Pirates
Pirates captured by the British in Virginia and imprisoned in England provided funds important to William & Mary when it was founded. Lionel Wafer, surgeon; Edward Davis, captain of the Batchelors Delight; and John Hingson, a shipmate on the Batchelors Delight were together fined 300 pounds, which was donated towards the founding of the College.
Material in the Special Collections Research Center
- "Chronology 1691-1692" and "Pirates" folders, University Archives Subject File Collection, Special Collections Research Center, Earl Gregg Swem Library, William & Mary.
- Scrapbook of Leonard Born includes photographs of sites associated with Blackbeard the pirate; , Special Collections Research Center, Earl Gregg Swem Library, William & Mary.
- Lloyd H. Williams Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Earl Gregg Swem Library, William & Mary.
External Links
- Pirates at the College, Flat Hat 28 November 2011.
- The Unreliable Legend of the Batchelor's Delight: How Three Imprisoned Pirates Helped Fund the Wren Building, Ben Kennedy, William & Mary Alumni Magazine, Summer 2010.
- William & Mary College Quarterly
In the News
- William & Mary proved to be resilient, Richmond Times-Dispatch 22 March 2007.
- "The Pirates' Penance," Information on sources is online, the article is available in Early American Life December 2008 and a copy is available in the University Archives Subject File Collection.
- W&M endowed with pirate plunder, Virginia Gazette 30 May 2012. The letter referred to in the article was probably dated 2/27/1691/1692; see William Perry Stevens, ''Historical Collections Relating to the American Colonial Church'', Volume 1, pages 8-9.
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Questions? Have ideas or updates for articles you'd like to see? Contact the Special Collections Research Center at spcoll@wm.edu or 757-221-3090.
A note about the contents of this site
This website contains the best available information from known sources at the time it was written. Unfortunately, many of the early original records of William & Mary were destroyed by fires, military occupation, and the normal effects of time. The information in this website is not complete, and it changes as we continue to research and uncover new sources.