What was the name of the pirate code associated with Bartholomew Roberts?

Bartholomew Roberts’s crew governed itself through Articles of Agreement.

Pirate articles were written rules that established how a crew would share plunder, divide responsibilities, and handle disputes. Roberts’s surviving articles are among the clearest examples from the Golden Age of Piracy. They were not a universal code used by every pirate crew; each company could create or modify its own terms.

The articles associated with Roberts covered matters such as voting, watches, combat readiness, compensation for injuries, and limits on gambling or fighting aboard ship. These rules show that pirate crews could operate through negotiated agreements rather than simple lawlessness.

The phrase “Articles of Agreement” is a descriptive historical term rather than the title of one single official code. Other pirate captains, including George Lowther and John Phillips, also had surviving articles with different provisions. This distinction prevents a common mistake: there was no single Golden Age rulebook accepted by all pirates.