Who is Edward Low

Edward Low at a Glance 

Early life
Edward Lowe was born in Westminster, London, England, in the late 17th century.

As he grew older, Lowe tired of pickpocketing and thievery, and left England for Boston. In Boston, he married a lady named Eliza Marble, They had a son, who died when he was an infant, and a daughter named Elizabeth. Eliza died in labour, leaving Lowe with his daughter.

At first working honestly as a rigger, in May 1722 he joined a gang of men on a sloop headed for Honduras, where they planned to steal a shipment of logs for resale in Boston.

Following a failed mutiny, however, Lowe and his friends were forced to leave the boat. A day later, Lowe led the gang in taking over a small sloop, and officially turned pirate determined "to go in her, make a black Flag and declare War against all the World."

Piracy

The pirate flag used by Edward LoweLowe was a success as a pirate, and after a period as lieutenant to George Lowther, he eventually captained a brigantine (named Rebecca). In one early notable raid, he attacked 13 New England fishing vessels sheltering at anchor in Port Roseway (Shelburne, NS). Although outnumbered, Low hoisted the black flag and declared that no quarter would be given if any resisted. The fleet submitted and Low's men robbed each vessel. Low chose the largest, an 80-ton schooner which he renamed The Fancy) and armed with 10 guns to become his flagship. A number of New England fishermen were forced to join Low, including Philip Ashton who later escaped to write a detailed account of life aboard Low's pirate ship.

Initially, Lowe used the same flag as Edward Teach (better known as Blackbeard). Later, he used his own flag, which became notorious. He also used a flag called the Green Trumpeter, which was a green silk flag with a yellow figure of a man blowing a trumpet on it, used to signal his other ships that the captains of his fleet were to meet on his ship. It was hoisted on the mizzen peak.

As Lowe's success increased in the Caribbean, so did his notoriety. Eventually, a bounty was placed on his head, and Lowe headed for the Azores.

In the Azores, Lowe became particularly noted for his brutality and sadism, which included acts such as cutting off a victim's lips, cooking them, and forcing the victim to eat them. Many historians believe this was deliberately done to cultivate a ferocious image. One failed torture session led to one of Lowe's crew members accidentally cutting him in the mouth. Botched surgery led to Lowe being scarred. There is a famous story of him burning a French cook alive saying he was a "greasy fellow who would fry well" and he once killed 53 Spanish captives with his cutlass.

Lowe teamed up with another pirate captain named Charles Harris, who owned a ship named the Ranger. As they terrorised the Azores, the pressure increased from the authorities, who by now had taken special notice of Edward Lowe, despite the hordes of pirates in operation at the time.

Lowe, Harris and their boats left the Azores for the Carolinas. Following a battle with a Man-o-war named the HMS Greyhound, Lowe fled in the Fancy and headed back to the Azores, leaving Harris and the Ranger behind.