Map

Atlantic-Map

December 1721 Edward Low and George Lowther join forces as pirate crew near Cayman Islands
May 28, 1722 Near Maryland, Low and Lowther capture Boston-bound brigantine, Rebecca, which Low keeps as his ship
June 3, 1722 In the Rebecca, the pirate Edward Low captures and destroys three vessels near New England
June 15, 1722 Low’s crew captures several New England fishermen near Nova Scotia, including Philip Ashton and Joseph Libbey
June – July 1722 Low’s crew ransacks a small village in Acadia (Nova Scotia) and captures more vessels near Grand Banks
July – August 1722 Near Azores, Low’s crew captures and keeps a Portuguese pink
September 5, 1722 After more captures near Cape Verde Islands, one of the captured fishermen, Nicholas Meritt, escapes
November – December 1722 Portuguese pink sinks near coast of Brazil and Ashton nearly drowns in the mishap
February 1723 Pirates are fired at and chased by Royal Navy frigate, HMS Mermaid, near Panama
March 9, 1723 Ashton runs ashore on island of Roatan and escapes from pirates when they go ashore for fresh water
March 10, 1723 Low attacks Spanish ship patrolling near present-day Belize and kills close to 50 of men aboard
May 8, 1723 Pirates capture at least six vessels near Cuba, burning the fingers of men aboard to force confessions about hidden valuables
June 10, 1723 One of Low’s two sloops, the Ranger, captured after 12-hour battle with British warship, HMS Diamond, near Block Island
July 19, 1723 Twenty-six members of Low’s crew, captured in battle with Greyhound, are executed in Newport, Rhode Island
September, 1723 Low’s pirates are back at Azores and capture more vessels
October 27, 1723 Pirates capture the Delight Galley near coast of Africa; the pirate Francis Spriggs take the Delight and abandons Low
November, 1723 On Roatan, a mysterious Bayman visits Ashton for three days but is lost at sea
March 1724 Remaining members of the pirate crew abandon Low and set him adrift in a French sloop near island of Martinique
March 22, 1724 English captain Richard Hawkins is captured by Francis Spriggs and his crew of pirates in Caribbean
June 1724 A band of 18 Baymen sail to Roatan where they discover Ashton and take him to their camp on a nearby island
June – July 1724 Spriggs reunites with remaining members of Low’s crew, now under command of Richard Shipton
August 31, 1724 Spriggs and Shipton attacked by HMS Diamond near coast of Belize
November 1723 Shipton’s crew shipwrecked off coast of Florida; survivors include about 12 men, including captives Jonathan Barlow and Nicholas Simmons
December 27, 1724 Captives stage a revolt against pirates from Shipton’s crew and sail back to Newport in ship John and Mary
December 1724 – January 1725 Spriggs’ crew attacks camp on a small island near Roatan, where Ashton was living with Baymen
January 1725 Most Baymen head back to mainland, but Ashton remains near Roatan with two other men
March 29, 1725 HMS Diamond leaves Belize with convoy of vessels, but blown off course towards Roatan by tropical storm
April, 1725 Ashton rescued near Roatan by ship from Salem, Massachusetts, that was sailing with the Diamond
May 1, 1725 Ashton arrives home in Marblehead, Massachusetts