Ossian Trewhella (1615-) was an English pirate and privateer from Cornwall who was active in the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy. Trewhella travelled to Nevis in 1640, and he initiated a successful career of buccaneering both for the English crown and for his and his crew's interests.
Biography[]
Ossian Trewhella was born in Helston, Cornwall, England in 1615, and he joined the Royal Navy in 1639 and sailed to the Caribbean in the crew of Captain Gideon Billings. He and the 40-man crew were subjected to inhumane conditions, and they proceeded to mutiny and seize control of the sloop, the Revenge; they arrived in Nevis in early January 1640. There, Governor Conan Roscarrock issued him letters of marque to participate in England's wars with Spain and France; Roscarrock also suggested that Trewhella should attack the French colony of Montserrat. Trewhella recruited 18 more crew members from Nevis' tavern, bringing his crew strength up to 58 men. The barmaid Gwendolyn Trerice tipped off Trewhella about the French sloop Desepoir, which was bound for Margarita Island with 1,000 gold pieces. On 11 February 1640, Trewhella intercepted the Desepoir just off Margarita, and he captured the ship and 1,000 gold pieces. He then returned to Nevis, where he sold many of his captured goods before selling the Desepoir itself. He then recruited 9 more pirates into his crew, and he learned from Trerice that the Dutch West Indiaman Magdalena was bound for Sint Eustatius with 1,700 gold pieces. On 15 April 1640, he caught up with the Dutch ship and captured it, forcing Captain Dik Dute to surrender after pounding his merchant ship into submission.
While returning to Nevis, Trewhella intercepted a French raider halfway between Saint Kitts and Nevis, and he destroyed the raider and damaged the Egyptienne. Trewhella recruited more men from Nevis, but, in May, he lost the Revenge after failing to capture the French merchantman La Rochelle. Nevertheless, Trewhella was able to escape aboard the Magdalena and convert the merchant ship into his flagship, and he and his 33 surviving crew members visited Antigua, where he met Governor Melville Tamblyn and recruited 25 additional crew members. On 9 June 1640, he attacked the Dutch merchantman Zuider Zee between Nevis and Montserrat, sinking the Dutch ship once it became apparent that it would otherwise escape. On 13 June 1640, Trewhella intercepted the French sloop Carrere off Nevis, capturing the ship and recruiting its quartermaster Patrice Barreau and 20 of his crewmates. On 15 June 1640, Trewhella intercepted the French merchantman Aphrodite off Nevis, but it escaped. On 17 June, Trewhella arrived in Nevis and stole the Carrere, recruited 5 more pirates to his 67-man crew. On 2 July 1640, Trewhella intercepted and captured the French brigantine L'Invention off Nevis (as he was unaware that England and France had been at peace since May), and he visited Saint Kitts and met with Governor Nathan Trudheon before recruiting 29 more men to his 89-man crew. The English barmaid Lamorna Bolitho tipped off Trewhella about the Spanish ship Puesta del Sol Roja sailing to St. Eustatius with 1,000 in gold, but he was unable to find the ship, and he ultimately returned to St. Kitts on 8 August and sold L'Invention, disbanding a few of his crewmembers after running out of space on his ship.
Having waged war on France on behalf of England and the Dutch on behalf of his money-hungry crew, Trewhella next decided to prey on the Spanish Empire. On 2 and 11 September, in battles off Isla Saona, Trewhella captured the Spanish trade galleons Sierra Nevada and Marinero Liso, acquiring 453 gold pieces from the first ship and 555 from the second. He accidentally sank another galleon in the Action of 17 September 1640, but he seized 399 gold pieces from another galleon in the Action of 2 October 1640. On Trewhella's return to Saint Kitts on 12 November, he was promoted to Captain in the Royal Navy by Governor Trudheon, and he was granted a 250-acre estate on the outskirts of Basseterre and was introduced to Lady Sarah Trudheon. Trewhella then recruited more crew members and returned to sea, continuing his Saint Kitts-based piracy campaign, including the sinking of the Bravoure and the capture of the Hengelo.
Trewhella's travels also took him to Montserrat, where he recruited additional crew members and met Governor Enguerran De Villiers, who applauded him for his actions against the Dutch (while lamenting his actions against the French) and offered him a letter of marque to encourage him to plunder Dutch ships near Sint Eustatius. Emboldened by the backing of both England and France, Trewhella renamed his flagship Magdalena to Terrorand set sail for the Dutch islands to go to war. Trewhella proceeded to attack and plunder the 8-gun sloop De Veroordeelde Mensen on 7 February 1641, and, two days later, he visited the Dutch Governor of Sint Maarten, Mathijn Peereboom, who offered him letters of marque, but also demanded 1,000 gold pieces to forgive his offenses against the Dutch crown. Rather than bribe Peereboom, Trewhella led his 154 pirates to assault Sint Maarten, sacking the city and seizing 800 gold pieces before installing Brence Edgcumbe as the new English governor. Edgcumbe promoted Trewhella to Major in recognition of his services to England.