Arrr go on, give pirate ancestor Royal pardon!
HE was the swashbuckling scourge of pirates prowling the Caribbean who was later accused of piracy himself.
But now Captain William Kidd’s airline pilot descendant is leading the fight to have him granted a Royal pardon.
Captain Jeffrey Ariens is the nine-times removed great-greatgrandson of Captain Kidd, who was executed in 1701.
Born in Dundee in 1654, the seaman made a living hunting down pirates. However, he too eventually fell foul of the law and was hanged in London.
Mr Ariens, a pilot for 34 years from Punta Gorda in Florida, said he wants to help redeem the Kidd name.
He is willing to fly to Britain to back the drive to win a Royal pardon for his ancestor.
He said: ‘I started researching my ancestry in 2014 while living aboard my boat i n Florida. Although I have long been a pilot, I often felt I had saltwater in my veins. I was thrilled to be a descendant. It motivated me to read all the info I could.’
Kidd became a very successful privateer, pursuing pirates out of New York.
A written commission f r om King William allowed him to attack ships under the protection of France. However, evidence which could later have cleared him of piracy charges vanished before his Old Bailey trial in London. Widower Mr Ariens has no children but he said his sister’s eight-year- old son was thrilled to learn of the family’s connections with piracy and told his teacher all about it. Mr Ariens said: ‘We had to explain that my great-greatgrandfather nine times removed was not a pirate. He was a privateer and his commission from King William was to catch pirates.’