William Cotter (pirate) explained

William Cotter
Birth Place:England (possibly)
Death Place:Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Allegiance:None
Serviceyears:1690-1692
Rank:Unknown
Base Of Operations:Jamaica and the Red Sea
Commands:Bachelors Delight (crewman only)
Honorific Prefix:Pirate
Nationality:English
Known For:Being a pirate and owning the Gresham Estate in Maryland
Occupation:Pirate and plantation owner
Spouse:Jane Gassaway
Children:4
Relatives:Nicholas Gassaway b.1634 d.1691 (father-in-law)

William Cotter (-1702) was a former pirate who lived in Maryland in the late 1600s.[1] He became notable due to his association with the Gresham Estate.[2]

Biography

William Cotter is believed to have been born in England around 1670. He was an active pirate from 1690 to 1692 and sailed under George Raynor, the captain of the Bachelor's Delight, described as a "man of war." Cotter sailed from Jamaica to the Red Sea for two years attacking ships before returning to the colonies.[3] [4]

In 1691, Cotter was sailing under Raynor when they arrived at Adam Baldridge's pirate trading post in Madagascar after they had attacked a Moorish ship.[5] They resupplied there and renamed their ship the Loyal Jamaica.[6] Cotter and Raynor shared the looted treasure and then headed to the Providence of South Carolina.

After arriving in South Carolina, Raynor's crew attacked a ship that belonged to plantation owner Jonathan Amory.[7] Once in the colonies, Cotter migrated to Maryland where, in 1693, he married Jane Gassaway, the daughter of Nicholas Gassaway, a prominent colonial official.[8]

Following the death of Nicholas Gassaway around 1692, Cotter inherited the Gresham estate. He renamed it "Cotter's Desire." The estate reverted to the name Gresham when it fell back into the hands of the Gresham family many years later.[9] [10]

In 1698, Cotter's past as a pirate was disclosed. He confessed to having sailed on a private man-of-war vessel under Raynor and was convicted of piracy in court. Cotter was described by the English Crown to "be of good behavior as to any acts of piracy." Nothing further came of this piracy conviction.

In 1702, Cotter died of natural causes. He left his estate to his four children.[11]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Dalton . Claire Goode, Teresa Marcus, and Kyle . 2020-04-11 . A Sin and A Secret: William Cotter: South River Pirate and Grog . 2022-06-12 . historiclondontown . en.
  2. Web site: Town . London . 2021-08-15 . Update on Archaeology at Gresham Estate . 2022-06-12 . historiclondontown . en.
  3. Book: Council, Maryland . Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1636-1770 . 1903 . Maryland historical society . en.
  4. Book: Office, Great Britain Public Record . Calendar of State Papers, Colonial Series ... . 1905 . en.
  5. Web site: The Project Gutenberg eBook of Privateering and Piracy, edited by John Franklin Jameson. . 2022-06-14 . www.gutenberg.org.
  6. Book: Marley, David . Pirates of the Americas . 2010 . ABC-CLIO . 978-1-59884-201-2 . en.
  7. Book: Chapin, Howard M. . Privateer Ships and Sailors: The First Century of American Colonial Privateering, 1625-1725 . 1926 . Imprimerie G. Mouton . en.
  8. Web site: 2011-05-14 . History of our Area . 2022-06-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110514155741/http://www.selbyonthebay.org/history.html . 2011-05-14 .
  9. Web site: 2011-05-14 . History of our Area . 2022-06-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110514155741/http://www.selbyonthebay.org/history.html . 2011-05-14 .
  10. Web site: Residences . 2022-06-12 . Gresham Family Roots . en.
  11. Book: Warfield, Joshua Dorsey . The founders of Anne Arundel and Howard Counties, Maryland. A genealogical and biographical review from wills, deeds and church records . 1905 . Baltimore, Md., Kohn & Pollock . The Library of Congress.