Captain William Kidd

The notorious pirate Captain William Kidd was executed three hundred and ten years ago this month, yet is far from forgotten.  A new exhibit is opening on May 20th at the Museum of London Dockyards – Pirates:  The Captain Kidd Story.   Also the wreck of the Quedagh Merchant, abandoned by Captain Kidd, is being dedicated as a “Living Museum of the Sea” by Indiana University and the government of the Dominican Republic.

Museum of London Docklands to host new Pirate exhibition

The exhibition, which is timed to coincide with Kidd’s execution on 23 May 1701 in Wapping, will explore the myths and mysteries surrounding common perceptions of pirates.

Exhibits in display will include Kidd’s last letter with the promise of hidden treasure, a Vivienne Westwood outfit from her 1981 ‘Pirates’ collection and images of the Quedah Merchant ship wreck, the vessel captured by Kidd on January 30, 1698.

Tom Wareham, Curator of Maritime History at the Museum of London Docklands, said the exhibition “will help people understand the close connection between the pirates of the high seas and the London that funded their activities.

“The skull and crossbones may not have fluttered over ships in the Thames, but many of the pirates themselves were here at one time or another. Our most famous pirate, Captain Kidd, was enmeshed in intrigue that involved corrupt MPs and the mighty East India Company. This exhibition will not only tell Kidd’s story but use some of his actual letters and documents to help bring him back to life.”

Pirates: The Captain Kidd Story opens on Friday 20 May 2011 at the Museum of London Docklands and runs until Sunday 30 October 2011.

Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing the article along.

Capt. Kidd shipwreck site to be dedicated ‘Living Museum of the Sea’ by Indiana University

Nearly three years after the discovery of the shipwreck Quedagh Merchant, abandoned by the scandalous 17th century pirate Captain William Kidd, the underwater site will be dedicated as a “Living Museum of the Sea” by Indiana University, IU researcher and archeologist Charles Beeker, and the government of the Dominican Republic.

The dedication as an official underwater museum will take place off the shore of Catalina Island in the Dominican Republic on May 23, the 310th anniversary of Kidd’s hanging in London for his ‘crimes of piracy.’