Child Pirate of the Caribbean: John King Was Just 11 When he Joined Infamous Pirate Crew

Nearly 300 years before the first Pirates of the Caribbean film fuelled the imagination of young, modern minds with exciting pirate adventures, a young boy named John King was living the life of a pirate of the Caribbean.

He was no more than 11 years old (conflicting sources say he was 9, 10, or 11 years old) when he joined Samuel Bellamy’s pirate crew, making John King the youngest known pirate in history.

The story begins on November 9, 1716, when John and his mother were on the passenger ship Bonetta. They were on their way to Antigua from Jamaica when the infamous pirate Captain Samuel “Black Sam” Bellamy and his crew captured the ship.

While the young boy watched the crew plunder the ship, he seemed to become more and more excited by the prospect of being a pirate himself, and before his mother knew what to do her son was begging to leave her and join Bellamy’s pirate crew. In fact, Bonetta captain Abijah Savage, said John even threatened to kill himself or hurt his mother if he was denied the chance to join this band of pirates. Although the boy was young, Bellamy saw his determination and potential and decided to bring him aboard.