Lord Bellomont, Governor of New York from 1698 to 1700, was a major financial backer of William Kidd's privateering commission to hunt for pirates and French ships. It was also Lord Bellomont that arrested and took Kidd in custody after he returned to the colonies to clear his name of piracy.
While Lord Bellomont likely had no intention of helping Kidd prove his innocence, the Governor at least provided documentation and evidence that would have helped Kidd's defense in his trial. Kidd had presented his French passes to Lord Bellomont, along with his testimony/reaccounting of his journey. These passes were vital to show that the ships Kidd and his crew captured were legal under his privateering commission. Lord Bellomont took those passes and sent them in a letter to London. It was at this point that the passes seemed to have vanished and could not be located during Kidd’s trial. These passes would not be relocated until many centuries later and can now be found in the Public Record Office in London.
It is highly likely these passes were deliberately hidden away so that Kidd had no backing to his defense - many officials were needing his trial to sentence him with a guilty verdict. Captain Kidd did not deserve this injustice, and his name needs to be cleared in history - he was no pirate! -
It has been a month since our inquiry has been sent to the Ministry of Justice on behalf of Captain Kidd. We are hoping to hear something from them soon, as it was recommended to wait about 4 weeks to hear back. The pardon movement will provide an update when we hear from them!
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