I’m doing a bit of sleuthing these days. It’s one of my favorite things about the Wallace Room
Weeks ago, while sorting through some boxes of old Norfolk
Four separate paragraphs all pertain to a certain Captain Morgan -- no, not THAT Captain Morgan, not the swashbuckler on the rum bottle, but a Captain William Morgan -- and his sloop The Privateer Polly. Intriguing…Privateers! Pirates, maybe! And so begins our mystery…
As a major colonial port, we certainly have had our share of pirates and privateers. The most famous was William Teach, Blackbeard, who frequented our waters in the early 1700s before he was captured and executed not far from here. (By the way…Legend has it that Teach buried some of his treasure on a sandbar island in the Lynnhaven Inlet, not 20 miles from the Wallace Room
The writing on the page is difficult to read. Some words I can’t read at all. But the document appears to be from a court case concerning the alleged misdeeds of our mysterious Captain Morgan. According to these four paragraphs – these four depositions – it seems that our elusive Captain Morgan grounded his merchant-ship-turned-privateer named The Polly and absconded with the prize money before the owner could catch him! Aha! Our mystery deepens…
In our first deposition, Mr. William Crain describes his involvement in the case.
William Crain “sworn saith that he was sent for by the owner of the Privateer Polly to go and apprehend William Morgan who was late Master of the said Privateer and Commander of the said Privateer and that they the said owner had great reason to believe the said Morgan had willfully ran the said Privateer ashoar and carried away all the Prize Money that he had taken [about] 3500 or? 4500? 5000 belonging to the said Owner and that he proceeded with all speed to the Borough of Norfolk in Virginia
So William Crain must have been a deputy or agent hired by the owner of the Privateer Polly. Who was the owner? Where was the owner located? Where did William Crain come from?
Why did Captain Morgan run the Polly aground? Where did he run her aground? I looked at local shipwreck maps, particularly around the Outer Banks to find the Polly. No luck.
And 3500? or 4500? We can only assume that the witness meant British pounds sterling. In those days, that was a lot of swag!...or booty, in pirate-speak.
So now, I’m hooked (pun definitely intended). I need to learn more about this cagey Captain Morgan and about what happened to the Polly. Who was he? Was he a real-life Captain Jack Sparrow? Was he a crafty pirate, or was he just an inept sailor? Did he run the Polly aground on purpose or by accident? Where was the prize money? Mystery becomes quest…
Mr. W. Wilmer, in our next deposition, testifies what he heard.
W. Wilmer “sworn saith it was generally [reported?] that Morgan had all the money which as a considerable sum but how much knoweth not belonging to [unknown] the owner of the Polly Privateer which was last reported willfully ran ashoar by the said Morgan and that the said Deputy was imployed by the said owner to follow & apprehend if possible the said Morgan and that the owner told his Deputy that the said Morgan [unknown] brought no money [unknown].”
Who is Mr. Wilmer? Why was his testimony important? Maybe he was corroborating the information provided by Mr. Crain.
Our next deposition is by an unknown witness. The word “Cripping” is written and then crossed out.
Who made the statement? Was it a Mr. Cripping? Who was he? Why was his name stricken? The word Money is actually underscored twice in the statement. Why? Possibly for emphasis?
What prompted our shrewd Captain Morgan to throw the guns’ ammunition overboard?
Our final deposition by a Mr. Murray continues…
Murray “sworn saith that he mett with Captain Morgan who told him that he had cast away his Privateer & that [unknown] Mr. Barns informed him that the said Morgan [lost?] his Privateer and carried off all the Prized Money about 5000, the said Barns [unknown] this Deputy that if he would follow & apprehend the said Morgan [unknown] there was a reward of 150 Pistoles for the [unknown] him upon which this Deputy proceeded to Norfolk Borough and obtained a Warrant from the Mayor of the said Borough to apprehend him the said Morgan which was executed at the Great Bridge in the said county.”
This finally gives us some clues! Mr. Barns could be the owner of the Polly. And it appears from Mr. Murray’s deposition that Captain Morgan was apprehended at the Great Bridge in Norfolk County
As to the age of the document, we also have a clue…150 Pistoles. Even though the Pistole, like Pieces of Eight, was Spanish currency, it was accepted in the American colonies as currency before the Revolutionary War, because it had not been devalued the way the British currency had. By the early 1700s, British currency had been so debased due to counterfeiting in the Caribbean Islands , West Africa, and the American colonies, that it was only rarely used in the New World . Most Americans didn’t trade in currency anyway, but rather by bartering, swapping one thing of value for another of similar value. Virginians traded mostly tobacco, grain, or hides for what they needed.
Can we conclude that the document is pre-Revolutionary? I think we can, but I’m only an amateur. I’m sure a more cunning sleuth would be able to coax more answers from this single, undated page.
And so many questions remain. Whatever happened to Captain Morgan? Was he ever convicted? If so, was he jailed here in Norfolk County or was he taken elsewhere (maybe back to England
My biggest question still remains unanswered: WHERE ARE THE OTHER PAGE OF THIS COURT CASE?!? So it’s back to the many boxes of loose papers for me.
As I go through them, maybe, just MAYBE, I’ll find out more about our mysterious Captain Morgan. You’ll be the first to know if I do!
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