Adam Baldridge (fl. c. 1685-1697) was an English pirate and one of the early founders of the pirate settlements in Madagascar.
Fleeing from Jamaica after being charged with murder, Baldridge sailed to Madagascar and, by 1685, had established a base of operations on the island of St. Mary's. By the following year, Baldridge controlled the inland waterway into St. Mary's having established a virtual stronghold overlooking the island harbor as well as protecting the settlements' warehouses. After subduing the local tribes, native chieftans would be forced to pay Baldridge to mediate between warring tribes.
By the 1690s, Baldridge's settlement had become a popular haven among pirates of the Mediterranean with Baldridge supplying pirates in exchange for high fees. Baldridge reportedly lived a luxourious and extravagant life on the island, which included his own harem of island girls, until 1697 when he was forced to flee to the American colonies after the local tribes discovered he had sold a group of natives as slaves.
Further reading
Botting, Douglas. The Pirates (The Seafarers; v.1). Alexandria, Virginia: Time-Life Books, 1978. ISBN 0-8094-2652-8
