Black Jack Anderson

A sketch of Black Jack Anderson which appeared in the Perth Gazette in 1842

John 'Black Jack' Anderson was an African-American sealer and pirate active in the Recherche Archipelago off the south coast of Western Australia. He is Australia's only recorded pirate.[1][2][3][4]

Arrival in Australia

Anderson arrived in the fledgling King George Sound colony (modern day Albany) aboard the American whaling vessel Vigilant in 1826. While the crew were drinking ashore, a fight broke out and a man was killed. Accused of murder, Anderson and several crewmates fled in a small vessel and hid out in the Recherche Archipelago, approximately 400 kilometres to the east.[5]

Piracy

Anderson and his fellows established an encampment on Middle Island in Western Australia, as it was one of the few islands with a source of fresh water. The archipelago was heavily populated by Australian sea lions and New Zealand fur seals, and Anderson's band soon enriched themselves by trading furs to settlements along the coast; they are noted as visiting Kangaroo Island and the Althorpe Islands in South Australia. They supplemented their sealing income by robbing vessels travelling between Western Australia and the east coast colonies. They are also said to have murdered Indigenous Kaurna men and abducted women to take as sex slaves. The Recherche Archipelago was treacherous and uncharted, making it an ideal hideout for the pirates.[6]

Anderson was eventually murdered by his fellow pirates, and is thought to be buried somewhere on Middle Island.[1] The reputation of the island as a lawless place continued for some time; in 1848 The Inquirer called it "the resort of a set of lawless desperadoes, composed of runaway convicts, sealers, etc."[4]

In fiction

References

  1. 1 2 Pownall, Angela (26 March 2012). "In search of pirate Black Jack". The West Australian. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  2. ↑ Georgatas, G., "An 18,000-year old history uncovered on WA island", National Indigenous Times, 20 June 2012, p. 14.
  3. ↑ "In search of pirate Black Jack". Australian Traveller. 9 December 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  4. 1 2 Paterson, Alistair (16–25 April 2006). "Report on Historical Archaeological Expedition to Middle and Boxer Islands, Recherche Archipelago, Western Australia, 16-25 April 2006" (PDF). Department of Maritime Archaeology, Western Australian Museum. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  5. ↑ "Black Jack Anderson". ABC Esperance. 14 October 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  6. ↑ Hosking, Rick (June 2003). A Critical Edition of William Cawthorne's The Islanders (Thesis). University of Adelaide.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.