Golden Age of Piracy

Famous Pirate Flags

Francis Spriggs/Edward Low

Francis Spriggs / Edward Low Flag, 1721 – 1724

Spriggs’ flag was one of the first flags to be called a Jolly Roger. However, it lacks almost all of the symbols we’ve come to associate with Jolly Rogers. The design of Spriggs’ flag, a red skeleton on a black flag, doesn’t even originate from him. Instead, it comes from one of Spriggs’ former sailing partners, Edward Low.

Although it’s unknown when Spriggs began his career of piracy, he and Low had split by Christmas of 1724. Spriggs then took his ship, the Delight, and set sail for the Caribbean.

Francis Spriggs was still active by April of 1725, when he set some of the crew from his Caribbean conquests free on the island of Roatan off the northern coast of Honduras. He and his crew captured several more ships around Bermuda and Saint Kitts later that year. His ultimate fate after 1725 is unknown.

Golden Age of Piracy

Thomas Larimore Francois Le Sage Christopher Goffe George Raynor Adam Baldridge Alexander Dalzeel Mathurin Desmarestz John Thurber George Dew John Rivers (pirate) James Allison Edward Coates William Coward William May Nathaniel North Samuel Burgess Thomas Collins (pirate) Robert Culliford John Pro Etienne de Montauban Thomas Griffin (pirate) Nathaniel Grubing Ralph Stout Thomas Tew Richard Want Edward Woodman Robert Glover Peter Lawrence Tempest Rogers Dirk Chivers Henry Every (Avery) Joseph Faro Richard Glover John Hoar John Ireland Thomas Wake Richard Bobbington Robert Colley William "Captain" Kidd George Booth John Golden Joseph Wheeler (pirate) John Breholt Thomas Day Joseph Bradish Canoot Thomas Howard Samuel Inless Evan Jones John Swann (pirate) Hendrick van Hoven David Williams (pirate) William Burke (pirate) Lewis Ferdinando John James James Kelly (James Gilliam) Black Caesar Augustin Blanco John Bowen John Derdrake Israel Hands David Herriot Don Miguel Enriquez (Henríquez) Henry King (pirate) Simon Mascarino William Read (pirate) John Taylor Emanuel Wynn Thomas Barrow Amaro Pargo John Quelch Adrian Claver Captain Crapo Captain Davy John Leadstone / "Old Captain Crackers" Thomas Penniston Regnier Tongrelow Nathaniel Burches Captain Gincks John Halsey Thomas White (pirate) Woodes Rogers Lars Gathenhielm John Cockram Christopher Moody John West (pirate) Thomas Goldsmith Jonathan Barnet Francis Fernando Henry Jennings John Norcross Daniel Stillwell Leigh Ashworth Samuel Bellamy (Black Sam) Blackbeard (Edward Teach) Josiah ("Thomas") Burgess James Carnegie Francis Demont John Julian John King (pirate) Olivier Levasseur (Oliver La Buse) Samuel Liddell John Martel Charles Vane Paulsgrave Williams Christopher Winter Charles Bellamy Jean Bonadvis Stede Bonnet Phineas Bunce Thomas Cocklyn Edward England Benjamin Hornigold Francis Leslie (pirate) William Moody (pirate) Captain Napin Thomas Nichols (pirate) Richard Noland Turn Joe Thomas Anstis John Auger John Cole (pirate) Christopher Condent Joseph Cooper Howell Davis Robert Deal James Fife William Fox Richard Frowd Ingela Gathenhielm Captain Grinnaway Edward Miller Major Penner Daniel Porter Lieutenant Richards (pirate) Richard Tookerman Nicholas Woodall Charles Yeats Robert Lane Bartholomew Roberts (Black Bart) Jasper Seagar Robert Semple (Richard Sample) Thomas Sutton Captain Thompson Richard Worley Nicholas de Concepcion Montigny la Palisse "Calico Jack" John Rackham Mary Read James Skyrme Brigstock Weaver Edward "Ned" Low Philip Roche (pirate) John Evans Charles Harris Matthew Luke (Matteo Luca) John Russell John Fenn George Lowther Richard Shipton Don Benito Anne Bonny Philip Lyne James Plantain Francis Spriggs Nicholas Brown William Fly Jean Baptiste Guedry John Prie John Vidal Mary Critchett Henry Johnson