days of the Golden Age of Piracy, in the early 18th century. Piracy is Robbery committed at sea or sometimes on shore without a commission from a sovereign Nation (as distinct from Privateering The Golden Age of Piracy is the common designation given the period roughly spanning from the 1650s to the 1720s He was born around 1690 into poverty in Westminster, London, and was a thief and a scoundrel from a young age. Westminster is an area of Central London, within the City of Westminster. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Low moved to Boston, Massachusetts, as a young man. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. His wife died in childbirth in late 1719. Two years later, he became a pirate, operating off the coasts of New England and the Azores, and in the Caribbean. History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the The Azores ( Açores ɐˈsoɾɨʃ or) is a Portuguese Archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, about 1500 km (950  mi) from The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting

He captained a number of ships, usually maintaining a small fleet of three or four. Low and his pirate crews captured at least a hundred ships during his short career, burning most of them. ^[1] Although he was active for only three years, Low remains notorious as one of the most vicious pirates of the age, with a reputation for violently torturing his victims before killing them. ^[2] Sir Arthur Conan Doyle described Low as "savage and desperate," and a man of "amazing and grotesque brutality". Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, DL (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930 was an Anglo-Scottish Author most noted for his stories about the ^[3] The New York Times called him a torturer, whose methods would have "done credit to the ingenuity of the Spanish Inquisition in its darkest days". The Spanish Inquisition started and was established in 1478 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile to maintain ^[4] The circumstances of Low's death, which took place around 1724, have been the subject of much speculation.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Life in Boston 3 Piracy 3.1 Lieutenant 3.2 Pirate captain 3.3 Capsizing of the Rose Pink 3.4 Early 1723 3.5 Death 4 Flags 5 Articles 6 Legacy 7 See also 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External links

Early life

According to Charles Johnson's A General History of the Pyrates, Edward Low was born in Westminster, London, England, around 1690. A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates is a 1724 book containing biographies of contemporary Pirates Its author uses Westminster is an area of Central London, within the City of Westminster. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland ^[5] He was described as illiterate, having a "quarrelsome nature", and always ready to cheat,^[6] running "wild in the streets of his native parish". ^[7] As a young man, he was said to be a pickpocket and gambler, playing games of chance with the footmen of the nearby House of Commons. This article is about the crime For the Robert Bresson film see Pickpocket (film. The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords ^[5] One of his elder brothers was hanged at Tyburn for "thievery". Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death History The village was one of two manors of the Parish of St Marylebone, which was itself named after the stream St Marylebone being In Criminal law, theft (also known as stealing or filching) is the illegal taking of another person's Property without that person's freely-given ^[7]

Life in Boston

As he grew older, Low tired of pickpocketing and thievery, and turned to burglary. Eventually, he left England, and travelled alone to the New World around 1710. The New World is one of the names used for the non-Eurasian/non-African parts of the Earth specifically the Americas and Australia. He spent three to four years in various locations, before settling in Boston, Massachusetts. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. ^[7] On 12 August 1714, he married Eliza Marble at the First Church of Boston. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Battle of Ascalon - Crusaders under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon defeat Fatimid Year 1714 ( MDCCXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a ^[8] They had a son, who died when he was an infant, and then a daughter named Elizabeth, born in the winter of 1719. ^[7]

Eliza died in childbirth, leaving Low with his daughter. ^[5] The loss of his wife had a profound effect on Low: in his later career of piracy, he would often express regret for the daughter he left behind, and refused to press-gang married men into joining his crews. Impressment (colloquially " the Press " or " press-ganging " is the act of conscripting people to serve in the military or navy usually ^[7] He would also allow women to return to port safely. ^[9] At first working honestly as a rigger, in early 1722 he joined a gang of twelve men on a sloop headed for Honduras, where they planned to collect a shipment of logs for resale in Boston. Rigging (from Anglo-Saxon wrigan or wringing, "to clothe" is on Sailboats and Sailing ships the collection of For the military definition of sloop see Sloop-of-war. For the open learning project see SLOOP Project. Honduras in Spanish, República de Honduras) is a democratic republic in Central America. ^[5][6]

Low was employed as a patron, supervising the loading and carrying of the logs. One day, he returned to the ship when hungry, but was told by the captain he would have to wait to eat, and that he and his men would have to be satisfied with a ration of rum. Rum is a Distilled beverage made from Sugarcane by-products such as Molasses and sugarcane Juice by a process of fermentation At this, Low "took up a loaded musket and fired at the captain but missed him, [and] shot another poor fellow through the throat". ^[10] Following this failed mutiny, Low and his friends were forced to leave the boat. Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly-situated individuals (typically members of the Military; or the Crew of any ship even A day later, Low led the twelve-man gang—which included Francis Farrington Spriggs, who went on to become a notorious pirate in his own right—in taking over a small sloop off the coast of Rhode Island. Francis Spriggs (d 1725? was a British pirate who associated with George Lowther and Edward Low, was active in the Caribbean and the Bay of Hounduras during the Killing one man during the theft, Low and his crew turned pirate, determined "to go in her, make a black Flag and declare War against all the World. "^[5][4]

Piracy

Lieutenant

Low, using his newly captured ship, lay in wait on the popular shipping route between Boston and New York. Within a few days, he and his crew seized a sloop out of Rhode Island, and plundered it. His crew cut the rigging away to prevent the sloop returning too quickly to port to raise the alarm. ^[6] He then captured a number of unarmed merchantmen near Port Rosemary. A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of Ship or vessel that carries Cargo, goods and materials from one port to another ^[11]

“	Of all the pyratical crews that were ever heard of, none of the English name came up to this, in barbarity. Their mirth and their anger had much the same effect, for both were usually gratified with the cries and groans of their prisoners; so that they almost as often murdered a man from the excess of good humour, as out of passion and resentment; and the unfortunate could never be assured of safety from them, for danger lurked in their very smiles.	”
—Philip Ashton on his time with Low's crew. Philip Ashton ( 1702 -? stayed as a Castaway on uninhabited Roatan Island in the Bay of Honduras for 16 months in 1723 / 1724 [12]

Low headed south and began operating in the waters of the Grand Caymans, with a period as lieutenant to the established pirate George Lowther, who captained the Happy Delivery,^[1][11] a 100-ton Rhode Island sloop with eight cannon and ten swivel guns. The Cayman Islands are a British overseas territory located in the western Caribbean Sea, comprising the islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac Lieutenant (abbreviated Lt or Lieut) is a Military, Naval, Paramilitary, Fire service, Emergency medical services George Lowther (? - 1723 was an 18th century English pirate who although little is known of his life was active in the Caribbean and Atlantic. | NOTE Throughout this article "cannon" is used as BOTH the || singular and plural When she was "destroyed by Indians" (given the location, these were almost certainly Taíno, inhabitants of the Greater Antilles, which included the Caymans), Lowther and his crew transferred to a sloop named the Ranger. The Taínos were pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. The Greater Antilles is one of three island groups in the Caribbean. Lowther's crew was constantly expanded by desperate sailors willing to join him. ^[13] Fast acquiring a taste for cruelty, Low taught Spriggs a torture technique which involved tying a victim's hands with rope between their fingers and setting it alight, burning their flesh down to the bones. ^[10]

Following a number of successful raids, Lowther eventually captured a large 6-gun brigantine (named Rebecca) on 28 May 1722. In Sailing, a brigantine is a vessel with two masts only the forward of which is Square rigged Originally the brigantine was a small ship carrying both oars and Events 585 BC - A Solar eclipse occurs as predicted by Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling Year 1722 ( MDCCXXII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a ^[5] He gave it to Low to captain. With a crew of 44, Low amicably dissolved his partnership with Lowther. ^[11]

Pirate captain

In one notable raid in June 1722, Low and his crew attacked thirteen New England fishing vessels sheltering at anchor in Port Roseway, Shelburne, Nova Scotia. History Shelburne lies at the southwest corner of Nova Scotia at roughly the same latitude as Portland Maine. Although outnumbered, Low hoisted his Jolly Roger flag and declared that no mercy would be given to the fishermen if any resisted. The Jolly Roger is the name given to any of various Flags flown to identify a ship's crew as pirates The flag most usually identified as the Jolly Roger today The fleet submitted and Low's men robbed every vessel. Low chose the largest, an 80-ton schooner which he renamed The Fancy and armed with 10 guns, to become his flagship. A schooner (ˈskuːnɚ is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts Schooners were first used by the flagship is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels a designation given on account of being either the largest fastest newest most heavily armed or for publicity purposes the most well ^[1]

He sank the other ships of the fleet, and abandoned the Rebecca. The Boston News Letter of 9 July 1722 published a list of those captured by Low. Events 455 - Roman military commander Avitus is proclaimed Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 1722 ( MDCCXXII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a ^[12] A number of the fishermen were forced to join Low, including Philip Ashton who escaped in May 1723 on Roatán Island in the Bay Islands of Honduras, and who wrote a detailed account of life aboard Low's pirate ship. Impressment (colloquially " the Press " or " press-ganging " is the act of conscripting people to serve in the military or navy usually Philip Ashton ( 1702 -? stayed as a Castaway on uninhabited Roatan Island in the Bay of Honduras for 16 months in 1723 / 1724 Roatán, located between the islands of Útila and Guanaja ( is the largest of Honduras ' Bay Islands. ^[1][14] Before Ashton's escape, he had been beaten, whipped, kept in chains, and threatened with death many times, as he refused to sign Low's articles and become a pirate. ^[15]

Low's tactics consisted primarily of hoisting false colours and approaching an unsuspecting vessel. ^[10] Off the coast of St John's, Newfoundland, Low mistook a fully armed man of war for a fishing boat, and barely escaped. St John's (ˌseɪntˈdʒanz French Saint-Jean) is the provincial capital of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada and located on the eastern tip Newfoundland and Labrador (ˈnuːfɨn(dlənd ən(d ˈlæbrəˌdɔr (Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador is a province of Canada, the tenth and latest to join the Confederation A man-of-war (also man of war, man-o'-war or simply man) is an armed naval vessel ^[14] He moved on to Conception Bay, capturing a number of boats around the Grand Banks southeast of Newfoundland before crossing the Atlantic to the Azores. Conception Bay is a Canadian bay located on the northeast coast of the island of Newfoundland. The Azores ( Açores ɐˈsoɾɨʃ or) is a Portuguese Archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, about 1500 km (950  mi) from There, he captured a French (or Portuguese—sources differ) pink, a narrow-sterned former man of war, which Low rearmed and refitted as his new flagship, naming it the Rose Pink. A pink (French - pinque) is one of two different types of Ship. ^[16] He also captured an English vessel with two Portuguese passengers aboard. Low had his crew hoist them up and drop them back down from the yard arm several times, until they died. A yard is a Spar on a mast from which Sails are set It may be constructed of timber steel or from more modern materials like Aluminum or ^[4] He moved on to the Canaries, Cape Verde and then back across to the coast of Brazil, where he was driven back by foul weather. The Canary Islands ( English pronunciation kəˈnæriː ˈaɪləndz Spanish: Islas Canarias, ˈizlas kaˈnarjas are a Spanish The Republic of Cape Verde ( Portuguese: Cabo Verde, 'kabu 'veɾdɨ is a Republic located on an Archipelago in the Macaronesia |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld ^[14]

“	Captain Loe, with the usual Compliments, welcomed me on board, and told me, He was very sorry for my Loss, and that it was not his Desire to meet with any of his Country-men, but rather with Foreigners, excepting some few that he wanted to chastise for their Rogueishness, as he call'd it.	”
—Captain George Roberts (actually Daniel Defoe) on a fictional meeting with Low. Daniel Defoe (1659/1661 — April 24, 1731 was an English Writer, Journalist, and Pamphleteer, who gained enduring fame for [17]

Low abandoned his plans for plundering the rich shipping trade off the coast of Brazil, and moved on to the Caribbean. George Roberts, a mate on the British ship King Sagamore, recounted a meeting with Low aboard the Pink. Roberts' ship was captured by Low's fleet, of which he was now styling himself "Commodore". ^[16]

Capsizing of the Rose Pink

Forty leagues (120 nautical miles or around 220 km) to the east of Surinam, Low and his fleet of two ships (the Rose Pink and the Fancy, captained by a young Charles Harris) dropped anchor to remove growth such as seaweed and barnacles from the outside of the boats, in a process known as careening, necessary because no dry dock was available to pirates. A league is a unit of Length or Area long common in Europe and Latin America, although no longer an official unit in any nation A nautical mile or sea mile is a unit of Length. It corresponds approximately to one minute of Latitude along any meridian. Suriname ( Dutch: Suriname; Sranan Tongo: Sranan) officially the Republic of Suriname (traditionally spelled Surinam by During Queen Elizabeth's reign Captain Charles Harris (16??-1723 joined the Barbary corsairs. Seaweed is a loose colloquial term encompassing macroscopic Multicellular, benthic marine Algae. A barnacle is a type of Arthropod belonging to infraclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacea, and is hence distantly related to Careening a sailing vessel means to beach it at high Tide in order usually to expose one side or another of the ship's hull for maintenance A drydock is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform Still relatively inexperienced, Low ordered too many men to the outside of the boat to work on the buildup, and the Rose Pink tipped over too far. The portholes had been left open, and the vessel took on water and sank, with the death of two men. A porthole is a small generally circular Window used on the hull of Ships to admit light and air The Pink had been carrying most of the provisions, and Low—by now captaining a captured schooner, the Squirrel—and his crew were forced to strictly ration their fresh water to half a pint (around 275 ml) per man, per day. A schooner (ˈskuːnɚ is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts Schooners were first used by the The pint is an English unit of Volume or capacity in the imperial system and United States customary units. The litre or liter (see spelling differences) is a unit of Volume. ^[18]

Failing to reach their initial destination of Tobago due to light winds and strong currents, Low's depleted fleet made it to Grenada, a French-owned island. Tobago is the smaller of the two main islands that make up the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. An ocean current is continuous directed movement of Ocean water. Grenada (grɪˈneɪdə is an Island nation that includes the southern Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea. Hiding most of his men belowdecks, he was permitted to send men ashore for water. The following day, a French sloop was sent out to investigate, but was captured when Low's men came out from hiding. Low, now commanding the captured sloop (renamed the Ranger), gave the schooner Squirrel to his quartermaster, Spriggs, who renamed it the Delight before sailing away in the middle of the night with a small crew following a disagreement with Low over the disciplining of one of Spriggs' crew. Quartermaster refers to two different military occupations In land armies it is a term referring to a military individual or unit who specializes in supplying and provisioning troops Francis Spriggs (d 1725? was a British pirate who associated with George Lowther and Edward Low, was active in the Caribbean and the Bay of Hounduras during the ^[19]

Early 1723

“	The Pyrates [were] waiting there for them, took them and Plundered them; they cut and whiped some and others they burnt with Matches between their Fingers to the bone to make them confess where their Money was, they took to the value of a Thousand Pistoles from Passengers and others, they then let them go, but coming on the Coast off of the Capes of Virginia, they were again chased by the same Pyrates who first took them, they did not trouble them again but wished them well Home, they saw at the same time his Consort, a Sloop of eight Guns, with a Ship and a Sloop which were supposed to be Prizes, they were Commanded by one Edward LOW. The Pyrates gave us an account of his taking the Bay of Hondoras from the Spaniards, which had suprized the English and taking them, and putting all the Spaniards to the Sword Excepting two boys, as also burning The King George, and a Snow belonging to New York, and sunk one of the New England Ships, and cut off one the Masters Ears and slit his Nose, all this they confessed themselves.	”
—The American Weekly Mercury, June 6–13, 1723[20]

The new fleet captured many more sloops, including one Low kept, naming it the Fortune. During a trial on 10 July 1723 for a number of Low's crew, a sailor on board the Fortune named John Welland recalled how Low stripped his boat, including gold to the value of £150, then beat him and cut off his ear with a cutlass. Events 48 BC - Battle of Dyrrhachium, Julius Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat to Pompey in Macedonia. Year 1723 ( MDCCXXIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a A cutlass is a short thick Sabre or slashing Sword, with a straight or slightly curved Blade sharpened on the cutting edge and a Hilt often ^[21]

Following this, Low's fleet captured a Portuguese ship called the Nostra Signiora de Victoria on 25 January 1723. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Events 41 - After a night of negotiation Claudius is accepted as Roman Emperor by the Senate Year 1723 ( MDCCXXIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a The Victoria's Portuguese captain allowed a bag containing approximately 11,000 gold moidores (worth at the time around £15,000) to fall into the sea rather than see it captured. A moidore is a Portuguese Gold coin, minted from 1640 to 1732 The Pound Sterling ( symbol £; ISO code: GBP) subdivided into 100 pence (singular penny) is the Currency ^[18] One of Low's most noted episodes of cruelty followed: in his rage, he slashed off the Portuguese captain's lips with a cutlass, broiled them, and forced the victim to eat them while still hot. For the device used to cook see Grill (cooking, for other uses see Grill. ^[6][18] He then murdered the remaining crew. ^[1] Low's own men described him as "a maniac and a brute". ^[15]

A story describes Low burning a French cook alive, saying he was a "greasy fellow who would fry well", and another tells he once killed 53 Spanish captives with his cutlass. A cutlass is a short thick Sabre or slashing Sword, with a straight or slightly curved Blade sharpened on the cutting edge and a Hilt often ^[6] Some historians, including David Cordingly, believe this was deliberately done to cultivate a ferocious image. David Cordingly is an English naval historian who is considered one of the leading authorities on Pirates. ^[22] Historian Edward Leslie described Low as a psychopath with a history filled with "mutilations, disembowelings, decapitations, and slaughter". Psychopathy ( is a psychological construct that describes chronic immoral and Antisocial behavior ^[12] Low, like other pirates of the time, tried to intimidate his victims into surrendering, by threatening to kill or torture them. The crew of the targeted ship would hinder the officers from defending the ship, so afraid were they of reprisals. ^[23] One failed torture session led to one of Low's crew members accidentally cutting him in the mouth. Torture, according to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, is "any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental is intentionally Botched surgery left Low scarred. ^[5]

A snow called the Unity was added to the fleet, and used as a tender, but was abandoned during an encounter with a man of war named the Mermaid. A snow (pronounced "snoo" or snaw, is a sailing vessel A ship's tender, usually referred to as a tender, is a Boat, or a larger ship used to service a Ship, generally by transporting people and/or supplies ^[1] As Low's success increased in the Caribbean, so did his notoriety. The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting Eventually, a bounty was placed on his head, and Low set out for the Azores, again teaming up with Charles Harris. During Queen Elizabeth's reign Captain Charles Harris (16??-1723 joined the Barbary corsairs. As they terrorised the Azores, the pressure increased from the authorities, who by then had taken special notice of Edward Low, despite the hordes of pirates in operation at the time. ^[6]

Death

Low, Harris and their ships left the Azores for the Carolinas. The Carolinas is a term used in the United States to refer collectively to the states of North and South Carolina. On 10 June 1723, they suffered a resounding defeat in a battle with HMS Greyhound, a heavily armed man of war. Events 1190 - Third Crusade: Frederick I Barbarossa drowns in the Sally River while leading an army to Jerusalem Year 1723 ( MDCCXXIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Sixteen different ships of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Greyhound, after the Greyhound, a breed of dog notable for its speed ^[11] The Greyhound had been dispatched under the command of Peter Solgard to hunt down Low and his fleet. Low fled in the Fancy with a skeleton crew and £150,000 on board^[9] and headed back to the Azores, leaving Harris and the Ranger behind. The term skeleton crew is used to indicate the minimum number of personnel needed to operate and maintain an item at its most simple operating requirements such as a ship or business ^[6] Twenty-five of the crew of the Ranger, including the ship's doctor, were tried between 10 July and 12 July, with Solgard giving evidence and recounting the battle. Events 48 BC - Battle of Dyrrhachium, Julius Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat to Pompey in Macedonia. Events 1191 - Saladin 's garrison surrenders ending the two-year Siege of Acre. ^[21] The men were hanged for felony, piracy and robbery, near Newport, Rhode Island, on 19 July 1723. Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about 30 miles (48 km south of Providence Rhode Island ( officially named the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, is a state in the New England region of the United States Events 711 - Muslim forces under Tariq ibn Ziyad defeat the Visigoths led by their king Roderic. Year 1723 ( MDCCXXIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a ^[1][11] Harris was sent back to England and hanged at Wapping. Wapping (pronounced 'Wopping' is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets which forms part of the Docklands to the east of the City of London. ^[24] When Solgard returned to New York, he was presented with the freedom of the city and a gold snuffbox for his part in bringing some of Low's crew to justice. Freedom of the City is an honour bestowed by some municipalities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand Though the purpose of a Box may be purely functional boxes can also be very decorative and artistic ^[9]

Low, still captaining the Fancy, sailed north. He captured a whaling vessel 80 miles (130 km) out at sea, and in a foul mood following the encounter with the Greyhound and the loss of his right hand man, Harris, tortured the captain before shooting him through the head. He set the whaler's crew adrift with no provisions, intending them to starve to death (they were lucky, and reached Nantucket after a difficult journey). ^[4] Remaining off the coast of North America, his crew took a fishing boat near Block Island. Block Island is part of the US state of Rhode Island and is located in the Atlantic Ocean approximately south of the coast of Rhode Island Low decapitated the ship's master, and sent the crew ashore. When he captured two more fishing boats near Rhode Island, his actions became so savage his crew refused to carry out his orders to torture the fishermen. ^[4]

Heading south again, Low captured a 22-gun French ship and a large Virginian merchant vessel, the Merry Christmas, in late June 1723. The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state Following the defeat by the Greyhound, Low became "peculiarly cruel" to his English victims. ^[9] His fleet of three ships rejoined forces with George Lowther in July. George Lowther (? - 1723 was an 18th century English pirate who although little is known of his life was active in the Caribbean and Atlantic. In late 1723, Low and Lowther's fleet captured the Delight off the coast of Guinea, mounting fourteen guns on her, with command being given to Spriggs. Guinea, officially Republic of Guinea (pronounced /ˈgɪni/ République de Guinée is a country in West Africa, formerly known as French Guinea Two days later, Spriggs and Lowther both abandoned Low, leaving him the Merry Christmas, by now mounted with 34 guns, as his sole ship. ^[5]

There are conflicting reports on the circumstances of Edward Low's death. Charles Johnson—considered by some to be Daniel Defoe writing under a pseudonym^[25]—stated in his A General History of the Pyrates, at odds with other sources, that Edward Low and the Fancy were last sighted near the Canaries and Guinea but at the time of his 1724 book, no further reports had surfaced. Daniel Defoe (1659/1661 — April 24, 1731 was an English Writer, Journalist, and Pamphleteer, who gained enduring fame for A pseudonym is a fictitious alternative to a person's legal name (see Alias) A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates is a 1724 book containing biographies of contemporary Pirates Its author uses The Canary Islands ( English pronunciation kəˈnæriː ˈaɪləndz Spanish: Islas Canarias, ˈizlas kaˈnarjas are a Spanish Guinea, officially Republic of Guinea (pronounced /ˈgɪni/ République de Guinée is a country in West Africa, formerly known as French Guinea He noted one rumour that Low was sailing for Brazil and another that Low's ship sank in a storm with the loss of all hands. ^[5] The National Maritime Museum in London states that he was never caught, ending his days in Brazil. The National Maritime Museum (NMM in Greenwich, England is the leading Maritime museum of the United Kingdom and may be the largest museum |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld ^[2]

The Pirates Own Book and Ossian both suggest that Low was set adrift without provisions by the crew of the Merry Christmas, in a mutiny brought about by Low's murdering of a sleeping subordinate following an argument. Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly-situated individuals (typically members of the Military; or the Crew of any ship even ^[13] Low was subsequently rescued by a French ship; when the French authorities learned of his identity he was brought to trial, and was hanged in Martinique, in 1724. Martinique is an Island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, having a land area of 1128 km² ^[6]

Flags

Initially, Low used the same flag as Edward Teach ("Blackbeard"). The Jolly Roger is the name given to any of various Flags flown to identify a ship's crew as pirates The flag most usually identified as the Jolly Roger today The Jolly Roger is the name given to any of various Flags flown to identify a ship's crew as pirates The flag most usually identified as the Jolly Roger today Edward Teach (tɛtʃ c 1680 – November 22, 1718) better known as Blackbeard, was a notorious English Pirate in the Caribbean Later, he used his own flag, a red skeletal figure on a black background, which became notorious. In Biology, the skeleton is a strong and often a rigid framework that supports the body of an animal holding it upright and giving it shape and strength (Also skeletal ^[26] He first flew his own flag in late July 1723. ^[5]

Low also used a green silk flag with a yellow figure of a man blowing a trumpet; this Green Trumpeter was hoisted on the mizzen peak to call his fleet's captains to meetings aboard the flagship. The mast of a sailing ship is a tall vertical or near vertical Spar, or arrangement of Spars which supports the Sails Large ships have several masts ^[1]

Articles

Low had a set of Articles, a code of conduct and an ironic reference to the Royal Navy's own Articles of War. A pirate code is a Code of conduct invented for governing Pirates. The Royal Navy 's Articles of War were used to govern British Ships at sea in the Napoleonic Wars and have been used as models for later martial ^[21] The Articles listed below are attributed to Low by the Boston News-Letter. First published on April 17 1704, The Boston News-Letter is regarded as the first continuously published Newspaper in British North America. The first eight of these articles are essentially identical to those attributed to Lowther by Defoe. George Lowther (? - 1723 was an 18th century English pirate who although little is known of his life was active in the Caribbean and Atlantic. ^[5]

It is likely that both reports are correct and that Low and Lowther shared the same articles, with Low's two extra articles being an ordonnance, or amendment, adopted after the two crews separated. The government of France is a Semi-presidential system determined by the French Constitution of the fifth Republic, in which the nation declares

I. The Captain is to have two full Shares; the [Quarter] Master is to have one Share and one Half; The Doctor, Mate, Gunner and Boatswain, one Share and one Quarter. A boatswain or bosun /ˈbosn̩/ is an unlicensed member of the Deck department of a Merchant ship.

II. He that shall be found guilty of taking up any Unlawfull Weapon on Board the Privateer or any other prize by us taken, so as to Strike or Abuse one another in any regard, shall suffer what Punishment the Captain and the Majority of the Company shall see fit.

III. He that shall be found Guilty of Cowardice in the time of Ingagements, shall suffer what Punishment the Captain and the Majority of the Company shall think fit.

IV. If any Gold, Jewels, Silver, &c. be found on Board of any Prize or Prizes to the value of a Piece of Eight, & the finder do not deliver it to the Quarter Master in the space of 24 hours he shall suffer what Punishment the Captain and the Majority of the Company shall think fit. History Spain Following the introduction of the Guldengroschen in Austria in 1486 the concept of a large silver coin with high purity (sometimes known as "specie"

V. He that is found Guilty of Gaming, or Defrauding one another to the value of a Royal of Plate, shall suffer what Punishment the Captain and the Majority of the Company shall think fit.

VI. He that shall have the Misfortune to loose a Limb in time of Engagement, shall have the Sum of Six hundred pieces of Eight, and remain aboard as long as he shall think fit.

VII. Good Quarters to be given when Craved.

VIII. He that sees a Sail first, shall have the best Pistol or Small Arm aboard of her.

IX. He that shall be guilty of Drunkenness in time of Engagement shall suffer what Punishment the Captain and Majority of the Company shall think fit.

X. No Snaping of Guns in the Hould. A ship's hold, in older Ships was below the Orlop deck, the lower part of the interior of a ship's hull, especially when considered as storage space as

Legacy

Edward Low's acts, along with those of other pirates of the period such as Edward Teach, Bartholomew Roberts ("Black Bart"), and William Fly, led to a great increase in the military presence to protect shipping lanes, resulting in the effective end of the Golden Age of Piracy. Development Originally envisioned in the late 1950s as a walk-through Wax museum featuring pirates from history the attraction evolved into a boat ride through complex Edward Teach (tɛtʃ c 1680 – November 22, 1718) better known as Blackbeard, was a notorious English Pirate in the Caribbean Born John Roberts ( May 17, 1682 &ndash February 10, 1722) Bartholomew Roberts was a Welsh Pirate who raided shipping Captain William Fly (d July 12, 1726) was an English Pirate who raided New England shipping until he was captured by some of the The Golden Age of Piracy is the common designation given the period roughly spanning from the 1650s to the 1720s ^[23]

By 1700, the European states had enough troops and ships at their disposal, following the end of a number of wars, to begin better protecting their important colonies in the West Indies and in the Americas, without relying on the aid of privateers. A privateer was a private Warship authorized by a country's Government by Letters of marque to attack foreign shipping Pirates based in the Caribbean were chased from the seas by a new British Royal Navy squadron based at Port Royal, Jamaica and a smaller group of Spanish privateers, sailing from the Spanish Main, known as the Guarda de Costa (Coast Guard in English), or simply the Guarda. The great era of Piracy in the Caribbean began in the 1560s and died out in the 1720s as the Nation-states of Western Europe with colonies in The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) Port Royal, Jamaica was the centre of Shipping Commerce in the Islands of the Greater Antilles which make up the northeastern Jamaica (ˈdʒəˈmeɪkə} is an Island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width situated in the Caribbean Sea. The Spanish Main was the mainland coast of the Spanish Empire around the Caribbean. ^[6][23]

Less is recorded of Low than of other equally prolific pirates such as Teach and Stede Bonnet. Stede Bonnet (c 1688 – December 10 1718 was an early 18th-century Barbadian pirate, sometimes called "the gentleman pirate" because he was a moderately Howard Pyle, in an 1880 children's book on pirates, said: "No one stood higher in the trade than [Low], and no one mounted to more lofty altitudes of bloodthirsty and unscrupulous wickedness. Howard Pyle ( March 5, 1853 – November 9, 1911) was an American Illustrator and writer primarily of books for young audiences 'Tis strange that so little has been written and sung of this man of might, for he was as worthy of story and of song as was Blackbeard. "^[27] Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in his work The Green Flag, described Low as "savage and desperate", and a man of "amazing and grotesque brutality". Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, DL (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930 was an Anglo-Scottish Author most noted for his stories about the ^[3] The New York Times said "Low and his crew became the terror of the Atlantic, and his depredations were committed on every part of the ocean, from the coast of Brazil to the Grand Banks of Newfoundland". ^[4]

Low has featured on stamps and commemorative currency around the Caribbean. A postage stamp featuring Low was commissioned by the Cayman Islands in 1975,^[28] and in 1994 the government of Antigua and Barbuda featured Edward Low and his brigantine, Rebecca, on a legal tender one hundred-dollar bill made of gold leaf. A postage stamp is an adhesive paper evidence of pre-paying a fee for postal services This is a list of people on Postage stamps of the Cayman Islands. The Cayman Islands are a British overseas territory located in the western Caribbean Sea, comprising the islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac Antigua and Barbuda ( Spanish for "Ancient" and "Bearded" is an Island nation located on the eastern boundary of the Caribbean Sea The East Caribbean dollar ( Currency code XCD) is the Currency of eight of the nine members of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States Metal leaf is a thin foil used for decoration It is also called composition leaf or schlagmetal. ^[29]

"Ned Low" is one of the pirates featured on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland in California. Development Originally envisioned in the late 1950s as a walk-through Wax museum featuring pirates from history the attraction evolved into a boat ride through complex California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. A duplicate of Low's flag was used for the flag of the fictional pirate, Sao Feng, in Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean films. Captain Sao Feng ( Chinese: Traditional Chinese:嘯風 Simplified Chinese:啸风 Pinyin: Xiào Fēng, literally "Howling Wind" Pirates of the Caribbean is a trilogy of Adventure films directed by Gore Verbinski, written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio and produced ^[30]

Some of Low's haunts, such as the waters around the Isles of Shoals off New Hampshire and Isle Haute in Nova Scotia, attract treasure hunters who seek artifacts in the ships he sank. The Isles of Shoals are a group of nine small islands situated approximately 16 km (10 miles off the east coast of the United States, straddling the border of the states Nova Scotia (ˌnəʊvəˈskəʊʃə ( Latin for New Scotland; Alba Nuadh Nouvelle-Écosse is a Canadian province located on Canada 's ^[31][32]

See also

• List of pirates
• Piracy in the Caribbean
• Privateering on the Spanish Main

References

Further reading

• Cordingly, David. David Cordingly is an English naval historian who is considered one of the leading authorities on Pirates. Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates. Harvest Books (1997) ISBN 0156005492
• Seitz, Don Carlos; Gospel, Howard F; Wood, Stephen. Under the Black Flag: Exploits of the Most Notorious Pirates. Dover Publications (2002) ISBN 0486421317
• Roberts, Nancy. Blackbeard and Other Pirates of the Atlantic Coast. John F. Blair (1993) ISBN 0895870983
• Crooker, William S; Roberts, Bartholomew; Kidd, William; Easton, Peter. Pirates of the North Atlantic. Nimbus Publishing, Halifax (2004) ISBN 1551095130
• Scoggins, Rebekah. Methods of Torture among the Caribbean Pirates. Agnes Scott College (2005)
• Rediker, Marcus. Agnes Scott College is a private liberal arts women's college in Decatur, Georgia, near Atlanta. Villains of all Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age. Beacon Publishing (2004). ISBN 1844670082
• Whedbee, Charles Harry. Pirates, Ghosts, and Coastal Lore: the Best of Judge Whedbee. John F. Blair (2004) ISBN 0895872951

External links

• A Pirate's Who's Who—Edward Low
• The Pirate's Realm—Edward Low
• Guide to Edward Low

Persondata
NAME	Low, Edward
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Lowe, Edward; Loe, Edward; Low, Ned
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Pirate
DATE OF BIRTH	1690
PLACE OF BIRTH	Westminster, London, United Kingdom
DATE OF DEATH	1724
PLACE OF DEATH	Martinique

Westminster is an area of Central London, within the City of Westminster. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Martinique is an Island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, having a land area of 1128 km²

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