Privateer - Ball cap

Letters of marque and privateers originated in the 13th century when monarchs issued contracts of reprisal to protect maritime trade.  Privateers gained prominence during Elizabethan times when the queen issued letters of marque to men like Sir Francis Drake. Privateering gained prominence during the constant wars fought between European powers in the 18th century.  Canadian privateers first made their entrance during the War of Austrian Succession.  They played a pivotal role in the War of 1812, but with the peace that followed governments equated privateering with piracy.

Privateering was an important industry into the second decade of the 19th century.  Halifax licensed her first privateer, the 100-ton schooner Lawrence, in 1757.   The privateers were often converted merchant ships.  The dockyards supplied them with the necessary armament while Halifax tradesmen, farmers, tars, and fishermen crewed them.  They received no pay unless they captured prizes, and then they were awarded shares of the booty.  Privateering brought Enos Collins so much wealth that when he died, he was the richest man in Canada.  By the mid-eighteenth century, privateering was a respectable family business.  The entrepreneurs who owned the ships employed 1200-1500 seamen aboard 47 privateers that captured 228 prizes.  Their successes bear witness to the importance of the privateer in Canada’s maritime history.