William Brand

Cannibuss. I shall never think of it differently after reading that name.

And some more from a few years back...

It isn't about getting it wrong. It's about doing it wrong on purpose, correctly, for the sake of the moment. You can build a legacy of ulcers doing everything proper beneath the heal and standards set by proper people, or, you can live carefree under an equally carefree sun.

Oh I reckoned as much...t'is always nice, though, to have someone get it right for the sake of the crowds... Aye, but it's equally and irrepressibly nice to get it eloquently wrong for the sake of the crowd.

You raise a good question (again) which comes up often enough that it bears repeating. Are there assigned roles? Yes and no. It's been decided often (and with strong opinion) that there are no officers of any kind in any real sense. The Mercury just works. When something needs to get done, it gets done. It's probably one of the finest working crews to be had anywhere, because no matter what people play, they all pitch in when needed. That said, we do have a surgeon and plenty of able bodied sailors. We also have a number of crew members with very real world skills from carpentry to candle making. 'Assigned' roles are more like volunteered parts, or rather, people who choose to play an aspect of daily life more than an official role. You should revive the discussion in your original thread! http://pyracy.com/in...80-who-is-what/

You are now and always will be on the muster. A little time and money and we'll see you at an event one day.

Try as you might, you probably won't get many of the 'proper addresses' from members of the Mercury. You'll get some improper ones. Some fine, well chosen and memorable addresses. I still remember some from years back. The improper ones stand the test of time like a good scar gifted with a good knife intimately.

See, and that's just the kind of trouble you can get into without the right papers. Damn governments. See we took the cutter Waterhound from the Spanish (under a Capitán Andrés Sosa) who had taken it from the English just days before, but just tryyyyyy to tell that to the English while they're shooting at you. Wow, the Adamant had a lot of guns.

The Archangel Crew will be serving as King's Men and trying members of the Mercury at FTPI next week, so I'm also compiling lists of 'ships taken' by the Mercury. To make matters easy I've been drawing on the names list we originally drew from when coming up for a name for the brig-sloop. This is a list of some of the Spanish Galleons (and names of crew) we've taken over the years... Spanish Galleon - Centurión Bortolo Abascal, Capitán Philip Lantigua, Maestre Antonio Martinez, Contramestre Gabriel Adame, Dispensero Spanish Galleon - Nuestra Señora del Buen Consejo (Our Lady of Good Counsel) Agustín Martinez, Guardian Alonso Trujillo, Armero Spanish Galleon - Delfín (Dolphin) Giulio Guartem, Capitán Juan Garcia, Piloto Juan Olivares, Dispensero Spanish Argosy - Cuatro Hermanas (Four Sisters) Alonso Cardona, Capitán Rocco Bonito, Maestre Spanish Galleon - Peregrino (Peregrine) Alessandro Gaspar, Capitán Pedro el Cano, Escribano Giraldo Sena, Marienero Blas Valdez, Page Spanish Galleon - Galeon Próspero (Prosperous) Marco do Soto, Capitán Juan Ballesteros, Companero de Pilot Hernán Fuentes, Codestable Luis Vicini, Capellan Hernán Rosario, Marienero Carlos Mejia, Marienero Francisco Brugal, Marienero Benito Hache, Marienero Bernadino Ramos, Marienero There are many more, but I'm still compiling. It's given me a rare opportunity to research given names and surnames of Spain for the period. I'm also going to throw in a few daring escapes and stalemates, so that our history has some variety, such as being run off by a third rate English warship 'Adamant' while taking an English Cutter that was just taken by the Spanish two days before that. I'll also include being attacked by pirates, since pirates attacked other pirates. I'll add some stalemated battle with pirates out of the Isthmus of Panama.

You were busy attending too many events in the Midwest without me. Actually, I checked that. In many of the examples I've found the last part of the name seems to change the most. Examples of early English spellings included Southword, Southward, Southworth, Southwoth, Southerd and so forth. No, but Jim will be the one the crew is always trying to replace poor Richard with, due to some failing in our current captain. Maybe Richard is too absent. Nice.

Since no one had offered another name since October, I thought that it was closed, so I say yes. The proposed sight for the discovery of the Mercury is St. Joseph's Bay in the Pensacola area as mentioned here...

I'm still for Captain Richard Southard.

I think that we define ourselves against the situation (like true pirates), sometimes sheltering ourselves for convenience by document, but oft times taking profit wherever it can be had, legally, illegally and sometimes by hybrid or hairsplitting of the two. We have almost always been hunted and done battle with the English at events, but we've also allied ourselves to the French at more than one gathering. Any documents that we'd carry would be from governments that found us as useful or as convenient as we'd find them in any given moment. For example, when we participate at Fort de Chartres we do commerce with the French and trade with the nations of New France such as the Sauk, Foxes, Shawnee, Wyandot and Chickasaw. We would then have some papers to that affect, which give us some rights of trade in otherwise dangerous areas of Illinois. Any of the paperwork is thus created for our use (and usually abuse) of the system, not to define us or paint us into a corner. And when we are in Spanish waters we take everything that crosses our path. After all, who's going to pass up a galleon? The Captain would most definitely be so by acclamation. Our crew wouldn't follow anyone of appointment, so papers of commission would be for our benefit and his, not for defining the Captain's role. Papers exist for protection in rare bureaucratic moments where definition is the difference between death and prolonged stays. We vote on Captains. We don't follow appointed ones, so make no mistake, I'm not trying to redefine the Mercury. I'm just creating more talking points about pyracy in all of its facets. Also, the use of some papers allow us a chance to educate the public and provide us with additional props. For narration's sake, we could say that our Captain was a 'working man' and still is. When Queen Anne's War dried up, he went where the work was…The Spanish Main. I like the pragmatism you see among so many pirates of the period. "What? You no longer have work for me as a sailor, because your war is over? Fine. I'll go find work elsewhere. You can call it piracy if you'd like. I call it the sweet trade." This avoids some of the over-romanticizing aspects of the hobby and gets down to brass tacks. Spend enough time on the sea, you'll eventually consider options you never would on land. Pyrates are pragmatists. Take what you need and if you can make a lot of money all at once doing it, why the hell not. I'm doing what I can in the face of this dialogue and pressing family matters, but yes.

Well, I've been doing some work on the background of Capn' Richard Southard (pronounced South-erd) for the upcoming paperwork and materials to be used at trial. I'm currently making 'bills of lading' and 'letters of marque' for our good captain. Nothing overtly dramatic, but detailed papers that can be used as props for education and dramatic demonstrations. I think Capn' Richard should be a simple man of the sea, firmly set with roots in the working class. I imagine he's elected. The letters I'm making up for him do contain some 'commissions' as the captain of a 'sloop of war', but they are primarily to be used at times of legal consequence like any such letters of marque or privateering that lend an individual or crew the right to take ships. Some of this stuff merely lends the crew of the Mercury right of passage or the limited formality that walks that fine line between pirating and privateering. Of course with the Captain always absent...it's mostly just fun and academic.

Excellent kit, Quartermaster!

I agree with Mission, because I can think of no mention of books in pirate stores either, apart from navigational titles and the common bible found among so many sailor's personal items.

The only book I've seen that specifically discusses 'luxury items' is "Luxury in the Eighteenth Century: Debates, Desires and Delectable Goods". The book mentions the selling of snuff boxes, books, watches, and jewellery both in high end, specialty shops and among street peddlers, because these items could be sold very easily for cash. They were often pawned at wildly varying prices depending on where you went, but they were considered a 'luxury' items, since books and jewelry are not necessities to most.

Wow.

And with the event in sight we lose the first handfuls of people due to work, finances, schedules, etc., but our numbers are still up!

This is one of the most common ways that men and women alike carried money in the 17th and 18th centuries. These little knit coin purses were so common that the term 'cut purse' dates all the way back to the mid 14th century. Have knife, will profit.

Video update on the rescue showing survivors. http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2012/1029/The-story-behind-the-HMS-Bounty-sunk-by-Sandy-off-N.C.-coast-video

This is from Wikipedia, but I know I've read it elsewhere before. "In London, the lead roofing was blown off Westminster Abbey and Queen Anne had to shelter in a cellar at St. James's Palace to avoid collapsing chimneys and part of the roof. There was extensive and prolonged flooding in the West Country, particularly around Bristol. Hundreds of people drowned in flooding on the Somerset Levels, along with thousands of sheep and cattle, and one ship was found 15 miles inland.[4] At Wells, Bishop Richard Kidder was killed when two chimneystacks in the palace fell on the bishop and his wife, asleep in bed. This same storm blew in part of the great west window in Wells Cathedral. Major damage occurred to the south-west tower of Llandaff Cathedral at Cardiff."

In many instances people simply took shelter in their homes, but there are accounts of individuals fleeing their houses during the storm of 1703 only to be killed by flying debris. They felt that their homes were unsafe and thought it better to be out of doors. Many accounts that I've read of the damages ashore indicate that private residences, commercial structures, churches and civic buildings were all damaged in like manner, so death in that particular storm was subjective and random. A lot of early communities in the colonies had root cellars and other underground earthen works used for cold storage and icehouses. I think anyone smart enough to go to ground would have a good chance of escaping bad storms.

Well, to say I'm excited about my latest acquisition would be an understatement. It's not very portable, but for $10, I can't complain. Time to break out the wood polish.

This is such sad news to wake to. I hope that everyone is found safe and alive.