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Canadian Privateers

© Cindy Vallar

Letters of marque and privateers originated in the 13th century when monarchs issued contracts of reprisal to protect maritime trade. Privateers gained prominence during Elizabethan times when the queen issued letters of marque to men like Sir Francis Drake. Privateering gained prominence during the constant wars fought between European powers in the 18th century. Canadian privateers first made their entrance during the War of Austrian Succession. They played a pivotal role in the War of 1812, but with the peace that followed governments equated privateering with piracy.

Privateering was an important industry into the second decade of the 19th century. Halifax licensed her first privateer, the 100-ton schooner Lawrence, in 1757. The privateers were often converted merchant ships. The dockyards supplied them with the necessary armament while Halifax tradesmen, farmers, tars, and fishermen crewed them. They received no pay unless they captured prizes, and then they were awarded shares of the booty. Privateering brought Enos Collins so much wealth that when he died, he was the richest man in Canada. By the mid-eighteenth century, privateering was a respectable family business. The entrepreneurs who owned the ships employed 1200-1500 seamen aboard 47 privateers that captured 228 prizes. Their successes bear witness to the importance of the privateer in Canada's maritime history.

War of Austrian Succession (1739-1748) and the Seven Years War (1756-1763)

During these wars, Louisbourg was a French fortress that became a haven for French privateers. These men were instrumental in the supply and defense of Port Royal and Louisbourg from English privateers who hailed from New England. One of the more successful privateers was the Cantabre, an eighty-ton schooner with eight guns and a crew of ninety-four. Under Captain Doloboratz's leadership, she captured a provincial warship of Massachusetts.

At 400 tons the Foudroyant was one of the largest Canadian privateers based in Halifax. Captained by James Taylor, she carried a crew of 90 men and 18 guns. Another privateer was the Musketo. Her captain, Mathew Pennell, commanded a crew of 80. Her armament included 14 carriage guns and 12 swivel guns. She first set sail in 1756, but an incident of torture aboard one prize, a Dutch ship called Patience, gained her unwanted notoriety.

The Napoleonic Wars

The war that Britain fought against Napoleon Bonaparte destroyed Nova Scotia's prosperous trade with the West Indies. To combat this, Canadian privateers attacked French and Spanish merchant ships. The Charles Mary Wentworth had much success in her ventures, especially during her first two voyages when she captured eleven ships, a Spanish island, and a Spanish fort. The prizes from her first cruise netted the owners a 92% profit while the second cruise brought them a profit of 814%. Although she sank in a storm in 1802, none of her crew lost their lives.