Youngest pirate

The youngest pirate of whom there is documentary proof is John King. On 9 November 1716 the notorious pirate Samuel Bellamy aka “Black Sam” captured a passenger ship, the Bonetta. It was on its way to Jamaica and John King, aged between eight and 11 years old, and his mother were both passengers. According to a sworn statement dated 30 November 1716 by Abijah Savage (the captain of the Bonetta), John King insisted on joining the pirate crew, threatening to kill himself or hurt his mother if his wish were not granted. Eventually “Black Sam” allowed him to do this. In 1984, the wreck of the Whydah was discovered and, among other artefacts, a small shoe, a silk stocking and a small leg bone were recovered. The expedition archeologist and an expert from the Smithsonian Institution later confirmed the bone as that of a child aged between eight and 11 years old.