Piracy

The following source list was originally available only on paper in one of the West Yorkshire Archive Service offices. It may have been compiled many years ago and could be out of date. It was designed to act as a signpost to records of interest on a particular historical subject, but may relate only to one West Yorkshire district, or be an incomplete list of sources available.

As the West Riding of Yorkshire/West Yorkshire is land-locked, there are few records relating to pirates and piracy in the West Yorkshire Archive Service. However, in the West Riding Quarter Sessions records there appears the occasional case involving pirates/privateers:

"Examination of a pedlar, empressed and then taken to sea by a Spanish privateer" 1744

(WYAS: Wakefield, collection reference no. QS1/83/8)

"Pass for ship's passengers robbed by Spanish privateers and saved by an English ship, to go to Norway" 1746

(WYAS: Wakefield, collection reference no. QS1/85/8)

"Account of mariner taken by 'Algenan rovers' and re-taken by Maltese man-of-war" 1749/1750

(WYAS: Wakefield, collection reference no. QS1/89/1)

"Record of sloop 'Gainsborough' taken by French privateer off Flamborough Head, November 1758, with loss of duty-paid cargo of salt" 1760

(WYAS: Wakefield, collection reference no. QS1/99/1)