William Kidd
| William Kidd | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 22 January 1654 Dundee, Scotland |
| Died | 23 May 1701 (aged 47) Wapping, England |
| Piratical career | |
| Type | Pirate / Privateer |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of Scotland
|
William Kidd, also Captain William Kidd or simply Captain Kidd (ca. 22 January 1654 – 23 May 1701) was a Scottish sailor who was tried and executed for piracy after returning from a voyage to the Indian Ocean. Some modern historians deem his piratical reputation unjust, as there is evidence that Kidd acted only as a privateer. Kidd's fame springs largely from the sensational circumstances of his questioning before the English Parliament and the ensuing trial. His actual depredations on the high seas, whether piratical or not, were both less destructive and less lucrative than those of many other contemporary pirates and privateers.
A life lived in the age of imperialism known for its rationalisations of empire, Captain William Kidd was either one of the most notorious pirates in history, or one of its most unjustly vilified and prosecuted privateers, depending upon published perspective. Legends and fiction surround this character; his actual career, however, was punctuated by just a handful of skirmishes, followed by a desperate quest to clear his name.
Kidd was born in Dundee, Scotland, ca. 22 January 1654, his father, Captain John Kyd, being lost at sea. Kidd gave Greenock as his place of birth and his age as 41 in testimony under oath at the High Court of the Admiralty in October 1694 or 1695. A local society supported the Kyd family financially after the death of the father. Kidd's origins in Greenock have been dismissed by David Dobson, who found neither the name Kidd nor Kyd in baptismal records; the myth that his "father was thought to have been a Church of Scotland minister" has been discounted, insofar as there is no mention of the name in comprehensive Church of Scotland records for the period. Others still hold the contrary view.
Kidd later settled in the newly anglicized New York City, where he befriended many prominent colonial citizens, including three governors. Some published information suggests that he was a seaman's apprentice on a pirate ship during this time, before partaking in his own more famous seagoing exploits.
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