The 'Seawolves' is an exciting and thorough examination of Scots connected to piracy, whether they are victims or villains.
It concentrates mainly on the legendary golden age of pirates between 1690 and 1710, when pirate vessels not only menaced the waters of the East and West Indies but even threatened the Northern Islands of Scotland. During this period, many Scots left their hard lives in places like Aberdeen, Stornoway and Orkney in order to find fortune, adventure and fame on the dangerous high seas of more exotic locations like Madagascar, Brazil or the Caribbean. Some, like Captain James Macrae from Ayr, became well-respected pirate hunters, champions of the law upon the ocean, and bravely faced many violent encounters and unsavoury characters. Others, such as John Gow from Orkney, were these unsavoury characters.
Graham explores all these elements of Scotland's participation in piracy and provides a fascinating and enlightening account of the lifestyle of those who followed the skull and cross bones, often to their death on the gallows. Gripping and entertaining, The 'Seawolves' shows a different, darker side to the famously enterprising Scot.
Contents:
Foreword
Acknowledgments
List of Illustrations
Introduction
Glossary of Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Maritime Terms
Selected Who's Who of Pirate Captains
1. Captain Macrae and the Pirates3. Robert Louis Stevenson and the Pirates
4. The Priates of Craignish Loch
5. The Scottish Slavers and the Pirates
6. John Gow: The Orcadian Pirate
7. The Scots and the Pirate Crews
8. Daniel Defoe, Sir Walter Scott and the Pirates
9. The Company of Scotland and the Madagascan Pirates
10. The Piracy Trial of Captain Green
11. Heaman and Gautier: The Last Pirates in Scottish Waters
12. Conclusion
Selected Bibliography
Index
Review:Eric Graham has a riveting tale to tell. It goes with pace and uncovers a world of historical fact unimagined by most of us - T.C. Smout, The Historiographer Royal in Scotland
