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.