Newport Harbor may seem peaceful now, but on July 19, 1723, it was the site of a brutal spectacle—the largest mass hanging in Newport’s history. Twenty-six pirates were hanged at Gravelly Point, just off Long Wharf, in a public display meant to send a strong message: piracy would no longer be tolerated.
It all started on June 10th, when Captain Solgard, commander of The Greyhound, engaged two Caribbean pirate ships off Block Island. One, captained by the notorious Ned Low, escaped. But the other—a sloop called The Ranger, captained by Charles Harris—was captured. Harris and 35 surviving crew members arrived in Newport Harbor on June 14th, marking the beginning of the end for piracy in the city.
The pirates were put on trial, and on July 19th, they were publicly hanged in what became a grim chapter in Newport’s history. Prayers and a sermon preceded the hangings, and many of the pirates spoke to the crowd before their execution. The entire city, along with many visitors, turned out for the event, which lasted two hours—long enough to execute all 26 men. The bodies were buried between the low and high water mark at the north end of Goat Island.
What’s ironic is that just a few decades earlier, Newport had been a haven for pirates. Wealthy families like the Wantons had dabbled in privateering—legal piracy—to make their fortunes. Pirates like Thomas Tew were celebrated figures in town. Tew, who raided ships in the Red Sea, was so well-liked that after his raids, he was welcomed back to Newport in 1694, where he settled and gifted “generous presents” to local leaders, including Governor Caleb Carr.
Tew wasn’t the only pirate with ties to Newport’s elite. Captain Thomas Paine, who arrived in 1683, bought property and became a respected citizen, thanks to a Quaker Governor. Paine helped defend the city from French privateers in 1690, despite his notorious past. He was also a founding member of Newport’s Trinity Church.
But by 1723, the British had had enough. The execution at Gravelly Point was meant to erase Newport’s pirate-friendly past and make a clear statement: piracy would no longer have a place in Newport’s future.
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