Richard Frowd
Richard Frowd (fl. 1718–1719) was a pirate active in the Caribbean. He is best known for sailing with William Moody. He was one of a number of pirates to have both white and black sailors in his crew.
History[edit]
Frowd was in the Caribbean in his 8-gun 60-man brigantine alongside Englishman William Moody’s 36-gun 130-man Rising Sun and another ship in 1718.[1] There they captured several ships near St. Christopher’s, looting some and burning others, continuing through early 1719 after resupplying at St. Thomas in December.[2] Their aggression prompted Governor Hamilton to request assignment of a warship from England for protection.[1] Frowd acted as a ship’s tender to Moody’s Rising Sun but also took ships on his own, including a pink from Belfast near the Carolinas in January 1719.[2]
After cruising the Caribbean for a time, Moody sailed for the coast of Africa.[3] Near Cape Verde around April 1719 Moody and his supporters marooned Thomas Cocklyn, and were themselves in turn forced off the Rising Sun and into a small boat, and were presumed to have been lost at sea.[4] Frowd may have parted ways from Moody before crossing the Atlantic, or have been replaced as captain of Moody’s consort ship by that time: records of the incident with Cocklyn and the Rising Sun (from the testimony of captured sailor William Snelgrave) mention several pirates by name but Frowd was not among them.[4]
A number of pirates allowed blacks to serve on board their ships, though there is no general agreement on whether they were equal to white crewmen or had lesser status.[1] Edward England, Bartholomew Roberts, Augustin Blanco, Moody, Frowd, and others were reported with mixed crews;[5] Frowd's was described as "60 men, whites and blacks".[2]
See also[edit]
- Olivier Levasseur, elected Captain of the Rising Sun after Moody
- Howell Davis, present when Moody was ejected from the Rising Sun, or shortly afterwards
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Cordingly, David (2013). Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates. New York: Random House Publishing Group. pp. 15–16, 111, 249. ISBN 9780307763075. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
- ^ a b c America and West Indies: December 1718, 11-19 | British History Online. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office. 1930. p. section 797. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
- ^ Piat, Denis (2014). Pirates & Privateers of Mauritius. Singapore: Editions Didier Millet. pp. 63–64. ISBN 9789814385664. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
- ^ a b Grey, Charles (1933). Pirates of the eastern seas (1618-1723): a lurid page of history. London: S. Low, Marston & co., ltd. pp. 27–28. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
- ^ Hamilton, John (2007). Pirate's Life. Edina MN: ABDO. ISBN 9781604532548. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
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