Captain William Kidd: Infamous Swashbuckler or Scapegoat?

I have been obsessed with all things pirate since my childhood. Needless to say, Captain Jack Sparrow was my celebrity icon for a long, long time. The Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy is one of the only collections of movies I am willing to rewatch, simply for the feelings of nostalgia they arouse. One of my core memories is visiting the Blackbeard Museum in North Carolina. With its proximity to the nearby beaches, it was easy to envision and immerse myself in the swashbuckling, treasure laden, rogue pirate fantasy. Pirates are staples of popular culture. But what are the origins of the pirate’s “cultural legacy?”  Why do we celebrate and idolize the pirate figure? Far from historically accurate, the conceptualizations of pirates in modern popular culture are a fascinating topic of study. As a part of uncovering this larger and looming question about the development of societal fascinations, I endeavored to uncover the foundation of pirate Captain William Kidd’s cultural legacy, one of the most well-known legendary pirate captains of “The Golden Age of Piracy.” Below, is a detailed but shortened rendition of the contents from my longer paper, exploring the emergence of Captain William Kidd as an infamous pirate in popular culture.  

Pirates of the Caribbean, Treasure Island, gift shops on North Carolina beaches selling trinkets and novelty items depicting the infamous “Blackbeard.” Today, a pirate is easily recognizable, often outfitted with a sword and pistols, bandannas and a captain’s hat, jewelry and treasure. These tropes, essential to a pirate’s identity, are pervasive in modern media. Contrary to modern conceptions of pirates, the life of historical “pirates” was certainly not as glamorous or adventure-laden as Captain Jack Sparrow’s: The Fountain of Youth, Davy Jones, and undead-creating treasure hoards are entertaining, yet invented. Riddled with rum-drinking, treasure searching, and an uncurtailed sense of adventure and freedom, the pirate life is glamorized to a historically unimaginable degree.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the development of the “modern pirate” spans over three hundred years beginning with Exquelemin’s Bucaniers of America published in 1678. The representations of the buccaneers, particularly in illustrations, exhibit staples of piracy including cutlasses, unconventional dress, ships, and newfound presentations of masculinity. Intentionally a menacing but tantalizing figure, the buccaneers captivated 17th-century audiences with their stylized clothing and weapons, and their roguish exploits.

Portrait of William Kidd

In early modern England, executions and capital punishment captured audiences’ attention, and persisted as topics of print media and audience spectacle. The condemned would be thrust to the forefront of public attention. Captain Kidd was no exception. Media concerning Captain Kidd initially surfaced after his turn to piracy in a publicized Proclamation by King William III of England. Kidd, as a topic of contemporary media, exploded following his execution in 1701. Early modern England encountered the pirate rogue in trial reports, moralizing accounts of Kidd’s final days and execution, short-form printings including an elegy and conversation between Kidd and a “Kid”napper, and an enduringly popular ballad. Kidd’s media presence culminated with Defoe’s incorporation of Kidd’s character in his The General History of Pyrates, published 1724, solidifying Kidd’s legacy as a notorious pirate captain. 

The first section of my paper focuses on Kidd’s portrayal in media produced by the state. Kidd first appears in the media as an evil, “arch-pirate” in a Royal Proclamation which pardoned pirates in the East Indies, however, the Proclamation excepted Kidd from the pardon by name. Kidd’s second, more notable appearance is in the state produced trial report. The published trial report condemns Kidd for his crimes of piracy and murder, with little nuance as to Kidd’s guilt. The state was determined to convict Kidd for his crimes of piracy. To secure the guilty verdict, Kidd’s character and crimes were presented in a manner that made him a far more dangerous and notorious criminal to the Commonwealth at large than in reality. The trial report included damning language such as “arch-pirate,” and “the greatest and worst of all” to describe Kidd. Compared to other contemporary pirates, Kidd was certainly not “the greatest and worst of all.”

Political circumstances, however, necessitated Kidd’s execution. The British State failed to capture the famed pirate, Henry Every, who had infamously commandeered the Mughal Emperor’s ship, the Ganj-i-Sawai. This event led to an initial deterioration of trade regulations between India and the East India Trading Company. Kidd who similarly stole a ship related to the Mughal Emperor, exacerbated the existing tensions. In order to return trade and stable relations between the EIC and the Mughal Emperor, an example needed to be made of Kidd. The British government demonized Kidd to secure a conviction, and harden the broader public’s opinion against pirates, framing their transgressions against society and faith. The trial report served as the basis for the evil “arch-pirate” representation which would follow in subsequent media portrayals of Kidd. This characterization was an absolute necessity, as previous trials against pirates had failed to convict. Kidd’s character was portrayed to the jury, in a manner which would make him morally irredeemable, so that the jury would be unable to sympathize with the accused.

My second discussion point focuses on media published by non-state actors and Kidd’s representation therein. The Newgate’s Accounts, were popularized publishings detailing condemned criminals’ last confessions, and continued the state’s representation of Kidd as an irredeemable pirate. The Newgate’s Accounts created an execution environment where a confession of the crime by the criminal would have saved their souls, bringing reprehensible criminals back into the Christian society. In fact, a confession was expected by the audiences of the Newgate’s Accounts. Kidd’s denial of his crimes led to a heightened emphasis on his “evil” nature, and his rejection of Christian salvation. This contributes to the exaggerations of Kidd’s character and crimes present in the trial report. While the Newgate is hopeful of Kidd’s repentance, the Accounts overwhelmingly demonstrate Kidd’s rejection of his guilt. Therefore, the narrative initiated in the trial report, creating the merciless, evil “arch-pirate” figure of Captain Kidd, is both preserved and furthered by the Newgate’s Accounts.

Captain Kidd Hanging in the Gibbet Photo Credit: Rebecca Simon, "The Many Deaths of Captain Kidd"

Two further pieces of media, an elegy and poem, demonstrate that common threads existed between popular print and the trial record in their descriptions of Kidd’s piracy. The poem and elegy emphasize the “evil” connotations of Kidd’s crimes and Kidd’s evil as well. The Elegy of Captain Kidd, produced and circulated in print, reinforces the fictionalization of Kidd’s image as the devil and threat to society initiated in the trial report, replicating the government’s overall message and descriptions for piracy, using animal metaphors and government language to demonize pirates and Kidd. The poem seconds the elegy’s portrayal of piracy, creating a fictionalized conversation between a Kidnapper and William Kidd, which associates devilish imagery with pirates. Piracy in the poem is initially considered worse than kidnapping, until the Kidnapper realizes he is just as bad as Kidd. Through the Kidnapper’s initial abhorrence to Kidd’s association with him, the poem expresses the societal conception that piracy is a worse crime, and more morally offensive, than comparable criminal behavior. Importantly, these threads between the popular and government produced media exist in a time of increased judicial and state pressure against piracy, which explains perceptions of piracy as a dangerous, societal threat.

The third section of my paper focuses on analyzing media that complicates Kidd’s simplistic portrayal as an evil, “arch-pirate,” including discussion on a popular ballad published about Kidd’s exploits, and Daniel Defoe’s A General History of Pyrates. The structure of the ballad offers a tantalizing narrative and rendition of Kidd’s crimes, in some places exaggerated, fictionalized, and intentionally ambiguous, leading to a romanticization of Kidd’s piracy. The ballad’s knowledge of events suggests the author’s intimacy with the trial record detailing Kidd’s crimes. Romanticization of pirates was not a foreign concept to early modern English writers. As mentioned previously, Exquemelin’s Buccaneers of America had already succeeded in making pirates both heroic and vicious figures. The ballad, with an enticing narrative, benefited from soliciting idealized visions of the dangerous but also socially liberating and wealthy pirate life. Nevertheless, Kidd’s cruel characterization persists in the ballad alongside its romanticization of piracy.

Following the ballad in providing a more complex portrayal of Captain Kidd’s life is Daniel Defoe in another form of narrative media, his book. A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates has remained one of the most influential books on pirates from its initial publication in 1724 until modern age scholarship. Considered as a whole, Defoe’s work contributed to modern conceptualizations of pirates, engaging the audience with tales of rogues who were decidedly neither good nor evil. Kidd’s inclusion in A General History could not be avoided, as Defoe admits his fame as a notorious pirate had reached all of England. Due to his well documented fate in the trial report, Kidd’s narrative needed to adhere partially to the preexisting facts. Defoe includes Kidd’s cruelty and the state’s presentations of Kidd’s character, but Defoe offers an explanation as to its roots, citing economic insecurity and pressure from the government authority as the cause of Kidd’s piratical and cruel actions.

Captain Kidd is often counted among the likes of Blackbeard and Henry Every as a legendary pirate of the Golden Age. Even today, speculation remains as to Kidd’s supposed lost treasure buried somewhere along the coast in New England. Tracing the formation of contemporary myths and legends is nearly impossible without first considering their initial emergence in the public sphere. Kidd has been a continued presence in the cultural memory of famed pirate captains since his execution in 1701. In fact, Kidd’s execution proved to be the critical moment for his memorialization as a legendary pirate. Examining the forces behind Kidd’s notoriety illustrates that the government was the driving force. Facing political pressures and the context of recent harsher punishments for piracy, the English government was determined to secure a conviction against Kidd. This determination for conviction led to an exaggeration of Kidd’s immoral character, crimes, and his contemporary fame, most notably his depiction as an evil, irredeemable arch-pirate. Media such as the elegy and Ordinary’s Accounts preferred to simplify Kidd’s portrayal, and moralized piracy in line with the state’s perspective. However, media with a longer, narrative structure, namely Kidd’s ballad and Defoe’s work, provided a more nuanced representation of Kidd’s piracy, romanticizing the pirate life and offering an explanation for Kidd’s cruelty. 

Kidd’s legend as a notorious pirate captain persisted, initially created by the state and then furthered in the decades and centuries after his execution. The British State, facing political pressures, created the foundation for Kidd’s legacy as the “greatest and worst of all pirates,” which long outlasted its original purpose to secure his conviction and resulted in a spectacle that would cement Kidd as a legendary pirate for centuries to come. Kidd’s case should make us reconsider our popular memory of historical actors. Often, historical figures are praised or condemned without thorough investigation. The stories of terribly cruel, plunder-hungry pirates, can be simply the result of exaggerated tales, which mask the comparably dull adventures of real pirates and certainly don’t make for a good Disney movie.