Gallows Point was long side the harbour and was where pirates were hanged. In 1722 41 pirates were hung here.
In the mid 1600's, England wrested the control of Port Royal from the Spanish, and it flourished as a base for pirates and illegal trade. It was captured after a disastrous campaign by the English to capture the island of Hispaniola. They were actually negotiating a treaty at the time, and Port Royal was taken as a consolation prize.
At the time the island was lightly populated, and the English also made a mess of capturing the island, but somehow they still managed to do it. The English pirates at the time were based around Tortuga, but were driven out by the French. Fortunately it was ideally situated at the heart of the Spanish Caribbean, and early governors freely hosted Dutch, English, Portugese and French pirates, issuing Letters of Marque freely. Not even 10 years had passed under English rule and the streets of Port Royal were streaming with gold, the government even considering setting up a mint. It was said at the time that it was richer in proportion than London. The town proved a terrific base for the pirates with a huge harbour capable of hosting hundreds of ships, as well as a ready supply of passing Spaniards, a ready market, and obliging government officials. The harbour was deep water, upto 30' just off the shore line, and protected by sand bars.
The town was saturated with brothels, gaming houses, taverns and grog houses, all feeding off the free spending pirates. There were literally hundreds of them. A clergyman arriving to minister to the populace left on the same ship declaring there were so many pirates, whores, and the vilest people imagineable that he could not imagine he would be of any use. In its early days the pirates from Port Royal completely terrified the Spanish in the region, who often fled at the first sight of strange sails. Apart from shipping, even the large cities were plundered including inland towns who least expected piracy.
Through the 1670's and 1680, Port Royal was THE place to be for pirates and the people who lived off their wealth. In 1670 it had a population of about 3000 and by 1680 that had grown to at least 4000. In 1680 Governor Morgan actively hunted the pirates out of Port Royal.
In 1692, Port Royal suffered a horrendous earthquake which swallowed part of the town and caused major damage. Upto 2000 people were said to have died in what was described by some as God's judgement. However, the amount of pirate involvement by then had almost disappeared.