John Coxon (pirate)
| John Coxon | |
|---|---|
| Piratical career | |
| Type | Buccaneer (Pirate) |
| Allegiance | None |
| Years active | 1677–1682 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Base of operations | Spanish Main |
Captain John Coxon, sometimes referred to as John Coxen, was a late seventeenth-century buccaneer who terrorized the Spanish Main. Coxon was one of the most famous of the Brethren of the Coast, a loose consortium of pirates and privateers. Coxon lived during the Buccaneering Age of Piracy.[1]
Coxon's ship, a vessel of eighty tons that carried eight guns and a crew of ninety-seven men, is lost to date, with no traces of its name anywhere.[2]
John Coxon as a pirate
Very little is known about Coxon's early life. The act that brought Coxon to public notice was his surprising and plundering the Spanish town of Santa Marta in the Caribbean.[1] Coxon was held responsible for abducting the governor and the bishop of Santa Maria to Jamaica.[1][2]
Raid in the Gulf of Honduras
Soon after, Coxon met with many privateers, staging a raid in the Gulf of Honduras.[2] This raid proved to be useful, as the pirates and privateers collected a stash of five hundred chests of indigo dye, in addition to cocoa, cochineal, money, plate, and tortoiseshell.[2]
Shortly afterwards, he made himself an ally of several other important buccaneers of the day, including Cornelius Essex, Bartholomew Sharp and Robert Allison.[1] after which they set sail for Portobelo.[2] Upon reaching, they travelled for around four days, and on 17 February, they plundered the town carelessly, escaping the Spanish armies. Through this, each man earned, at the very least, one-hundred pieces of eight.[1]
Because of this arduous task, the Governor of Jamaica, Lord Carlisle, issued search warrants for Coxon and his notorious crew.[2] In addition, Henry Morgan, when acting as governor, issued another warrant for Coxon, but nothing resulted from these writs.[1]
Against a Spanish fleet
Due to the carelessness and the scarce treasure that Coxon and his crew plundered at Porto Bello, Coxon proved to be quite angered, therefore returning to Santa Marta to commit other acts of piracy, shortly after which he crossed the Isthmus of Darien, more commonly known as the Isthmus of Panama. At Panama, Coxon and his crew attacked, and eventually took a Spanish fleet of many a man-of-war. This event was set as one of the most remarkable achievements in the history of buccaneers.[1]
Heated arguments
Having done both of these feats, Coxon quarreled with the other buccaneer captains resulting in them moving in their separate ways. Coxon, in naught but an Indian canoe, travelled to the Pacific Coast, and with his crew of seventy, stole two sloops. Coxon then returned, with his crew, to Jamaica, as a legendary pirate.[2]
Disguise
Having robbed letters of marque that were sealed for Robert Clarke, Coxon continued to commit acts of piracy, sometimes under this disguise.[2]
Coxon was caught and tried several times, but always managed to escape the gallows somehow.[2]
Disappearance
To date, no one is sure of what happened to John Coxon or his ship, but several accounts, including those of his crew's, stated that his ship weighed around eighty tons and was equipped with eight guns.[2]