John Golden

John Golden (c.1646-1694) was a Jacobite pirate and privateer active in the waters near England and France. His trial was important in establishing Admiralty law, differentiating between privateers and pirates, and ending the naval ambitions of the deposed James II.

Biography

John Golden was born in Dublin circa 1646, he was the nephew of James Walsh, a Jacobite and Captain in the French navy. The Walsh family would go on to become prominent members of the French nobility. Golden moved with his Uncle to Port Louis, France, when he was 10 years old as the Walsh family had been expelled from Ireland for siding with the Irish Catholic Confederation in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. He and his crew also quoted the Treaty of Limerick, which allowed English subjects to serve foreign rulers militarily. The King's Admiralty Advocate William Oldys agreed and refused to prosecute them for piracy. Littleton argued that a deposed ruler had no authority to commission privateers and therefore Golden and his crew had no protections under law. In March 1694 they were hanged, drawn, and quartered. Six others were convicted of piracy and were hanged, while a further four were acquitted and released. Within two years James II ceased offering privateering commissions.