Emmanuel wynne biography

17th-century French pirate

Emanuel Wynn^[a] (fl. ) was a French pirate of the 17th century who is often considered the first pirate to fly the Jolly Roger.

History

British Admiralty Records, in the Public Records Office in the UK show, in a report dated 18 July , that HMS Poole, a gun fifth-ratefrigate^[1] commanded by Captain John Cranby, engaged Wynn's ship off the Cape Verde islands. Cranby chased Wynn into a cove at Brava Island^[b] where Wynn was able to hold out. Cranby enlisted the assistance of Portuguese soldiers, but thanks to their delay in attacking, Wynn slipped out of the harbor and escaped.^[2]

Wynn's Jolly Roger Flag

Most historians agree that Cranby's journal is the first witness account of a black Jolly Roger used aboard ship,^[3] which Cranby described as "a sable ensign with cross bones, a death's head, and an hour glass" (the quotation is from Earle, Pirate Wars, p.&#;) or "A Sable Flag