Pirates > Pirate Rounders > Samuel Burgess
Samuel Burgess
Background
Samuel Burgess was a pirate and a member of William Kidd's crew in the year 1690 when he captured the Blessed William. At some point he gained captaincy over his own ship but by 1693 he was removed and replaced by a Edward Coates. Next he moved to the city of New York City in the Province of New York where he bought a house and began working with the famous pirate merchant named Frederick Philipse.
For the next give years Burgess would sail for Philipse, making very profitable and lucrative voyages on the first Pirate Round where he transported valuable supplies between New York and the remote pirate haven of Madagascar. Philipse and Burgess would sell products like guns, food, ammo, clothing and other essential supplies in exchange for some of the gold and slaves they plundered from the valuable treasure ships of the East Indies and the Indian Ocean.
In September of 1699 Burgess was in command of the ship the Margaret and while near the pirate haven of Ile Saint-Marie he was offered a pardon in exchange for ceasing his piratical activities. Several of the crew accepted and used some of their loot to buy safe passage with the Royal Navy. Burgess himself decided to sail towards Cape Town in South Africa.
He reached Cape Town by December of 1699 however, while there a Captain Lowth of the British East India Company accused Burgess of piracy and seized his ship along with his slaves and treasure. Lowth took the ship to Bombay and the owners of the Margaret made claims against the East India Company to get it back. Samuel Burgess was taken to London in 1701 and accused of piracy.
Pardon & Final Years
Burgess was testified against by Robert Culliford most likely in exchange for his own pardon and he was convicted. However, as it happens he was eventually pardoned and afterwards joined a privateering crew headed towards the Pacific Ocean. Burgess was made first mate aboard the ship the Neptune and eventually went to Madagascar to trade alcohol for slaves.
Burgess remained quartermaster only briefly after Halsey would later die of a fever. After being ousted from his position aboard the ship he returned to Madagascar and became a slave trader with David Williams. Burgess would be killed with poison following a disagreement with a local native chief over prizes, one of many pirates to meet their untimely fate on the Pirate Round.
