On this day in 1701 Captain William kidd was executed in London for murder and piracy.
William Kidd, was a Scottish sea captain who was commissioned as a privateer and had experience as a pirate.
Kidd was born in Dundee, Scotland prior to October 15, 1654. While claims have been made of alternate birthplaces, including Greenock and even Belfast, he said himself he came from Dundee in a testimony given by Kidd to the High Court of Admiralty in 1695. There have also been records of his baptism taking place in Dundee.
Kidd had captured a French ship, commanded by an English captain, as a prize. He had been commissioned by the Crown as a privateer for this expedition, but the political climate of England turned against him in this case. Some modern historians, for example Sir Cornelius Neale Dalton, deemed his piratical reputation unjust and said that he was acting as a privateer.Documents found in the early 20th century in London court papers supported Kidd's account of his actions.
