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PIRATES
IN THE CARIBBEAN
Pirates
in Petticoats
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The
earliest recorded account of a female pirate was that of a French
beauty, Jeanne Belleville, whose husband Lord Clisson was beheaded
in 1303. She swore revenge and accompanied by her two ferocious
sons became the scourge of the French coast.
Anne Bonny was born to an Irish lawyer and one of his servant girls.
She grew up amongst sailors and married John Bonny, running off
to manage a tavern where she met 'Calico Jack' and began a life
of piracy.
Anne Bonny sailed with her lover, the flamboyant 'Calico Jack' Rackham.
Her pirate companion Mary |
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Read
assumed
the
appearance of a man to enlist on a war ship
from which she later deserted, before enrolling on the vessel
that was captured by 'Calico Jack' and Anne Bonny.
Anne detected that Mary was a female despite wearing men's clothing
and being an adept sword fighter. They became firm friends causing
the Captain to become jealous thereby forcing Anne to expose the
truth in order to save them both.
Eventually they were all captured and put on trial in Spanish
Town, Jamaica. The women pleaded pregnancy but were sentenced
to death; Mary Read died in childbirth in prison.
Anne Bonny's father paid bribes for the return of his daughter
and she disappeared from public life after leaving a chilling
reminder for her former lover 'Calico Jack'.
'If
you had chosen to stand and fight like a man, you wouldn't have
to be hanged like a dog'.
For
a bit more on pirates in Tobago, see Amazing Tobago Souvenir Map
- Avl. from PennySavers Liquor Dept. & Gift Shops Island wide
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PIRATES
IN THE CARIBBEAN
Life as a Pirate - Rules to Live by (or die
for)……….
It
is believed that pirate ships were generally run along democratic
lines especially when important decisions were to be made. This
majority rule policy deterred mutiny, but when at battle or on
the rampage, the Captain held absolute power and to disobey his
commands was to invite retribution.
Rule
1 - Everyone must obey the commands of the Captain.
Rule 2 - Everyone shall have a share of any treasure, but for
every piece of gold a member of the crew is given, the Captain
shall be given one and a half.
Rule 3 - If anyone steals of gambles they will be marooned with
only a bottle of water and a pistol.
Rule 4 - Anyone who encourages a new pirate to join the crew without
everyone else's agreement will suffer what ever punishment the
Captain and crew think fit.
Rule 5 - Anyone striking another crew member shall receive 30
lashes with the whip.
Rule 6 - Anyone that raises their weapon when not in battle or
leaves a lighted candle unguarded shall receive same punishment
as in Rule 5.
Rule 7 - Anyone losing a finger or toe in a battle shall be given
400 pieces of eight, and if they lose an arm or a leg, shall have
800 pieces.
Visit
Pirates' Bay at Charlotteville where pirates had a thriving encampment.
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PIRATES
IN THE CARIBBEAN
Blackbeard
Loses his Head
At
2 metres, Blackbeard was an intimidating
figure. He stuck smoking firesticks into his huge
beard, an act designed to strike fear and terror
into the hearts of his crews and foes alike.
New
Providence, later known as Nassau in the
Bahamas, was reportedly the most popular
hide- out for pirates of all nationalities. The
Caribbean was the new economic growth area
as sugar became king.
In the Grenadines 1717, at the height of his
powers controlling 400 men and 4 ships, he
captured the Concorde a 20 gun French ship.
He renamed her Queen Anne's Revenge and
added another 20 guns to her fire-power. He
overruns a British ship, sets the crew adrift and
refuses to accept the 'pardon or death to all
pirates' offered by King George. Instead he sailed to South Carolina
where he blockaded the Charleston Harbour. The Governor of Virginia
hired Robert Maynard an ex-Royal Navy mercenary to bring an end
to his reign of terror promising him part of Blackbeard's treasure
providing him with 2 sloops and well-armed troops.
Blackbeard
and his men swarmed over Maynard's vessels only to find that the
soldiers were hidden below decks. Maynard shot him point blank and
he was struck with a cutlass by a soldier. Maynard cut off his head
and took it back to collect his reward. News of his death spread
to Nassau where Anne Bonny publicly resolved to take his place as
the most ruthless pirate in the Caribbean.
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Yo-ho-ho
& a Bottle of Rum
Sir
Francis Drake & Sir Henry Morgan began their illustrious careers
as licensed pirates i.e. privateers engaged by the Royal Navy and
paid from the proceeds of the spoils taken from ships they had pirated.
They were so successful in their endeavours that they were eventually
knighted and held in such high esteem that Morgan became Governor
of Jamaica and Drake went on to defeat the Spanish Armada, thus
ensuring themselves honoured places in the history books of the
British Empire.
"Black
Bart" Roberts, though far more successful and feared as your typical,
merciless pirate, wasn't so lucky at the end of his reign of terror
on the high seas. He had amassed a total of 400 pirated vessels
including that of the Governor of Martinique, whom he promptly hanged
from his ship's own main mast for having the cheek to pursue him.
The
Royal Navy caught up with Black Bart off the coast of West Africa,
where, the day before, he'd robbed the Neptune, a rum carrying ship.
Naturally, all his fellow pirates were hopelessly drunk and unable
to put up any resistance. In the immortal words of Anne Bonney,
that dreaded female of the pirate species - "If you'd chosen to
fight and die like a man; you wouldn't have to hang like a dog".
For
a bit more on pirates in Tobago, see Amazing Tobago Souvenir Map
- Avl. from PennySavers Liquor Dept. & Gift Shops Island wide.
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