{{distinguish|John Bucknell}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox pirate | name = John Mucknell | image = | caption = | nickname = | alias = | type = | birth_date = c. 1608 | death_date = | birth_place = Stepney, London | death_place = | allegiance = | serviceyears = 1644–1651 | base of operations = Isles of Scilly | rank = | commands = | battles = | wealth = | laterwork = }}
'''John Mucknell''' (born c. 1608 in Stepney, London) was an English pirate in the 17th century. A staunch Royalist, he was knighted and appointed as a Vice Admiral by the future Charles II, and licensed as a privateer.<ref>{{cite web|title=The 'Uprising' of 1648| url=http://scillypedia.co.uk/The_Uprising_of_1648.htm| publisher=Scillypedia| access-date=26 December 2012| first=Todd |last=Stevens |year=2012 }}</ref>
==Biography== Mucknell was born to Catholic parents in Stepney, in the East End of London, and baptised at St Dunstan's Church in September 1608. He and his wife Elizabeth later lived in the neighbouring parish of Poplar.<ref>{{cite book|url={{Google books|plainurl=y|id=0f5i8mIGMpkC|page=18|text=christened}}|author=Todd Stevens|title=The Pirate John Mucknell|page=18}}</ref>
Mucknell became a ship's commander under the East India Company, a powerful firm trading between England and the East Indies. By 1643, Mucknell was unhappy with Puritan opinions and set sail on the ''John'', a new East India Company 44-gun ship, bound for Surat. After marooning his enemies on a small island called Johanna, among the Comoros in the north end of the Mozambique Channel, Mucknell sailed first to Bristol and then to the Isles of Scilly.<ref>{{cite book| last =Rawlinson| first = H.G. | title =British beginnings in western India, 1579-1657: an account of the early days of the British factory of Surat | year = 1920 | url =https://archive.org/details/britishbeginning00rawluoft}}</ref>
There, Mucknell united and took control of local pirates and the ''John'' became the flagship. There were about 11 ships in the group. Mucknell operated in the English Channel and the Western Approaches between 1644 and 1651.<ref name="The Pirate John Mucknell">{{cite book | last =Stevens | first =Todd | title =The Pirate John Mucknell and the Hunt for the Wreck of the John | publisher = AuthorHouse Publishing | date = October 2011 | isbn = 978-1467001588 }}</ref>
==Legacy== There are three extant first hand accounts from crew members of the ''John''.<ref name="The Pirate John Mucknell"/>
Todd Stevens, a shipwreck hunter, claims to have found the wreck of the ''John''.<ref>{{cite news| title =Wreck of pirate ship found off the Scillies may hide a treasure trove | newspaper=Western Morning News | date = 2012-06-02 | url =http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/Wreck-pirate-ship-Scillies-hide-treasure-trove/story-16258733-detail/story.html | access-date =2012-07-29}}</ref> English Heritage announced plans to dive the wreck in June 2012.<ref>{{cite web| title=Update: English Heritage Surveying Potential Pirate Ship Site | publisher = scillytoday| date =14 June 2012 | url =http://www.scillytoday.com/2012/06/14/english-heritage-surveying-potential-pirate-ship-site/ | access-date =2012-07-29 }}</ref>
Stevens has written a book on the subject of Mucknell, ''The Pirate John Mucknell and the Hunt for the Wreck of the John''.
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://scillydivers.blogspot.com/p/john.html The ''John'' at Islands Maritime Archaeological Group] {{Pirates}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mucknell, John}} Category:17th-century English criminals Category:English pirates Category:17th-century pirates Category:1600s births Category:Year of death unknown Category:People from Stepney