Shipwrecks and stolen cloth: Scots could have treated pirates of medieval Europe leniently

This article originally appeared on Culture24.

Aberdeen excelled on European stage but was embroiled in medieval pirate controversy, papers show

A set of court papers from as far back as the 14th century reign of Robert the Bruce portrays Aberdeen as an important trade centre in medieval Europe whose leaders may have taken a lenient view of suspected pirates, say historians.

The Burgh records, which are part of UNESCO’S UK Memory of the World register, show that a representative of German merchants in Flanders appealed to Aberdeen’s provost over a ship captured by pirates on a route from Bruges in 1445. Its cargo was thought to have been sold in the city, 85 years before another ship, the Jhesus of Danzig, was rumoured to have been plundered at Aberdeen’s cove, causing King James V to become directly involved in the dispute.

“A 15th century provost of Aberdeen, Sir Robert Davidson, had a reputation for condoning piracy,” says Dr Jackson Armstrong, a co-leader on the research.

“In this he had the backing of the admiral of Scotland, Alexander Stewart, the earl of Mar.

“From the records we can see that in August 1465 alone six ships from Flanders and the Netherlands arrived at Aberdeen.

“They carried a variety of goods, including cloth and salt. There is also evidence of high status goods including walnuts, raisins, figs, and pepper arriving in Aberdeen from the Continent which demonstrate the extent of trading in this period.

“The records also show that relations were not always good and were often marred by disputes around piracy, with Aberdeen perceived as 'turning a blind eye'.”

Frequent shipwrecks, caused by a difficult sandbank near the entrance of Aberdeen’s harbour, could have exacerbated the issue. Dr Andrew Simpson, a lecturer in law at the University of Aberdeen who was part of the investigating team, found that merchants of Danzig – the modern-day Polish port of Gdańsk – lodged legal claims to recover cloth which had been part of their cargo.

“The records are the earliest and most complete body of surviving records of any Scottish town,” adds Dr Armstrong.

“They contain court documents from as early as 1317 and are then a complete record from 1398 to the present day with the exception of one missing volume.

“They show that the city ‘outperformed’ on the European stage in terms of its size and that it was recognised by Bruges - one of northern Europe’s foremost medieval cities - not only as a significant trading hub but as one of the ‘great towns’ of Scotland.”

Provost Davidson was killed at the Battle of Harlaw in 1411 and was buried in St Nicholas Kirk. His tomb - marked with a detailed stone effigy - still survives in the church.

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Three places to find out about pirates

The Tolhouse, Great Yarmouth
Discover the fate of thieves, smugglers, witches, pirates and murderers when punishment included transportation and execution at one of the oldest prisons in the country.

Royal Museums Greenwich, London
Board a pirate ship, stoke the fire of a steamship, navigate an ice-breaker and more at the new Ahoy! gallery dedicated to younger visitors.

Williamson Art Gallery and Wirral Museums, Birkenhead
Find out about the captain of a 19th century ship whose crew faced a Union court and trial as pirates in the current exhibition, The End of the American Civil War - the Merseyside Connection. Until December 20 2015.

Source: http://www.culture24.org.uk/history-and-heritage/art543192-aberdeen-pirate-lenient-burgh-papers-unesco