John Quelch (pirate) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Quelch
Born	1666 London
Died	30 June 1704(1704-06-30) (aged 38) Boston
Piratical career
Years active	1703–1704
Rank	Captain
Base of operations	Marblehead
Commands	Charles
Wealth	£10,000 sterling

John Quelch (born in 1666, died June 30, 1704) was an English pirate. He had a very short but successful career that lasted about one year. He is important in history because he was the first person to be tried for piracy outside of England under a special set of laws called Admiralty Law. This meant he was tried without a jury. These special courts were created to deal with the growing problem of piracy in faraway port cities where regular courts weren't working well.

Becoming a Pirate Captain

In July 1703, the Governor of Boston, Joseph Dudley, sent out a ship called the Charles. Its captain was Daniel Plowman. The ship had a special license to act as a privateer. This meant it was allowed to attack French and Spanish ships near Newfoundland and Arcadia. John Quelch was Captain Plowman's second-in-command.

Before the ship left Marblehead, Massachusetts, the crew of the Charles decided to take over the ship. This is called a mutiny. They locked Captain Plowman, who was sick, in his cabin. The crew then chose John Quelch to be their new captain. Instead of heading north to attack French and Spanish ships, Quelch turned the Charles south. Captain Plowman was later put overboard.

The crew then attacked and robbed nine Portuguese ships off the coast of Brazil. Even though England and Portugal were at peace, they took a lot of treasure. The Charles ended up with a huge amount of Brazilian sugar, animal hides, cloth, guns, gold dust, and gold coins. All of this was worth more than £10,000. That was a very large sum of money back then! There's a story that before they were caught, the crew buried some of their gold on Star Island near New Hampshire. In the 1800s, some gold coins were actually found hidden in a stone wall there.

Capture and Trial

After about 10 months, the Charles returned to Marblehead. The crew quickly scattered, taking their stolen goods with them. But within a week, John Quelch was arrested and put in jail. The problem was that his original license only allowed him to attack French and Spanish ships, not Portuguese ones. More importantly, Queen Anne of Great Britain and the King of Portugal had become allies. This made Quelch's actions a serious crime.

Quelch and other crew members were taken to Boston for trial. This was the very first time a piracy trial under Admiralty Law happened outside of England. On Friday, June 30, 1704, after they were found guilty, the pirates were marched through Boston to Scarlet's Wharf. They were guarded by soldiers and officials, and a special silver oar, which was a symbol of the British Navy, was carried in front of them.

When they reached the gallows, a minister gave a long speech. All the pirates seemed sorry for what they had done, except for Captain Quelch. After they were executed, their bodies were buried where the ocean tide goes in and out.

The Ship Charles

The Charles was a ship that weighed about eighty tons. It was built in Boston between 1701 and 1703. Some of the most important people in Boston owned the ship. It was set up to be a privateer and attack enemy ships off the coast of Newfoundland and Arcadia.

The English flag, also known as the Flag of St. George.

Crew Members

Here is a list of the known crew members who were on the Charles when Quelch was captain:

Six of these crew members, including Quelch, were executed. More than half of the crew managed to escape capture. Parrot, Clifford, and Pimer helped the authorities by giving information, so they were not charged. John Templeton was found to be only a servant on the ship and was not even 14 years old, so he was released.

The Myth of Old Roger

A modern idea of what Quelch's "Old Roger" flag might have looked like.

There's a popular story that John Quelch flew a special pirate flag that his crew called "Old Roger." Some people even think this is where the famous pirate flag name Jolly Roger came from. It's also said that famous pirates like Blackbeard and Bartholomew "Black Bart" Roberts later copied his flag design.

However, there is no real proof that Quelch flew any flag other than the Flag of St. George (the English flag). It's also possible he flew a privateer's flag, which would have been similar to the English flag on a red background. During his trial, crew members said that the English flag was always flown on the ship.

The idea that Quelch's flag had "in the middle of it an Anatomy with an Hourglass in one hand and a dart in the Heart with three drops of Blood proceeding from it in the other" likely came from a writer named Ralph D. Paine in the early 1900s. He probably used his imagination to make the story more exciting. No one involved in the actual trial, not even the Governor or the lawyers, ever mentioned such a flag being used by Quelch.