Capt. Thomas Pound

Capt. Thomas Pound was an English Royal Navy officer who turned pirate and was briefly active in the coastal waters of New England during 1689. Caught and convicted of piracy, his crimes were forgiven and he later rejoined the Royal Navy. His will, written at Isleworth in 1699, mentions the names of his immediate family. His father was Francis Pound (1627-1698), and he had a sister Mary Baldocke and by her a niece named Frances. He names his "beloved wife" Elizabeth, but no children are mentioned.

Biography

Born in England, Pound joined the Royal Navy and rose to become a junior officer and naval cartographer stationed in the colonial port of Boston, Massachusetts. One of the maps Pound drew showed the New England coastline between Cape Cod and modern-day Sable Island, which is preserved in the Library of Congress.

Pound's first encounter as a pirate was unspectacular. Sailing along the Massachusetts Coast, he encountered a fishing vessel but failed to engage. Instead, Pound had his vessel hauled alongside and purchased a supply of mackerel for eight pennies. Turning north, Pound made port in Falmouth, Maine and supplemented his small crew with soldiers who had deserted from the local garrison. Returning to sea, Pound and his men then attacked the sloop Good Speed off Cape Cod and the brigantine Merrimack among other ships in the New England area

An armed sloop, Mary, was soon sent out by the Massachusetts governor against Pound and his crew.[1] On 4 October, Mary discovered and engaged Pound's vessel anchored off Naushon Island.[1] In heavy fighting Pound suffered gunshot wounds and Mary's captain, Samuel Pease, was killed.[1] Outnumbered and outgunned, Pound and his crew surrendered and were taken back to Boston for trial. On January 13, 1690, Pound and Hawkins were found guilty of acts of piracy and sentenced to death.

Pound was placed aboard the HMS Rose the replacement by the English Navy of Pounds old frigate the Salé Rose bound for England, where his sentence would be carried out. However, the ship was mid-voyage when it was attacked by a French privateer. Pound was released to assist with the defense after the death of the captain, and fought bravely on behalf of his captors, Pound received a commutation of sentence on arrival in England and was released from prison after a short incarceration.[4] Hawkins had been sent back to England on the same ship but was killed in the action against the French privateer.[5]

Pound's naval rank was restored and he was later given command of his own vessel, his brief piratical career apparently forgotten. He died in 1703.

Sources and Citations

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Pound
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/153960546/thomas-pound
• Thomas Pound: Pilot, Privateer, Cartographers, and Captain in the Royal Navy; by Wayne Pound; https://www.amazon.com/THOMAS-POUND-PRIVATEER-CARTOGRAPHER-CAPTAIN/... (accessed as of OCT/19/2021
• NARA (National Archives and Records Administration) PROB 11/470/223; In England & Wales, Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Index of Will Registers, 1384-1858; https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-10791-270200/thomas-poun... (accessed as of OCT/19/2021).
• In Biographical Summaries of Notable People; https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-10182-426751/thomas-poun... (accessed as of OCT/19/2021)