By Imogen, Exeter Cathedral Library & Archives Volunteer
May’s ‘In Focus’ event exhibited items from the Cathedral’s Library and Archive that related to the sea. A particularly interesting part of the ‘In Focus’ event was a number of entries in the chapter acts from the 17th century documenting money paid by the Cathedral to return captives taken by North African pirates. The twelve entries from 1672 to 1686 include “22s given to the redemption of Bonaventure Cowle ‘a poore captive in Turkey’”. Bonaventure Cowle appears to have links to St Marychurch and was potentially captured three times! Another entry states ‘10s granted towards redemption of John Whitrow ‘a captive in Turkey’. There is a John Whitrow, in the Cathedral marriage records in the late 17th century, so this is potentially why his ransom was paid for by the Cathedral. However, we are unsure why certain individuals were paid for, perhaps they had links to people in the Cathedral, or their families petitioned for a contribution towards their ransom. However, what is clear is that the money contributed by the Cathedral would have been part of wider collections to hopefully return captives to their homes, this money was collected at the end of sermons and in visiting houses.
In the 17th century over 35,000 people were captured by North African pirates. Sailors and fishermen were captured at sea, whilst civilians were also taken in land raids in Ireland, Iceland and elsewhere. Captives would perform tasks from manual labour to domestic service. Whilst many individuals did not return home, those who did were often met with hostility on their return to Britain, for fears of their potential conversion to Islam whilst held captive. William Oakley’s narrative, Ebenezer, printed in 1675, around the same time the Cathedral paid captives’ ransoms, tells the story of his captivity and his return to England. His account echoes a diary, despite being written after his return to England. He recounts how he used his religion as guidance during his time being enslaved, denouncing the figure of the ‘renegade’, asserting that he remained Christian throughout his captivity.
Newes from Sally, a pamphlet from 1642, details the escape of four English captives taken from four different ships, two of which were from Barnstaple and Dartmouth. After being sold to a merchant in Algiers, the individuals planned their successful escape. From the thousands of civilians captured at sea by North African pirates, few returned to Britain. However, the Cathedral’s records allow us to access a brief glance at the role the Cathedral played in saving some of these captives.