Lawrence Prince
| Lawrence Prince | |
|---|---|
| Born | fl. 1630 Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Piratical career | |
| Type | Buccaneer |
| Allegiance | England |
| Years active | c. 1659-1671 |
| Rank | Lieutenant-Colonel |
| Base of operations | Caribbean |
| Battles/wars | Raid on Granada (1670) Sack of Panama (1671) |
Laurens Prins known in English as Lawrence Prince (c. 1630s, Amsterdam - unknown) was a 17th-century Dutch buccaneer and an officer under Captain Sir Henry Morgan. He and Major John Morris led one of the columns against Panama in 1671.
According to Spanish accounts, Lawrence Prince was a Dutchman from Amsterdam who arrived in the Caribbean in the late 1650s. In 1659, he was one of four men, including John Morris and Robert Searle, who bought a captured Spanish prize from Commodore Christopher Myngs following his ten-week voyage. Prior to joining Morgan's forces at Port Royal in November 1670, he had previously sailed up to Rio Magdalena intending to raid the town of Mompos located 150 miles inland. Prince was forced to retreat, however, when they were surprised by cannon fire from a recently built island fort protecting the settlement. Prince and his men, determined to "make voyage", sailed north to Nicaragua in August. As in Colombia, Prince sailed up the San Juan River, captured a Spanish fort and paddled by canoe to Lake Nicaragua where they successfully raided Granada. This was almost identical to the Morgan's raid in 1664. Official Spanish reports of the incident claimed that Prince "made havoc and a thousand destructions, sending the head of a priest in a basket and demanding 70,000 pesos in ransom."
Arriving in Port Royal weeks later, he and two other captains were reproved by Governor Thomas Modyford for attacking the Spanish without a commission or letter of marque. Modyford thought it prudent not "to press the matter too far in this juncture" and ordered them to join Morgan on his raid against Panama "which they were very ready to do". Impressed by his raid at Granada, Morgan appointed Prince third in command under himself and Captain Edward Collier. He and Major John Morris later led the vanguard, numbering 300 buccaneers, against the Spanish fortress on the morning of January 28, 1671. Prince supported the main force, around 600 men, with Morgan and Collier leading the right and left wings while the rearguard was commanded by Colonel Bledry Morgan.
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