The period of piracy that had the biggest influence on modern literature was the so called ‘Golden Age of Piracy’ in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, when there was a rise in the trade of valuable cargo being transported across the Atlantic Ocean. At the same time, most of the major colonial empires – the British, French, Spanish, Dutch and Portuguese – were at war in Europe and did not have the men or ships spare to effectively govern any of their colonial territories.
Real
THE
Pirates
FACTS & MYTHS
Who were the real Pirates?
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship-borne attackers upon other ships or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable property. Those who engage in acts of piracy are called pirates.
This led to experienced sailors and privateers taking advantage of a ripe opportunity which allowed them to capture valuable cargoes with little risk involved.
Since it coincided with the new Age of Exploration and Colonialism, The Golden Age of Piracy was an era in which the occupation of piracy flourished like no other time in history, and as a result, Pirates and Privateers of this period were able to become very wealthy.
Who were the real Pirates?
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship-borne attackers upon other ships or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable property. Those who engage in acts of piracy are called pirates.
The period of piracy that had the biggest influence on modern literature was the so called ‘Golden Age of Piracy’ in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, when there was a rise in the trade of valuable cargo being transported across the Atlantic Ocean. At the same time, most of the major colonial empires – the British, French, Spanish, Dutch and Portuguese – were at war in Europe and did not have the men or ships spare to effectively govern any of their colonial territories.
This led to experienced sailors and privateers taking advantage of a ripe opportunity which allowed them to capture valuable cargoes with little risk involved.
Since it coincided with the new Age of Exploration and Colonialism, The Golden Age of Piracy was an era in which the occupation of piracy flourished like no other time in history, and as a result, Pirates and Privateers of this period were able to become very wealthy.
The terms privateers, corsairs and buccaneers are often used interchangeably to refer generally to all Pirates. These words do have similar meanings, but there are significant differences. Below we highlight their principal characteristics and origins.
Privateers
Much of the total military force at sea during the 17th and 18th centuries were ‘privateers’. They were considered a kind of ‘legal pirate’ who acted under orders of their country while in possession of a ‘letter of marque’ – a signed document authorising them to attack and capture enemy vessels.
Privateering was viewed as an honourable profession, combining patriotism and profit by allowing a country’s ship to legally attack and claim another country’s cargo, as long as they sent a portion back to the Crown.
A privateer without a letter of marque however, was simply a pirate, although the lines between the two were often blurred!
Buccaneers
The buccaneering era rose out of the privateering era. Buccaneers, or ‘Brethren of the Coast’, operated in the Caribbean Sea where the Spanish Empire had begun moving their massive wealth of riches between its territories.
Spain initially claimed the Caribbean as its own massive colony, however this was unsustainable given its size and soon every other empire raced to the New World to make their claim. What resulted was a bloody and ruthless battle, waged through wars and piracy, that helped shape the world as we see it today.
Buccaneers differed from traditional pirates in that their crews were larger, they were local to the Caribbean region, and more likely to attack well-defended ports rather than ships at sea.
The terms privateers, corsairs and buccaneers are often used interchangeably to refer generally to all Pirates. These words do have similar meanings, but there are significant differences. Below we highlight their principal characteristics and origins.
Privateers
Much of the total military force at sea during the 17th and 18th centuries were ‘privateers’. They were considered a kind of ‘legal pirate’ who acted under orders of their country while in possession of a ‘letter of marque’ – a signed document authorising them to attack and capture enemy vessels.
Privateering was viewed as an honourable profession, combining patriotism and profit by allowing a country’s ship to legally attack and claim another country’s cargo, as long as they sent a portion back to the Crown.
A privateer without a letter of marque however, was simply a pirate, although the lines between the two were often blurred!
Buccaneers
The buccaneering era rose out of the privateering era. Buccaneers, or ‘Brethren of the Coast’, operated in the Caribbean Sea where the Spanish Empire had begun moving their massive wealth of riches between its territories.
Spain initially claimed the Caribbean as its own massive colony, however this was unsustainable given its size and soon every other empire raced to the New World to make their claim. What resulted was a bloody and ruthless battle, waged through wars and piracy, that helped shape the world as we see it today.
Buccaneers differed from traditional pirates in that their crews were larger, they were local to the Caribbean region, and more likely to attack well-defended ports rather than ships at sea.
Pirate Rounders
The Pirate Rounders were a group of infamous pirates that chose to make the voyage around Africa and into the Indian Ocean, a route known as the Pirate Round, to loot the treasure ships of the East Indies. These pirates took more wealth than any other pirates in history and were well established at their pirate haven on Madagascar.
While not as famous as their Caribbean counterparts, the pirate rounders were much more successful as the merchant ships there carried many more exotic goods and the colonial powers did not have a military presence in that region.
William Kidd and Jack Every were two notable pirate rounders.
Post Spanish Succession Period
After 13 years, 1715 saw the end of the War of the Spanish Succession, and thousands of seamen were relieved of military duty, resulting in a large number of trained, idle sailors available to turn to pirating.
It was during the Post Spanish Succession Period that many of the most famous and notorious pirates terrorised the seas of the Caribbean and the Atlantic. This period occurred during a time of relative peace and stability in the world that made these pirates genuine outlaws, and made household names of the likes of Blackbeard and Calico Jack.
The pirates and stories of this period were made famous when they were compiled into the book A General History of Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates in 1724.
Corsairs
Also known as Barbary pirates, Barbary corsairs or Ottoman corsairs, corsairs were pirates who operated from the Barbary coast of North Africa. While they looted the cargo of ships they captured, their primary goal was to capture people for sale as slaves or for ransom.
Piracy in this region of Africa peaked in the early to mid-17th century when European pirates brought advanced sailing and shipbuilding techniques to the region. Pirates from other countries often joined forces with the corsairs, and used the Barbary ports as bases from which to attack shipping.
As well as targeting European merchant and passenger ships along the coast of Africa, they specialised in plundering coastal towns around the Mediterranean.
Pirate Rounders
The Pirate Rounders were a group of infamous pirates that chose to make the voyage around Africa and into the Indian Ocean, a route known as the Pirate Round, to loot the treasure ships of the East Indies. These pirates took more wealth than any other pirates in history and were well established at their pirate haven on Madagascar.
While not as famous as their Caribbean counterparts, the pirate rounders were much more successful as the merchant ships there carried many more exotic goods and the colonial powers did not have a military presence in that region.
William Kidd and Jack Every were two notable pirate rounders.
Post Spanish Succession Period
After 13 years, 1715 saw the end of the War of the Spanish Succession, and thousands of seamen were relieved of military duty, resulting in a large number of trained, idle sailors available to turn to pirating.
It was during the Post Spanish Succession Period that many of the most famous and notorious pirates terrorised the seas of the Caribbean and the Atlantic. This period occurred during a time of relative peace and stability in the world that made these pirates genuine outlaws, and made household names of the likes of Blackbeard and Calico Jack.
The pirates and stories of this period were made famous when they were compiled into the book A General History of Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates in 1724.
Corsairs
Also known as Barbary pirates, Barbary corsairs or Ottoman corsairs, corsairs were pirates who operated from the Barbary coast of North Africa. While they looted the cargo of ships they captured, their primary goal was to capture people for sale as slaves or for ransom.
Piracy in this region of Africa peaked in the early to mid-17th century when European pirates brought advanced sailing and shipbuilding techniques to the region. Pirates from other countries often joined forces with the corsairs, and used the Barbary ports as bases from which to attack shipping.
As well as targeting European merchant and passenger ships along the coast of Africa, they specialised in plundering coastal towns around the Mediterranean.
By the early 18th century, tolerance for piracy was wearing thin with all nations. After the end of the War of the Spanish Succession, the excess of trained sailors without employment became both a blessing and a curse for pirates.
Initially the surplus of men had caused the number of pirates to multiply significantly, but this inevitably led to the pillaging of more ships, putting a greater strain on the trade of all countries.
In response to the sudden surge in piracy, European nations endeavoured to strengthen their navies – ironically from the same pool of excess skilled sailors. They provided greater protection for targeted vessels, while also hunting down and engaging the pirate ships.
Piracy was clearly in strong decline by 1720 and less than a decade later, The Golden Age of Piracy would be over.
By the early 18th century, tolerance for piracy was wearing thin with all nations. After the end of the War of the Spanish Succession, the excess of trained sailors without employment became both a blessing and a curse for pirates.
Initially the surplus of men had caused the number of pirates to multiply significantly, but this inevitably led to the pillaging of more ships, putting a greater strain on the trade of all countries.
In response to the sudden surge in piracy, European nations endeavoured to strengthen their navies – ironically from the same pool of excess skilled sailors. They provided greater protection for targeted vessels, while also hunting down and engaging the pirate ships.
Piracy was clearly in strong decline by 1720 and less than a decade later, The Golden Age of Piracy would be over.
Pirate Myths
We all know that Pirates depicted on screen are to be taken with a pinch of salt – it is creative licence after all, but how much of what we accept as fact about pirates was actually true?
Pirates buried their treasure
If burying treasure was common amongst pirates, there certainly is no evidence to support this. The simple truth is that pirates weren’t savers. Whatever they earned from a voyage would be spent quickly in taverns and houses of ill repute upon their return to dry land.
There are very few mentions of buried pirate treasure in recorded history, and even then, their locations were never recorded on maps and it was usually found quickly and recovered easily.
One of the few pirates that we know for sure buried treasure was Sir Francis Drake, who in 1573 robbed a Spanish mule train loaded with gold and silver. Due to the sheer weight of his capture, he buried some of it to come back for later. Drake’s treasure however, wasn’t very well hidden and when he and his men returned, the Spanish had found and dug most of it up.
Another famous pirate, Roche Brasiliano, confessed to burying more than 100,000 pieces of eight near Cuba after being tortured by the Spanish Inquisition, who thanked him for the tip by swiftly killing him!
Captain William Kidd buried some treasure near Long Island in 1699, but again it was found by the authorities almost straight away and used as evidence against him when he stood trial in England.
The legend of Kidd’s treasure inspired Washington Irving’s Tales of a Traveller in 1824 and Edgar Allan Poe’s The Gold-Bug in 1843, which incorporated the idea of a treasure map. Irving’s work was an influence on Robert Louis Stevenson’s hugely popular 1883 book, Treasure Island – and the rest is history!
Pirates wore eye patches to cover missing eyes
It is actually believed that the only reason pirates wore eye patches was to keep one eye adjusted to the dark whilst boarding another ship. Pirates needed to be able to fight and ransack everywhere on a ship, and as artificial light was not available, it could be very dark below deck.
It takes the human eyes several minutes to adjust to darkness, so this way, pirates could simply move the eye patch, immediately enabling them to see and fight in the lower decks.
All pirate ships had skull flags
In practice, it’s believed only a few pirate captains used the skull and crossbones design. Blackbeard, for example, used a flag with a skeleton holding an hourglass and stabbing a bleeding heart.
If a pirate ship approached with a black flag waving, this was usually to communicate the pirates’ identity, giving the targeted ship an opportunity to surrender first. However, if a red flag was shown, the pirates intended to attack without mercy!
We all know that Pirates depicted on screen are to be taken with a pinch of salt – it is creative licence after all, but how much of what we accept as fact about pirates was actually true?
Pirates buried their treasure
If burying treasure was common amongst pirates, there certainly is no evidence to support this. The simple truth is that pirates weren’t savers. Whatever they earned from a voyage would be spent quickly in taverns and houses of ill repute upon their return to dry land.
There are very few mentions of buried pirate treasure in recorded history, and even then, their locations were never recorded on maps and it was usually found quickly and recovered easily.
One of the few pirates that we know for sure buried treasure was Sir Francis Drake, who in 1573 robbed a Spanish mule train loaded with gold and silver. Due to the sheer weight of his capture, he buried some of it to come back for later. Drake’s treasure however, wasn’t very well hidden and when he and his men returned, the Spanish had found and dug most of it up.
Another famous pirate, Roche Brasiliano, confessed to burying more than 100,000 pieces of eight near Cuba after being tortured by the Spanish Inquisition, who thanked him for the tip by swiftly killing him!
Captain William Kidd buried some treasure near Long Island in 1699, but again it was found by the authorities almost straight away and used as evidence against him when he stood trial in England.
The legend of Kidd’s treasure inspired Washington Irving’s Tales of a Traveller in 1824 and Edgar Allan Poe’s The Gold-Bug in 1843, which incorporated the idea of a treasure map. Irving’s work was an influence on Robert Louis Stevenson’s hugely popular 1883 book, Treasure Island – and the rest is history!
Pirates wore eye patches to cover missing eyes
It is actually believed that the only reason pirates wore eye patches was to keep one eye adjusted to the dark whilst boarding another ship. Pirates needed to be able to fight and ransack everywhere on a ship, and as artificial light was not available, it could be very dark below deck.
It takes the human eyes several minutes to adjust to darkness, so this way, pirates could simply move the eye patch, immediately enabling them to see and fight in the lower decks.
All pirate ships had skull flags
In practice, it’s believed only a few pirate captains used the skull and crossbones design. Blackbeard, for example, used a flag with a skeleton holding an hourglass and stabbing a bleeding heart.
If a pirate ship approached with a black flag waving, this was usually to communicate the pirates’ identity, giving the targeted ship an opportunity to surrender first. However, if a red flag was shown, the pirates intended to attack without mercy!
Pirates were inherently evil
Although it plays well in film and books, pirates weren’t necessarily bad people. Many pirates found themselves victims of circumstance.
The navy was a tough life for a young man. You could be dismissed from your post at any time or anywhere in the World. If you kept your job, the harsh discipline, poor pay and a distinct ‘them and us’ hierarchy on board made alternative work very attractive.
Sailors would end up working on pirate ships to simply stay alive and to support themselves well – it could be potentially very lucrative, as loot was divided very fairly amongst the crew.
A good many pirates were made up of former slaves. Some had escaped, or been freed by their owners and needed steady, paid work.
Pirates such as Henry Morgan were legally-backed ‘Privateers’ which meant their piracy was legitimate, and stole to harm enemy countries and protect the Crown. They were considered pirates by other nations, but thought of as heroes in England.
Pirates came from varying social classes too. Stede Bonnet was a wealthy plantation owner in Barbados before he outfitted a ship and became a pirate in 1717, legend has it he did it to get away from a nagging wife!
Pirates only took jewels and coins from boarded ships
When your food supplies are running low in the middle of the ocean, a barrel of salt beef is far more valuable than a golden, bejewelled crucifix.
The Quartermaster would make the decision on what to take from a captured ship, and mundane objects like carpentry tools, barrels and medicines were higher up the shopping list than rubies and pieces of eight if those were in short supply on your own boat. Sometimes a skilled carpenter, surgeon or musicians would be worth their weight in gold anyway if the crew was short in those areas.
Pirates all spoke in a West Country accent and said “Arrrr”
There are no audio recordings and almost nothing written by pirates themselves, so where does the generic pirate accent that we recognise come from?
What most people think of as pirate speech today can actually be traced back to the 1950s Disney movie Treasure Island. Actor Robert Newton who played Long John Silver (and Blackbeard in a later film), was born and raised not far from Bristol and spoke in the distinctive accent. Oddly enough, Bristol was reportedly the birthplace of both the real Blackbeard and Silver!
Newton’s performance, full of ‘arrs’, ‘shiver me timbers’, and references to landlubbers, stole the show and permanently shaped pop culture’s vision of how pirates looked, acted, and spoke.
While many famous pirates did come from the West Country of England, it is likely that pirate crews were made up of outlaws from all around the world with a mix of languages. Onboard speech was most likely a mix of British with a combination of French, Italian, Spanish, and Dutch slang, picked up around the trade routes.
Pirates were inherently evil
Although it plays well in film and books, pirates weren’t necessarily bad people. Many pirates found themselves victims of circumstance.
The navy was a tough life for a young man. You could be dismissed from your post at any time or anywhere in the World. If you kept your job, the harsh discipline, poor pay and a distinct ‘them and us’ hierarchy on board made alternative work very attractive.
Sailors would end up working on pirate ships to simply stay alive and to support themselves well – it could be potentially very lucrative, as loot was divided very fairly amongst the crew.
A good many pirates were made up of former slaves. Some had escaped, or been freed by their owners and needed steady, paid work.
Pirates such as Henry Morgan were legally-backed ‘Privateers’ which meant their piracy was legitimate, and stole to harm enemy countries and protect the Crown. They were considered pirates by other nations, but thought of as heroes in England.
Pirates came from varying social classes too. Stede Bonnet was a wealthy plantation owner in Barbados before he outfitted a ship and became a pirate in 1717, legend has it he did it to get away from a nagging wife!
Pirates only took jewels and coins from boarded ships
When your food supplies are running low in the middle of the ocean, a barrel of salt beef is far more valuable than a golden, bejewelled crucifix.
The Quartermaster would make the decision on what to take from a captured ship, and mundane objects like carpentry tools, barrels and medicines were higher up the shopping list than rubies and pieces of eight if those were in short supply on your own boat. Sometimes a skilled carpenter, surgeon or musicians would be worth their weight in gold anyway if the crew was short in those areas.
Pirates all spoke in a West Country accent and said “Arrrr”
There are no audio recordings and almost nothing written by pirates themselves, so where does the generic pirate accent that we recognise come from?
What most people think of as pirate speech today can actually be traced back to the 1950s Disney movie Treasure Island. Actor Robert Newton who played Long John Silver (and Blackbeard in a later film), was born and raised not far from Bristol and spoke in the distinctive accent. Oddly enough, Bristol was reportedly the birthplace of both the real Blackbeard and Silver!
Newton’s performance, full of ‘arrs’, ‘shiver me timbers’, and references to landlubbers, stole the show and permanently shaped pop culture’s vision of how pirates looked, acted, and spoke.
While many famous pirates did come from the West Country of England, it is likely that pirate crews were made up of outlaws from all around the world with a mix of languages. Onboard speech was most likely a mix of British with a combination of French, Italian, Spanish, and Dutch slang, picked up around the trade routes.
Female Pirates
While piracy was predominantly a male occupation, a minority of pirates were women. Female pirates faced sex discrimination in both practicing this occupation and being punished for it. Pirates didn’t allow women on to their ships very often and were regarded as bad luck among pirate crews.
It was believed a woman’s presence would encourage male members of the crew to argue and fight over them. Due to this resistance, many female pirates did not identify themselves as such. Two of the most well-known female pirates, Anne Bonny and Mary Read, dressed and acted as men while on Captain Calico Jack’s ship.
While piracy was predominantly a male occupation, a minority of pirates were women. Female pirates faced sex discrimination in both practicing this occupation and being punished for it. Pirates didn’t allow women on to their ships very often and were regarded as bad luck among pirate crews.
It was believed a woman’s presence would encourage male members of the crew to argue and fight over them. Due to this resistance, many female pirates did not identify themselves as such. Two of the most well-known female pirates, Anne Bonny and Mary Read, dressed and acted as men while on Captain Calico Jack’s ship.
Anne Bonny
Born in 1698 in Ireland, Anne married small-time pirate James Bonny. Her father disowned her over the marriage so the couple moved to a part of the Bahamas nicknamed as the ‘Pirates Republic’. They weren’t married long, and after their divorce, she met Calico Jack Rackham with whom she was said to have had an affair. She became his first mate on his ship ‘Revenge’.
In October 1720, she and the rest of Rackham’s crew were captured despite her and her friend Mary Read’s brave attempts to fight off the English forces. Bonny blamed Rackham for their capture and her last words to him are recorded as, “Sorry to see you there, but if you’d fought like a man, you would not have been hang’d like a dog”.
He was hanged but Bonny’s pregnancy earned her execution to be suspended but no historical record of her death sentence has ever been found. It has been speculated by some that her wealthy father may have paid a large sum of money to have her set free.
Mary Read
Read was said to have a long history of masquerading as a male that dated back to her youth. She joined the British military as Mark Read where she found love with a Flemish soldier, but when he died, Read headed to the West Indies. The ship she was on was taken by pirates and she ended up joining its crew.
She set sail with Anne Bonny and Calico Jack Rackham on the ‘Revenge’ in 1720. Some stories suggest that only Bonny and Jack knew that Read was a woman, but a third in the crew did also learn Read’s secret and they went on to become husband and wife.
When the crew of the ‘Revenge’ were captured, Read claimed she was pregnant. She died on 28th April 1721 from a fever in her prison cell but no record is made of the burial of her baby. Some have speculated that Read and the infant both may have died during childbirth.
Anne Bonny
Born in 1698 in Ireland, Anne married small-time pirate James Bonny. Her father disowned her over the marriage so the couple moved to a part of the Bahamas nicknamed as the ‘Pirates Republic’. They weren’t married long, and after their divorce, she met Calico Jack Rackham with whom she was said to have had an affair. She became his first mate on his ship ‘Revenge’.
In October 1720, she and the rest of Rackham’s crew were captured despite her and her friend Mary Read’s brave attempts to fight off the English forces. Bonny blamed Rackham for their capture and her last words to him are recorded as, “Sorry to see you there, but if you’d fought like a man, you would not have been hang’d like a dog”.
He was hanged but Bonny’s pregnancy earned her execution to be suspended but no historical record of her death sentence has ever been found. It has been speculated by some that her wealthy father may have paid a large sum of money to have her set free.
Mary Read
Read was said to have a long history of masquerading as a male that dated back to her youth. She joined the British military as Mark Read where she found love with a Flemish soldier, but when he died, Read headed to the West Indies. The ship she was on was taken by pirates and she ended up joining its crew.
She set sail with Anne Bonny and Calico Jack Rackham on the ‘Revenge’ in 1720. Some stories suggest that only Bonny and Jack knew that Read was a woman, but a third in the crew did also learn Read’s secret and they went on to become husband and wife.
When the crew of the ‘Revenge’ were captured, Read claimed she was pregnant. She died on 28th April 1721 from a fever in her prison cell but no record is made of the burial of her baby. Some have speculated that Read and the infant both may have died during childbirth.
The Local Pirate
When creating the ‘Shiver me Timbers’ Pirate exhibition at The Word, we hoped for a Pirate connection to our location here in South Shields, on the coast of North East England. Local-born Edward Robinson, proved to be just that.
Edward Robinson isn’t often mentioned in the history books. However, new evidence has been uncovered to show that Robinson was part of notorious pirate Captain Edward ‘Blackbeard’ Teach‘s crew.
Robinson was born in a pub on the banks of the River Tyne around 1700, and fled to sea to avoid justice after slitting a man’s throat and dumping the body in the water.
Local author Paul Brown explored Robinson’s story in his 2015 book Sins Dyed In Blood, in which he describes a life lived under a black flag, attacking ships and plundering gold.
Brown discovered that Robinson was involved in several pirate raids as part of Blackbeard’s crew, until he fell out with the captain and was left marooned on a small desert island.
Robinson was eventually rescued by another pirate captain, Stede Bonnet, and sailed with Bonnet’s crew until he was captured off the coast of America in 1718 and sentenced to death. In November 1718, Robinson, Bonnet and 28 other men were hanged in Charleston, South Carolina, which was one of the largest Pirate mass-hangings in history.
The Local Pirate
When creating the ‘Shiver me Timbers’ Pirate exhibition at The Word, we hoped for a Pirate connection to our location here in South Shields, on the coast of North East England. Local-born Edward Robinson, proved to be just that.
Edward Robinson isn’t often mentioned in the history books. However, new evidence has been uncovered to show that Robinson was part of notorious pirate Captain Edward ‘Blackbeard’ Teach‘s crew.
Robinson was born in a pub on the banks of the River Tyne around 1700, and fled to sea to avoid justice after slitting a man’s throat and dumping the body in the water.
Local author Paul Brown explored Robinson’s story in his 2015 book Sins Dyed In Blood, in which he describes a life lived under a black flag, attacking ships and plundering gold.
Brown discovered that Robinson was involved in several pirate raids as part of Blackbeard’s crew, until he fell out with the captain and was left marooned on a small desert island.
Robinson was eventually rescued by another pirate captain, Stede Bonnet, and sailed with Bonnet’s crew until he was captured off the coast of America in 1718 and sentenced to death. In November 1718, Robinson, Bonnet and 28 other men were hanged in Charleston, South Carolina, which was one of the largest Pirate mass-hangings in history.
