Henry Every

By Crusader1307

Born in Devon, England, around 1659 – Henry's last name is sometimes referred to as “Avery”. Little is known of his early “land locked” life. He joined The Royal Navy as a young man and saw service in The Nine Years War. After his service, Every worked the Slave Trade lines of West Africa. Eventually returning to Naval service again (on an English Privateer “Charles II”), he learned his Pirate trade attacking French ships. Unfortunately, the ships “Letter of Marque” (or authority to attack ships in The Kings name) – was not delivered and therefore, the ships crew was not paid. The crew mutinied and commandeered the ship, electing Every as it's Captain. Working The Atlantic and Indian Oceans, Every and his crew were somewhat successful. They began to raid Arabian ships (for their large hoards of gold and weapons). Every's most successful “haul” was the Arabian ship “Fateh Muhammed”. The take was an estimated $350,000 USD. Every and his crew were well known rapists of prisoners and enjoyed torturing them. Often, when female passengers of ships he was attacking learned his identity, they stabbed themselves or jumped overboard - rather than be captured.

Captain Every and his crew are also “firsts” in Pirate history for being the first crew to have an international “man hunt” initiated against them. Many European Nations had a “death bounty” out for him and his crew. He was last known to have moved to the Colonial American Coasts around 1696. Oddly, all records of he and his crew cease around this time. Wild rumors as to his fate have abounded for centuries. Some say he and his crew went down in a storm. Others claimed he was killed in combat. A popular story, had Every a poor old pirate (having long spent his fortune in hiding for fear of his bounty on his head). Wandering and aged, he died in a Tavern either in The America's or Caribbean. Without money for a coffin, he was simply dumped in a hole! Others (of a more scary nature), still has the ghosts of he and his crew, still working the seas – in search for victims and gold.