MarkG

I have a question, but I am not so sure how to ask it... You all have read in books/ seen in movies that captains were allowed to marry a couple while at sea. The most typical scene I remember about this was in James Clavell's "Tai Pan". However, this is around 1850s.

Any mentions if it was valid in 1700s/ Age of Sail? If yes, in what conditions? And only on British ships, or on French too? What did it entail - writing it in the logbook was enough, or what?

The answer column The Straight Dope looked this and found that there are no records of captains being authorized to perform marriages. There have been a few marriages performed by captains that were upheld under the principle that a couple who thinks they are married is married. There is speculation that captains could perform marriages in earlier periods but they have not found any documentation, just widespread tradition.

The column is here.

A year hah, Im waiting still and I ordered in Sept of 2009

I have three pieces from them. I got the first (Swedish snaplock) in the mid-1990s and it took about two months from order to delivery. I forget how long the second one took (caliver). It was a long time and it just showed up one day with no notice.

I got really lucky with the third one. A friend had already bought and assembled one of their snaphaunces then realized that he was never going to do anything with it. Another friend had bought a fishtail stock blank that he had sat too long. I bought a barrel to go with them and had a working musket within just a few weeks.

I think the most amazing thing was the owner had to pump a bicycle style pum 1500 times to get the pressure. I wouldn't envy anyone having to do that.

First you had to screw the pump into a tree then you had to pump it 1500 times. Then you had to unscrew it from the tree.

I enjoyed Cutthroat Island, despite some issues with the dialog and acting. However, the only thing I ask from a movie is that it entertain me...so I'm not the best judge.

That's the first movie that came to mind when I saw the thread. The carriage chase with explosions was a little over the top but it was a fun movie with great sets and costumes.

I remember thinking that Swashbuckler was ok when it came out but it didn't hold up very well.

i have an account through at&t. i have a multimedia package on it. normaly i can view typical sites on the web and navihgate in them but i think my phone is deffinetly smart(smart assed) not iphone. i am have no luck entering the chat room and i deffinetly can not post any thing. once i try to log in it initially says log in successful and then kicks me out due to some error. Is this just a problem with my phone? does anyone else run in to the same thing?

Bosun Red,

If you can give me a bit more information, model of your phone, specific error message, any error message number - I can then use that to figure out\try to track down the problem. It's either some offending bits of software or I may not have something set correctly.

I tried an Android tablet. The native browser had problems responding. It has a virtual keyboard and it did not recognize the text area as being editable so it did not bring up the keyboard. I did get it to work with the Opera browser.

Mark,

Just to confirm - the native Android tablet's browser doesn't like the Pub, but doesn't mind it so much if you use the Opera browser.

. . . But doesn't Opera still have to make use the tablet's virtual keyboard?

Or is it just application specific - works with Opera but not with it's native browser? (as it relates to navigating the Pub of course)

For whatever reason, the virtual keyboard comes up with Opera but not the native (web kit) browser.

I'd never seen this before. What an amazing invention. Particularly interesting how they used it to deter Indian attacks.

As I remember, they were showing the air rifle off in public and an old lady got shot.

I'm pretty sure the pistols of the 1600s were doglock pistols NOT Queen Anne, and Jeff MacKay sells one on his website.

A doglock is a type of lock. There were multiple types in use in the 17th century including doglocks, snaphaunse, miquelet, wheellocks, English locks, and French locks (what we think of as a flintlock). These locks were found on a variety of styles of pistol and musket. The doglock pistol you mentioned is specifically a cavalry pistol and would be carried in pairs in saddle holsters.

The Queen Anne is a style of pistol with a short stock and a screw on barrel. This style developed after 1700 which is why it is not appropriate for a 1660s event.

If you move up to the full musket then you get even more styles of locks. Matchlocks were still around and various snaplocks. Check out the Rifle Shop's selection of locks. Just be warned that they can take a year to process an order.

I tried an Android tablet. The native browser had problems responding. It has a virtual keyboard and it did not recognize the text area as being editable so it did not bring up the keyboard. I did get it to work with the Opera browser.

I tied an old finger woven sash on mine and made a "sling" of sorts for woods walks and club shoots. These most likely would have been in a pistol bucket on the saddle or weapons crate/locker on a ship.....

I think that a shoulder sling would be the best solution.

I have all the canvas I need to make a period style vendor booth but I am unsure about construction. I want something that will work for areas where I can use ropes and stakes but also be able to set it up at events where I'm on concrete. I also still need to finish making a tent for myself and my son (that's right, our own little autistic powder monkey is finally going to make an appearance or two) so was toying with the idea of making something multipurpose. Does anyone have any plans or patterns for a project like this (budget is small to almost non existent at tbe moment) or have a link they can share with the info? Hoping to have it done before my show the second week in April. Thanks in advance for tbe help

Check Google Images for Baker tents. This is more stable than most pavilions so you should be able to rig it to work on cement. It also has room enough inside to work. It is also simple geometric shapes for people who don't want to do a lot of sewing.

There is a lot of controversy about how early these go. Some people insist that they are a 19th century invention. I have seen versions in 30 Years War woodcuts (1630s) so I would have no compunction about using one for GAoP.

How long are these? And would it be practical to strap one to your thigh? Looks like you could with a couple of them.

I don't think I have seen any period representations of guns strapped to someone's thigh. That is more of a mid-to-late 19th century thing. In the GAoP people tended to stick their pistols into their belt or to wear a baldric to hold them. I have seen one period woodcut of a pirate with several holsters fastened to a baldric. The alternative is to use belt hooks.

'S missing it's lock mech but ar y'roit 'er do look odd.

You'd have to reprime between each shot and hope that there was no 'flash over' to the other chambers when you did fire

It's in the Pitt Rivers museum in Oxford, fantastic and odd wee place tucked behind and accessed via the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

It's arranged by typology not chronology so all the firemaking devices are one cabinet all the opium/hash pipes and betel nut tools are in another, there's all the archers braces in one yddayaddayadda

The upper gallery is the weapons and armour section with some fantasticly freaky stuff like macrame armour with puffer fish helmets there's a small but facinating firearms section......worth a visit if you're in Oxford and can tear y'self away from the multitude of bookshops and pubs =o)

Those indentations looks like priming pans. There is no sign of where the frizzen went. The one pictured with it is built differently with a frame above the cylinder to mount the frizzen.

The most common multi-shot guns at the time were over and under pieces. There were usually two locks and barrels joined together. After you fired the first one you would turn the pistol over, bringing up the second lock.

There is a battle axe/gun in the Tower of London that is the strangest multi-shot piece I ever heard of. It has a wheel-lock that fires a pistol through the handle. When this is fired it lights a slow match. You then mount the match in a matchlock which fires out of the rear end of the axe head (the pick end). The blade of the axe has hinges on the side and you can open it to reveal four more barrels. You fire each of these by hand using the match. There is no way that you could ever hit anything with the pistols and it was too big and heavy to use as an axe.

The whole thing is made from silver and highly engraved. I'm sure that some smith told a rich wife, "It's the ultimate weapon. You get six shots then you can use it like an axe."

I agree with Mission....

But also, If we are facing the street, that would make our group seem more inviting to those walking by on the sidewalk. Dontcha think?

Maybe the thing to do is to put the boat in front of the camp instead of behind.

If I'm lucky I will have enough time and good weather to make a proper mast for the boat. Plus something to keep it straight on the trailer.

I will be in attendance...tis too dang close for me not to....if nothing more than to defend my title as the "Prettiest Pirate"...HAHAHA

as for the rest of the Forsaken....there have been much interest as well...but will have to wait awhile before actual numbers of committment.

some of us are have a more performance background...i am sure that "skits or scenes " can be added thru out the day as well

as well as demos on Fashion of the time(why we are wearring what we are wearring?) etcetc....

and i can see a "Battle Scenario" with the use of the other group with the cannons....PIrates invade and the Town Miltita protected by the Canons etcetcetc...a way to swell the numbers and use the same space in the park allready designated as a firring zone

will think more on it

Just introducing yourself can turn into a five minute presentation.

I'm glad to hear that you are coming. We should coordinate displays. Between us, we brought enough more display stuff than we had room for.

Ye be building a pirate bar (other then booze and wenches) what be else does yer bar need? To make this easier lets say this be yer own private bar not a pub for just any stow away to wander into.

What does a pirate bar need? What would be something Awesome you'd like to have in your bar?

Capn Antonio Malasses

Barrels or kegs.

A parrot.

Yes, that is a two picture view of one of the two bottles on that site, one is just a little bit taller than the other one, variations in the manufacturing process I guess. I assume that these are 'thrown' on a wheel, and hand made. I wonder if one could make a 'slip' mold and cast them, I did some of that back in my college days, not sure if a cast bottle would hold up to the pressure or not, though I only assume that a built up thrown bottle would be stronger. Anyway potters out there have a two pence to throw into the disscussion? If they could be molded, it would make it cheaper to get my six pack

Around 20 years ago a friend of mine became interested in pottery and learned to make these. His teacher made one as a demonstration piece then cut it in half vertically with a wire to show the cross-section. The entire jug should have an even thickness.

I'm sure that a thrown pot is stronger than a molded one.

I agree with Hurricane based on what I recall of what I've read. Although Morgan would probably need an asterisk next to his name because he was really a privateer with sanctioning from the Crown. (A bit of a loose cannon of a privateer at times, but a privateer nonetheless.)

The Spanish considered him a pirate and would have hung him as such. That has to count for something.

It's not midnight so I'm still getting my birthday wishes in on time.

Happy Birthday.

Although I'm not entirely sure what you mean by "showcasing skills on the stage". Are you suggesting we do the display we do in camp all day in a more condensed formal 3 to 5 minute deal on the stage? Or am I way off course here? It sounds like a goo idea, but I just want to be sure I fully understanmd it.

I was thinking of something like they do at Ren Faires where people put together a particular 15 minute show that takes place at a scheduled time. (Not like what I do, but maybe like a sword-fighting display with commentary for 10-15 minutes or a cannon-firing display with an explanation of the cannon, its parts and procedure and a sample firing or such-like. (Or a surgical repair if you can find someone else to do it. )

If scripted with humor and kept light, it would be a nice draw to the stage. Of course, it would be better if the stage was closer to the displays so people could wander off and have the less-staged, more educational displays (like mine) to wander through.

Michael and I checked out the first PIB Pirate Festival to years ago. They had some fencers dressed like characters from PoTC who did a complicated 4-way choreographed duel. I'm sure that the organizers would love something like us but I don't see than happening. It takes too much rehearsal time to do it safely.

Maybe a quick demonstration on how to load and fire a musket would work. I've done this many times at Jamestown. We would have to get permission to fire. Last year they restricted where and when guns could be fired.

any container can be use to transport for quick consumption ale from a cask, old wine bottles, jugs, even buckets, and I am sure all these were done in period at one time or another. However my aim is to brew and bottle a period ale, in period bottles. I have brewed and bottled and even kegged beer and am aware of the process with first hand knowledge. I expect to brew a beer of lesser effervesance, as modern brews are much more 'explosive' than their 17th centuary counterparts. I don't expect to brew a known or namesake ale, the bottles need not have identification, but proper materials and size is my criteria. Stoneware seems more likely than glass in my research as the stoneware bottles would likely be more sturdy against the pressure and less expensive in period manufacture (as previously mentioned by many, glass can be expensive in period). On another forum it is suggested that a small or large Bellarmine jug may be the model to follow. There is evidence of mid 18th cent. Ale botles in this form.

Westmoore Pottery has 8" tall one that is similar to the artifact identified as an ale bottle in a symposia, it can be seen as item #442 at http://westmoorepottery.com/store.htm, the major difference is that the Westmoore reproduction has a stright neck whereas the artifact has a bulbous neck at it's top. Thank you all for your interest.

Westmoore does good work. I have a Bellarmine or two from them. You are probably safer with their pottery than a repro glass bottle.

Well Mission, it has been requested that we attempt to double or more or numbers from last year... Whether we get that many or not is another story, but I don't think it should be too much of a challenge considering how much more notice we have. Heck last year we had about a dozen souls, and that we scrounged up with only a few weeks short notice. Getting around 20 or more for this year should be a breeze..... Specially if The Foresaken join us (which I do hope happens).

Although I'm not entirely sure what you mean by "showcasing skills on the stage". Are you suggesting we do the display we do in camp all day in a more condensed formal 3 to 5 minute deal on the stage? Or am I way off course here? It sounds like a goo idea, but I just want to be sure I fully understanmd it.

Unrelated to suggestions... there is one more thing of note, we have been confirmed for the same camp area as we had last year (which I am thrillled about). For those who were not there last year who are considering this year, our camp area is about a 5 to 10 minute walk from the main strip and the park where we display during the day. While having to transport the bulk of our displays back and forth each day is a minor inconvenience, it does give all the option of getting sleep.

Just so you know, the other option for our camp was IN the park across the street from the main strip, and considering the number of bars an night clubs on the main strip, sleep would likely not be much of an option if we had to try and sleep there. So I think the camping arrangement and the short walk is all for the better!

Don't forget the number of drunks wandering through the park at night and the possibility that the automatic sprinkler system would come on. The place we camp is only a block or so from the display area but it is behind the bars where the drunks don't wander.

In the absence of the Niagara, we could attack the island from the boats and storm the park. We could have up to three boats if Jay brings his (we would have to carry it in one of the larger ones on the ferry). It is up to him if he wants to take his little boat out on Lake Erie.

I'm not camping.

Well the organizer and I have been exchanging emails pretty regularly over this, and because the re-enactors that were involved last year left such a good impression (THANKS YOU ALL FOR THAT!!!), the Mayor is more open to new ideas for the festival. The first thing I suggested was a skirmish, as that is often a favourite part of events like this, for participants and spectators alike. I'm not (and can't) say this is going to happen, but the idea has been noted (by the Mayor), and there is a willingness to discuss it. That said, the organizer and I will be trying to set up a face to face in the coming weeks to hash out ideas and talk things through as email on top of being slow, is not always the ideal way for those kind of conversations.

So, I am asking anyone and everyone here to let me know if you have any ideas or suggestions that you think I should take to the table? After all, this is not a "crew" event, and in the spirit of that, it should reflect all the individuals involved... Specially since it is all of us working together that will make or break this event. I would also like to hear suggestion of those who have not been able to make or can not for whaever reasons.

I'd prefer the discussions stay on the form and be public, but if you are really shy about posting your ideas, don't hesitate to private message me about them. The first week or two of March was mentioned for the face to face meeting, so please share by that time!

We could take the boats out and exchange fire with the Niagara.

Just found the site and am happy to be aboard. I'm a photographer by profession, an amateur brewer, and a novice boatbuilder surrounded by land (hopefully moving to RI soon to study full time.)

Fair winds and following seas to all

Well met.

Those of us who live inland can still use lakes and rivers for our boating fix.

And some coffee to go with the pancake.