Captain Twill
Academic Fight Circle, Research, Share, Discuss & Debate Maritime History.
1,545 topics in this forum
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- 18 replies
- 9.2k views
I was wondering if anyone has been able to find any info or pictures of tattoos commonly worn by pirates, or brands used to mark a Pirate? Thanks, Mourn Clank meh!
Last reply by casketchris, -
not wanting to pull this too far off topic, but I think were in a pretty unique situation here. Instead of being a crew, we're set up as a 501c3 foundation, which has members, volunteers, and staff but is governed by a board of directors. the directors are the only ones that vote, but we rely heavily on the opinion of staff and volunteers, because if they aren't happy, we have seven board members and a pile of toothpicks. I only know of one other "pirate" reenacting group who has insurance and that is Blackbeards- our sister. We have a set of standards that we follow for safety and history/education. In theory, if a "crew" were to join the foundation, the insurance woul…
Last reply by Mission, -
- 65 replies
- 8.9k views
As sort of a starting point for that book about pirate surgeons I am always nattering on about, I have finally started adding some serious surgical content to my Pirate Surgeon's webpage relating to the surgeon's instruments. The first page in this series features an assortment of fun dental instruments as featured in the English translation of Jacques Guillimeau's The French Chirurgerie, printed in London in 1683. This puts it right square in the middle of the GAoP as an information resource (even though the original French version of the book precedes the GAoP by about 100 years.) Note that I think we can rate this as being safe for those of you who get queasy easily; …
Last reply by Mission, -
- 57 replies
- 8.9k views
I have been working on developing this sailor's outfit that Peter The Great brought back from eastern Europe in the early 1700s. After chatting with a few people and checking my resources, I found out that his hat was not straw like I first thought. It appears to be a brimmed knit cap. I found a source and now have a great example of this hat. However, I am not certain that I have seen any references of this hat in application. Any help?
Last reply by Swashbuckler 1700, -
- 43 replies
- 8.9k views
Hurricane suggested this fascinating book to me called Hubbub: Filth, Noise & Stench in England by Emily Cockayne. She took her doctorate thesis on noise during the 17th and 18th centuries and expanded into a book on all the irritations of that period. If you really want to create a period-correct campsite, here are some notes from her book for your consideration. “The skin of seventeenth and eighteenth century citizens was irritated by disease and infestations and chafed by coarse fabrics and dirty linen.” (Cockayne, p. 83) “Many conditions would have caused itching, including eczema, impetigo, ‘psorophthalmy’ (eyebrow dandruff), scabies, chilblains, chapped and …
Last reply by Coastie04, -
- 53 replies
- 8.7k views
So what descriptions there is sailors, pirates or common men's bad language? There is some pre hanging swearing but what about other... Also would officers or other punish for it? I know that (I live Finland BtW) in 17th century Finland (was then part of Sweden) cursing was punished by small penalty (probaply since government needed to get money) but about other countries or aboard ship? I believe that no one would bother..... Oh and those execution curses would be fine too...
Last reply by RoyalJames, -
- 140 replies
- 8.7k views
A couple of years ago. I posted "how I made a pair of slops"... but not in TWILL....(kinda fun... some of the Southern California Pyrates showed me their slops made from my post.... dang cool....really really dang cool.....)But I'm not 100% sure they are period correct... just my best guess.... Well the reasoning is simple... Heck... I didn't have the proper "documentation".....(Kass an I still argue about weather the butt seam is curved or straight....) But I figured they were kinda dang near close.....No JoAnn's to go buy the pattern from......So how would a Sailor make a new pair of trousers/slops/breaches from.... heck not alla them knew how to sew... but it was a s…
Last reply by Jib, -
- 59 replies
- 8.5k views
greetins' me fellow seafarers! my question(tis me first ..so bear wit me please) is what a proper pirate wore atop his head? i know headscarves are debatable..tis tricorns the norm? plain or were some fancy with satin edging? saw in gents of fortune -black-grey and brown twar common.. believe i once saw a photo from a museum of..if memory is correct dutch sailors with straw tricorns- true that be? what is ye opinion-what tis acceptable to ye ?
Last reply by Tartan Jack, -
The Jolly Roger 1 2 3
by Daniel- 60 replies
- 8.3k views
Who really flew the first known skull-and-crossbones-on-black Jolly Roger? A lot of websites say it was Emmanuel Wynne, who flew a black flag with a white skull, crossbones behind the skull, and an hourglass below around 1700. Something doesn't jibe though. A lot of websites (and books too!) show Henry Every's flag as black with a white skull in profile and crossbones below. Since Every's final cruise was in 1696, his flag would have had to come before Wynne's - if the flag we see in the books is accurate. Then there's Ned Low's flag, which the books today show as a black flag with a red skeleton in full face. If I'm remembering right, Johnson's General History of t…
Last reply by Capt. Calico, -
- 1 reply
- 8.2k views
I am researching a story I found about one of the last pirate raids. Besides a few online summaries and forums, I have not been able to find too much more of the details. I have been able to locate the full newspaper article from the Daily Alta California from December 15, 1884. A library source has scanned and converted to text using OCR software. I cleaned up the OCR errors. I've included it below. It's a good story. I'm trying to find out if anyone knows any more details to this event. I cannot find any other articles to substantiate this story. Most facts check out. It talks about the King and the palace. The palace was built in 1882. The first silver …
Last reply by Mission, -
Greetings Mates, I am Baptiste and this is my first postings to this group. I pray your patients and please read my studied opinion as I tell the tale of two pyrate ships In my port, the Bay of Saint Francis two pyrate ships are moored. The first is a 1970’s sloop with modern rigging. Her master has painted her black and she has a yellow gun deck. This modern vessel is armed with two modern signal cannons. The kind that shoot 12GA blanks. We know she is a pirate ship because of her flag and “make-up”. The second vessel is the Royaliste a fine ship with a fine history. Ancient trees were felled to form her mighty keel and sturdy bulwarks. She is now armed with fo…
Last reply by JoshuaRed, -
- 7 replies
- 7.9k views
Hi all. I hope you are all keeping well. I have a question regarding the wooden statues that were so often found at the front of the ships - mermaids etc. Do they have a significance? What did they represent/relate to? Were there specific ones for specific countries or departments etc? Forgive me if there is already a post about this - I am just musing here, and would appreciate any advice or opinions Warmest regards, Jacqui
Last reply by Mission, -
- 73 replies
- 7.8k views
so since i posted a comment on the craft site and was repremanded there i will post it here, I really don't understand all this fantasy garb, including non shooting guns, hairbeads/hair ties, tennis shoes with garb, non period pieces of equipment within the wrong circa, ie; tents, shelters, and clothing. we are here and at faires to replicate historical facts that are best known way we know, from ledgers, court documents, journals, paintings, authors/books, college courses, research, arch. /research sites, shipwrecks, antiques, and interviews from descentdants. when re-enacting a time-line (circa) it looks better for the public to see fact than fiction, to give off a …
Last reply by Ivan Henry aka Moose, -
- 138 replies
- 7.8k views
Greetings, Am looking for a 17th or 18th century reference source for the allegation that sailors of that era indeed believed that wearing a gold or silver earring would improve vision. Thanks in advance, The Corsair
Last reply by Fox, -
- 4 replies
- 7.5k views
I have finally decided to import this over here so that the cognoscienti on this site can have a whack at it and perhaps help expand it. I began it on piratesinfo.com about a year ago and interest in it suddenly exploded in late 2004. You can find the original post in the Scholarly forum here, but you must be registered at that site to view it. There is a great deal more info in the posts by the other posters on many of these pirates and if you are interested I highly suggest you check it out. I left all the revision notes in to honor the additions made by the scholars and wise posters at piratesinfo.com. This list would have been literally several hundred pirates short…
Last reply by Mission, -
- 64 replies
- 7.5k views
DAY ONE: Period Papers for the Private and Public use of Privateers. And if you think that's a long title, then you haven't read many period publications. The titles of some broadsheets, pamphlets and decrees are almost half as long as the rest of the document themselves, but long or short, I've decided to share many of the original documents that I've discovered over the years. I will endeavor to post one a day for a year as pdf downloads starting with this most capital one from 1643... "The Capitall Lawes of New-England, as they stand now in force in the Common-Wealth. By the Court, In the Years 1641. 1642. Captiall Lawes, Established within the Jurisdiction of Ma…
Last reply by Mission, -
- 6 replies
- 7.5k views
So, how deep could the water be and the ship still be able to anchor? And what's the limiting factor? I think having a 100-fathom anchor cable doesn't let you anchor in 100 fathoms of water. I think that for the anchor to bite properly, the anchor cable needs to be at an acute angle to the sea floor, and pictures I've seen of ships at anchor show the ship several hundred yards away from being directly above their anchors. You would only go directly above your anchor when you were preparing to haul it up. But is the length of your anchor cable the limiting factor? Beyond some length, does the combined weight of the anchor and cable become too much for the crew to lif…
Last reply by Silver, -
- 59 replies
- 7.4k views
This is a fovorite of mine (really Foxe) it Depicts the Raid on Guayacil. FROM FOXE Brief history: Woodes Rogers commanded a privateering voyage in 1709 or thereabout, raiding the West coast of South America. one of the successes of the voyage was a raid on the port of Guayacil which is depicted here in an engraving from Woodes Rogers' 1712 published account of that voyage. ok lets talk about what we see.
Last reply by Swashbuckler 1700, -
- 8 replies
- 7.4k views
Careening: the act of beaching one's ship, turning it over on its side, cleaning the bottom and adding/replacing hull planks. WIthout careening, teredoes and barnacles and seaweed will first slow and then destroy the ship. Now, even a small vessel will have a draught of five feet or more; the brigantine St. Lawrence II, for example, has an 8.5 foot draught. So as you sail your ship toward the beach, you will run aground in five to eight feet of water. Obviously,it will be difficult or impossible to work on the bottom while standing in the middle of crashing surf. In ordinary seas, the solution is presumably to ground the ship at high tide; when the tide goes out, you…
Last reply by Coastie04, -
- 54 replies
- 7.3k views
Does anyone have the slightest idea of what these could be? Foxe has a picuture on his site that has a sailor with a red cap/hat. Think its close??? GoF
Last reply by Swashbuckler 1700, -
FLAGS FOR POTC 1 2 3
by BILLY BONES- 51 replies
- 7.1k views
Alright, here's another way to help me without getting paid. I'm making various pirate flags for Pirates of the Caribbean III. Of course, I have examples of the usual panoply of flags we all see, but I need to create Chinese and corsair flags. I've seen the 19th century Chinese Pirate flag. If you have any examples of unusual pirate flags from any time period, from any part of the world, please e-mail me. I prefer to stay on or before 1730. Maybe some reward can be obtained for your help. Who knows?
Last reply by Swashbuckler 1700, -
I'm going to start listing books that The Huntiington receiveds that might be of interest to all of us. These mybe books on piracy but will also be books of maritime interest. Here is a few to begin with: The Global Schooner: Origins, Development, Design, & Construction, 1695-1845 by Karl Marquardt Naval Institute Press : Conway Maritime Press, 2003 ISBN 1591143284 Sea Life in Nelson's Time by John MasefieldNaval Institute Press, 2002 ISBN 155750126 Pirate Wars by Peter Erle Methuen Publishing Ltd., 2003 ISBN 041375880x
Last reply by Brit.Privateer, -
- 24 replies
- 7k views
I've seen a couple of websites that offer a "short sailors" waistcoat. I've seen pictures of a few reenactors with them on as well. What i am not finding is any historical mention of them. It's basically a waistcoat that only comes to the waist. Man I am full of questions this week. I'm hoping these were PC as i already picked one up last week from a Sutler in Saint Austine.
Last reply by Gentleman of Fortune, -
- 39 replies
- 6.9k views
Greetings, This is a partial continuation of another topic that needs to be split--homosexuality and pedophilia being, in my opinion, separate phenomena. As to homosexuality among pirates: I've done a lot of reading in primary sources for the 18th century, and am of the opinion that homosexuality was somewhat less closeted among pirates than among the RN--or the population at large for that matter. This is not to say that I accept the thrust (pardon the pun) of either Turley or Burg's arguments. Both fall victim to the assumption that human needs are constant and must find an outlet. They presume that, given the absence of women, pirate shps must therefore have resemb…
Last reply by CaptainSatan, -
- 49 replies
- 6.8k views
Blackbeard’s True Treasure ©2011 Kevin P. Duffus RALEIGH--The whereabouts of the mythical pirate treasure of the notorious Blackbeard has bewitched folks ever since the smoke cleared following the Battle of Ocracoke 292 years ago. Minutes after Blackbeard’s death, Royal Navy sailors began a search for the bearded pirate captain’s ill-gotten gains. They were soon disappointed. They found no treasure chests of gold, silver or jewels. And despite many enticing claims, nor has anyone else found Blackbeard’s lost treasure since that historic November day on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. However, there was a treasure, and it likely survives to this day in eastern No…
Last reply by LookingGlass,
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