Tar Bucket Bill

Very true. I've worked with real human skulls at an archaeological site. Some portions of them were less durable than others. I have a good quality medical school type plastic skeleton on a stand in the closet .... er ..... uh ..... rather in the basement that I have had for years. And it's still going strong. I drag it out for display during Halloween season. The 4th quality Bucky skeletons that you can buy various places online are fairly good for a much less expensive alternative. But if you're going to do one up like those in POTC, then you won't be able to tell much quality difference at all. The Bucky skeletons are a staple skeleton for haunted house attractions and the like. -Tar Bucket Bill

While that skeleton hanging in the POTC may REPRESENT Rackham, it's most definitely not the real skeleton of Rackham. Rackham was hanged at Gallows Point in Port Royal on Nov. 18, 1720 and then gibbeted along with another crew member on Deadman's Cay which is near Gun Cay and just a bit away almost due south of Fort Charles. Four months later, pirate Charles Vane was also hanged [on Gallows Point again?] and then gibbeted on Gun Cay. So there they were, two former shipmates swingin' in the breeze within sight of each other. Gibbeted pirates often remained gibbeted for several years. This means that their body was put into a metal gibbet cage and hung from a gibbet, NOT hanged to rot on a rope as depicted in POTC. In the case of Captain Kidd, I have read various accounts from 2 to 20 years. In 1722 in Port Royal there was a severe storm, and this was followed by a hurricane and two earthquakes in that same year. According to an article entitled "Two West Indian Amazons" [about Anne Bonny and Mary Read] on page 61 of the "ALL YEAR ROUND: A WEEKLY JOURNAL" in 1895, the gibbeted remains of Rackham were swept away by the hurricane in 1722. So, it might be possible his gibbet cage, or parts of it, may still be rusting away somewhere in the bay buried under centuries of sediment and encrustations. There is also archaeological evidence that shows that gibbeted criminals were also sometimes buried still in their gibbet cages. I'm guessing that Captain Kidd was probably buried in his gibbet cage somewhere near Tilbury Point or Tilbury Fort. After being gibbeted --- if there was much left --- a pirate was often consigned to an unmarked grave somewhere, possibly still in his gibbet cage. I have read that the idea was to not grant the criminal a burial on consecrated holy church grounds, but was meant as a punishment for the criminal's eternal soul as well. I have read that this type of burial was feared back then due to the religious beliefs at this time. Sir Henry Morgan was buried in a cemetery on Port Royal. When the earthquake struck in 1692, that portion of land was one of the parts of Port Royal that slumped into the sea. That area has been silted over during the centuries and I think is now under new dry land. So maybe his grave is still there but only much deeper and farther out from the original burial site. By the way, Deadman's Cay was renamed and is now called Rackham's Cay. The earliest map I have seen "Rackham's Cay" is about 1736. Or was it 1756? I cannot exactly recall. I have also seen a very early map of Port Royal online that shows that Deadman's Cay may have been originally named "Gun Cay" before being called "Deadman's Cay". On that map there are TWO "Gun Cays" side by side. This also makes me think that they never changed the name of the "Gun Cay" where Vane was gibbeted. Did they rename the other "Gun Cay" to "Deadman's Cay" because so many executed criminals were gibbeted there? I don't know, but it makes me think so. Rackham's Cay is barely under water these days. Gun Cay is still above the water. Having a bit of movie special effects knowledge and educational study from movie special effects artist Dick Smith, I can tell you that real skeletons have often been used in movies by special effects people. He used them in movies such as "Scanners" and "Ghost Story". Tom Savini used them in movies such as "Creepshow". When I was studying under Dick Smith in the late 1980s I could have ordered a real skeleton from the Carolina Biological laboratory supply company, but they were insanely expensive. I think maybe about $500 at the time. I believe many of the skeletons there were imported from India. Laws soon changed, and real skeletons are no longer being offered for sale, and maybe not even imported into the United States. That's not to say that the two skeletons hanging in the POTC are not real. They could be the high quality plastic ones now offered for sale by the scientific lab supply places. Or they could be real ones that Disney Studios have had and reused and redressed in movies for decades. It's difficult to say without talking to the movie prop master or crew involved with the production. Special effects people will even go to the trouble to sculpt human skeletons and various human bones out of clay and then mold and cast them in plaster or plastic or something. I hope this long-winded post helps answer some questions. -Tar Bucket Bill

Littleneckhalfshell, I'm interested in the proper naval cannon carriages of the time. Can you show me where to look for examples? Is there a good website that shows the difference in carriages of the different time periods? I wish I could afford to go to Nassau and some of the surrounding islands to see pirate related things. My sister went there on her honeymoon back in the 1960s. -Tar Bucket Bill

Yes, I think he tentatively has identified the wreck site of the Adventure Galley due to a ballast pile, some burnt wood and an oar lock. Plus, the fact that the area matches a spot on an old 1700s French map that identifies a careening area at the Ilot Madame in the Baie des Forbans of Ile Sainte Marie. I'm not sure of the exact location of the careening area on the Ilot Madame, but I have a good idea. I've been looking for a diagram or map of the careening area and Adventure Galley, Fiery Dragon, Mocha Frigate, and Ruparelle [renamed November] wreck sites in the bay, but have had no luck finding anything yet. With all of the pirate ships that he has found in that bay, they could be excavating for years. -Tar Bucket Bill

Were English cast iron cannon barrels of the GOAP period [and later] painted with black oil-based paint, blackened, or Japanned, or something else entirely? My next question would be about what the mixture was for any of these coatings. A friend of mine wishes to duplicate the proper finish on a Traditions .69 caliber naval cannon barrel. I think right now he's just leaning toward the black oil-based paint finish, whatever that proper mixture would be. I haven't really found any sources other than possibly coated with a black oil-based paint, or blackened. That's kind of vague, since no details to their proper mixtures or procedures were given. Not sure what "blackening" entails on a large cannon barrel, unless that means heating the barrel super hot and then dipping in oil. Thanks for the input. -Tar Bucket Bill

There is a photo in books and online of Captain Kidd's original Letter of Marque [privateering commission] that I'm sure many of you are familiar with. Does anyone know of a larger readable version of it? And does anyone know of a correct word for word transcription of it? The transcription I keep seeing online is obviously incorrect with the sole use of "Robert Kidd" throughout the transcription. One can plainly see "William Kidd" in a couple of places on the original vellum document. There are also other discrepencies in the trascripition I have been seeing online. It looks like the original vellum document has been badly trimmed for some unknown reason. King William III's large seal is cut off from where it had been hanging at the bottom, as are the decorative sides of the document. The blue British Revenue Stamp is still affixed to the left side of the document, but I cannot make out the embossed seal and the number of shillings and pence. Nor can I see if the revenue stamp has the silver tag with reverse crown helping to affix the stamp to the vellum document. I'd also like to know the size of this original document, if anyone knows where to find this information. Other similar documents are quite large --- roughly about 33" x 29". And one final question: Where is the original of Captain Kidd's Letter of Mark kept? The Lords of the Admiralty also granted Kidd with a privateering commission, but I do not know what this document looks like. Thanks for any assistance any of you can provide. -Tar Bucket Bill

Aye, it is I! I wasn't in Newgate Prison or anything. At least not yet. I've been on a lee financial shore though. -Tar Bucket Bill

Yes. There are accounts of Dirk Shivers' "Fiery Dragon" and Robert Culliford's "Mocha Frigate" being set side-by-side in the narrows of the approach and set afire and sunk to restrict access to the harbor by the English Navy, and the ploy seemed to have worked. And Mr. Clifford's team did find evidence of 2 ships in the narrow portion of harbor side-by-side. Then there is evidence of a third ship at the spot on a small island at the opening of the harbor where is was popular to careen ships. I am hoping that it's a strong possibility of being Kidd's "Adventure Galley". Anyway, it sounds like the harbor is an artifact rich site. -Tar Bucket Bill

The "Pirate Island" documentary was very fun to watch. If Mr. Clifford positively identifies "The Adventure Galley", it will be very interesting to see what kind of artifacts are brought up from her. However, it sounds like Kidd had his crew salvage all kinds of stuff from "Adventure Galley" to help fit out and supply the "Quedagh Merchant" / "Adventure Prize" before leaving the island of Isle Ste. Marie for the Caribbean. Plus, Kidd burned the "Adventure Galley" to salvage its scrap metal and iron. So says Richard Zacks in "The Pirate Hunter". Hopefully Mr. Clifford will find some interesting bits of it. -Tar Bucket Bill

What about Prichard's Fine Rum? http://www.prichardsdistillery.com/ Their website claims to use the same rum making techniques used for hundreds of years. They use premium grade "A molasses. They claim to make "an accurate recreation of America's first distilled spirit". They also say, "Prichard’s Fine Rum is the first authentic American Rum to be distilled in the United States since the early days of America’s history." I have never had the opportunity to try it yet but would like to. Has anyone here tried it? -Tar Bucket Bill

I have a Loyalist Arms 1690 doglock pistol in .64 calibre that I would like to possibly rework. It is however my first experience with a flintlock piece. I've had the lock out of the stock, and I've had the barrel out, and the ramrod holder out, and the butt cap off. I have not yet tried to remove the trigger and trigger guard yet though. Not difficult to take apart and put back together at all so far. However, I have not attempted to take ANY parts off of the lock yet since there are 3 different springs and I don't know what kind of tension they put on the other parts while trying to put it back together. I do not have a spring vise yet for the main spring. Loyalist Arms told me the stock is made of rosewood. A friend told me that there probably were stocks made of rosewood back then. Any know? I would have preferred English walnut, but it was made in India, and I think rosewood is a more common wood there. Is a stock in English walnut just like this rosewood stock available somewhere? I don't know how to inlet a stock for the lock, so that could be very tough. But anyway, what kind of reworking of parts do you suggest be done to this piece to make it look and function much better? -Tar Bucket Bill

WARNING: If you are easily offended by graphic descriptions of death and dying or squeamish, please do not read this! If I recall correctly, Captain Kidd was carted to the gallows which was placed between the tides on the Thames, because between the tides was within the perview of the Admiralty Court for crimes on the ocean. They often stopped and let him drink alcohol on the way from the prison to the gallows, so he became quite drunk. It was a journey across part of London. When they reached the gallows at Execution Dock in Wapping on the Thames he was then placed upon a collapsible platform with others to be hanged and the rope placed around his neck, his hands tied probably to the front, but the feet not tied.Sometimes a white hood was placed over the head. The executioner then collapsed the platform, thus letting the condemned dangle and do the "hempen jig". The feet and legs, being not tied, would often kick about in this "hempen jig" to the delight of the public. Kidd's rope broke and he fell to the ground. They raised a ladder to the gallows and forced him to climb the ladder and then "turned him off" the ladder to let him dangle and expire to complete the execution. It could often take 15 or 2o minutes for someone to strangle to death this way. Tongues bitten and blood streaming from mouths. Cheers would be raised when a wet spot formed at the crotch of the executed upon death. They would be left to hang about half an hour. Sometimes taken down and tied to a post to let three tides wash over the body. About a day and half? And then, if they were pirates, they would often be consigned an unknown, unconsecrated grave. Or in Captain Kidd's case, they slathered him with pitch or tar, encased him in a gibbet cage and hanged him from a gibbet at a place near Tilbury Fort several miles upstream for maybe about 3 years. Poor buggers executed for treason often had it much worse though. Execution for treason often entailed drawing, hanging and quartering. There. I TOLD you not to read it. Tar Bucket Bill

OH,say it ain't so!!! -Tar Bucket Bill Huzzah! Thanks for your diligence Michael! -Tar Bucket Bill

OH,say it ain't so!!! -Tar Bucket Bill

Anything definitive yet? The registration form on the website is still a 2010 form. The June 1st deadline is fast approaching --- if that is when the 2011 deadline is. We would need to mail out our registrations and $5.oo checks this week, so that we are registered in time. -Tar Bucket Bill

I've been to the website. However, the registration form is for 2010. Will this year's registration be due by June 1, 2011 like last year's? If so, time is getting lean. How do we register otherwise? Are $5.oo checks to be made out to the same group and sent to the same address as last year? Thanks mates. -Tar Bucket Bill

Great! Thanks Mark. I have diagram and plans for both the PVC whistle flute and the PVC side-blown fife in the D(5) key. I will attempt to make both versions, although I think the whistle flute might be easier for me to learn the basics on. ~~~ Scientific Musical Scale versus Natural Musical Scale ~~~ I understand that the scientific musical scale is rather recent and that before that, music was played in the natural musical scale. It must be true --- I read it on the Internet. /;^) I plan to tune the flutes with the aid of my friend's electronic tuner. However, I don't know if it is capable of tuning in the natural musical scale or not. If not, does anyone know how to tune a windblown instrument in the natural musical scale? I assume the notes sound differently in each scale. ??? As I mentioned, I don't know anything about music and instruments, so forgive me if these questions sound dumb or confusing. But I would prefer that the flutes to be tuned in the natural musical scale for a period sound. Any help any of you can offer would be greatly appreciated. -Tar Bucket Bill

I've been trying to research what a common simple woodwind instrument would have been from 1690 to 1720 that a sailor may have carried with him aboard ship. I think this period of time is considered part of the Baroque Period. I keep leaning toward the Flageolet [whistle flute], but I need input from those who are more knowledgable about musical instruments during this period of time. I have virtually no knowledge of music and instruments, because I have never been very musically inclined. But I wouldn't mind trying my hand at learning to play a small Flageolet-type instrument or fife, so that I could play some simple period songs at living history events some day while just sitting around relaxing. I was thinking of either a Flageolet [whistle flute] or a side-blown fife with the embouchere --- both in the key of d. Soprano I think, not the larger D flutes. Like I say, I don't know much about this stuff, so I might be confusing you. I am going to attempt to make a side-blown fife and a small whistle flute in the key of d out of 1/2" CPVC pipe and tune it on my friend's electronic tuner. There are plenty of instructions on the Internet for making them. And it would be something inexpensive with a decent sound that I can possibly learn on. A nice wooden one can cost $100 or so. I might get a nice wooden one at some later time if I can learn and see that I might stick with it. But anyway, I could use some input from some of you experienced musicians who play woodwind instruments. -Tar Bucket Bill

Grymm, this is a great reference site! If you find the earlier one with the wax cylinder recordings and tapes, that will be even better. Great English accent and dialect resources! I was able to click on your links to the Wurzels "Blackbird" song, and "'Ouses, 'ouses, 'ouses", etc. Only the four http links in your very first posting would not open for me. Everything else seems to work fine. -Tar Bucket Bill

Belly dancing to "Combine Harvester"? That sounds like something I would see in a scrumpy haze. Very interesting though. Grymm, if you find those recordings of English dialects, please let us know. By the way, I could not open those Youtube links you posted for some reason. The complete URLs were abbreviated and shortened with dots ..... in the middle of them. Are there any American actors that do a remarkable English accent of any kind? -Tar Bucket Bill

I have been trying to find the exact spot that Captain Kidd's body was hanged in chains. It is said to be at Tilbury Point on the Thames, but there seems to be much disagreement as to the exact location of Tilbury Point. I think I have referenced about 3 or 4 different locations for Tilbury Point. Exasperating. Tilbury Fort was perhaps a likely location, which is nigh opposite Gravesend. Or even Coalhouse Point near Tilbury Fort. The town of Thurrock makes claim as well. Some interesting information here, but is it valid? See the Thurrock Wikipedia entry. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thurrock Does anyone know of some documented first-hand accounts of having seen Captain Kidd still hanging in chains at a specific location? He was said to hang in his gibbet cage for several years. Even the number of years differ from source to source though. Some say 2, some say much more. Did Dampier return to London up the Thames during this time? If some of you are familiar with the Thames geography, especially those of you in England, please help shed some light. With online satellite views, you can see quite a bit of good stuff. Coalhouse Point strikes me as a very likely place of his gibbet location. Bleak and desolate. I'm surprised that the exact location of such a famous event has maybe been lost to time. Any of you studying Captain Kidd? =Tar Bucket Bill

Great replies so far! The one thing I fear from trying to learn an accent from a film, is that the American actor's English accent in the film might be total rubbish. Then I am only copying rubbish. And I don't quite know how to tell they are speaking rubbish before hand. My ears aren't that finely tuned to proper English accents yet. For instance, in the 1990 "Treasure Island" film starring Charleton Heston and Christian Bale, there are several English actors. I can probably rely on the English actors' accents to be much more accurate than American actors in that film. However, I don't know what regional accents each one is using in that film. And maybe some of those accents are rubbish too, because I have even read that some English viewers regard some actors attempting a West Country accent in a film as speaking rubbish. So that still makes it difficult for me to determine what is correct in a film such as this. But anyway, I thought I would attempt learning some regional West Country accent and dialect in homage to my ancestors who may have been from Wiltshire. Zo, if 'ee 'ear me zingin' "Combine Harvester" at an event, don't pay I any mind. haharr!! -Tar Bucket Bill

I had no idea Hatteras dialect was that close to the Bristol dialect. That's rather surprising. Grymm, thanks for the Wiltshire dictionary. Gurt lush! But what does it mean to speak proper Bucks? When I lived in Germany I learned that some Germans from one region often cannot understand other Germans from another region, like Prussia and Bavaria, --- but I never knew that was the case in England as well, especially like in Stoke-On-Trent, and practically within the same community. That explains why I often have a difficult time understanding different English dialects and accents --- especially since I live in America and not in England. I know a young chap from Cornwall, but he has lived in other parts of England, and now America, so he says his Cornish dialect and accent are not what they used to be -- except maybe when he's been drinkin' a bit. I guess I need to get him drinking more!! Haharr! -Tar Bucket Bill

I'm not sure if this is the proper area to post this, but ...... Do any of you Canadian and American reenactors try to use a specific English regional dialect and accent when you are taking part in a living history event to try to make your persona more authentic sounding? I would like to learn one to use and am looking for advice for finding instructions for learning one. I'm leaning toward a West Country dialect and accent, but I don't know which one to choose! Maybe Bristolian, maybe Somerset. I think my ancestors might be from the Swindon area of Wiltshire in the mid 1600s, so a Wiltshire accent and dialect might also be something for me to consider. I can find a little bit of some regional examples on Youtube, such as the "Wurzels", "Poldark" and other snippets of real conversation and such, but if any of you know of any instructions on CD that are for sale or any instructional books devoted to specific English regional dialects and accent, that would be a big plus. Actors have a way of learning accents and dialects, but I don't really know how they do this --- especially quickly for a film. If you are also an actor, maybe you can elaborate. Any help from you English reenactors would be highly welcome as well. When I was in Germany in 1979, my English friend laughed when I tried to do an English accent. He said I sounded like a "poofta". Not exactly the sound I am after!!! Haharr!!! Thang 'ee kindly shipmates. -Tar Bucket Bill

Lime was a key ingredient to Rum Punch. Ingredients of rum, lime juice, sugar and spring water have been used for rum punch since at least the late 1680s. It was a very very popular drink. I make a pretty tasty hi-test rum punch with those very same ingedients. I used turbinado sugar the last time I made it, but I want to try it sometime with muscovado sugar. I'd also like to try it with a rum that is closer to period correct. I understand that rums were mostly dark and heavy before the late 1800s. Anyone know of a rum like that? It seems like I remember reading in "The Pirate Hunter" that prices in Madagascar were quite high around this time. It may have very well been this same bloke. Can't remember. -Tar Bucket Bill