Pirate Roster

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

George Lowther

Copyright 2001, David Stapleton

George Lowther sailed from London in the Gambia Castle, a ship of 16 guns on a journey that was to set him up as a pirate captain.  The original mission of the Gambia Castle was to deliver the new governor and some troops to a settlement on the river Gambia for the Royal African Company.  Lowther was second mate on the ship.  Upon reaching their destination, in May 1721, the troops were treated miserably by the merchants they were sent to protect.  The merchants behaved in a miserly fashion, providing scant provisions for the troops.

Lowther, apparently ready to take advantage of the situation due to friction between himself and the ship's captain, fomented what amounts to a rebellion backed by the soldiers and their captain, Massey.  The result being that the group along with what sailors would join them, set off in the ship on 13 June 1721.  Once away from the shore, Lowther put it to the group as to whether they should return to England or go a pirating.  While there was some disagreement the final outcome was that the group would become pirates and Lowther was elected captain.  The ship was then renamed the Delivery.

The crew took their first ship, on 20 June, a brigantine off the coast of Barbados.  After taking one or two other ships, captain Massey began to get restive and being a soldier desired to be set ashore with some men that they could make a land attack upon a French settlement on Hispanola.  Fearing a disaster, and loath to separate such a small company, Lowther put the plan to vote of the ship's company, and forced Massey to drop the plan.  Massey and whatever hands would go with him soon separated from the company and headed for Jamaica.

After taking several more ships, including a Spanish pirate ship, Lowther and crew traveled to a small island were they beached the ships for cleaning.  They were now several ships strong and on or about Christmas they again set sail.  They soon met with Edward Low and sixteen others near the Grand Caymans and joined forces.  At some time after 10 January 1722, the pirates and their four vessels put into Port Mayo in the Gulf of Matique to careen.  Here they were attacked by natives and forced to leave the Happy Delivery (I assume this is the same ship they started in, the Gambia Castle) along with much of their plunder.  Lowther took command of one of the other ships, a sloop, which they renamed the Ranger.

In May of 1722, they were prowling off the island of Diseada where they took another brigantine.  Several ships later, off the coast of South Carolina, the pirates ran afoul of a ship, the Amy, that was in no mood to surrender to the pirates and after several broadsides forced the pirates to beach and escape ashore.  The crew wintered ashore and repaired their ship.  In the spring of 1723 they set to sea again and made for Newfoundland, where they took a couple of ships before returning to warmer climates among the islands. 

It was time to careen again and clean the ships at the islands of Margarita and Rocas near Tortuga.  Here they were attacked by the sloop Eagle.  Lowther and twelve others escaped inland.  Of these five were later captured by the crew of the Eagle.  It is said that Lowther was later found dead with a discharge pistol at his side.

This is probably one of the longer runs of the pirates I have profiled so far.  Lowther and his crew threatened the Caribbean and coast of America for over two years, and they were fairly successful.  One of the things that Lowther's story brings out is the need to careen regularly, and the vulnerability of the pirates while in this state.