Richard Ingle (c. 1609–1653) was an English seaman, tobacco trader, privateer, and pirate in colonial Maryland. Along with another Protestant rebel, Captain William Claiborne, Ingle waged war against Lord Baltimore and Maryland Catholics in the name of English Parliament after his ship was seized and confiscated, siding with the Maryland Puritans in a period known as the "Plundering Time" during which unrest and lawlessness were widespread in the colony. Ingle and his men attacked ships and captured the colonial capital of the proprietary government in St. Mary's City, removing the Catholic Governor Lord Baltimore from power, in 1645. Most of Ingle's life and background are unknown.
Richard Ingle | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1609 |
| Died | 1653 (aged 43–44) |
| Cause of death | hanging? |
| Nationality | English |
| Citizenship | British |
| Occupation(s) | seaman, ship captain, tobacco trader, privateer, pirate |
| Employer | self-employed |
| Known for | Making war with the Catholic colonial Governor Lord Baltimore and Catholics in the Province of Maryland in the name of English Parliament and the Maryland Puritans, plundering ships and attacking and seizing the colonial capital of St. Mary's City |
| Opponents |
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| 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
editRichard Ingle was born in England, possibly in London, into a Protestant family that schooled him. He became a trader and ship captain, transporting 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
editWhen the English Civil War broke out in the early 1640s, Ingle sided with the Puritans. He fell out with the Catholic leaders of the province of Maryland, and when the Royalist proprietary governor Leonard Calvert seized his ship, he escaped.
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. Governor Calvert fled to Virginia.
Plundering Time
editCaptain 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) by 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.
Governor Calvert returned in August 1646 and re-established his control of the colony.
Death
editThough 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.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ a b "Richard Ingle (1609-1653)", Exploring Maryland's Roots, Maryland Public Television
- ^ Maryland State Archives Governors of Maryland 1634 – 1689
Sources
edit- 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.