My short essay investigates Lundy Island (England) and its brief occupation by the
Barbary corsairs circa 1625 to 1632 CE. They are also known as the Turkish corsairs,
Turkish pirates, Ottoman corsairs, and North African corsairs. These agents of the
Ottoman Empire sailed from North African seaports to raid shipping and coastal
villages along the English Channel, the Bristol Channel, and the coasts of southern
Ireland (and Spain, France, and Holland). Focusing upon events on Lundy Island, my
two questions explore: Who were the Ottoman corsairs, and why did they venture into
South-West England? What do the scholars say about the Ottoman corsairs’ use of
Lundy as a temporary base – for a few weeks each occupation – in 1625 and 1627 to
1632(-1635)? The story of sailors of the Ottoman-Turkish sultan journeying to the
Bristol Channel, South-West England, is a lesser-known history that deserves
clarification and understanding.