Sir Christopher Myngs
Sir Christopher Myngs fell out of favour with the authorities because he had a habit of pocketing large amounts of booty instead of handing it over to the king. However, his reputation for cruelty, greed and a disagreeable personality did not stop him assembling one of the largest pirate forces in history, so he must have been doing something right.
During his lifetime Sir Christopher Myngs won the dubious accolade of assembling one of the largest pirate forces in history. In 1663, he and his wild band of buccaneers committed a series of bloodthirsty atrocities on Spanish settlements in South America, prompting the British government to forbid him from making any further attacks. Myngs also, at different times in his career, found himself out of favour with the authorities because of his habit of keeping enormous amounts of booty instead of handing it over to the king. However, despite Myngs’ reputation for unnecessary cruelty, extreme greed, and a personality that the governor of Jamaica described as ‘unhinged and out of tune’, Myngs continued to hold high posts within the Royal Navy, such as vice-admiral, until his death from wounds sustained in battle in 1666.
Rape and Pillage
Myngs is mentioned by Samuel Pepys as having humble family origins, but historians now dispute this. Whatever the case, he was born somewhere between 1620 and 1625 and is thought to have entered the Royal Navy as a cabin boy. We first hear of his prowess as a seaman when he captained a ship called the Elisabeth, fighting in the First Anglo-Dutch War. This war began by a dispute over trade, and was fought entirely at sea. Myngs distinguished himself on this occasion by capturing two Dutch man-of-war ships. After that, he was seen as a rising star in the British navy, and in 1655 was picked for the difficult job of quelling a mutiny on a warship called the Marston Moor. He succeeded in restoring order on the ship, and spent the following years in Jamaica, attacking Spanish treasure ships. He also made a number of raids on Spanish settlements along the coastline of South America, earning a reputation as a savage leader who encouraged his men to rape and torture the local population.
Not surprisingly, given his bloodthirsty exploits, he became enemy number one among the Spanish authorities, who saw him as a common criminal and mass murderer. They were doubly outraged by the fact that his actions appeared to be sanctioned by the British government, and demanded that the British arrest him. The British were none too pleased with Myngs either. He had not only stolen enormous amounts of booty from the Spanish settlements, but in true pirate style had shared his ill-gotten gains with his cronies instead of handing it over to the governor of Jamaica, as he should have done. Thus, the governor issued a warrant for Myngs’ arrest, charging him with embezzlement, and Myngs was sent back to England in disgrace.
Mighty pirate band
However, once in England, the authorities decided that Myngs was too useful an asset to the British government to be allowed to languish in jail, and sent him back to Jamaica. His brief was to continue to attack the Spanish in the Caribbean, but this time to do it in a more covert way, without drawing so much attention to himself. Myngs responded by assembling the largest fleet of buccaneers that the area had ever seen, numbering 14 ships and over 1,000 men, including the notorious pirate Henry Morgan. This mighty band of pirates attacked San Francisco de Campeche, in modern Mexico, ransacking the town and committing dreadful atrocities. Once again, the king of England, Charles II, instructed the governor of Jamaica to forbid Myngs to make any further attacks on the Spanish. But in reality, the attacks continued, and the British turned a blind eye, since it was in their interest to undermine Spanish settlements in the area.
Violent end
After the raid on Campeche, Myngs returned to England. He had been badly wounded in the fighting and needed time to recuperate. As a reward for his bravery, he was given several posts as vice-admiral in different British fleets. Before long, he returned to battle, fighting at the Battle of Lowestoft in the Second Anglo-Dutch War. This war was another bout of hostilities between the British and the Dutch over trade. The battle, which took place at sea, was a triumph for Britain, and proved to be the worst defeat the Dutch navy had suffered in its entire history. As one of the leading commanders in the battle, Myngs covered himself in glory, and afterwards was knighted by the king. He continued to serve in the war, and in 1666 took part in another sea battle against the Dutch, known as the Four Days’ Battle. This time, however, his luck ran out. He was shot in the cheek and in the shoulder, and a few days later, died of his wounds. It was a violent end to a violent life.