| Port Royal | |
 | |
| Continent | North America |
| Location | Jamaica |
| Population | English citizens
Slaves Maroons Pirates |
| Affiliation | British Empire |
Port Royal was one of the largest cities in and capital of English Jamaica. Previously the home of privateers, it is now a center of shipping and commerce for the British in the West Indies.
History[]
Background[]
Founded in 1518 by the Spanish, it was captured by England in 1655 during the invasion of Jamaica. In the early days of the Golden Age of Piracy, the port city was notorious as a haven for privateers and pirates, and a place for them to sell their booty. However in 1687, Jamaica passed anti-piracy laws. Consequently, instead of being a safe haven, Port Royal became noted as their place of execution.
Season One[]
Flint tells Richard Guthrie the story of Vazquez , an agent of the Casa de Contratación, who wandered into a tavern in Port Royal and told an English merchant captain that the Urca de Lima, the largest Spanish treasure galleon in the Americas, was sailing without an escort. Before expiring, he also reveals the galleon's schedule to the captain. This conversation was overheard by a spy in Flint's employ[1].
John Silver and Max plan to flee to Port Royal after receiving payment for the Urca schedule from Charles Vane. A new captain to Nassau, James Bridge, considers selling his cargo in Port Royal instead of to the Guthries in Nassau, angered at the idea of Eleanor taking four reales for every dollar. After being threatened by Vane however, Bridge agrees[2].
Desperate to find a new source of income after Eleanor confiscates their ship and most of their crew, Jack Rackham leads Vane and Anne Bonny to the Inn, where he tells Mrs. Mapleton that Noonan sold them the brothel before seeking passage to Port Royal (in truth he had been killed by Vane)[3].
Max returns to the Inn after the remaining Ranger crew loyal to Vane disappear. Idelle brings her porridge and tells her that everyone is talking about how Max got eight men to disappear into thin air. Max says that they went to Port Royal, and Idelle sarcastically replies that she's Henry Avery. Benjamin Hornigold later remarks to Mr. Scott that while Eleanor agreed to remove the ban on Captain Vane, the eight remaining men of his crew disappeared, also disbelieving the story that they went to Port Royal[4].
Season Two[]
Ned Low mentions Port Royal as one of several places that he has made camp. He adds that in every place he's been, there's always been a man not to cross[5].
Angered at being temporarily excluded from the crew of the Colonial Dawn, Anne Bonny leaves for Port Royal to recruit spies for Max and Jack. When she returns to Nassau, a shocked Jack says he thought she’d board a ship in Port Royal and never look back, and Anne admits she thought about it[6].
While sailing to claim the Urca treasure, Anne reveals the reason she returned to Jack. While standing on the jetty in Port Royal, Anne realized it was the first time she and Jack had been so far apart since they were kids. She says she was at every tavern in the city trying to find them spies, and every time she said her name, people already knew it. The first thing people always said was his name, like she and Jack were two halves of the same thing[7].
Season Three[]
After Woodes Rogers successfully takes over Nassau, Jack Rackham and Anne Bonny plan to flee with their share of the Urca gems. They plan on taking a skiff to Port Royal, use Anne’s acquaintances to purchase a ship and hire a crew and then make their way to Continental Europe. However, Jack is upset with the idea of changing his name and decides to secure a pardon in Nassau[8].
Season Four[]
After the pirate invasion of Nassau fails, Edward Teach blockades the harbor with the Revenge, preventing Eleanor from departing for Philadelphia. Teach demands Eleanor Guthrie in exchange for his departure. Rogers plans on leading Teach away from the harbor on one of his sloops, and Rogers believes he will be able to make it to Port Royal, while Eleanor is to depart on the other for Philadelphia in order to enlist the support of her grandfather in fighting the pirates[9].
Rogers prevails against Teach, executing him after Rackham surrenders. He imprisons the pirates in the Lion while he sails the Revenge back to Nassau. En route, he learns that Nassau has fallen to the pirates. Rogers orders Lieutenant Kendrick to sail the sloop to Port Royal and deliver the pirates to GovernorAddison for execution. However, Kendrick decides to make the pirates fight one on one with Mr. Milton, killing a dozen before Anne Bonny is able to get Kendrick’s keys, leading the pirates to rise up and slaughter the Redcoat crew. Max tells Long John Silver that when Anne was in Port Royal, she met a man with an estate in the wilderness north of Spanish Florida who used convicts as laborers. Some of these convicts were the scions of wealthy families, who wanted their troublesome kin to disappear, cared for, but never seen or heard from again[10].
Eleanor makes a deal to surrender Fort Nassau and depart New Providence in exchange for the cache of gems in the pirates’ possession. When Rogers arrives on the Revenge, she sends Mrs. Hudson to tell him to retire to Port Royal for a fortnight while the deal takes place. Flint leads Eleanor and her escort to a beach where they believe the gems are being delivered, but instead find Jack Rackham. Flint tells him that Rogers went to Port Royal while the transaction is completed, but Rackham believes that Rogers will not allow himself to be defeated by them. Rackham is correct, for Rogers goes to Havana and successfully recruits the support of Governor Raja to clear the pirates out of Nassau once and for all[11].
Trivia[]
- Historically, Port Royal was a base for English and Dutch privateers who would raid Spanish shipping during the 17th century before eventually becoming a legitimate center of trade. In 1692, the city was struck by a massive earthquake and tsunami, causing the entire northern section of the city to be lost. Most survivors moved to nearby Kingston, which supplanted Port Royal as Jamaica's dominant city.