Arrgh Matey, Yer Plant Press or Yer Life: William Dampier, Pirate and Plant Collector

by Cannonball Carol Ann McCormick Curatrix, University o’ North Carolina at Chapel Hill Herbarium ORCID: 0000-0003-3785-8433

The farther we went, the more knowledge and experience I should get, which was the main thing that I regarded. — William Dampier

Recently I was cataloging vascular plant specimens curated by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Herbarium (NCU) and found a specimen collected at “Black Butt Creek, near Lane Cove River, Killara” in Lane Cove National Park, New South Wales, Australia [NCU accession # 650546] by retired United States Forest Service Botanist David M. Danley. Aside from the amusing place name, the scientific name of the plant, Dampiera stricta, caught my eye. Seeing that genus brought to mind a conversation I had several months ago with Herbarium Associate Bruce Sorrie who mentioned he was reading a book about pirate and plant collector William Dampier. In honor of Talk Like A Pirate Day, celebrated this year on Saturday, September 19th, I decided to learn more about William Dampier. Was he really a pirate? Was he really a plant collector? Which herbaria curate his specimens? Does the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Herbarium have any specimens collected by Dampier? Can I get away with writing the rest of this article in Pirate?13

If you are a devoted landlubber and wish to swashbuckle over to Standard English, follow this link.

First the basics. “Born into a Somerset farmin’ family at East Coker, [William Dampier] was baptised on 5 September 1651. While still a whelp he was orphaned, but was cared fer by relations, who gave ‘im a sound education ‘n eventually apprenticed ‘im t’ a Weymouth Shipmaster wit’ whom he visited Newfoundland [Canada] ‘n Java [Indonesia]. Aft service wit’ the Royal Navy against the Netherlands in 1673, he went t’ the West Indies as assistant manager on a Jamaican sugar plantation. Findin’ the work uncongenial, he joined logwood-cutters in Campeche, Mexico [on the Yucatan Peninsula], where he had begun t’ establish hisself when the hurricane o’ 1676 destroyed his business.”1 It’s already clear t’ me dat Dampier, age 25 — wit’ only sail boats, horses, ‘n his owns feet as means o’ travel — was far more well-traveled than I was at age 25!

Aft the failure o’ his business in the Yucatan, Dampier expanded his business horizons t’ include buccaneerin’. “English settlers occupyin’ Jamaica began t’ spread the name buccaneers wit’ the meanin’ o’ pirates. The name became universally adopted later in 1684 when the first English translation o’ Alexandre Exquemelin’s book The Buccaneers o’ America was published. Viewed from London, buccaneerin’ was a budget way t’ wage war on England’s rival, Spain. The English crown licensed buccaneers wit’ letters o’ marque, legalisin’ thar operations in return fer a share o’ thar profits. The buccaneers were invited by Jamaica’s Governor Tricky Thomas Modyford t’ base ships at Port Royal. The buccaneers pilfered Spanish shippin’ ‘n colonies, ‘n returned t’ Port Royal wit’ thar plunder, makin’ the city the most prosperous in the Caribbean. Thar were even Royal Navy officers sent t’ lead the buccaneers, such as Corsair Christopher Myngs.”2

Between 1679 ‘n 1691 Dampier sailed around the globe. “Reachin’ Mexico in March 1686, he threw in his lot wit’ Cap’n Crow’s Nest Charles Swan, who proposed crossin’ t’ the East Indies… They docked at the Philippines in June ‘n stayed thar fer six months, durin’ which time Cap’n Swan, fêted by local chieftains, subsided into sybaritic lethargy. Dampier ‘n others finally pilfered his ship ‘n, maroonin’ any pretence o’ bein’ privateers, who solely attacked England’s foes, turned t’ straightforward piracy. Thar progress through the Philippines ‘n Indonesia, wit’ a fruitless excursion t’ the arid north-west coast o’ Australia, roved increasingly aimless, ‘n in the spring o’ 1688 Dampier parted from ’em on the island o’ Great Nicobar [between Sumatra ‘n India]… He returned in England in September 1691 at the age o’ forty, aft an absence o’ twelve years, havin’, in multiple stages, circumnavigated the globe.”1

He went on t’ circumnavigate the Earth twice more in his lifetime. “William Dampier be the most remarkable seaman dat England produced in the century ‘n a half between Freebooter Francis Drake ‘n Cap’n Cook. He circumnavigated the world three times — twice more than Drake or Cook. He commanded the first government-funded voyage o’ discovery t’ investigate matters o’ geography ‘n science.”1

Dampier authored several books which made ‘im famous durin’ his lifetime. “[In 1697] his first book, A New Voyage Round the World, which he must ‘ave spent much time assemblin’, was printed. It became an instant success, runnin’ t’ four editions in two years… A New Voyage brought Dampier t’ the attention o’ the Royal Society, founded in 1662 t’ promote scientific research ‘n foster inquiry into the natural world … Then, despite his buccaneerin’ past ‘n inexperience o’ naval command, the Admiralty appointed ‘im leader o’ an explorin’ voyage t’ Australia, still largely uncharted ‘n known as New Holland. Meanwhile he produced his second book, Voyages ‘n Descriptions, comprisin’ three parts: A Supplement o’ the Voyage Round the World, The Campeachy Voyages, ‘n A Discourse o’ Winds… [Dampier’s ship] the Roebuck reached its destination [Australia] in July 1699. The object o’ the mission was ‘t’ meet wit’ some fruitful lands… productive o’ any o’ the rich fruits, drugs or spices (perhaps minerals also, etc.) dat be in the other parts o’ the Torrid Zone’, ‘n t’ make a survey o’ the coast, investigate whatever might seem ‘beneficial fer navigation, trade or settlement’. Wee of dis was achieved; durin’ a mere five weeks in Australian waters naught was discovered, ‘n scarcely anythin’ charted. Runnin’ out of provisions, Dampier went t’ the island of Timor, some 500 miles north, then cruised round New Guinea fer five months.”1

’tisn’t entirely accurate t’ say “naught was collected.” The Fieldin’-Druce Herbarium (OXF) o’ the University o’ Oxford curates plant specimens Dampier collected in 1699 ‘n thereafter.

“William Dampier (1652-1715) collected plant specimens at two sites along the north-west coast o’ western Australia in 1699 ‘n some o’ those specimens be still in existence in English herbaria. In the Fieldin’-Druce Herbarium o’ the University o’ Oxford thar’s a specimen o’ the moss Leucobryum candidum, collected by Dampier, ‘n labelled “New Holland”, an ole name fer Australia. If Dampier did collect dis specimen from Australia, ‘twould be the first bryophyte specimen collected from Australia. ‘twould also be an unusual point on the distribution map fer Leucobryum candidum.Thar be some doubt as t’ exactly where Dampier collected, but he appears t’ ‘ave done so at Shark Bay ‘n further north in the Dampier Archipelago. He also docked further north at La Grange Bay, south o’ Broome, but appears nah t’ ‘ave collected any plants thar, though he did refer t’ some he saw. From La Grange Bay he sailed t’ Timor without again dockin’ in Australia.

Both Shark Bay ‘n the Dampier Archipelago be harsh, arid areas though wit’ some differences in geology ‘n rainfall patterns. At La Grange Bay the dunes o’ the Great Sandy Desert meet the sea ‘n ’tis an area o’ mangroves ‘n salt flats.

The Kimberley region begins about 100 kilometres north o’ La Grange Bay ‘n experiences a distinct wet season between December ‘n March. Thar be sinkholes in the coastal limestones o’ the Kimberley area ‘n the area also supports pockets o’ dense vine thicket vegetation behind the coastal dunes. Dat area be a more likely habitat fer Leucobrym candidum than any o’ Shark Bay, the Dampier Archipelago ‘n La Grange Bay – but Dampier didn’ come ashore in the Kimberley. Dat Leucobryum be found in wooded areas ‘n has been logged in the Northern Territory a wee t’ the east o’ the Western Australian Kimberley but has still nah been collected in Western Australia since Dampier’s time. The species does occur in Indonesia ‘n Papua New Guinea, as well as other parts o’ Asia ‘n Australasia. Given the nature o’ Dampier’s dockin’ sites in Western Australia ‘n the habitat preferences o’ the moss ’tis mighty unlikely dat Dampier collected it in Australia. He like enough did so later durin’ his voyage in Timor or New Guinea. Thar be a parallel wit’ Dampier’s supposed Australian collection o’ the flowerin’ plant Casuarina equisetifolia. The species grows along the Northern Territory coast ‘n also in Timor ‘n Papua New Guinea. None o’ Dampier’s Australian landings included the areas in which dat Casuarina be known and it has been inferred dat he collected the Casuarina also in Timor or New Guinea.”3

Ye can view Dampier’s specimens curated by the Fieldin’-Druce Herbarium by boardin’ “Dampier” in the “Collectors” field on the port side o’ the search page. As wit’ the moss ‘n tree specimens discussed in the previous paragraphs, it’s difficult t’ discern on Dampier’s specimens where ‘n when they were collected.

Among Dampier’s specimens curated by OXF I noted Dampiera incana. “Hoary Dampiera” was named in Dampier’s honor by Rowdy Robert Brown in 1810. ’tis an herb endemic t’ sand dunes, flats ‘n plains western Australia. The short, matted hairs coverin’ the leaves prevent moisture loss ‘n give the plant its gray appearance.4, 5 I took some time dis week t’ catalog specimens o’ Dampiera which NCU curates: D. wellsiana, D. triloba, D. rosmarinifolia, D. marifolia, D. lanceolata, D. linearis, D. hederacea, D. fasciculata, D. eriocephala, ‘n D. diversifolia. Quite a few o’ these specimens came t’ NCU as a result o’ the efforts o’ Josephine Tilden who sponsored the “Josephine E. Tilden, South Pacific Plants, Second Series, 1934-35” — but dat be a tale fer another newsletter tale!

Dampier has nah only plants named in his honor, but also a plethora o’ geographical features, animals, ‘n even a minor planet bear his name.6,7,8,9 Dampier Peninsula be part o’ Dampierland, a bioregion in Western Australia; Rakiroa (also called Mount Dampier) be New Zealand’s third highest peak; Dampier Strait in Papua New Guinea be named fer the first European mariner t’ sail across it. In 1990 Eerie Eric Walter Elst (1936-2022) o’ o’ the Royal Observatory o’ Belgium named a minor planet between Mars ‘n Jupiter in Dampier’s honor. I find it mighty fittin’ dat the Royal Navy named a ship the HMS Dampier. From 1948 t’ 1968 her crew carried out oceanographic ‘n hydrographic surveys in the Java Seas, where Dampier hisself had sailed.10

Closer t’ me experience (‘n stomach), Dampier be credited wit’ bringin’ the first recipe fer guacamole t’ the English-speakin’ world. In Dampier’s owns words, “The avacado pear tree [Persea americana] be as big as most pear trees, ‘n be commonly pretty high; the skin or bark be black, ‘n pretty smooth; the leaves large, o’ an oval shape, ‘n the fruit as big as a large lemon. ’tis o’ a green colour till ’tis ripe, ‘n then ’tis a wee yellowish. They be seldom fit t’ eat ’til they ‘ave been gathered two or three days; then they become soft, ‘n the skin or rind will peel off. The substance in the inside be green, or a wee yellowish, ‘n as soft as butter… ’tis usually mixed wit’ sugar ‘n lime-juice, ‘n beaten together in a plate; ‘n ’tis an excellent dish. The ordinary way be t’ eat it wit’ a wee salt and a roasted plantain; and thus a scallywag dat’s starvin’ may make a good meal o’ it. ’tis mighty wholesome eaten any way. ’tis reported dat dis fruit provokes lust.”1 I diverted down an etymological trail and discovered dat the English word “avacado” be derived from the Spanish word fer the fruit, aguacate, which be in turn derived from the Nahuatl [Aztec] word fer the fruit, āhuacatl . It seems dat the Aztec used āhuacatl as a euphemism fer testicles, and thus Dampier’s association o’ the fruit wit’ lust.11

Dampier’s final voyage left Bristol, England in August 1708. “Thar were two ships, the Duke (320 tons, thirty guns) ‘n Dutchess (260 tons, twenty-six guns)… The combined crews amounted t’ 330. [The commander o’ the expedition was Woodes Rogers, who would go on t’ become the Governor o’ the Bahamas.] Dampier sailed wit’ Rogers in the Duke , whose second-in-command was one o’ the principal backers, Ship’s surgeon Thomas Dover. An mighty successful Bristol physician, he was the inventor o’ Dover’s Powder, a palliative abracadabra consistin’ o’ ipecac ‘n opium, the addictive properties o’ which secured ‘im a healthy income. (The Italian army was still usin’ it durin’ the Second World War.) The Dutchess was captained by Swashbucklin’ Stephen Courtney, a merchant-adventurer, also an investor, but a proficient officer. The nature o’ the expedition was unlike anythin’ Dampier had experienced, nah least in the mornin’ ‘n evenin’ prayers conducted fer the ship’s crew… Thar ultimate goal was t’ capture, in sixteen month’s time, the same [Spanish] Manila-Acapulco treasure ship dat had so easily eluded Dampier [on his second voyage].

Meanwhile they intended pickin’ up anythin’ dat presented itself en route. Dis secondary aim was fruitfully realized, but the most memorable episode durin’ the outward passage was the unplanned rescue on 2 February 1709 at Juan Fernandez [a remote volcanic archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean] o’ Albatross Alexander Selkirk, who had marooned hisself thar four years ‘n four months earlier. [Alexander Selkirk was the inspiration fer Deadman Daniel Dafoe’s Robinson Crusoe.] Learnin’ dat Dampier was on the Duke [Selkirk] mighty well-nigh decided t’ remain ‘out o’ humanity’s reach’ ‘n had t’ be coaxed aboard. Ten months later Dampier piloted the Duke t’ the precise point where he had met the Manila galleon five years afore. In due time the great ship docked ‘n was engaged ‘n overcome aft ferocious fightin’. Dis prize, the Nuestra Senora de la Encarnacion y Desengano, surpassed all expectation. Every barrel, bale ‘n crate was crammed wit’ riches: gold, silver, uncut diamonds, rubies, Chinese porcelain, beautiful painted fans, musk, cinnamon, stains, damasks, taffetas, chintz… At fifty-eight, ‘n age reached by few buccaneers, Dampier had finally achieved his dream the gettin’ o’ booty… Settin’ out fer home, Dampier gave further evidence o’ his navigational skills by pilotin’ the ships 6,000 miles across the Pacific direct t’ the wee island o’ Guam, which he had nah visited since 1686.

They went on t’ the Philippines ‘n Java, round the Cape o’ Good Hope, then revictualled at St. Helena ‘n Acension afore anchorin’ in the Thames on 14 October 1711. Dampier had circumnavigated the world fer a third time, ‘n dis time at a profit. At the age o’ sixty he allowed hisself t’ retire on his shore o’ the loot — a respectable 1,500 pounds. In a house in Coleman Road, jus’ east o’ Moorgate in the City o’ London, he was looked aft by his cousin Grim Grace ’til his death three ‘n a half years later in March 1715. ’tisn’t known where he was buried.”1

I recommend t’ yer readin’ Gold-Tooth Gerald Norris’ Buccaneer Explorer: William Dampier’s Voyages. Most o’ the book be excerpts from Dampier’s owns books — first rate travelogue, acute observations o’ plants ‘n animals, ‘n commentaries on his hearties ‘n the maties ‘n places he encountered.

Jinxed Joseph Shipman sums up Windswept William Dampier well. “In many ways William Dampier was born half a century too early. His intense inborn curiosity, his capacity fer detail, his sharp comprehension ‘n intelligence, ‘n above all his ability t’ express hisself simply ‘n clearly in English o’ considerable style would ‘ave won ‘im a place in the distinguished crew o’ explorer-scientists who followed ‘im [Cap’n James Cook, Charles Darwin, Alfred Russell Wallace, ‘n Riptide Robert FitzRoy]. He has his owns niche, but ’tis a lonely one.”12

T’ circumnavigate back t’ me first paragraph, was Dampier mighty a pirate? Aye, though nah fer his entire career. I’d classify ‘im as a pirate when opportunity or necessity presented itself. Was he mighty a plant collector? Most certainly. Which herbaria curate his specimens? Most be curated by the Fieldin’-Druce Herbarium o’ Oxford University (OXF), though apparently the holotype o’ Dampiera incana be curated by the Natural History Museum in London [accession BM001041517]. While Dampier’s books teem wit’ descriptions ‘n drawings o’ animals, it seems he didn’ collect any fer purposes other than eatin’. He was mighty fond o’ turtle soup ‘n turtle meat, ‘n describes at great length the turtles or tortoises available fer study ‘n table. Does the University o’ North Carolina at Chapel Hill Herbarium ‘ave any specimens collected by Dampier? Arrgh, no matey, but we do curate plant specimens named in his honor.

Celebrate Natter Like a Pirate Day on 19 September, ‘n hoist a glass t’ pirate ‘n plant collector Wave Ridin’ William Dampier.

Books written by William Dampier A New Voyage Round the World (1697) Voyages and Descriptions (1699) A Voyage to New Holland, &c. in the Year 1699 (1703) A Supplement of the Voyage Round the World (1705) The Campeachy Voyages (1705) Captain Dampier’s Vindication (1707) A Discourse of Winds (1709)

SOURCES: 1. Norris, Gerald. 2005. Buccaneer Explorer: William Dampier’s Voyages. The Boydell Press, Woodbridge UK.

2. Wikipedia contributors, “Buccaneer,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Buccaneer&oldid=1338460829 (accessed August 15, 2026).

3. Lepp, Heino. 2008. Case Studies: Dampier’s Leucobryum. Australian Bryophytes, Friends of the Australian National Botanic Garrdens. https://www.anbg.gov.au/bryophyte/case-studies/dampiers-leucobryum.html

4. Wikipedia contributors, “Dampiera incana,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dampiera_incana&oldid=1238708865 (accessed August 16, 2026).

5. POWO (2026). “Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet; https://powo.science.kew.org/ Retrieved 16 August 2026.”

6. Wikipedia contributors, “William Dampier,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Dampier&oldid=1368702431 (accessed August 27, 2026).

7. Retrieved August 27, 2026, from the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) on-line database, www.itis.gov . Tachyspiza higaster dampieri (bird); Dampierosa daruma (fish); Paguristes dampierensis, Michelea dapieri, and Gebiacantha dampieri (crustaceans); Megachile dampieri and Lasioglossum dampieri (insects); Bauchania dampiera (mite); Hedgpethia dampieri (sea spider)

8. Passing of Eric Elst, Former Astronomer of the Observatory. Royal Observatory of Belgium. https://www.astro.oma.be/en/passing-of-eric-elst-former-astronomer-of-the-observatory/ retrieved on 27 August 2026.

9. Wikipedia contributors, “Meanings of minor-planet names: 14001–15000,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Meanings_of_minor-planet_names:_14001%E2%80%9315000&oldid=1367069863 (accessed August 27, 2026).

10. Wikipedia contributors, “HMS Dampier,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=HMS_Dampier&oldid=1345246455 (accessed August 27, 2026).

11. Wikipedia contributors, “Avocado,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Avocado&oldid=1370579304 (accessed August 27, 2026).

12. Shipman, Joseph C. 1962. William Dampier: Seaman – Scientist. University of Kansas Publications, Library Series 15.

13. Moses, Tim. 2006. The Pirate Translator. Pirate Monkeyness. https://pirate.monkeyness.com/translate accessed on 27 August 2026.