SODOMY AND THE PIRATE TRADITION ENGLISH SEA ROVERS IN THE SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY CARIBBEAN With a new introduction by the author B. R . BURG NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS New York and London NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS New York and London © 1983, 1995 by New York University All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Burg, B. R. (Barry Richard), 1938- Sodomy and the pirate tradition : English sea rovers in the Seventeenth Century Caribbean / B.R. Burg ; with a new introduction by the author. p. cm . Rev. ed. of: Sodomy and the perception of evil. 1983. Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. ISBN 0-8147-1235-5 (cloth : acid-free paper)—ISBN 0-8147-1236-3 (paperback : acid-free paper) 1. Homosexuality, Male—Caribbean Area—History—17th century. 2. Homosexuality, Male—England—History—17th century. 3 . Pirates— Caribbean Area—Sexual behavior—History—17th century. I . Burg, B. R. (Barry Richard), 1938- Sodom y and the perception of evil. II. Title. HQ76.2.C27B87 199 5 305.38'9664'o9729—dc20 94-2552 1 CIP New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper, and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability. Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 To Bill Camwell and Alice Watterson "No interviews!" the pirate cried. "Especially no interviews granted to little girls." —DONALD BARTHELM E CONTENTS Preface x i Introduction to the New Edition x v Introduction xxxvi i ONE Sodomy and Public Perception 1 Seventeenth-Century England TWO To Train Up a Buccaneer 4 3 THREE The Caribbee Isles 6 9 FOUR Buccaneer Sexuality 10 7 FIVE The Buccaneer Community 13 9 Notes 17 5 Bibliographical Essay 19 3 Index 21 1 PREFACE I have chosen t o use the word "sodomy" in the title of this study rather than the more fashionable term "homosexuality." In a literary sense, sodomy fits more comfortably in a seventeenth-century context than homosexuality—a linguistic derivation from the Victorian era— but my reasons for selecting it are practical rather than ornamental. "Sodomy" is unencumbered b y scientific meandering s an d sundry psychological nuances associated in modern usage with homosexual- ity, and it is the absence of layered academic or clinical definition s that make it particularly valuable in a title. The antique simplicity and directness of the word are sufficiently intimidatin g to discourage readers from asking questions about all-male sexualit y immediatel y upon taking up the work that are more appropriately asked and an- swered in the later chapters. In Tudor and Stuart England, "sodomy" and "buggery" were most often used interchangeably, an d I have used them in that manner. Like many sexual denominators, however, the meanings of the terms are not always clear. A t various times sodomy and buggery, as de- fined by law, included homosexual acts, homosexual child molesta- tion (but never heterosexual child molestation), bestiality, heterosex- ual anal-genita l contact , an d assorte d method s o f homosexua l masturbation. In practice the meanings were more precise. Sodomy or buggery, without qualifying explanation, referre d only to homo-