Joseph Bannister

Joseph Bannister (died 1687, first name occasionally given as George) was an English pirate who operated in the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy.

Bannister was captain of the merchant ship Golden Fleece and was tasked with making transatlantic voyages, delivering goods on the profitable route between London and Jamaica at least as early as 1680.

[1] In June 1684, Bannister ran away with the ship and its thirty to forty guns, picked up over a hundred men to serve as his crew, and began his career as a pirate.

Bannister placed two separate batteries of guns on island vantage points and battled the navy for two full days, until the warships ran out of ammunition and were forced to retreat.

He was taken back to Port Royal, Jamaica, where, fearing another escape, new governor Hender Molesworth had him hanged from the Drake's yardarm without trial even before he could get off the boat.