Richard Frowd

Richard Frowd (fl. 1718–1719) was a pirate active in the Caribbean. He is best known for sailing with William Moody. He was one of a number of pirates to have both white and black sailors in his crew.

History

Frowd was in the Caribbean in his 8-gun 60-man brigantine alongside Englishman William Moody’s 36-gun 130-man Rising Sun and another ship in 1718. Frowd acted as a ship’s tender to Moody’s Rising Sun but also took ships on his own, including a pink from Belfast near the Carolinas in January 1719.

After cruising the Caribbean for a time, Moody sailed for the coast of Africa. Near Cape Verde around April 1719 Moody and his supporters marooned Thomas Cocklyn, and were themselves in turn forced off the Rising Sun and into a small boat, and were presumed to have been lost at sea.

A number of pirates allowed blacks to serve on board their ships, though there is no general agreement on whether they were equal to white crewmen or had lesser status. Frowd's was described as "60 men, whites and blacks".