1717–1718 Acts of Grace
Proclamations promising pardons for acts of piracy / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the Proclamation for Suppressing of Pirates. For the Act of Grace and Free Pardon (which freed Jacobites), see Indemnity Act 1717.
The Proclamation for Suppressing of Pirates (also known simply as the Act of Grace, though not an Act of Parliament[1])[lower-alpha 1] was a royal proclamation issued by George I of Great Britain on 5 September 1717. It promised a pardon for acts of piracy committed before the following 5 January to those pirates who surrendered themselves to the correct authority before a deadline. Originally, the surrender had to occur on or before 5 September 1718; this was later extended by a second proclamation to 1 July 1719.[2]
The proclamation also included bounties for the capture of pirates who failed to surrender before the deadline, as well as offering rewards for pirate crew members facilitating the capture of their captains.