Henry Every

"Henry Avery" redirects here. For the New Zealand rugby union player, see Henry Avery (rugby union). For the American architect, see Henry Ogden Avery. For other people, see Henry Every (disambiguation).

Henry Every
A woodcut from A General History of the Pyrates (1725)
Born(1659-08-20)20 August 1659
DisappearedJune 1696
(aged 36)
SpouseDorothy Arther
Piratical career
NicknameLong Ben
The Arch Pirate
The King of Pirates
AllegianceNone
Years active1694 – 1696
RankCaptain
Base of operationsAtlantic Ocean, along the Pirate Round, and the Indian Ocean
CommandsFancy, formerly Charles II
WealthAt least 11 vessels captured by September 1695, including the Ganj-i-Sawai[1]

Henry Every, also known as Henry Avery (20 August 1659 – Disappeared: June 1696), sometimes erroneously given as Jack Avery or John Avery,[a] was an English pirate who operated in the Atlantic and Indian oceans in the mid-1690s. He probably used several aliases throughout his career, including Benjamin Bridgeman, and was known as Long Ben to his crewmen and associates.[b]

Dubbed "The Arch Pirate" and "The King of Pirates" by contemporaries, Every was infamous for being one of very few major pirate captains to escape with his loot without being arrested or killed in battle, and for being the perpetrator of what has been called the most profitable act of piracy in history.[8] Although Every's career as a pirate lasted only two years, his exploits captured the public's imagination, inspired others to take up piracy, and spawned works of literature.

Every began his pirate career while he was first mate aboard the warship Charles II. As the ship lay anchored in the northern Spanish harbour of Corunna, the crew grew discontented as Spain failed to deliver a letter of marque and Charles II's owners failed to pay their wages, and they mutinied. Charles II was renamed the Fancy and Every elected as the new captain.

Every's most famous raid, on 7 September 1695, was on a 25-ship convoy of Grand Mughal vessels making the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, including the treasure-laden Ghanjah dhow Ganj-i-Sawai and its escort, Fateh Muhammed. Joining forces with several pirate vessels, Every found himself in command of a small pirate squadron, and they were able to capture up to £600,000 in precious metals and jewels,[8] equivalent to around £115 million in 2024.[9] This caused considerable damage to England's fragile relations with the Mughals, and a combined bounty of £1,000—an immense sum at the time—was offered by the Privy Council and the East India Company for his capture, leading to the first worldwide manhunt in recorded history.[10][c]

Although a number of his crew were subsequently arrested, Every himself eluded capture, vanishing from all records in 1696; his whereabouts and activities after this period are unknown. Unconfirmed accounts state he may have changed his name and retired, quietly living out the rest of his life in either Britain or on an unidentified tropical island, while alternative accounts consider Every may have squandered his riches.[13] He is considered[d] to have died sometime between 1699 and 1714; his treasure has never been recovered.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Woodard2007, p.19 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Rogoziński 2000, p. 80
  3. ^ Konstam 2008, p. 254
  4. ^ Jameson 1923, pp. 153–188
  5. ^ Pringle 2001, p. 139
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Laughton was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Baer2005, p.93 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b Burgess 2009a, p. 138
  9. ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  10. ^ Burgess 2009a, p. 144
  11. ^ a b Davis 1962, pp. 136–137
  12. ^ Baer 2005, p. 103
  13. ^ Woodard 2007


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