History’s Most Brutal Pirate Punishments

PART 2:

of being shredded by the sharp Barnacles and other Marine growth on the ship’s Hull those who did survive often emerged with severe lacerations broken bones and internal injuries many succumb to their wounds or subsequent infections in the days following the punishment in fact Naval records from the Dutch East India Company suggest that the mortality rate for Keel hauling could be as high as 50% making it one of the most feared punishments at sea one particularly harrowing account comes from the Journal of John tonger a naval

chaplain who witnessed a keel hauling aboard the HMS assistance in 1676 he wrote In a Moment he was drawn from one side of the ship under the Keel to the other by which he was so grated all over his body that it was almost impossible for him to recover it tonga’s eyewitness account provides a rare glimpse into the reality of this punishment far removed from the romanticized depictions in later literature and film while the Dutch Navy was Notorious for its use of ke hauling other European navies also employed this

brutal punishment the Russian Navy under Zar Peter the Great adopted the practice in the early 18th century as part of its efforts to modernize along Western lines in 1705 Peter himself witnessed the Keel hauling of several Sailors accused of theft aboard the ship in the port of Von the Zar reportedly remarked that it was an excellent means to maintain discipline this Imperial endorsement ensured that Keel hauling remained a part of Russian naval discipline well into the 19th century surprisingly ke hauling was never officially sanctioned

by the British royal Navy although unofficial instances were reported Admiral John Bing writing in his Memoirs in the mid 18th century mentioned witnessing a ke hauling aboard a British ship though he condemned the practice as barbarous and un English the French navy too largely abstained from the practice considering it too barbaric even by the standards of the time the famous French naval officer and Explorer Louie antoan deanil wrote in his journal in 1766 such cruelty is Unworthy of a Civilized Nation and serves only to

harden the hearts of men as for pirates contrary to popular belief Keel hauling was not a common punishment among them Pirates typically favored quicker and less elaborate forms of discipline or execution such as marooning or walking the plank however the threat of Keel hauling was often used to instill fear and maintain order aboard pirate vessels the infamous pirate code of Bartholomew Roberts established in 1721 made no mention of Keel hauling instead focusing on more practical forms of punishment like flogging or

marooning one Infamous pirate who allegedly employed Keel hauling was Edward low active in the 1720s known for his sadistic Tendencies low was said to have keelhauled captives from Merchant ships he plundered One account tells of low Keel hauling the captain of a captured vessel off the coast of Newland in 1723 allegedly for refusing to divulge the location of hidden valuables however these accounts are largely based on sensationalized stories and maybe more Legend than fact as much of Low’s reputation comes from secondhand

accounts and popular law the brutality of keelhauling did not go unnoticed by contempory critics in 1749 the French philosopher montis condemned the practice in his work the spirit of the laws writing Keel hauling ought to be prescribed in all nations because it is contrary to humanity monu’s criticism reflected a growing sentiment among Enlightenment thinkers that such extreme forms of punishment were incompatible with the ideals of a civilized society despite its reputation for cruelty K hauling persisted in some navies well into the

19th century the last officially recorded instance of K halling in the Dutch Navy occurred in 1853 aboard the frigate USS fro the victim a sailor named Joannes Franken survived the ordeal but suffered severe injuries this incident sparked public outrage in the Netherlands and contributed to the eventual abolition of the practice in Russia ke hauling was officially abolished in 1864 as part of broader Naval reforms under Zar Alexander II flashes of the sea the brutal Symphony of the cat Ninetales the sharp whistle of leather

cutting through air followed by the sickening thud of impact on bare flesh echoed across the wooden decks of ships for centuries this was the sound of the cat Ninetales a fearsome instrument of punishment that struck Terror into the hearts of sailors and Pirates alike the practice of flogging particularly with this multi- tailed whip was a brutal reality of Life at Sea leaving both physical and psychological scars on those unfortunate enough to feel its bite as the renowned Naval historian enam Roger once wrote the cat a

Ninetales was the voice of Naval discipline speaking a language every Sean understood the cat nin Tales often simply called the cat was a whip consisting of nine knotted cords attached to a sturdy handle each cord was typically about 2 ft long made of thin rope or raw hide and sometimes adorned with metal shards or glass to increase its devastating effect the origin of its name name is shrouded in maritime law with some suggesting it stems from The Nine Lives of a cat While others attribute it to the scratch likee

wounds it left on the victim’s back interestingly the term cat Ninetales first appeared in print in 1681 in Thomas ot’s play The Soldier’s Fortune though the instrument itself had been in use long before flogging as a form of Naval discipline dates back to ancient times but it reached its Zenith during the age of sale from the 16th to the 19th centuries in the British royal Navy flogging was officially sanctioned in 1661 when the articles of War were established these articles which governed Naval discipline allowed

captains to order floggings for a wide range of offenses from minor infractions like drunkenness to more serious crimes such as theft or Mutiny the infamous Captain William kid before turning to piracy served as a privateer and was known to use the cat liberally in 1695 while commanding the adventure Galley he flogged a crew member for insubordination an event that foreshadowed his later reputation for cruelty one of the most notorious incidents of flogging occurred in 1797 aboard the HMS hermion Captain Hugh

pigot known for his sadistic Tendencies ordered the flogging of several Sailors for not furling the sails quickly enough during a storm the brutality of his punishment which included flogging a man to death led to a bloody Mutiny the crew driven to desperation killed pigot and several of his officers throwing their bodies overboard this event shocked the British admiralty and led to discussions about reforming the practice of flogging Admiral Lord St Vincent upon hearing of the Mutiny remarked I fear the cat

Ninetales has much to answer for in this Dreadful business the number of lashes administered varied widely depending on the offense and the whim of the captain minor infractions might result in a dozen lashes while more severe punishments could reach hundreds in 1812 aboard the USS Chesapeake Commodore James Baron ordered 500 lashes to be administered to a sailor named Robert Jeffrey for stealing cheese Jeffrey survived this horrific ordeal but many were not so fortunate infections from the wounds were common and death from

blood loss or shock was not unheard of in 1731 a British sailor named John barl received 500 lashes for desertion he survived the initial flogging but died 3 days later from his wounds prompting one officer to note in his log the cat has claimed another of its Nine Lives Pirates despite their reputation for lawlessness also employed flogging as a means of maintaining discipline the infamous pirate Bartholomew Roberts known as blackbart included flogging in his ship’s articles his code stated that any man who shall strike another whilst

these articles are in force shall receive Moses’s law that is 40 Stripes lacking one on the bare back this Biblical reference to 39 lashes was a common measurement for punishment believed to be the maximum a man could endure without dying Edward low another notorious pirate operating in the 1720s was known for his creative use of the cat he once flogged a captured Captain with a cat soaked in pickle brine adding an extra layer of Agony to the punishment the psychological impact of flogging was as severe as its physical

toll Admiral John Jarvis Earl of St Vincent once remarked discipline is preserved in a ship by The Dread of punishment this dread was palpable among the crew whenever a flogging was to be administered all hands were called to witness the punishment a practice known as watching the cat the victim was typically tied to a grating or a mast his back Beed to receive the lashes the ship surgeon would stand by ostensibly to determine if the punishment should be halted but often this was a mere formality Samuel leech a sailor who

served in both the British and American navies wrote in his Memoirs the day of punishment was always a day of Terror in the ship the air of deathlike Stillness that rained throughout the ship as the crew gathered to witness the scene was painfully oppressive one Sailor Jack nasty face described the aftermath of a flogging in his Memoirs when cut down he was taken to the sick bay where the doctor dressed his wounds with pickle many days elapsed before he was able to perform his duty and several weeks before his shirt could

be endured to touch his back the use of brine to clean the wounds was standard practice adding another layer of Agony to the already excruciating experience in 1811 a young midshipman named Frederick Marriot witnessed a particularly severe flogging aboard HMS imperior he later became a novelist and used his experiences to vividly describe floggings in his books helping to turn public opinion against the practice not all captains were enthusiastic about flogging Captain William blee despite his reputation following the Mutiny on

the Bounty was known to use flogging sparingly in his log book from 1787 he wrote I punished John Bowman Seaman with 12 lashes for Disobedience and contempt this man had lately been punished for similar offenses bl’s relative restraint in administering punishment was notable for the time similarly Captain James Cook during his voyages of exploration in the 1770s used flogging as a last resort he preferred to employ alternative punishments such as confinement or reduced rations believing that excessive flogging demoralized the

crew the practice of flogging began to decline in the 19th century as public opinion turned against it Charles Dickens in his novel David Copperfield described a flogging as a wretched spectacle helping to sway public sentiment in 1850 the United States Congress limited the number of lashes that could be administered to 12 and in 1862 flogging was officially abolished in the US Navy the British royal Navy followed suit in 1879 although it retained flogging as a punishment for Mutiny until 1881 Herman Melville who served in the

US Navy and later wrote Moby Dick was a vocal critic of flogging in his novel white jacket he wrote however childish ignorant and inexperienced a man may be yet he claims respect in virtue of his manhood but he is lashed like a dog Cast Away the the Grim fate of marooned Pirates the gentle lapping of waves against pristine Shores might sound idilic but for pirates of old these same sounds could be a death nail marooning a punishment as feared as it was Infamous lurked in the shadows of every Pirate’s mind this practice which involved

abandoning a person on a desolate island or Coast with little to know Provisions was not just a plot device in Fantastical Tales but a very real and terrifying consequence for those who dared to cross their fellow Buccaneers as the Legendary Pirate Captain Bartholomew Roberts once declared a merry life and a short one shall be my motto a sentiment that took on a dark irony for those left to waste away on forgotten Shores the origins of marooning can be traced back to the early days of Maritime exploration the

term itself is believed to derive from the Spanish word simmeron which referred to Runaway cattle or slave aves in the Caribbean by the 17th century it had evolved to describe the act of abandoning someone in a remote uninhabited area interestingly the practice wasn’t limited to the new world records show that as early as 1509 the Portuguese explorer Francisco de Almeida marooned mutineers on a remote island in the Indian Ocean demonstrating the global reach of this cruel punishment one of of the earliest recorded instances of marooning occurred

in 1502 when Christopher Columbus during his fourth voyage to the new world marooned his mutinous crew member Francisco deoras on the island of Jamaica this act set a precedent that would be followed by both navies and pirates for centuries to come Columbus himself wrote in his journal let them stay and live here for this is the paradise they have chosen a chilling dismissal of those he left behind Pirates however elevated marooning to an art form enshrining it in their codes and using it as a tool to maintain order

within their ranks the infamous pirate Bartholomew Roberts also known as blackbart included marooning in his articles of agreement which stated If any man shall offer to run away or keep any secret from the company he shall be marooned with one bottle of powder one bottle of water one small arm and shot Roberts who terrorized the from 1719 to 1722 was known for his strict adherence to this code reportedly marooning several crew members during his career including a carpenter named James skur who had the audacity to challenge

Roberts’s Authority the items granted to the marooned individual were more a cruel joke than a Lifeline a single pistol with one shot was often provided not for hunting or self-defense but as a means for The Condemned to end their own suffering quickly quickly rather than face a slow death from starvation or exposure this Grim provision was immortalized in Robert Lewis Stevenson’s Treasure Island where the character Billy Bones recalls there was some that was feared of Pew and some that was feared of Flint but Flint his own self

was feared of me feared he was and proud they was the roughest crew afloat was flints the Devil Himself would have been feared to go to sea with them well now I tell you I’m not a boasting man and you see yourself how easy I am to live with but when I was quartermaster Lambs wasn’t the word for Flint’s old Buccaneers perhaps the most famous instance of marooning in Pirate law is that of Alexander seler whose story inspired Daniel deo’s novel Robinson cruso in 1704 selker a Scottish Privateer was marooned on the

uninhabited island of Massa Tiera now called Robinson cruso island off the coast of Chile unlike most marooned individuals Selkirk survived for 4 years and four months before being rescued his tale of survival captured the public imagination and contributed to the romanticized view of marooning in popular culture selkirk’s ordeal began when he questioned the seaworthiness of his ship the shink ports leading to a heated argument with the captain Thomas stradling in a fit of anger selker demanded to be put ashore a decision he

would soon regret as he watched the ship sail away leaving him with only a musket a hatchet a knife a cooking pot a Bible and some clothing however the reality was Far Grimmer most marooned Pirates faced a bleak and short existence the Legendary Pirate Edward low known for his sadistic Tendencies was particularly fond of marooning in 1722 he marooned the entire crew of a Portuguese ship on a Barren Rock off the coast of Brazil leaving them with only a few bottles of water it’s believed that none survived Lo’s cruelty was Notorious with one

contemporary account stating low was of all Pirates the most Savage and desperate defying God and man and delighting in torture and bloodshed his penchant for marooning was just one facet of his brutal reign of terror on the high seas islands in the Caribbean such as Dead Man’s Chest in the British Virgin Islands gained not variety as marooning sites the island’s name itself is said to have originated from the practice of marooning with pirates leaving their victims with a bottle of rum or spirits on their chest

another Infamous location was the Dry Tortugas a group of small islands off the coast of Florida these desolate waterless keys were a favorite spot for marooning among Pirates operating in the Gulf of Mexico the playright John Mayfield captured the dread of of such places in his poem Spanish Waters writing then there’s the Dry Tortugas where the man is left to rot and his mates at sea forget him and the world remembers not even the famous Blackbeard Edward Teach was not above using this punishment in 1718 he marooned several

of his own crew on a small Sandy island in the Caribbean when they questioned his authority only a handful were said to have survived rescued by passing ships Days Later Blackbeard quartermaster William Howard later recounted the incident saying Teach was a devil incarnate when crossed and those poor souls on that spit of sand learned that lesson well the psychological impact of marooning was often as devastating as the physical toll Captain Charles Johnson in his 1724 book a general history of the Pirates described the

mental anguish of the marooned The Dread of wanting provisions on a Barren Island where there was little or no hopes of subsistence and no Prospect of ever getting off must be a terrible reflection to a man this sentiment was echoed by many survivors of marooning including Philip Ashton who was marooned by pirates in 1723 on ratan island off the coast of Honduras Ashton who survived for 16 months before being rescued later wrote Every Day seemed an eternity and I often wished for death to release me from my misery

not all marooning ended in tragedy however in 1722 the Dutch pirate jand de grut was marooned on an island off Madagascar by his own crew remarkably he not only survived but thrived establishing himself as a local king among the native population when a Dutch ship arrived years later deg grut refused to leave his Island Kingdom his story became something of a legend among pirates with some seeing it as proof that fortune could smile even on the marooned another surprising tale of survival is that of Charles Barnard a CA

who was marooned on the Forkland Islands in 1813 Barnard not only survived but rescued another group of Castaways during his 2-year ordeal demonstrating the resilience of the human spirit in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds as the Golden Age of piracy waned in the early 18th century so too did the practice of ruing Naval forces began to favor more formal methods of punishment such as imprisonment or execution however the Spectre of marooning continued to haunt sailor’s imaginations long after its practical use had faded

the British royal Navy officially outlawed marooning as a punishment in 1720 though isolated incidents continued to occur Admiral John benbo writing in his Memoirs in 1702 reflected on The Changing Times the practice of marooning once so common among the Buccaneers is now seen as barbaric by civilized Nations yet its shadow still looms large in the minds of sailors the last recorded instance of pirate marooning occurred in 1822 when the Spanish pirate Bonito Doo abandoned several crew members on a remote Atlantic Island after they objected to

his brutal treatment of captives this event marked the end of an era but the legend of mar ring lived on Doo’s actions were widely condemned even by other Pirates signaling a shift in the moral landscape of Maritime Outlaws one of his victims who was later rescued reportedly said even among Thieves there was once honor but men like doo have cast aside all pretense of humanity marooning was more than just a punishment it was a manifestation of the harsh unforgiving nature of Life at Sea during the age of saale it serves as a

testament to the depths of human cruelty and the extraordinary will to survive Against All Odds the historian Marcus reer in his book villains of all Nations observed marooning was a microcosm of pirate Society itself a world where life was cheap death was always near and Only the strongest or luckiest survived the last step plunging into the Pirates Abyss the creaking of weathered wood beneath trembling Fe feet The Salty Sea Breeze carrying Whispers of impending doom and the ominous Splash awaiting below these are the elements that

compose the terrifying Tableau of walking the plank this Infamous punishment of depicted in swashbuckling tales and Hollywood Blockbusters carries with it a weight of reality that’s as chilling as the waters that claimed its victims as the notorious pirate Blackbeard Edward Teach once reportedly growled damn Nations seize my soul if I give you quarters or take any from you while not as commonplace as popular culture might suggest the practice of forcing captives or mutinous crew members to walk off a plank into the

unforgiving sea was indeed employed by some of history’s most notorious Pirates the origins of this cruel spectacle are shrouded in the mids of maritime law but accounts of its use stretch back to the Golden Age of piracy in the 7 and 18th centuries interestingly the term walking the plank didn’t appear in print until the early 19th century with one of the earliest uses found in Francis gr’s 1796 dictionary of the vulgar tongue where it’s described as a punishment inflicted by pirates on their prisoners one of the earliest recorded

instances of walking the plank comes from the account of Dutch sailor Yan arasmus reigning in 166 3 reigning witnessed the pirate Captain franois Lan forced several Spanish prisoners to walk the plank off the coast of Venezuela Lon known for his sadistic Tendencies reportedly laughed as he watched his victims Plunge Into The shark-infested Waters below this act of brutality set a precedent that would be followed by other Pirates seeking to instill fear in their captives and crew alike lolon whose real name was Jean David now was

in Infamous for his cruelty in one instance he was said to have cut out and eaten the heart of a Spanish Prisoner who refused to divulge information the infamous English pirate Bartholomew Roberts also known as blackbart was said to have employed the plank as a means of punishment and entertainment in 1720 off the coast of Newland Roberts captured the Samuel a slave ship according to accounts he forced the ship’s Captain William snelgrave to watch as members of his crew were made to walk the plank snelgrave later wrote Of The Experience

describing it as a most horrid spectacle that haunted him for years to come Roberts who operated from 1719 to 1722 was one of the most successful Pirates of his era capturing over 400 ships his articles of agreement a pirate code of conduct included the provision Every Man Has a vote in Affairs of moment but also stated that desertion or theft from the common fund was punishable by marooning or death however it was the Fearsome Edward low who truly embraced the theatrical cruelty of the plank operating in the 1720s low developed a

reputation for exceptional brutality and walking the plank became one of his signature methods of Torment in 1722 low captured the Portuguese ship Nostra Senora de Victoria off the coast of Brazil enraged by the captain attempt to hide some of his gold low forced him and several crew members to walk the plank reports suggest that loow extended the plank far out over the side of the ship prolonging the victim’s final moments as they inched towards their watery grave Lo’s reputation for cruelty was such that one contemporary account stated

loow was the most noted pirate that ever was none of the Pirates of the present age can compare with him in cruelty and barbar ity the psychological impact of the plank was often as devastating as its physical consequences Pirates understood the power of spectacle and used the threat of the plank to break the will of their captives Captain William snelgrave in his 1734 account a new account of some parts of Guinea and the slave trade wrote Of The Pirates Who captured him they obliged me to stand on the edge of

the quarter deck threatening to make me walk the plank and murder me if I did not declare where the money was hid this psychological warfare was a common tactic among Pirates the famous pirate Charles vain who operated in the Caribbean from 1716 to 1721 was known to use the threat of the plank to extort information and valuables from his captives often without actually carrying out the ACT not all accounts of walking the plank ended in tragedy however in 1769 the crew of the British merchant ship Betsy mutinied against their cruel captain and

officers rather than killing them outright the mutineers decided to make them walk the plank remarkably the captain and two of his officers survived by clinging to floating debris and were eventually rescued by a passing ship this incident while rare highlights the slim chance of survival that some victims clung to as they took their final steps the practice of walking the plank wasn’t limited to the Caribbean and Atlantic in the South China Sea the notorious pirate Chung Tusa also known as Ching shur was said to have employed

this punishment against rival Pirates and uncooperative captives operating in the early 19th century Ching shur commanded a fleet of over 300 ships and 20,000 to 40,000 Pirates her use of the plank added to her fearsome reputation and helped maintain discipline within her vast Maritime Empire Ching shu’s strict code of conduct included punishments for assault on women and theft but also allowed for the use of Extreme Measures against enemies she once famously declared under the leadership of a man you have all chosen

to flee we shall see how you prove yourselves under the hand of a woman despite its place in Pirate law walking the plank was not as common as other forms of pun punishment or execution Keel hauling marooning and simple shooting or stabbing were often more expedient methods for pirates to dispose of unwanted individuals the plank was reserved for special occasions when a pirate Captain wanted to make a statement or indulge in a particularly cruel form of entertainment the infamous pirate Calico Jack rackam who operated in the

Caribbean from 1718 to 1720 was known to prefer quick executions over the drawn out spectacle of the plank his lover and fellow pirate Anne Bonnie reportedly chastised captured Sailors by saying if you had fought like a man you need not have been hanged like a dog the last documented instance of walking the plank occurred in 1822 when the Spanish pirate Bonito Doo forced the passengers and crew of The Morning Star to walk the plank off the coast of Ascension Island this event marked the end of an era as the Golden Age of

piracy was drawing to a close and Naval Powers were becoming more effective at suppressing pirate activity Doo’s career was short-lived he was captured in 1830 and hanged in Gibralter his final words were reported to be I die in the belief of the faith of my forefathers a stark contrast to the merciless end he had inflicted on others today the image of a trembling victim inching along a narrow plank prodded by jeering Pirates remains a powerful symbol of the cruelty and theatricality of pirate life it has been immortalized in literature from JM

Barry’s Peter Pan to Robert Lewis Stevenson’s Treasure Island and continues to capture the imagination of audiences in films and television shows in Peter Pan Captain Hook threatens his victims with the infamous line quiet you dogs or I’ll cast anchor in you a phrase that encapsulates the menacing yet almost cartoonish nature that the plank has taken on in popular culture caged in infamy the grizzly spectacle of pirate jiting as the salty Breeze carried the stench of Decay across the harbor crowds gathered to gwk at the mab spectacle

swaying gently in the wind encased in rusting iron the remains of once feared Pirates served as a stark reminder of the price of lawlessness on the high seas this was the practice of jiting or hanging in Chains a gruesome form of execution and posthumous punishment that struck Terror into the hearts of wbe Buccaneers and common folk alike the renowned pirate historian Marcus radika once wrote the jibit was the states theater of death a grim stage upon which the power of authority was enacted for all to see jiting a practice that reached its

Zenith in the 17th and 18th centuries was not merely an act of execution but a prolonged public display of The Condemned after being hanged the body of the criminal often a pirate would be encased in an iron cage or framework called a jibit these ghastly human exhibitions were typically placed near ports River mouths or busy Crossroads ensuring maximum visibility and serving as a potent deterrent to those who might consider a life of Maritime crime in 1722 the infamous pirate Edward low narrowed escaped this fate when he

eluded capture off the coast of Boston his leftenant Charles Harris was not so fortunate Harris was gibbered at the entrance to Charleston Harbor his rotting corpse greeting ships for months as they entered the busy South Carolina Port one of the most infamous cases of pirate jiting was that of William kid whose career as a privateer turned pirate came to a brutal end in 1701 after a highly publicized trial in London kid was hanged at execution dock in whopping his body was then placed in a jibit and suspended over the Temps at

Tilbury point for 3 years kids decomposing corpse served as a grim navigational marker for ships entering and leaving London a fate he shared with many of his piratical Brethren the poet John gay in his Beggar’s Opera 1728 alluded to this spectacle with the line there’s kid in Chains the pirate hang cementing kid’s jibed form in the public imagination for Generations the process of jiting was a cruel art in itself the jibit was often crafted to fit the specific criminal with iron bands encircling the neck torso and limbs some jbits were designed

with a small cage for the head ensuring that even as the flesh decayed the skull would remain in place grinning its Eternal warning to passes by the blacksmith John Fern who crafted jbits in the 18th century once remarked each cage is a portrait in Iron of the poor wretch it’s meant to hold in 1752 the body of James field a Smuggler executed in Kent England was placed in a jibit so well-crafted that it held his remains intact for over two decades earning it the nickname Fields iron Petticoat among locals the longevity of gibbeted remains

varied widely depending on weather conditions and the durability of the jibbit in some cases bodies might hang for years or even decades the pirate George wood executed in 1765 swung in his iron cage on Beacon Hill in Halifax Nova Scotia for over 20 years local law held that on stormy nights Wood’s ghost could be heard rattling his chains a chilling reminder of his Earthly punishment similarly the body of John Breds executed for murder in 1742 hung in a jibbit in Ry England for an astonishing 50 years the durability

of his jibit led to the local saying you’ll last as long as Brads when referring to something of enduring quality while jiting was intended to deter crime it often had the unintended effect of drawing crowds and even inspiring Sympathy For The Condemned when the notorious pirate Charles vain was gibbered in Port Royal Jamaica in 1721 Witnesses reported that the the crowd’s initial bloodthirst gave way to a somber mood as they contemplated the Pirates gruesome Fate One Observer noted even the most hardened Among Us must

pause at such a sight and consider the fragility of man’s mortal coil in 1786 the jiting of William jobling A minor executed for murder in Durham England Drew such large crowds that local authorities feared a riot jobling wife was reported to have visit visited the jibit nightly amplifying The public’s unease with the practice the practice was not limited to the Caribbean and the American colonies in England the murder Act of 1751 explicitly added jiting as a punishment for murderers cementing its place in the judicial system this act

led to a surge in jiting cases with some estimates suggesting that over 100 criminals were gibbered in England between 1752 and 1832 one of the most notorious cases was that of Eugene Aram a philologist turned murderer whose body was gibit in 1759 near canboro Yorkshire aram’s case inspired Thomas Hood’s famous poem the dream of Eugene Aram and later a novel by Edward bull Litton showcasing how jiting had seeped into popular culture one particularly notable case was that of James Cook not to be confused with

the famous explorer who was jibed in leester In 1832 for the murder of John pass Cook’s jiting would be the last in England as public sentiment was turning against the practice thousands gathered to watch his body being placed in the jibit with many expressing disgust at the barbarity of the spectacle a local newspaper reported the assembling of such a multitude to witness so degrading a sight is little calculated to produce beneficial effects on their Minds The Poet William WS WTH upon hearing of cooks jiting wrote in a letter hanging

Bodies In Chains on jibbit is a disgusting practice and calculated to brutalize the minds of the people the practice of jiting pirates and other criminals began to decline in the early 19th century as social attitudes shifted in 1834 England officially abolished the practice with the passing of the hanging in Chains act however the memory of gibbered pirates lingered in popular imagination immortalized in literature and folklore Robert Lewis Stevenson’s Treasure Island 1883 vividly describes a gibed pirate with the character Billy Bones recalling

I’ve seen him hung in Chains Birds about him flying and seawash at his feet today the few remaining jbits in museums serve as Stark reminders of a more brutal era of Justice the jibit of Captain kid long lost a time was reported recovered from the temps in the 1920s and now resides in a private collection in caser on SE England the gibit of Highwayman William benley executed in 1792 still stands as a chilling Monument to this bygone practice these relics stand as silent witnesses to a time when the line between Justice and Vengeance

was blurred and when the sight of a decaying pirate swinging in an iron cage was considered a necessary evil to maintain order on on the high seas as we close this chapter of history let us remember that the gruesome spectacle of jiting was but one of many brutal punishments inflicted upon pirates in the age of sail from Keel hauling where Unfortunate Souls were dragged beneath a ship’s Hull to marooning on desolate Islands the fate of captured Buccaneers was often as merciless as the lives they LED as we bid farewell to these dark

tales of Retribution let us Ponder the words of the great Daniel defo who wrote In His a general history of the Pirates in an honest service there is thin Commons low wages and hard labor in this plenty and satiety pleasure and ease Liberty and power and who would not balance creditor on this side when all the hazard that is run for it at worst is only a sour look or two at choking no a merry life and a short one shall be my motto and so dear viewers as the sun sets on our journey through the annals of pirate punishment we leave you to

ponder the price of freedom on the high seas where the promise of riches was all too often paid for in blood pain and infamy