Canada's Pirate Legends: The Rise of Piracy in Canada

When we think of swashbuckling tales of pirates and plunder, we think of Blackbeard, palm trees, and the sun-scorched shores of the Caribbean. Yet, some of the most ruthless men and women of the seven seas razed hell up North, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and along the jagged coasts of the Maritimes. Take to the lawless seas in search of treasure and tall tales in a veritable “who’s who” of pirates and privateers on Canada’s East Coast.

#pirates #canadianhistory #history #documentary #newfoundland

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Isle Haute is a protected conservation area with unique species of plants and animals. You cannot go there without permission, which we received from the Canadian Wildlife Service, Atlantic Region. There is absolutely zero chance there is treasure there. Pirates did not bury treasure; there was no justification for doing such a thing. Crews would never have allowed it. Pirates collected their booty and they used it. Robert Louis Stevenson’s massive hit, Treasure Island (1883), singlehandedly generated the concept. We're also sorry to say that Oak Island has no treasure either--though a fun myth.

Like every episode, we pour over dozens of resources during our research phase. For this episode, there were contradicting accounts and myths from Philip Gosse's famous 1925 anthology that we needed to sort through. We relied on reported accounts from the time periods, as well as contemporary historians like the great Dan Conlin. We suggest that you look to discovering these sources yourselves--treat our videos as stepping stones. Our number one recommendation would be to start with Dan Conlin's Pirates of the Atlantic, a thrilling read that delves far deeper into the history of piracy on the East Coast than we could ever hope to.

Extra tidbits:

The most significant myth surrounding Peter Easton is that of the Irish Princess Sheillagh NeGeira (or Shelia O’Connor). According to legend, Peter Easton took a Dutch pirate ship in 1603 (which had taken Shelia on her way to a French convent). Shelia fell in love with one of Easton’s lieutenants, Gilbert Pike. They were married by Easton and he allowed them to stay in Bristol’s Hope NFLD when Pike didn’t want to take the pirate oath. Sheila supposedly gave birth to the first English child born in NFLD (maybe NA) which started the prominent Pike family tree in the Maritimes. Historians think the story might have been invented in the early 1900s--but Sheila remains on the city crest of Carbonear, a town not far from Harbour Grace.

In reality though, Easton’s operation truly dwarfed the nearby colony of Cupids with its 40 settlers. He didn’t attack the people of Cupids, because he wanted to stay in good-standing with British Crown, the governor there confirmed as much. But, Easton was smart. At one point he captured the world's most unlucky man, Richard Whitbourne (who would be captured by pirates on 3 separate occasions). Easton convinced him to sail to England to get him a pardon from the Crown. While he waited, Easton set up to attack the annual convoy of Spanish ships bringing treasure back to Spain--he picked off four of them. Whitbourne collected his pardon, but when he returned, he'd come to realize that, in the end, Easton thought it silly to ask for a British pardon, since he was basically a king of the seas himself.

The Tordesillas Line:
Portugal and Spain, rulers of the world in late 1400s, early 1500s, set the stage for piracy to run rampant in the North Atlantic.

Spain got the Pope to divide the entire globe, including the areas not yet found, between Spain and Portugal. The Tordesillas Line was the result. “No peace over the line,” was the phrase. It was a north-south line that gave Spain almost all of North and South America, in 1494. Spain immediately became the richest empire in the world and dubloons became the global currency for a while. Pirates loved the chaos the Line brought.

When we refer to "Canada," long before it was officially recognized as such, it is a narrative device to help tell the story in an engaging way. While Canada wasn't a country, or even a colony, for a long time, (and Newfoundland didn't join until 1949) the place we now call Canada remains significantly affected by the events that predate Confederation.

Described Video version: https://vimeo.com/725047623/f61b54e516

00:00 Introduction - Pirate Legends
02:39 Dawn of the Pirate Age - Cod
04:15 Peter Easton
07:28 Thomas How
07:58 Black Bart Arrives
08:38 The Golden Age of Piracy
09:24 The Pirate Code
10:10 Adventure!
11:04 Death at Sea
12:15 Sneak Peek at Season 3
14:08 Bonus Story