Atlantic Piracy in the Early Nineteenth Century: The Shocking Story of the Pirates and the Survivors of the Morning Star

The pirate attack on the British brig Morning Star, en route from Ceylon to London, near Ascension Island in 1828 was one of the most shocking episodes of piracy in the nineteenth century. Although the captain and many members of the crew were murdered by the pirates led by the notorious Benito de Soto, some survived, escaped and sailed the ship back to Britain. This book, based on extensive original research in Britain, Spain and Brazil, retells the story of the Morning Star, provides much new detail and corrects errors present in the many contemporary accounts of the attack. It sets the attack in the wider context of piracy in the period, and discusses many issues which the episode highlights: how pirates' careers began and developed; how they were pursued and tried, often with difficulty; what became of their treasure; how stories of the attack and of the survivors were sensationalised; how the women passengers on the ship endured their ordeal at the hands of the pirates and then, back in Britain, had to endure potential loss of their reputations.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations

Preface

Acknowledgements

1.Captain Johnson sparks a media storm
2.The day pirates attacked the Morning Star
3.A pirate bargain - women and sexual violence at sea
4.Pirates of the 1820s
5.On the Defensor de Pedro
6.Cashing in
7.The pirates on trial
8.The pirates who came next

Epilogue

Select Bibliography

Index