William Brand

Welcome aboard, Benedict!

October 26 -

On this day in 1588, the galley Girona foundered and sank off Lacada Point, County Antrim.

Also on this day in 1707 the fourth rate 'HMS Romney' succumbed to the sea after striking Bishop Rock at the Scilly Isles. She went down with all but one of her crew. The sole survivor was George Lawrence, who had worked as a butcher before joining the crew of Romney as quartermaster

Thank you, Mission. Obviously I should have known you'd have done a mermaid page by now. The trick is finding one you haven't.

October 24 -

On this day in 1718, Stede Bonnet and David Heriot escaped the custody of Colonel William Rhett, but were recaptured on Sullivan's Island.

The mermaid craze at pirate events continues to grow to such a degree that I feel it's time that we discuss the mythology in historic context. Too often I hear pirate event organizers tout the idea of adding mermaids to one event or another using the reasoning that 'pirates and mermaids go together', so let's discuss that.

First, this isn't an attempt to prove that mermaids exist with historic conjecture. No. This is to discuss the historic believe and also fears of mermaids from the point of view of sailors in the Golden Age of Pyracy.

Second, if you love dressing up as a mermaid, don't take this personally. This is just a candid discussion about mermaid folklore as viewed from that specific time period. Period.

So to begin, while it is true that people romanticize the mermaid to a fault in todays' popular culture, a trend which gained early momentum as far back as 1837, when Hans Christian Andersen published 'The Little Mermaid', they do so with the naive belief that it was ever so. When people ask me about mermaids as an 'obvious addition' to events and ask me what I think, the conversation usually gets a little gruesome when I explain the deep seeded fears pirates had about being dragged down to murderous depths and being eaten alive. The most generous excuse a sailor of the Golden Age might apply to a mermaid is some naive belief that sailors could breath under water like themselves, which again is only speculative, because mermaids are pure MYTH. To be fair, there are stories about people having conversations with mermaids without ill effects, but many of these conversations are about omens and warnings.

But I digress. Let's look at some historic citations.

First there is a mid-18th century balled simply called 'The Mermaid', where a ship cites a mermaid as a portent that the ship will be wrecked and has various stanzas where different, specific crew members talk longingly of home and ports they'd rather be in than the 'bottom of the sea'. The ship does indeed sink as it attempts a return to port.

Next, this little poem that warns about being lured by mermaids from 'The Beginning, progress and end of man' of 1688.

Eyes not look on the mermaids face,

and Ears forbear her song;

Her Face hath an alluring Grace,

more charming is her Tongue.

A citation from Thomas Blount and his dictionary called the 'Glossographia' of 1656.

"Mermaid, Seamaid, or Siren, whereof the Poets had three, Parthenope, Leucosia and Ligea; the first used her voyce, the second a Citern, the third a Pipe; and so are said to entice Marrinersmusick, and then to destroy them. The upper part of their bodies, was like a beautiful Virgin, the neather was fishy. By these Syrens, pleasures are emblematically understood, from which unless a man abstain, or at least use moderately, he shall be devoured in their waves."

Some other random citations…

In 1673, John Jocelyn reported that his friend, Mr. Miller, had sighted a merman in Maine's Casco Bay. The merman put a hand over one side of his canoe, threatening to capsize it. Miller chopped off the hand with a hatchet, and the merman disappeared into the water, "dyeing the water purple with its blood."

May 1, 1714, Francois Valentyn, captain of a ship, came upon what he believed to be a shipwrecked person, but saw a man with a "monstrous long tail" that dove into the ocean.

The best that can be said of mermaids in most folklore is that they can be bribed with gifts in exchange for prophecy, but the prophecy given is often an ill portent of doom, especially if one breaks a deal with a mermaid. Please feel free to post your mermaid citations as you find them.

October 23 -

On this day in 1644, William Penn was born. He would later write a 'Proclamation Against Pirates'.

The Earl of Bellamont wrote to the Lords of Trade on this day in 1699 to report that Burke (Van Belle) had bought protection from the Danish government with the proceeds of Kidd's spoils.

Also on this day in 1702, English and Dutch forces destroyed the Spanish treasure fleet at Vigo Bay in Spain.

And on this day in 1707, the first Parliament of Great Britain met for the first time.

October 22 -

On this day in 1707, the second rate ship 'HMS Association', the third rate 'Eagle', and the fireship 'Firebrand' were wrecked during the Scilly naval disaster killing well over 800 men.

And on this day in 1720, Calico Jack Rackham, Mary Read, Anne Bonny, and others were captured.

And also on this day in 1728, Woodes Rogers was reappointed as governor of the Bahamas following the publication of a 'General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates', published under the pseudonym Captain Charles Johnson. The publication had helped Rogers regain the favor of King George I, and the favor of the king's son George the II.

October 21 -

On this day in 1697, the Council of Trade and Plantations in Maryland discussed the conflicting laws of transporting convicts, so that merchants and privateers alike could transport convicts to some colonies, but not others. The problem of trafficking convicts as cargo to various colonies would continue well into the 18th century.

And on this day in 1707, French privateers Claude de Forbin and Rene Duguay-Trouin defeated the English convoy in the Battle of the Lizard, during the War of the Spanish Succession near Lizard Point, Cornwall.

October 19 -

On this day in 1693, Thomas Tew arrived at Madagascar aboard the Amity.

And on this day in 1696, six members of Henry Every's crew were indicted on charges of piracy. One of the witnesses for the defense during the trial was William Dampier. They were exonerated, but later retried on charges of mutiny and theft of the Charles II and found guilty.

October 17 -

On this day in 1720, George Shelvocke and his men escaped their marooning at Juan Fernandez Island aboard a makeshift pinnace they had built after the wreck of their ship 'Speedwell'.

October 16 -

On this day in 1707, Defoe, never one to shrink from a chance to question local government, made a commentary on 'pyrates' concerning the local English commercial institutions…

"It would make a sad Chasm on the Exchange of London, if all the pyrates should be taken away from the Merchants there, whether we be understood to speak of your Literal or Allegorical Pyrates; whether I should mean the Clandestine Trade Pyrates, who pyrite upon fair trade at home; the Custom-stealing Pyrates, who pyrite upon the Government; the Owling Pyrates, who rob the Manufacturers , the privateering Pyrates, who rob by Law."

October 15 -

On this day in 1672, the fourth rate frigate, HMS Kent, sank off Cromer.

And on this day 1696, A report from the East India Company's factory at Bombay indicated the serious concern the Company displayed to the disruption of trade being caused by pirates:

“Besides the Gunsway, the Mogul's own ships were robbed last year near Surat, and barbarously used. Abdul Gophoor has had a ship robbed of a great sum of money in the Gulf of Persia, and today we have news from Mocha, of two of the Company's ships being taken. The loss of one of them in which was 60,000 rupees, has almost broke some of the mer­chants in Bombay, as the loss amounts to £75,000. The East India Company lost 80 tons of good new coffee in her. They were taken by two small pirates, of 13 and 14 guns, each with 150 Englishmen as crew".

And on this day in 1711, Woodes Rogers’ expedition returned home after circumnavigating the world and capturing a Manila galleon.

Oh I know, that's what makes the monster-izing of the past so unfair at times. We look back from our air-conditioned homes in front of high speed internet, but through a glass darkly and angrily judge those who came before. It so easy to misjudge a people who had the knowledge they were limited to from a seat of comfortable survival. I'm no hunter-gatherer. I had orange juice, hashbrowns and two delicately fried eggs this morning while surfing the net.

But it's like anything. Take the 'well' wars of the Bible for instance. Tribes going to war over a well in the middle of nowhere. It's so easy to judge from a place of indoor plumbing, but when you're in the desert...your perspective becomes thirsty and focused really damn quick.

The British Empire gets the enemy card a lot. Some of it's deserved, but even then, we're placing blames from the perspective and enlightenment we have now, not then. Hindsight and all that.

Are we wandering too far from your original question? Mission and I could go back and forth all day. You should join us for gate duty.

October 8 -

On this day in 1717, William Rhett of Charleston, South Carolina attacked the Stede Bonnet's pirate ship Royal James. The pirates were defeated and captured. Ignatius Pell, Stede's boatswain, was pardoned after agreeing to testify against his fellow shipmates.

We also call 'evil' what once was common. For example, it was common in colonization to move into an area and eat local, available food and fauna to extinction. Sailers and settlers alike would destroy local fish & bird populations, an idea that most people would find horrible today, but was seen as pragmatic survival then without regard to eco systems. Movies turn a hard microscope on previous practice and we could go back in time and find a lot of what we consider 'evil' everywhere, but biased and educated evil.

Look at Mission. He's studied enough period medicine to know that there's more voodoo and hoodoo in period medicine than healing. It's horrific stuff.

October 7 -

On this day in 1492, Christopher Columbus missed Florida when he changed course.

And on this day in 1571, the Turkish fleet was defeated by Spanish and Italians in the Battle of Lepanto.

Coins, sailor's knife, books, market wallet, spare line, period tools, sewing tools, flint and steel, and other small sundries.

Thank you for laying out the details. I'm a very visual person and appreciate that touch.

It's also an easy choice to pitch rich against poor and call the rich villainous. The difference between the vastly rich and the common sailor in the Dutch East India company was staggering and this often causes resentment and sense of Robin Hood justice.

I'm interested. Feel free to share any tutorials here.

October 5 -

On this day in 1718, John Augur set sail to a neighboring island to secure cows and hogs sufficient to breed them for food at "Providence". Provisions were scarce due to the regular plundering of stock by pirates.

Welcome aboard to all our newest recruits.

A number of pirates up that way attend this event. http://evangolapiratefest.com/

October 4 -

On this day in history, the Danish ship Dannebroge exploded and sank in the Great Northern War during the action of of October 4, 1710

Also on this day in 1744, the first rate HMS Victory was lost in a storm near Salcombe.