Richard Ingle
Richard Ingle (1609–1653) was an English colonial seaman, ship captain, tobacco trader, privateer, and pirate in the American colony of Maryland. Ingle took over the colonial capital of the proprietary government in St. Mary's City removing Catholic Governor Lord Baltimore from power in 1645. Along with another Protestant rebel, Captain William Claiborne, he waged war with the Catholic colonial Governor Lord Baltimore and Maryland Catholics in the name of English Parliament after his ship was seized and confiscated and siding with the Maryland Puritans, in a period known as the "Plundering Time" in which unrest and lawlessness existed. Ingle and his men attacked ships and conquered the colonial capital, St. Mary's City, Province of Maryland. Most of the Richard Ingle's life and background are unknown.
Richard Ingle | |
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 An early 17th-century English trading ship similar to one Captain Richard Ingle used as a colonial tobacco trader and later as a privateer and pirate fighting the Maryland Catholics in the name of English Parliament | |
| Born | 1609 |
| Died | 1653 |
| Cause of death | hanging? |
| Nationality | English |
| Citizenship | British |
| Occupation | seaman, ship captain, tobacco trader, privateer, pirate |
| Employer | self-employed |
| Known for | For making war with the Catholic colonial Governor Lord Baltimore and Catholics in Province of Maryland in the name of English Parliament and the Maryland Puritans, plundering ships and attacking and seizing of the colonial capital St. Mary's City, Province of Maryland |
| Opponent(s) | Catholic colonial Governor Lord Baltimore, Catholics in Province of Maryland |
| Piratical career | |
| Allegiance | Commonwealth of England  Commonwealth Parliamentary Navy |
| Years active | 1642–1653 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Base of operations | Chesapeake Bay, St. Mary's City, Province of Maryland |
| Battles/wars | Plundering Time (1644–1646) Capture of St. Mary's City, Province of Maryland (1645) |
Early life
Richard Ingle was born in England, possibly in London, into a Protestant family that schooled him. He became a trader and ship captain. He transported the goods of Maryland colonial traders from England and back[1] and later became a prominent trader of tobacco.
War with Lord Baltimore and Catholics in Maryland Colony
When the English Civil War broke out, Ingle sided with the Puritans. He fell out with the Catholic leaders of Maryland, and when the royalist governor Leonard Calvert seized his ship, he escaped.
Richard Ingle returned in February 1645 with the ship Reformation and attacked the Maryland colony in the name of English Parliament. He attacked the settlement of St. Mary's City, the colonial capital and imprisoned leaders of the colony. Calvert, the royalist proprietary governor, fled to Virginia.
Plundering Time
Captain Richard Ingle took control of the Maryland colonial government and along with fellow Protestant Captain William Claiborne, an Anglican church adherent, ushered in a period of unrest and lawlessness from 1644 to 1646 known as the "Plundering Time" and "Claiborne and Ingle's rebellion"..[2] Under Ingle's leadership, his men looted property of wealthy Roman Catholic settlers. Ingle claimed that he had a letter of marque to cruise the waters of Shesapeake (Chesapeake Bay) and the permission of a new government in England. Local settlers regarded him as a pirate.[1] He put two Jesuit priests Andrew White and Thomas Copley in chains and transported them back to England.
End of Rebellion
Governor Calvert returned in August 1646 and reestablished his control.
Death
Though most of his men were granted amnesty, Richard Ingle according to some sources was specifically exempted from being released, made an example of and executed as a pirate in 1653.
References
- "Richard Ingle (1609-1653)", Exploring Maryland's Roots, Maryland Public Television
- Maryland State Archives Governors of Maryland 1634 – 1689
Sources
- Donnelly, Mark P. and Daniel Diehl. Pirates of Maryland: Plunder and High Adventure in the Chesapeake Bay. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2012.
- Ingle, Edward. Captain Richard Ingle: the Maryland pirate and rebel, 1642–1653 Baltimore: John Murphy & Co., 1884]
- Maloney, Eric John. "Papists and Puritans in Early Maryland: Religion in the Forging of Provincial Society, 1632–1665". PhD. Dissertation. Stony Brook, NY: State University of New York at Stony Brook, 1996.
- Riordan, Timothy B. Plundering Time: Maryland and the English Civil War, 1645–1646. Baltimore: Maryland Historical Society, 2004.
External links
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