Real Pirates

Captain Jack Sparrow and his motley crew in Pirates of the Caribbean are great fun (and there's lots to see about them too !) but the real pirates were even MORE exciting.. but then I'm biased ! You see my great,great,great,great,great,great grandfather was a Real Pirate (oops that should read BUCCANEER !) - Sir Henry Morgan - who later became the Assistant Governor of Jamaica - and yes I do have some of his things ....

But more of Sir Henry Later I think... it was a dark and stormy night on the Carribean ....

It was quite normal for even respectable merchants and sea captains to turn to being a Privateer or Pirate when it suited them.
Groups of businessmen would even join together during the Wars with Spain to finance their own Privateering ships specifically to raid the Spanish Treasure Ships.

What is a Pirate ?

the difference between a Pirate and a Privateer

It's a very fine line between Pirates and Buccaneers - in the 17th Century England was at War with lots of people ! The British Navy was fairly small (in relation to the number of fronts they were fighting wars on ... and there was all this GOLD coming out of PERU and Mexico on Spanish Ships - laden to the gunnels they was ... oh dear I mustn't keep dropping into the family tales (sorry about that).
Many a bright lad (and lass) decided there was gold on them far seas - well it beat the alternative of picking turnips or mining in Cornwal. So some joined the Navy and some were Shanghai'd (lured into an inn,fed rum and then woke up with a moving room with a very nasty quartermaster shouting at them. Many naval recruits deserted when they heard the tales of treasure to be taken. But the truth was just a weeny bit different. It took weeks or even months to actually get to the Caribbean and that would include just a few unadvertised bonuses - like scurvy,whipping for not doing things fast enough, really bad food (salted pork with maggots and water that had turned green in the barrel) and at the end of a happy day perched on top of the mast looking for ships to plunder, arms practice - where your shipmates tried very hard to kill you with short swords and pistols. Not exactly Club 18-30 .

Anyway, the Navy saw an opportunity here and messages were sent to the most adventurous and sucessful pirates offering them a reprieve and an opportunity to become civil servants (OK thats a slight exaggeration) attacking Spanish ,French and Dutch treasure ships on behalf of His Majesty's Government - in return for half the proceeds (give or take a bit ..)- the alternative being a fine view of the River Thames while hanging from a beam on Execution Dock. Many accepted and they became PRIVATEERS with letters of Marque (a sort of license to plunder and Pillage) and many became very friendly with Governors of several Caribbean Islands.(Who also got a cut !)

Pirates of the Caribbean Poster

Pirates Of The Caribbean- At World's End

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Walking The Plank

A Hollywood fiction I'm afraid - I'm sure it MIGHT have happened but if truth be tols Pirates wouldn't be bothered to rig up a plank - it's so much easier just to throw them over the side ...
Sorry to spoil your illusions but that's what happened.
Pirates were a democratic if slightly shifty bunch and would not hesitate to turn in to the authorities anyone who upset them.
Captains were usually voted for rather than fought about and that made for a far easier chain of comand.
What all pirates wanted was PLUNDER and most of all gold and jewels. (Occasional nice looking ladies came second best at sea !)
Droit de Seigneur was quite normal for any lady captured and it was usual for any male not worth a ransom to be given the choice of signing up as a pirate or being thrown to the sharks.

Rough,Tough and full of Rum was the norm for all pirates.

Pirates of The Caribbean

Great Movies !

Pirates of the Caribbean Monopoly

Amazon Price: $29.99 (as of 10/11/2008)
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If you like Pirate of the Caribbean you'll love the Monopoly Set - Lots of fun and much more interesting than houses !

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Blackbeard - a nasty piece of work they say ...

Edward Teach (; c. 1680 ? November 22, 1718), better known as Blackbeard, was a notorious English pirate in the Caribbean Sea and western Atlantic during the early 18th century, a period referred to as the Golden Age of Piracy. His best known vessel was the Queen Annes Revenge, which is believed to have run aground near Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina in 1718.Queen Annes Revenge Online

Blackbeard often fought, or simply showed himself, wearing a big feathered tricorn, and having multiple swords, knives, and pistols at his disposal. It was reported in A General Historie of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates that he had hemp and lit matches woven into his enormous black beard during battle to intimidate his enemies. Blackbeard is often regarded as the archetypal image of the seafaring pirate.

read the rest of the Wikipedia article

Captain Teach (Blackbeard)

Captain Teach, Alias Black Beard, from History and Lives of All the Most Notorious Pirates

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Jamaica - R&R Capital for The Caribbean

Thanks to Wikipedia for some text on Port Royal....

This led to the superb R&R resort in Jamaica where Pirates could relax ,fight and spend their money in bars,gaming houses and houses of rather poor reputation (with some over friendly ladies).
This resort was Port Royal which sank into the sea houses and all after an earthquake
Port Royal was the centre of shipping commerce in Jamaica in the 17th century. During this time, it gained a reputation as both the "richest and wickedest city in the world". It was notorious for its gaudy displays of wealth and loose morals, and was a popular place for pirates and privateers to bring and spend their treasure. During the 17th century, the British actively encouraged and even paid buccaneers based at Port Royal to attack Spanish and French shipping.

An earthquake on June 7, 1692, largely destroyed Port Royal, causing two thirds of the city to sink into the Caribbean Sea such that today it is covered by a minimum of 25 ft (8 m) of water. Known today to 16th-18th-century focused archaeologists as the City that sank, it is considered the most important underwater archaeological site in the western hemisphere, yielding 16th-17th-century artifacts by the ton and many important treasures from indigenous peoples predating the 1588 founding from as far away as Guatemala. Pirates from around the world congregated at Port Royal coming from waters as far away as Madagascar on the far side of Africa. Several 17th and early 18th century pirate ships are sunk within the harbor and being carefully harvested under controlled conditions by different teams of archaeologists. Other "digs" are staked out along various quarters and streets by different teams.

Of course some of that privateer treasure belongs to ME ! Hmm a trip to Jamaica seems in order .....
(Well I said I'd be Back )

Pirate Map

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Pirate Gold and Silver

This is what Pirates were really after - loot !
This picture is of Buccaneers attacking a ship from a longboat.
Gold,Silver.Emeralds - all coming from South America - shiploads of them !
It was fairly common for a Pirate Captain to turn his crew in to the authorities to get the reward (or vice versa !) Double-dealing was the name of the game and evryone had weapons on them at all times.
All the Pirates and Privateers needed cash to keep their crews happy and to invest in plantations and other businesses on the Caribbean Islands.
So the Pirate army that took Panama by storm set a huge ransom.
Merchant ships and Dutch or Spanish ships were fair game for all privateers (and on a dark night with a poor light ...maybe some others too !)
One of the prime requisites for a pirates lair was a constant supply of good water and this explains the location of many pirate strongholds.
It was partly ransom money that enabled Henry Morgan to become fairly respectable in Port Royal Jamaica where after purchasing plantations,he later died of drink and excessive personal activity (ok it was a social disease).
He was buried in the graveyard at Port Royal - which sank beneath the sea during the earthquake that destroyed Port Royal.

Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow !

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What is a Pirate ?

the difference between a Pirate and a Privateer

Pirates of the Caribbean Poster

Walking The Plank

Pirates of The Caribbean

Great Movies !

Blackbeard - a nasty piece of work they say ...

Captain Teach (Blackbeard)

Jamaica - R&R Capital for The Caribbean

Thanks to Wikipedia for some text on Port Royal....

Pirate Map

Pirate Gold and Silver

Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow !

You can buy this poster at Allposters

Pirate Videos

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Oh yes they ARE still around but with AK47's mostly !

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