Walter Kennedy was born in 1695 at a place called Pelican Stairs in Wapping, London. It is said that he was of Irish descent. He was a burglar & a pickpocket in London, and also served as an apprentice under his father, (an anchor smith), until his father's death. He then joined the Royal Navy, during the War of Spanish Succession, but he dreamed of piracy in the Caribbean.
After commanding the ship; 'Royal Rover', formally under Command from Black Bart, he and crew set sail for Ireland, yet due to his terrible navigation skills they land in NW Scotland where the crew pillages the countryside, and many of the crew where caught, tried and hanged for piracy. Kennedy escapes to Dublin, loses most of his wealth, and then moves to Deptford, where it is said he set up a brothel. Upon accusation from one of the prostitutes of theft, he is arrested and denounced by the Mate of the ship he had taken earlier. Kennedy was transferred to the Marshalsea prison and put on trial for piracy. He was hanged at Execution Dock on 21 July 1721.