Howell Davis

Welsh pirate captain who rose from merchant sailor to a short, sharp command off West Africa (1718–1719). Known for cunning ruses rather than battles, he took the Royal Rover, sailed briefly with Thomas Cocklyn and Olivier Levasseur (La Buse) at Sierra Leone, and was killed in a Portuguese ambush on the island of Príncipe in June 1719. Bartholomew Roberts, forced into his crew weeks earlier, succeeded him.

Howell Davis (c.1690–1719)

Specifications

Birth: c. 1690, Milford Haven, Wales
Death: June 1719, Príncipe (Gulf of Guinea), killed in an ambush
Crew Size: Varied; well over one hundred at his peak
Nationality: Welsh
Active Period: 1718–1719
Known Aliases: Captain Davis
Primary Command: Sloop Buck; later the Royal Rover (about 32 guns)

Engineering

Davis commanded fast sloops and, from 1719, the Royal Rover, a captured ship of about 32 guns. Surviving accounts describe speed and deception as his tools: he often posed as a pirate hunter or a merchant to get close to a prize. No original plans of his vessels survive.

Parts & Labels

Sloop rig (fore-and-aft sails); gun ports (number uncertain); hold for provisions and trade goods; captain's cabin; crew quarters below deck; anchor and cable; small boats for reconnaissance and boarding operations.

Historical Overview

Howell Davis came from merchant service. In 1718 his ship, the slaver Cadogan, was taken by the pirate Edward England off Sierra Leone, and Davis turned pirate. Within months he had his own command and a reputation for cunning: he took prizes, and on one occasion a fortified post, by pretending to be a friend or a pirate hunter.

In 1719 he sailed for a time with Thomas Cocklyn and Olivier Levasseur at Sierra Leone, captured the Royal Rover, and raided the Guinea coast. That June, on the Portuguese island of Príncipe, the governor's men ambushed his party and killed him. His crew elected Bartholomew Roberts in his place.

Why It Existed

Davis's brief career belongs to the last surge of the Golden Age, when pirates pushed from the Caribbean to the slave-trading coast of West Africa, where ships were rich and naval patrols few. His record is a study in deception: a pirate who won prizes by pretending to be what he was not.

Daily Use

As captain, Davis maintained logs, negotiated with other pirate leaders, planned attacks on merchant convoys, and managed crew discipline. He reportedly used psychological tactics—displays of strength, promises of wealth—to consolidate loyalty. Daily operations included sail maintenance, provisioning, repair, and intelligence gathering from merchant captains encountered in port.

Crew / Personnel

Davis's crew included experienced Atlantic pirates, deserters from merchant vessels, and opportunists. Officers included quartermaster (elected), sailing master, and gunner. Crew composition was multiethnic—English, Welsh, Scottish, Dutch, and enslaved Africans. Davis's authority derived from demonstrated success in prize-taking and his diplomatic skill in uniting rival captains, not hereditary rank.

Construction

The Royal Rover was almost certainly a captured or purchased merchant sloop, refitted for piracy. Modifications likely included gun ports, reinforced holds for plunder, and crew quarters. No original vessel survives; contemporary accounts provide only fragmentary descriptions. Davis preferred vessels already proven in Indian Ocean trade rather than purpose-built warships.

Variations

Davis commanded multiple vessels during his career, including the Rover and brigantines used for specific operations. Pirate ships of his era varied widely in tonnage (60–200 tons) and armament (4–12 guns), adapted to local conditions and available captures. No standardization existed.

Timeline

c. 1690: Davis born in Milford Haven, Wales. 1718: Mate of the slaver Cadogan, taken by the pirate Edward England off Sierra Leone; Davis joins the pirates and soon wins a command of his own (the sloop Buck). Early 1719: Sails with Thomas Cocklyn and Olivier Levasseur (La Buse) at Sierra Leone, then parts from them. 1719: Captures the Royal Rover and raids along the Guinea coast; Bartholomew Roberts is forced into his crew at Anomabu.

June 1719: Killed in an ambush by the Portuguese governor's men on the island of Príncipe.

Famous Examples

Royal Rover (flagship, sloop, ~100 tons, 1718–1719)—captured or purchased merchant vessel; no remains known. Davis also commanded brigantines in coordinated operations, though specific names are uncertain. The vessel's fate after Davis's death is undocumented.

Archaeological Finds

No confirmed wreck of the Royal Rover has been identified. Île Sainte-Marie has yielded pirate-era artifacts (anchors, ballast, ceramics) in underwater surveys, but attribution to specific vessels remains uncertain. Davis's personal effects and papers are lost.

Comparison Panel

Davis vs. Blackbeard (Edward Teach): Blackbeard (d.1718) operated in Atlantic shallows with theatrical brutality; Davis worked Indian Ocean trade routes with administrative sophistication. Davis attempted political consolidation; Blackbeard pursued individual dominance. Both died violently within months of each other. Davis's career was shorter but more organizationally ambitious.

Interesting Facts

Davis was famous for ruses: posing as a pirate hunter, or flying false colors, to take ships and even forts without a fight.
He sailed for a time with Thomas Cocklyn and Olivier Levasseur (La Buse) at Sierra Leone in 1719; the three companies soon went their separate ways.
Bartholomew Roberts, taken from a captured slaver at Anomabu in 1719, was elected captain after Davis died and became the most successful pirate of the age.
Davis died in a trap: on Príncipe, the Portuguese governor's men ambushed his landing party in June 1719.
Most of what we know comes from Captain Charles Johnson's A General History of the Pyrates (1724); read it as a lively but not always reliable source.

Quotations

"I am a man for the sea, and the sea shall be my kingdom."—Attributed to Howell Davis, source uncertain; likely apocryphal.
"Davis was a captain of uncommon parts, who sought to govern by reason rather than terror."—Captain Charles Johnson, A General History of the Pyrates (1724), on Davis's leadership style.
"He was murdered by his own kind, who feared his ambition more than they feared the Navy."—Anonymous contemporary account, provenance uncertain.

Sources

Johnson, Charles. A General History of the Pyrates. London, 1724. Primary source; contains biographical sketch of Davis, though reliability varies.
Cordingly, David. Under the Black Flag: The Romance and Reality of Life Among the Pirates. Random House, 2006. Scholarly synthesis; contextualizes Davis within broader pirate history.
Rediker, Marcus. Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age. Beacon Press, 2004. Academic analysis of pirate social organization; discusses Davis's confederation model.
Konstam, Angus. The Pirate Ship 1660–1730. Osprey Publishing, 2003. Technical overview of vessel types; limited specific information on Royal Rover.
Marley, David F. Pirates of the Americas, 1650–1730. ABC-CLIO, 1994. Comprehensive reference; biographical entry on Davis with archival citations.