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Pirate Legend
Most of you are familiar with Port Royal, Jamaica. It is steeped in pirate legend as one of the most notorious pirate strongholds in the Caribbean. Buccaneers such as Henry Morgan, John Davis and Edward Mansveld all called it their home port. Blackbeard, Rock Brasiliano, François l'Olonnais, Bartholomew Roberts and Captain Kidd all walked the streets at one time or another. It was where Charles Vane, and Calico Jack Rackham were hanged in 1720, many others pirates soon followed, signaling the beginning of the end of the Golden Age.
There is another Port Royal that often goes forgotten, in fact, I was not aware it even existed until I started researching Roatán Island. This Port Royal was just as full of buccaneers and pirates, although most were not near as famous. Roatán Island is an island just off the northern coast of Honduras. It is the largest island in Honduras Bay Island's chain, which was discovered by Columbus during his 4'th and final voyage to the New World.
West Bay, Roatan, Islas de la Bahia - Honduras, 1995
a typical day in West Bay Roatan
Columbus originally landed on Guanaja, the second largest island in the chain, and for many decades after the island chain was known as Las Guanajas. When he landed on Roatán, he called it the Isle of Pines and claimed it for Spain. The Bay Islands comprise the southern end of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the largest in the Caribbean Sea, which is the second largest worldwide after Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
A Caribbean reef shark photographed at Roatan, Honduras.
Fish in the Hol Chan Cut — Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Belize Barrier Reef, Belize.
Coral in the Hol Chan Cut — Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Belize Barrier Reef, Belize.
The islands were inhabited by indigenous peoples, mainly the Paya or Pech Indians, whose population was devastated by European diseases such as smallpox, which they had no natural defenses. They were also taken as slaves by the Spanish. the rugged land of the Honduran coast appeared to lack the precious metal resources that Spanish later found inland, and in central Mexico and South America. Because of this, they left the coast mainly unsettled. With the exception of the town of Trujillo, a colonial shipping port for gold and silver export back to Europe. This absence of a Spanish presence along the coastline attracted the attention of English, French, and Dutch buccaneers and pirates seeking secluded ports around the Bay of Honduras in which to repair ships, to re-stock on resources, and to re-organize for their attacks against Spanish shipping routes.
Author: Jefferys, Thomas Publisher: Sayer, Robert Date: 1775 Location: Roatán Island (Honduras)
There were small Spanish settlements on Roatán, but there were no big outposts. Port Royal, as the most easily defended harbor, and became the scene of repeated violent struggles. In 1638, William Claiborne of Virginia was given a patent by the Providence Company, authorizing him to establish a colony on the island. That settlement was forcibly removed by the Spanish in 1642. The Dutch also raided some Spanish settlements in 1639. English and French pirates also terrorized the area. Later in 1642, English raiders from modern day Belize had occupied old Port Royal in Roatan, which is a little to the east of modern Port Royal. The Spanish desired to rid the area of English pirates so they could transport the riches of the New World to Spain in peace. They attacked Port Royal with four war ships under the command of Francisco Villalva Toledo in 1650. The pirates successfully defended Port Royal, Roatan, forcing the Spaniards to return to the mainland for reinforcement. The Spaniards returned with reinforcements, and outnumbering the English pirates and with fierce fighting, the pirates were conquered. The Spaniards gathered removed the few remaining Indians to the mainland.
It is also rumored that later, on his return trip from Panama loaded with loot, Henry Morgan stopped on Roatán Island on his way back to Jamaica to re-provision. Whether this is actually true or not, I was never able to definitively track down. However, I did discover that there have been at least two reports of people recovering buried pirate treasure from Roatán Island! This post is becoming way to long as it is, but the stories are fascinating, and you can read about them HERE, HERE and HERE!
*Images from Wikimedia Commons
There is another Port Royal that often goes forgotten, in fact, I was not aware it even existed until I started researching Roatán Island. This Port Royal was just as full of buccaneers and pirates, although most were not near as famous. Roatán Island is an island just off the northern coast of Honduras. It is the largest island in Honduras Bay Island's chain, which was discovered by Columbus during his 4'th and final voyage to the New World.
West Bay, Roatan, Islas de la Bahia - Honduras, 1995
a typical day in West Bay Roatan
Columbus originally landed on Guanaja, the second largest island in the chain, and for many decades after the island chain was known as Las Guanajas. When he landed on Roatán, he called it the Isle of Pines and claimed it for Spain. The Bay Islands comprise the southern end of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the largest in the Caribbean Sea, which is the second largest worldwide after Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
A Caribbean reef shark photographed at Roatan, Honduras.
Fish in the Hol Chan Cut — Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Belize Barrier Reef, Belize.
Coral in the Hol Chan Cut — Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Belize Barrier Reef, Belize.
The islands were inhabited by indigenous peoples, mainly the Paya or Pech Indians, whose population was devastated by European diseases such as smallpox, which they had no natural defenses. They were also taken as slaves by the Spanish. the rugged land of the Honduran coast appeared to lack the precious metal resources that Spanish later found inland, and in central Mexico and South America. Because of this, they left the coast mainly unsettled. With the exception of the town of Trujillo, a colonial shipping port for gold and silver export back to Europe. This absence of a Spanish presence along the coastline attracted the attention of English, French, and Dutch buccaneers and pirates seeking secluded ports around the Bay of Honduras in which to repair ships, to re-stock on resources, and to re-organize for their attacks against Spanish shipping routes.
Author: Jefferys, Thomas Publisher: Sayer, Robert Date: 1775 Location: Roatán Island (Honduras)
There were small Spanish settlements on Roatán, but there were no big outposts. Port Royal, as the most easily defended harbor, and became the scene of repeated violent struggles. In 1638, William Claiborne of Virginia was given a patent by the Providence Company, authorizing him to establish a colony on the island. That settlement was forcibly removed by the Spanish in 1642. The Dutch also raided some Spanish settlements in 1639. English and French pirates also terrorized the area. Later in 1642, English raiders from modern day Belize had occupied old Port Royal in Roatan, which is a little to the east of modern Port Royal. The Spanish desired to rid the area of English pirates so they could transport the riches of the New World to Spain in peace. They attacked Port Royal with four war ships under the command of Francisco Villalva Toledo in 1650. The pirates successfully defended Port Royal, Roatan, forcing the Spaniards to return to the mainland for reinforcement. The Spaniards returned with reinforcements, and outnumbering the English pirates and with fierce fighting, the pirates were conquered. The Spaniards gathered removed the few remaining Indians to the mainland.
It is also rumored that later, on his return trip from Panama loaded with loot, Henry Morgan stopped on Roatán Island on his way back to Jamaica to re-provision. Whether this is actually true or not, I was never able to definitively track down. However, I did discover that there have been at least two reports of people recovering buried pirate treasure from Roatán Island! This post is becoming way to long as it is, but the stories are fascinating, and you can read about them HERE, HERE and HERE!
*Images from Wikimedia Commons
