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               CAPTAIN RICHARD INGLE,

          The Maryland "Pirate and Rebel,"

                     1642-1653.


                   [Illustration]


 A Paper read before the Maryland Historical Society,

                   May 12th, 1884,

                         BY

                 EDWARD INGLE, A. B.

                  BALTIMORE, 1884.




CAPTAIN RICHARD INGLE,

The Maryland "Pirate and Rebel,"

1642-1653.




RICHARD INGLE.


    "Captain Richard Ingle,... a pirate and a rebel, was
    discovered hovering about the settlement."--_McSherry,
    History of Maryland, p. 59._

    "The destruction of the records by him [Ingle] has
    involved this episode in impenetrable obscurity,
    &c."--_Johnson, Foundation of Maryland, p. 99._

    "Captain Ingle, the pirate, the man who gloried in the
    name of 'The Reformation.'"--_Davis, "The Day Star," p.
    210._

    "That Heinous Rebellion first put in Practice by that
    Pirate Ingle."--_Acts of Assembly, 1638-64, p. 238._

    "Those late troubles raised there by that ungrateful
    Villaine Richard Ingle."--_Ibid., p. 270._

    "I hold it that a little rebellion, now and then, is a
    good thing and as necessary in the political world as
    storms in the physical."--_Jefferson, Works, Vol. III,
    p. 105._




Fund-Publication, No. 19


CAPTAIN RICHARD INGLE,

The Maryland "Pirate and Rebel,"

1642-1653.


[Illustration]


A Paper read before the Maryland Historical Society,

May 12th, 1884,

BY

EDWARD INGLE, A. B.

BALTIMORE. 1884.




  PEABODY PUBLICATION FUND.

  COMMITTEE ON PUBLICATION.

  1884-5.

  HENRY STOCKBRIDGE,
  JOHN W. M. LEE,
  BRADLEY T. JOHNSON.


  PRINTED BY JOHN MURPHY & CO.
  PRINTERS TO THE MARYLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY,
  BALTIMORE, 1884.




CAPTAIN RICHARD INGLE,

THE MARYLAND "PIRATE AND REBEL."


In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the American colonies,
from Massachusetts to South Carolina, were at intervals subject to
visitations of pirates, who were wont to appear suddenly upon the
coasts, to pillage a settlement or attack trading vessels and as
suddenly to take flight to their strongholds. Captain Kidd was long
celebrated in prose and verse, and only within a few years have
credulous people ceased to seek his buried treasures. The
arch-villain, Blackbeard, was a terror to Virginians and Carolinians
until Spotswood, of "Horseshoe" fame, took the matter in hand, and
sent after him lieutenant Maynard, who, slaying the pirate in hand to
hand conflict, returned with his head at the bowsprit.[1] Lapse of
time has cast a romantic and semi-mythologic glamor around these
depredators, and it is in many instances at this day extremely
difficult to distinguish fact from fiction. The unprotected situation
of many settlements along the seaboard colonies rendered them an easy
prey to rapacious sea rovers, but it might have been expected that the
Maryland shores of the Chesapeake bay would be free from their
harassings. The province, however, it seems was not to enjoy such good
fortune, for in the _printed_ annals of her life appears the name of
one man, who has been handed down from generation to generation as a
"pirate," a "rebel" and an "ungrateful villain," and other equally
complimentary epithets have been applied to him. The original
historians of Maryland based their ideas about him upon some of the
statements made by those whom he had injured or attacked, and who
differed from him in political creed. The later history writers have
been satisfied to follow such authors as Bozman, McMahon and McSherry,
or to copy them directly, without consulting original records. To the
general reader, therefore, who relies upon these authorities, Richard
Ingle is "a pirate and rebel" still.[2]

A thorough defence of him would be almost impossible in view of the
comparative scarcity of records and the complicated politics of his
time. In a review of his relations with Maryland, however, and by a
presentation of all the facts, some light may be thrown upon his
general character, and explanations, if not a defence, of his acts may
be made.

Richard Ingle's name first appears in the records of Maryland under
date of March 23rd, 1641/2, when he petitioned the Assembly against
Giles Brent touching the serving of an execution by the sheriff. He
had come to the province a few weeks before, bringing in his vessel
Captain Thomas Cornwallis, one of the original council, the greatest
man in Maryland at that time, who had been spending some months in
England.[3] Between the time of his arrival and the date of his
petition Ingle had no doubt been plying his business, tobacco trading,
in the inlets and rivers of the province. No further record of him in
Maryland this year has been preserved, but Winthrop wrote that on May
3rd, 1642, "The ship Eleanor of London one Mr. || Inglee || master
arrived at Boston she was laden with tobacco from Virginia, and having
been about 14 days at sea she was taken with such a tempest, that
though all her sails were down and made up, yet they were blown from
the yards and she was laid over on one side two and a half hours, so
low as the water stood upon her deck and the sea over-raking her
continually and the day was as dark as if it had been night, and
though they had cut her masts, yet she righted not till the tempest
assuaged. She staid here till the 4th of the (4) and was well fitted
with masts, sails, rigging and victuals at such reasonable rates as
that the master was much affected with his entertainment and professed
that he never found the like usage in Virginia where he had traded
these ten years."[4] Although his name is given an additional _e_ and
there are some few seeming discrepancies, the facts taken together
point to the probability of his being Richard Ingle on his return
voyage to England. Next year he was again in Maryland, and, as
attorney for Mr. Penniston and partners, sued widow Cockshott for
debts incurred by her husband. The next entry in the "Provincial
Records" under this date, March 6th, 1642/3, is an attachment against
William Hardige in case of Captain Cornwallis.[5] This William
Hardige, who was afterward one of Ingle's chief accusers, was very
frequently involved in suits for debts to Cornwallis, and others.
About the middle of the month of January, 1643/4, the boatswain of
the "Reformation" brought against Hardige a suit for tobacco,
returnable February 1st. Three days afterward a warrant was issued to
William Hardige, a tailor, for the arrest of Ingle for high treason,
and Captain Cornwallis was bidden to aid Hardige, and the matter was
to be kept secret.[6] Ingle was arrested and given into the custody of
Edward Parker, the sheriff, by the lieutenant general of the province,
Giles Brent, who also seized Ingle's goods and ship, until he should
clear himself, and placed on board, under John Hampton, a guard
ordered to allow no one to come on the ship without a warrant from the
lieutenant general.[7] Then was published, and as the records seem to
show, fixed on the vessel's mainmast the following proclamation.[8]

"These are to publish & pclaym to all psons as well seamen as others,
that Richard Ingle, m^r of his ship, is arrested upon highe treason to
his Ma^ty; & therefore to require all psons to be aiding & assisting
to his Lo^ps officers in the seizing of his ship, & not to offer any
resistance or contempt hereunto, nor be any otherwaise aiding or
assisting to the said Richard Ingle upon perl of highe treason to his
Ma^ty."

Notwithstanding this proclamation Ingle escaped in the following
manner. Parker had no prison, and, consequently, had to keep personal
guard over his prisoner. He supposed, "from certain words spoken by
the Secretary," that Brent and the council had agreed to let Ingle go
on board his vessel, and when Captain Cornwallis and Mr. Neale came
from the council meeting and carried Ingle to the ship, he accompanied
them.[9] Arrived on board Cornwallis said "All is peace," and
persuaded the commanding officer to bid his men lay down their arms
and disperse, and then Ingle and his crew regained possession of the
ship. Under such circumstances the sheriff could not prevent his
escape, especially when a member of the council and the most
influential men in the province had assisted the deed by their acts or
presence. Besides it was afterwards said that William Durford, John
Durford, and Fred. Johnson, at the instigation of Ingle, beat and
wounded some of the guard, though this charge does not appear to have
been substantiated.[10]

On January 20th, 1643/4, the following warrant was issued to the
sheriff.[11]

    "I doe hereby require (in his Ma^ties name) Richard
    Ingle, mariner to yield his body to Rob Ellyson, Sheriff
    of this County, before the first of ffebr next, to
    answer to such crimes of treason, as on his Ma^ties
    behalfe shalbe obiected ag^st him, upon his utmost perl,
    of the Law in that behalfe. And I doe further require
    all psons that can say or disclose any matter of treason
    ag^st the said Richard Ingle to informe his Lo^ps
    Attorny of it some time before the said Court to the end
    it may be then & there prosequuted

        G. BRENT."

Ingle, however, was not again arrested, though he still remained in
the neighborhood of St. Mary's, for on January 30th his vessel was
riding at anchor in St. George's river, and mention is made of him in
the records as being in the province. For nearly two months the Ingle
question was agitated and for the sake of clearness an account will be
given of the acts concerning him in the order of their occurrence.

The information given by Hardige to Lewger which had caused Ingle's
arrest was: that in March or April, 1642, he heard Ingle, who was then
at Kent Island, and at other times in St. Mary's, say, that he was
"Captain of Gravesend for the Parliament against the King;" that he
heard Ingle say that in February of that year he had been bidden in
the King's name to come ashore at Accomac, in Virginia, but he, in
the parliament's name had refused to do so, and had threatened to cut
off the head of any one who should come on his ship.[12] On January
29th, Hardige and others were summoned to appear and to give evidence
of--here the pirate enters--"pyratical & treasonable offences" of
Ingle. On February 1st, the sheriff impannelled a jury of which Robert
Vaughan was chosen foreman, and witnesses were sworn, among them
Hardige who "being excepted at as infamous," by Capt. Cornwallis, "was
not found so."[13] John Lewger, the attorney-general, having stated
that the Court had power to take cognizance of treason out of the
province in order to determine where the offender should be tried,
presented three bills for the jury to consider. The first bill
included the second charge brought by Hardige, the second ordered the
jury to inquire "if on the 20th of November and some daies afore &
since in the 17 yea of his Ma^ties reigne at Gravesend in Comit Kent
in England" the accused "not having the feare of God before his eies,
but instigated thereunto by the instigation of the divill & example of
other traitors of his Ma^tie traiterously & as an enemy did levie war
& beare armes ag^st his ma^tie and accept & exercise the comand &
captainship of the town of Gravesend," and by the third bill they
were to inquire if Ingle did not, on April 5th in the eighteenth year
of Charles' reign, on his vessel in the Potomac river, near St.
Clement's island, say, "that Prince Rupert was a rogue or rascall." If
the rest of the testimony was no stronger or more conclusive than that
of Hardige, it is not surprising that the jury replied to all the
bills "_Ignoramus_."[14] Another jury was impannelled to investigate
the charge of Ingle's having broken from the sheriff, and they
returned a like finding. In the afternoon the first jury were given
two more bills, first, to find "whether in April 1643 Ingle, being
then at Mattapanian,[15] St. Clement's hundred, said 'that Prince
Rupert was Prince Traitor & Prince rogue and if he had him aboard his
ship he would whip him at the capstan.'" This bill met the fate of the
others, but the second charging him with saying "that the king
(meaning o^r Gover L. K. Charles) was no king neither would be no
king, nor could be no king unless he did ioine with the Parlam^t,"
caused the jury to disagree and no verdict having been reached at 7
P. M., they adjourned until the following Saturday.[16] On that day,
February 3rd, at the request of the attorney-general the jury were
discharged and the bill given to another jury who returned it
"_Ignoramus_."[17] In spite of the unanimity of all the juries in
finding no true indictment, another warrant was issued for the arrest,
by Parker or Ellyson, of Ingle for high treason, and after a fruitless
attempt to secure by another jury a different finding, Ingle was
impeached on February 8th, for having on January 20th, 1643/4,
committed assaults upon the vessels, guns, goods, and person of one
Bishop, and upon being reproached for these acts, having threatened to
beat down the dwellings of people and even of Giles Brent, and for
"the said crimes of pyracie, mutinie, trespasse, contempt &
misdemeanors & every of them severally."[18] If Ingle did commit these
depredations he was, no doubt instigated by the proceedings instituted
on that day against him, and moreover by the fact that Henry Bishop
had been among the witnesses to be summoned against him.

Nothing more was done in the matter, for from a copy of a certificate
to Ingle under date of February 8th, it is learned that "Upon certaine
complaints exhibited by his Lo^ps attorny ag^st M^r R. Ingle the
attending & psequution whereof was like to cause great demurrage to
the ship & other damages & encumbrances in the gathering of his debts
it was demanded by his Lo^ps said attorny on his Lo^ps behalfe that
the said R. I. deposite in the country to his Lo^ps use one barrell of
powder & 400 l of shott to remaine as a pledge that the said R. I.
shall by himself or his attorny appeare at his Lo^ps Co^rt at S.
Maries on or afore the first of ffebr next to answere to all such
matters as shalbe then and there obiected ag^st him * * * * and upon
his appearance the said powder & shott or the full value of it at the
then rate of the country to be delivered to him his attorny or assigne
upon demand."[19]

What a change of policy, from charging a man with treason, the penalty
for which was death, to offering him the right of bail for the
appearance of his attorney, if necessary, to meet indefinite charges!
In view of all the facts, it seems probable that the Maryland
authorities were committed to the King's cause by the commission
granted by him to Leonard Calvert in 1643, and by their action in
seizing Ingle; that after his arrest it was thought to be injudicious
to go to extremes, and that they made little resistance to, if they
did not connive at, his escape. Certainly, efforts to recapture him
must have been very feeble, for when the sheriff demanded the tobacco
and cask due him from the defendant for summoning juries, witnesses,
&c., it was found that Ingle had left in the hands of the Secretary
the required amount.[20] In arresting Ingle for uttering treasonable
words, the palatine government was not only placing itself upon the
side of King Charles, but was preparing to do what he had been
prevented from doing a few months before. For when at his command some
persons who had acted treasonably were condemned to death, parliament
declared that "all such indictments and proceedings thereon were
unjust and illegal; and that if any man was executed or suffered hurt,
for any thing he had done by their order, the like punishment should
be inflicted by death or otherwise, upon such prisoners as were, or
should be, taken by their forces," and their lives were saved.[21] The
author