Simon Hatley facts for kids

Simon Hatley (born March 27, 1685 – died after 1723) was an English sailor who took part in two risky privateering trips to the South Pacific Ocean. Privateers were like legal pirates, allowed by their government to attack enemy ships and keep the treasures they found.

On his second voyage, his ship was caught in bad storms south of Cape Horn. During this time, Hatley shot an albatross, a large sea bird. This event became famous because it was included in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's famous poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, written in 1798.

Simon Hatley was born in 1685 in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England. He started his sea adventures in 1708 with an expedition led by Woodes Rogers against the Spanish. Rogers sailed all the way around the world, but Hatley was captured in what is now Ecuador. He was held prisoner in Lima, the capital of Peru, where he faced very difficult times. He was finally released and returned to Great Britain in 1713.

Hatley's second voyage was with George Shelvocke. This was when the famous albatross incident happened. This trip also ended with Hatley being captured by the Spanish again. He was released in 1723 and sailed to Jamaica to avoid legal trouble for piracy. What happened to him after that is not known.

In 1797, the poet William Wordsworth read about Hatley's voyage. He suggested Hatley's shooting of the albatross as an idea for a poem he was planning with Coleridge. Wordsworth later left the project, but Coleridge continued, and the poem was published in 1798. This made Simon Hatley a part of literary history forever.

Early Life and Training

Simon Hatley was the oldest child in a family of hatters, who made and sold hats. He was born on March 27, 1685, in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England. His parents were Symon and Mary Hatley. The Hatley family was quite well-off, owning a large house and other properties.

Young Simon went to the Woodstock Grammar School. He learned to read and write in both Latin and English. Even though he could have joined his father's business, he chose a different path. Around 1699, he began training to become a maritime pilot, someone who guides ships safely into and out of harbors. He finished his training in Bristol by 1706. At that time, stories of sea explorations were very popular, and Hatley likely developed a love for adventure from reading them.

A Sailor's Career Begins

Most of what we know about Simon Hatley's life comes from his two privateering voyages to the Pacific coast of South America. Privateers were armed merchant ships that had special permission from their government (called "letters of marque") to attack and capture enemy ships. They would keep the profits for themselves and the ship owners.

Hatley's first such voyage was during the War of the Spanish Succession, when Britain and Spain were at war. In 1708, at 23 years old, he joined the crew as a third mate (a junior officer) on the Duchess. This was one of two ships led by Captain Woodes Rogers. The other ship was called the Duke.

Rogers's ships were getting ready in Bristol for a long and difficult journey. Their goal was to sail around Cape Horn into the South Pacific. They planned to attack Spanish settlements and interests along the South American coast. They also hoped to capture valuable treasures, including large Spanish ships called "treasure galleons" that sailed from Manila to Mexico. The ships were packed with men, supplies, guns, and gunpowder, as success depended on being able to fight and capture other vessels.

Voyage with Woodes Rogers

The Duke and Duchess, British privateers that sailed from Bristol against the Spanish in 1708

It was hard to find skilled sailors during the war. In July 1708, Hatley was sent to Dublin to help find more crew members. The Duke and the Duchess left Bristol on August 1, 1708. Hatley joined the Duchess when the ships stopped at Cork three days later. Many of the new recruits were not experienced sailors. Government rules at the time limited how many professional sailors private ships could have. This was to save some for the Royal Navy. A total of 150 men joined at Cork, but 40 of them left before the ships sailed on September 1.

On September 8, the ships captured a Swedish vessel. However, Britain was not at war with Sweden, and no illegal goods were found. So, Rogers had to let the ship go. This almost caused a mutiny on the Duke, as sailors felt they had lost out on treasure. Hatley and the Duchess were not directly involved, but there were also tensions on their ship. The expedition later captured a small Spanish ship near Tenerife. They released it in exchange for supplies. Items taken from that ship were sold among the sailors, and Hatley bought a pair of silk stockings.

After sailing around Cape Horn, the two ships stopped at the Juan Fernández Islands, off Chile, to get more supplies. People thought the islands were empty. But as the ships got closer on January 31, 1709, sailors saw a fire on shore. The landing party was surprised to find Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish sailor. He had been left on the island by his captain more than four years earlier and was very happy to be rescued. Rogers made Selkirk a junior officer on the Duke. The ships stayed in Cumberland Bay for almost two weeks, allowing for repairs, resupply, and some time ashore.

With new supplies, the expedition began to raid Spanish trade. To make sure everything was fair, a group of expedition members decided that each ship's officers and men would choose two agents. One agent would stay on their ship, and the other would move to the other ship. This way, someone from each ship could watch what treasures the other ship captured. Hatley was chosen as an agent for the Duchess's officers and moved to the Duke. So, for a time, Hatley, who inspired the albatross-shooting sailor in Coleridge's poem, Selkirk, who likely inspired Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, and William Dampier, who might have inspired Jonathan Swift's Lemuel Gulliver, were all on the same ship.

They soon found chances to capture ships. They also negotiated a ransom for the town of Guayaquil in Ecuador by threatening to burn it. Hatley played his part in these actions. He was in the Duchess's small boat (a pinnace) as part of a boarding team. This was when the expedition's two ships fought and captured a Spanish ship called the Havre de Grace on April 15. This sea battle sadly killed Rogers's brother, John. When the main group moved to capture Guayaquil on April 18, Hatley was among those left behind on captured ships to guard the Spanish prisoners.

Water supplies became low. Hatley and another officer were put in charge of two captured ships (Hatley's was a barque, a type of sailing ship). They were sent to Puna Island to get water and find out news about the expedition. There, they met Rogers and learned that the attack on Guayaquil had been successful, though not as profitable as they hoped.

Rogers's expedition eventually sailed all the way around the world, but Hatley did not complete the full journey. He remained in command of his barque as the Rogers expedition sailed back into the Pacific Ocean. With water running low and many sailors sick, the search for fresh water became very urgent. But Hatley's ship got lost. Despite Rogers's efforts to search for it, the ship was not seen again. Lanterns were lit and guns were fired, hoping Hatley would see or hear them, but it was no use. Hatley likely had about six sailors and the same number of prisoners with him. Rogers wrote in his account, "we all bewailed Mr Hatley and were afraid he was lost."

First Capture and Return to Britain

With food running out, Hatley's crew forced him to head for the coast of what is now Ecuador. There, in late May 1709, a local person spotted the ship, and Hatley and his crew were captured. The local people treated them badly, but a priest stepped in, likely saving their lives. Hatley and his men were taken south to Lima, in Peru. They were held in the prison on the Plaza Real. Hatley faced very harsh questioning and difficult times in prison. He managed to send out several letters secretly, but only one from November 6, 1709, survived. This letter reached Britain and might have been the first news about the fate of Rogers's expedition.

Under pressure, Hatley agreed to convert to Catholicism in 1710. He was freed that December but had to stay in Peru. The people who funded Rogers's expedition asked the British Government for help. In 1711, Lord Dartmouth told the new governor of Jamaica to help British prisoners held by the Spanish. In 1713, with peace between Spain and Britain restored, Hatley was allowed to leave. He returned to England, having learned Spanish during his captivity. The Rogers expedition had returned in 1711, and the sale of their captured goods was still happening. Hatley received money for his part in capturing the Havre de Grace.

Simon's father, Symon Hatley, had died in 1712. He left property in Woodstock to his son Simon. In 1718, Simon and his mother sold these properties.

The Shelvocke Expedition

1876 Gustave Doré illustration for The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

When the War of the Quadruple Alliance (1717–1720) brought new fighting between Britain and Spain, Hatley joined another privateering expedition. He became the second captain of the Speedwell, under George Shelvocke, the expedition leader. Hatley knew the South Pacific coast well, so his experience made him a valuable person for the voyage. The Speedwell was the smaller of the two ships; the larger one was named Success.

The expedition faced delays and finally left Plymouth on February 13, 1719. The ships soon became separated and sailed on their own. On June 4, near Cape Frio in Brazil, the Speedwell met a Portuguese ship. Even though Portugal was an ally of Britain, Shelvocke sent Hatley with an armed crew to board it. They took gold and other valuable items. The ship then anchored near what is now Florianópolis, Brazil, from June to August. During this time, the crew repaired the ship and gathered supplies for the journey around Cape Horn.

In his journal entry for October 1, 1719, Shelvocke wrote about the famous incident: Hatley shooting the albatross. This happened about 400 miles south of Cape Horn. According to Shelvocke, Hatley shot the bird because he believed it brought bad luck and hoped it would bring better winds. It's important to know that at that time, there was no special rule against killing albatrosses. This idea of it being bad luck was something Coleridge added when he wrote his poem. Sailors sometimes even tried to catch them for food, though their meat was not very tasty.

The winds did not calm down after the albatross was shot. The ship continued to battle stormy weather as it sailed around Cape Horn and then northward along the coast of Chile.

Once the weather cleared, the Speedwell began raiding along the coast. They captured several small ships. Hatley was put in charge of one of these, which they renamed Mercury. Hatley suggested that he operate independently to capture small ships near the coast of Peru and Ecuador, as he knew the area well. On March 9, 1720, the Mercury's crew saw a ship they thought was the Speedwell. But it was too late to escape when they realized it was a Spanish warship, the Brilliant. Hatley tried to make his ship look like it was still under Spanish control by sending British-looking sailors below deck. But the plan failed when three British sailors suddenly appeared, and the Brilliant fired, slightly wounding Hatley. The British sailors, including Hatley, were captured and taken to Paita, then transported 600 miles to Lima.

By this time, Britain and Spain were at peace again. All the prisoners except Hatley were soon released. He was kept chained and alone. They accused him of piracy because of the looting of the Portuguese ship. A purse with 96 gold coins was found among his belongings, and he faced the possibility of hanging or forced labor in the mines. There was some doubt if Lima authorities could try him for a crime against the Portuguese. Shelvocke's reputation was also poor, even among the British. So, they decided Shelvocke was probably more responsible. Hatley was released in 1723.

What happened to Hatley after 1723 is not clear. He might have faced a piracy trial in England for the Portuguese ship incident. As soon as he returned, he sailed for Jamaica, which was a place where many pirates gathered. Nothing more is known about him after that. He might have continued his life as a sailor.

Literary Influence

The famous poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner was thought up by William Wordsworth and Coleridge while they were walking in the Quantock Hills in November 1797. They were talking about the story of Cain, who was condemned to wander the earth after killing his brother. The conversation then turned to a book Wordsworth was reading, Shelvocke's A Voyage Round the World by Way of the Great South Sea. This book described Hatley shooting the albatross.

Wordsworth later wrote that "Much the greatest part of the story was Coleridge's invention." However, it was Wordsworth's idea that the main part of the story should be about killing an albatross in the South Sea. He suggested that "the spirits of these regions take upon them to avenge the crime." Wordsworth soon realized their writing styles were too different and left the project. But Coleridge continued, and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner was published in their combined work, Lyrical Ballads, in 1798.

Hatley's shooting of an albatross is different in some ways from the Ancient Mariner's. Hatley shot the bird hoping for better winds. The Mariner's reason for shooting the bird is not given. In the poem, the Mariner's action leads to punishment, like having the dead albatross hung around his neck. Hatley faced difficulties after shooting the albatross, but these were from the Spanish and not directly connected to killing the bird. The Mariner later receives forgiveness. But for Hatley, there was "no forgiveness," and he sailed to Jamaica to avoid another trial.

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