Cornelius Essex

Cornelius Essex (fl. 1679-1680) was a buccaneer and privateer best known for sacking Spanish Puerto Bello as part of a larger contingent of pirates.

History

In August 1679 Essex was among a group of pirates who attacked Spanish traders in the Bay of Honduras, looting indigo and other cargo. His vessel Great Dolphin was captured after attacking an English homestead on Jamaica and he was put on trial with 20 of his crew. Two of them were sentenced to hang but Essex was not.

Essex sailed his barque to Port Morant, Jamaica in December 1679 to join John Coxon, Bartholomew Sharpe, Robert Allison, and Thomas Magott in planning an assault on Puerto Bello.

Some modern sources claim Essex was killed during the attack on Puerto Bello. However, a buccaneer witness confirmed that Essex survived but left his leaky vessel behind - “Capt. Essex leaveing his Barkque their she being so rotten” - after which he likely joined with Coxon or one of the other captains. He returned to Jamaica in 1682 and soon left for New York as a passenger aboard a sloop which was itself plundered by pirates.