William Kidd was hanged at Execution Dock in London on 23 May 1701 after being convicted of piracy and murder.

Kidd’s case was awkward because he had not begun as a simple outlaw. He was a Scottish sailor who had been commissioned as a privateer and authorised to attack certain enemy or pirate vessels. Privateering sat close to piracy. Both could involve armed ships, captured cargo and violence at sea. The difference depended on authority, targets and whether a seized vessel was accepted as a lawful prize.

That difference collapsed in Kidd’s case. His capture of the Quedagh Merchant became central to the piracy charges against him. What he claimed as a prize was treated as criminal evidence. He was also convicted of murdering William Moore, a gunner on his ship, after striking him during a dispute.

Kidd had once had powerful backers, but their support did not save him. By the time he was brought to trial, he had become too exposed. His case touched trade, empire and the crown’s need to control violence at sea.

Execution Dock gave the punishment its public meaning. It was where maritime offenders were put to death. Kidd’s hanging was not only the end of one man’s case. It showed how quickly licensed violence could become piracy when law, politics and profit turned against it.