William Knight (pirate)

William Knight (c. fl. 1686) was a 17th century English buccaneer who, in 1684, led a landing party consisting of forty English and twenty French buccaneers in an attack on La Serena, but was forced to retreat in the face of strong cavalry [http://www.historicaltextarchive.com/books.php?op=viewbook&bookid=16&cid=1] . The following year he joined a privateering expedition with Swan, Townley and Harris under the command of Captain Edward Davis and participated in looting the towns of Realejo and Leondn before the eventual departures of Swan and Townley who sailed for Mexico and of Harris who left soon after due to the deaths of many of the crew from disease. Remaining with Davies, the two continued down the Peruvian coast throughout 1686 and, with fewer than 250 men, looted the Spanish town of Sana, Peru in March, carrying away an estimated 100,000 pesos (£25,000).

Although a similar raid against Paita gained slightly less, forty slaves were liberated and joined the expedition. The expedition attacked five more cities during the months of May and June, reportedly murdering city officials and priests who refused to reveal information on hidden treasure, with the city of Pisco paying £5,000 in July.

Knight and Davies parted company at the Juan Fernandez Islands, with each crew member receiving £2,500 whereupon his later activities are unknown.

Further reading

*Rogozinski, Jan. "Pirates!: Brigands, Buccaneers, and Privateers in Fact, Fiction, and Legend". New York: Da Capo Press, 1996. ISBN 0-306-80722-X