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John Gow (John Smith)
1724 to 1725. English. Ships: Revenge. Smith often used the alias John Gow. While sailing from Morocco to France in November 1724, Smith and several others mutinied and seized a merchant ship. The rebels murdered the captain and three other officers and elected Smith captain.
After looting British ships off Portugal, Smith visited Madeira, seized the governor, and forced him to provide supplies. In February 1725, he made for the Orkney Islands near Scotland-solely to visit his girl friend according to some reports. Some of his prisoners escaped and raised an alarm.
The pirates raided several villages, but wrecked their ship on one of the islands. A local landowner turned down a bribe, and Smith and his crew were captured. Following a trial that aroused intense public interest, Smith and eight others were hanged in London.

Israel Hands
1718. English. Ship: Adventure. Hands being second-in-command to Edward Teach ( Blackbeard ) was given command of David Herriot's ship "Adventure" after Herriot was captured by Teach in March, 1718. Hands participated in the attack on Charleston, South Carolina with Teach. After the siege of Charleston, Hands settled in with Teach at Ocracoke, North Carolina. When Teach was killed by Robert Maynard, Hands was captured and taken to Virginia for trial. Hands testified against corrupt North Carolina officials which Teach had consorted with in exchange for pardon. What happened to Hands after this is not known, however in Daniel Defoes "General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates", Hands is said to have died a beggar in London. Defoe also wrote that Hands was shot in the knee by Edward Teach after Teach fired at another of his crew, missing him but striking Hands. Hands supposedly inquired of Teach his meaning in this act, whereupon Teach remarked, "That if he did not now and then kill one of them, they would forget who he was".

David Herriot
1718. English. Herriot joined Edward Teach ( Blackbeard ) after Teach had captured his sloop "Adventure" in 1718. With Teach, Herriot raided Charleston, South Carolina. Herriot's ship was purposely wrecked by Teach as a scheme to avoid dividing the plunder.
Herriot was next found with Stede Bonnet whom he joined as sailing master. Herriot was captured with Bonnet in October, 1718. Herriot agreed to testify against his shipmates in exchange for leniency, but the trial was not to be as Herriot along with Bonnet escaped. Herriot was killed by his pursuers in the escape.

Benjamin Hornigold
1716-17. English. Hornigold left New Providence Island in the Bahamas with Edward Teach (Blackbeard) among his crew. After capturing a sloop, Teach was given command of the prize. The two plundered six ships off the American coast and raided in the Caribbean during 1717. Toward the end of the year, they seized a French ship loaded with gold, jewels and other items of value. The two parted company, Teach going to America, Hornigold to New Providence. When Woodes Rogers was appointed governor of the Bahamas, Hornigold asked for a pardon and received it. Rogers thought highly of Hornigold and commissioned him to hunt pirates. Hornigold pursued John Auger,as well as others. About 1719, Hornigold was sent to Mexico on a trading voyage. Hornigold's ship struck a reef far from land and perished.

Edward Low
December 1721 to Early 1724. English. Low was active in the Caribbean from December 1721 until he was marooned by his own crew in early 1724. A sadistic captain, he frequently tortured and mutilated captives before killing them. He was even accused of cutting off captive's ears, lips and hearts and making other prisoners eat them.


George Lowther
1721 to 1723. English. Ships: Happy Delivery. Lowther was an English pirate active in the Caribbean and Atlantic seaboard between 1721-3. While his ship, the Happy Delivery was beached on the Venezuelan coast for careening (removing barnacles from the hull) and the crew were living in tents on the shore, he and his crew were attacked and captured. Lowther escaped, but was killed soon after.