Edward England Flag, Skull and Crossed Bones - c.1720 - Pirate Wax Seal Stamp

Edward England Flag, Skull and Crossed Bones - c.1720 - Historical Wax Seal Stamp

Wax seal stamp featuring the classic skull and crossed-bones flag associated with Edward England, a pirate captain active along the West African coast and across the Indian Ocean during the Golden Age of Piracy.

Edward England emerged as a pirate captain during the late 1710s. After operating in the Atlantic and along the coast of West Africa, he moved into the Indian Ocean, where his company used Madagascar as a base and sailed the trading routes between Africa and India.

Among the vessels associated with England were the Pearl, which was renamed Royal James, and later the Fancy. His career is particularly well documented through A General History of the Pyrates, published in 1724, which devotes an entire chapter to England and incorporates an account by East India Company captain James Macrae.

The flag traditionally associated with Edward England is one of the simplest and most recognisable designs of the period: a white skull positioned above two crossed bones on a black field. The National Maritime Museum identifies England among the Golden Age captains associated with this classic form of the Jolly Roger.

There is nevertheless some uncertainty around the exact attribution. Modern historical collections commonly identify this design with England, and later accounts describe him using the skull-and-crossbones emblem, but no surviving original flag is known. Some modern flag catalogues therefore classify the familiar reconstruction as traditionally associated with England rather than an unquestionably preserved copy of his personal colours.

A General History of the Pyrates portrays England as unusually moderate towards captured sailors compared with many members of his crew. During the encounter with Captain Macrae and the Cassandra in 1720, England argued for Macrae to be spared and helped secure him a vessel and supplies. According to the 1724 account, England was “not avaritious, and always averse to the ill Usage Prisoners received”. This attitude ultimately cost him the support of his crew, who removed him from command and left him on Mauritius with several companions.

The design reproduced here therefore represents the traditional Edward England Jolly Roger: the stark skull and crossed bones that became one of the defining visual symbols of early 18th-century piracy.

Design: Skull and crossed bones
Person: Edward England
Date: c.1720
Period: Golden Age of Piracy
Vessels: Royal James / Fancy
Association: West Africa / Indian Ocean
Source Basis: Traditional historical attribution
Stamp Size: 30 mm
Material: Solid brass
Type: Wax seal stamp / sealing stamp

Each stamp is made of solid brass, fitted with a wooden handle and presented in a velvet pouch.

Suitable for letters, envelopes, maritime collections, historical displays, nautical-themed stationery, pirate collections and decorative sealing.