The Seawolves: Pirates and Scots

During this period, many Scots left their hard lives in places like Aberdeen, Stornoway and Orkney in order to find fortune, adventure and fame on the dangerous high seas of more exotic locations like Madagascar, Brazil or the Caribbean. Some, like Captain James Macrae from Ayr, became well-respected pirate hunters, champions of the law upon the ocean, and bravely faced many violent encounters and unsavoury characters. Others, such as John Gow from Orkney, were these unsavoury characters. Their dastardly deeds captured the imagination of the Scottish public and this morbid fascination is reflected in the work of Scottish writers like Daniel Defoe and Robert Louis Stevenson. Robinson Crusoe and Treasure Island, among others, cemented the notoriety of the pirate in the public mind. Graham explores all these elements of Scotland’s participation in piracy and provides a fascinating and enlightening account of the lifestyle of those who followed the skull and cross bones, often to their death on the gallows. Gripping and entertaining, The Seawolves shows a different, darker side to the famously enterprising Scot.