Newport was also a major center of pirate activity during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. So many pirates used Newport as their base of operations that the London Board of Trade made an official complaint to the English government. The most famous pirate who made Newport his base was Thomas Tew. Tew was very popular with the locals; after one of his pirating voyages, it was reported that almost the whole town came out to greet him.
In the 1720s, colonial leaders, acting under pressure from the British government, arrested many pirates. Many were hanged in Newport and were buried on Goat Island.
3 comments:
Actually Thomas Tew's great-great-great-grandson is my next door neighbor, he still faithfully flies his skull flag in the front yard in remembrance of all his ancestor did for our town.
i love that you know that Hope :-)
(I made that up.)
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