The Unusual Suspects
The pirates listed on this page are probably
fictional. No real evidence has yet come to light which shows them to be
genuine historical characters, but on the other hand no good argument (except
for the lack of evidence) has been given for their being fictional. This page
will no doubt be added to as people remind me of pirates I've forgotten or
reduced as evidence is found to definitely decide whether someone was real or
not. In the mean time the pirates listed here should be treated as being
probably fictional.
Eric Cobham
- The Cobham's story first appeared in print in the 1920s and was given credibility
by being repeated in Gosse's "The PiratesWho's Who". The only
evidence for their existence is a single copy of Eric Cobham's alleged memoirs
quoted in the 1920s source. All other copies of his memoirs were supposedly
destroyed by his family, and the copy used by the writer of the original source
pamphlet has also disappeared since its publication. There is no evidence at
all of any aspect of Cobham's life, including any record of his family in his
supposed birthplace. His story is fanciful in the extreme and must be
considered certainly fictional unless some other evidence is brought to light.
Maria Cobham (née Lyndsey) - see above
Black Caesar
- The 19th century Black Caesar who sailed alongside Gaspar from time to time is
almost certainly fictional. It is possible that there existed at least one
other Black Caesar, the name is not an unlikely one, but whether any of them
were pirates is doubtful.
Louis le Golif, or Borgne-Fesse - le Golif is usually considered to be fictional, but
debate rages. During bombing in wartime France and manuscript was revealed
which had lain concealed for centuries. It turned out to be the memoirs of a
buccaneer called Louis le Golif. It was suspected at the time that the
manuscript was a forgery, and though it has not as far as I'm aware been proven
conclusively it is still generally considered to be a forgery. There is no
other record of le Golif, and much of the information contained in his alleged
memoirs does not tie up with other genuine sources.
Red Legs Greaves - One of the people listed in Gosse's "The Pirate's
Who's Who", but for whom no other evidence has been found.