The slave trade was a vast and lucrative business - and like any major source of wealth it attracted criminals wanting a slice of the action.
In the case of the slave based economy of the Atlantic, those criminals were pirates, like Pembrokeshire born Howell Davis and Bartholomew Roberts.
Bart Roberts from Milford Haven had - like many others - 'turned pirate' when the slave ship he was working on was captured by pirates in 1720. In Roberts case, he was captured by fellow Welshman Howell Davis, whose crew were raiding the slave ports and forts along the coast of West Africa.
Roberts ended up being the most successful pirate captain of his era, capturing 400 ships in his two year reign.
Merchant seamen like Roberts were often keen to join the crews of pirate ships to escape the terrible conditions they had to endure.
"Conditions for seamen at that time were pretty awful, particularly on slavers. You were actually more likely to die if you were the member of a crew on a slave ship than if you were a slave, the conditions were so appalling," says Richard Sanders, author of a biography of Bart Roberts.
He says many sailors didn't really want to be on the ships in the first place.
"The sailors on slave ships were frequently press ganged or dragged half conscious from brothels. Sometimes they had got into debt and the only way they could get out was by enlisting on a slave ship. Quite often their presence on the slave ships was not a great deal more voluntary than that of the slaves."
Roberts became a pirate captain just six weeks after his capture when Howell Davis was killed in an ambush.
Like most of the pirates of the time their main prey was the slave ships and the other trading vessels around the slave islands of the Caribbean, the African coast and the coast of North America.
Richard Sanders told BBC Radio Wales: "They were plundering the wealth that there was. By the late 17th century and the early 18th century what you have is this fabulously lucrative triangular trade between Britain, West Africa and the West Indies. Slaves going to the West Indies, sugar going to Britain and then trade goods going to Africa. That is what pirates were focussing on."
Pirates like Bart Roberts, were also slave owners, according to Mr Sanders. They used black Africans on their crews and he says they did not get a share of the plunder or a vote on the affairs of the ship. They were usually sold rather and hanged when pirate crews were captured by the Royal Navy.
Bart Roberts crew also carried out atrocities against Africans - the worst in Wydah just weeks before Roberts death. Members of his crew set fire to a slave ship with its cargo of African men and women still chained below decks. Around eighty were killed in the attack.
The death of Bart Roberts in 1722 and the capture of his crew marked the beginning of the end for the golden age of Caribbean piracy. Ironically his crew were held in the dungeons of the famous slave fort Cape Coast Castle - usually occupied by Africans awaiting export to the Americas. Fifty two of them were hanged on the beach - the biggest pirate hanging of the era.
Mr Sanders says the slave trade was a key part of the fall of pirates like Bart Roberts.
"The final end of piracy in the 1720s happens as a result of pressure from slave traders and plantation owning interests. The destruction of piracy was quite important in creating a world safe for slavery."
When Bart Roberts 'turned pirate' he said he was choosing a "short life and a merry one". But not all pirates suffered the gruesome fate of Roberts and his crew. Charles Franklin from Monmouthshire, a member of Howell Davis's crew, was so taken with the women of the Cape Verde Islands he decided to stay. He settled down there and married a local woman.
If a Pirate I Must Be... The True Story of Batholomew Roberts, King of the Caribbean is written by Richard Sanders and published by Arum Press
your comments
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Anna from DeRidder
I thought it was interesting. Johnny Depp's character didn't do Black Bart any justice.
Fri Nov 7 12:04:01 2008
Dick Bentley, Humberside
There's a poem about Roberts called 'Black Bart'. Does anyone know where I can find it on the web? It's by Hooson, a Welsh poet.
Wed Aug 6 16:09:43 2008
Pearl Torrington, Fresno, California
Bartholomew Roberts was from the village of Casnewydd Bach in Pembrokeshire, son of a farmer. Originally, his name was John Roberts. He was the ship's navigator aboard the Princess of London, when the pirate captain Howell Davis captured the vessel anchored off the coast of Anamaboe, West Africa on June 6, 1719.
He was reluctant to piracy, a teetotaller and a God-fearing man. To my knowledge, he was not involved in the slave trade.
As to the fate of Bart Roberts, he was struck in the throat by a grapeshot when the naval vessel HMS Swallow fired a second broadside at the Royal Fortune. It was quite a tragedy to his crew, who were weeping and ever faithful to him. In following his last wishes, they threw his body overboard. He never suffered the gruesome fate of dancing the hempen jig.
I am currently doing research and am in the process of hopefully writing a story which will feature Bartholomew Roberts as one of my characters. I am one of his greatest admirers!
Mon Nov 26 12:28:16 2007
Terry Breverton, Cowbridge
If you want the full details, read my 'Black Bart Roberts - The Greatest Pirate of Them All' published in 2004. Roberts was the most famous and successful pirate in history, and is well-known in the USA but not in Wales - he took over 400 recorded ships - Blackbeard and Kidd took about 20 between them.
Thu Aug 23 16:43:26 2007
Joe bloggs from Camarthen
On reading of Pirates I read that there was a North Walian by the name of Roberts, (forgot his first name) supposed to be the most successful Pirate of all. He was killed with an encounter with a Royal Navy vessel. Of that encounter a Royal Navy Officer was awarded with a Medal, supposed to be the only Medal ever given by the Royal Navy for action against Pirates.,/p>
Of Roberts exploits there was no mention of the slave trade, although he did forage on the coast of Africa, plus Mid, and South America, but for precious metals and jewels.
Years ago I saw a film of Pirates and I believe it was of him. Roberts being a common name namely in North Wales (all I knew were). It's claimed the Pirates Compact are the most democratic ever signed by man. Black Bart actually came from the village of Casnewydd-Bach (Little Newcastle), between Haverfordwest and Fishguard - not Milford Haven.
Also can you be a bit more clear on Bart's fate please? You seem to suggest he suffered the same 'gruesome' fate as his crew, being hanged on an African beach. But from the accounts I've read he was killed during a sea battle with the forces of the British crown and his body was thrown overboard by his crew to avoid being captured and displayed by the British authorities
Fri Jul 6 12:56:50 2007
Dorian Willliams Santa Rosa, California
On reading of Pirates I read that there was a North Walian by the name of Roberts, (forgot his first name) supposed to be the most successful Pirate of all. He was killed with an encounter with a Royal Navy vessel. Of that encounter a Royal Navy Officer was awarded with a Medal, supposed to be the only Medal ever given by the Royal Navy for action against Pirates.
Of Roberts exploits there was no mention of the slave trade, although he did forage on the coast of Africa, plus Mid, and South America, but for precious metals and jewels.
Years ago I saw a film of Pirates and I believe it was of him. Roberts being a common name namely in North Wales all I knew were). It's claimed the Pirates Compact, Articles? are the most democratic ever signed by man.
Fri Jun 1 16:25:56 2007
Cedwyn Aled, Pontypridd
Black Bart actually came from the village of Casnewydd-Bach (Little Newcastle), between Haverfordwest and Fishguard - not Milford Haven.
Also can you be a bit more clear on Bart's fate please? You seem to suggest he suffered the same 'gruesome' fate as his crew, being hanged on an African beach. But from the accounts I've read he was killed during a sea battle with the forces of the British crown and his body was thrown overboard by his crew to avoid being captured and displayed by the British authorities.
Tue Mar 13 09:11:30 2007
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