Red Maria

Salvaging? Scavaging?

I am lucky enough to work at a place with a well stocked herb garden. There is madder, woad, weld, indigo, dyer's woodruff etc. The head gardener is very good at informing me when she is cleaning up the beds and offering me first dibbs (except for the maddder that usually goes to a volunteer woman who does Revolutionary War re-enactment sometimes at ColonialWilliamsburg). Unfortunately I have no where to dye things. too many neighbors, too close by and some these things can stink to high heaven ( I do store them just in case one day...). IDid you ever see the episode of Worst Jobs in History when Tony Robinson tried woad dying YYYYYYuck!!!Then there was the myrex [sp?] episode! Ewooooo!

I recall reading a Sherlock Holmes story were a women was required to wear a dress that "was a peculiar shade of electric blue". Would this be an aniline dye? Electric blue is very bright almost neon.

Maritime history is anything to do with water ( fresh or salt) and history. So pirates would be a part of that.

Could you be a little more specific? What a maritime historian is or was?

Sunday 1/7 One of the Herb Garden gardeners, Judy, was patrolling the fruit groves when she came a cross a group of about 10 Japanese tourists. They were gorging themselves on the loquat trees, yanking off fruit and stuffing themselves like gluttons. Judy was so shocked that she was rendered speechless. Screwing up her courage (since she knew she would need back up from security to stop the voracious spree) she took up her walkie-talkie (finding her voice again) and yelled PIRATES IN THE FRUIT GROVE!! PIRATES IN THE FRUIT GROVE! There was dead silence on the other end. Finally someone said what?!!! Judy blurted out what was going on and security sent some guards over to break-up the gorging tourists. When I heard about this I just broke out laughing I just had to share it with you all.

Congrats Gary! Say hello to Dave Moore at the museum for me. :) Good start for the new year!

Glad to oblige Ed! I might even make it myself tonight! Hmmm I do have that bottle of Pirrat Ale that went flat... BTW anyone have a good recipe for Welsh Rarebit?

Alos it melts beautifully and is good for Welsh Rarebit. :)

This is from Barnet's testimony from the trial. As far he and his crew knew there were just two pirates (gender unspecified) on deck at the time of capture of Rackham's ship. The rest were cowering down the hold in a state of drunkeness. One of the pirates on deck shouted down the hold for the rest to come up and fight. When Rackham and the rest refused to come up one of the pirates (probably Mary Read but it's not for sure) fired down the hold injurying one of the pirates. When Barnet and his crew board Rackham's ship the two pirates on deck were the only ones to offer resistance. These two pirates were dressed in male clothing. They didn't fight like women. There was the heat of battle. I doubt there was time to cop a feel to determine that the men were fighting women at the time As to a naval vessel, it was my understanding that Capt. Barnet was a naval officer not a merchaman and was operating under the authority of the governor of Jamaica.

There is a very interesting article in Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America v.98 no. 1 March 2004 pgs 21-38 by Arne Bialuschewski titled Daniel Defoe, Nathaniel Mist, & "General History of the Pyrates". Bialuschewski contend that the radical Jacobite publisher Nathaniel Mist was responsible for GHP. He gives such evidence that Mist registered GHP with the Stationers Company. If an author planned on making any money on a book it was registered with the Staioner's Comapny. It was an early form of coyright. The entry for GHP states "24 June 1724 for Nathaniel Mist by his foreman John Wolfe." Mist was in and out of jail for his radical rantings and publications. He spent time in Newgate (1721). Enough time to get friendly with people.(if you know waat I mean ) He finally had to leave the country. After he left an anonymous book was published titled Mist Closet Broke Open with a chapter title "Sea News from Capt. Charles Johnson to Mist". There were other references linking Mist to Capt. Johnson. An odd bit in the article is the fact the Defoe work for Mist for awhile. But they parted ways, acrimoniouysly, before GHP was written. If anyone is interested I can photocopy this article and send it to you if you can spare the change to copying in postage (sorry it's long for a freebee). Or you can try going to your local library and see if they can get it as a document on demand. Whatever is less expensive. If you want a copy from me please PM me.

There is a legend that says a pirate challenged Mary Read's lover to a duel. In order to protect her lover Mary Read challenged this man to a duel before her lover's was to take place. When the duel occured Mary flashed her breast. This distracted the pirate and she ran him through. Whether or not this true I don't know. But it does illustrate Foxe's theory. As to what Bonney & Read wore I have stated it else where that the trial transcipts have sworn testomny as to what and when Bonney and Read wore. They wore men's clothing when in battle and women's clothing the rest of the time. Male attire was descirbed as: Men's trouser, shirts and jackets and headscarfs. At the time of their capture they were wearing men's attire. There are statements that it took 6 men apeice to subdue them and that it was not known they were women till after they were captured and aboard a naval vessel. This is all on record in the record office in Spanish Town Jamaica.

New Grove Dictionary of Muscial Instruments v.1 pgs. 243-244 Bodhran: Single -headed frame drum from Ireland. The bodhran was asscoicted with folk ritual and played at festival processions that survived primarily with the festival of St Stephan's Day. ... The use of a skin (wicht, wight, dallan, boran) simiular or identical in structure to the bodhran was widespread right up to the 20th century; the sieve was used as a meal-sieves or winnowing tray. The link between tray and seive and percussion instrument suggest that oringally the bodhran's main function may have been within the spring ritual of St, Brigdi's Feast. The bodhran began to break its ritual ties with the advent of the Fleadhanna Ceoil (music feastivals) in the 1950's and the general resurgnece of interest in traditonal music in Ireland led to its increasing popularity/ A major factor in this was its inclusion in Ceoltorir Cualamn (a concert band of traditonal musicians) by Seam O'Raida in the 1960s The bodhran is old mates. Drums similar to it appear all over the world

I am serously surprised that your search didn't turn up the boardside ballad Captain Kidd. It was written in 1701 shortly after Kidd's execution. It has what seems to be a 100 verses! The tune was well known and even used for pro-Jacobite songs. The tune has a rock music sensibility to it.

Monty Python's Cheese Shop sketch keeps going through my brain! Too bad it will not be out here in sunny Southern California. I'd get to meet Ed finally and he could be in warmer weather! Chicago BRRRRR! Good luck Ed!

Here some sites I have found useful Tune of songs with notation tabulation and midis http://www.8notes.com/digital_tradition/ No songs but tunes of tune with notation, differnt keys ertc. http://trillian.mit.edu/~jc/cgi/abc/tunefind Site with many valuable links http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/ Music was very much valued on pirate ships. If msuicians (especially fiddlers) were found a captured vessal they were often commandeered to serve aboard a pirate ship. Pirates love to party and music is necessary to party! They did not particpate in combat (must not damage those hands!) and were not required to sign articles.

Aye that be she Jamaica Rose aka Christine Lampe. Also my fellow PRP mate Gail Selinger author of The Complete Idiots Guide to Pirates (of which I worked as a research assistant on) and Robert "Roy" C. Ritchie who is the head of the Research deaprtment where I work (the Huntington Library). They had very good people on this one. The thing is I kept on seeing my friend Jerry Reyes in every scene of the re-enactment stuff. I kidded him as the immotratal undead pirate! When you see a burly Latino bald guy that's him. :)

Kathy looks great Gary! I hope you two are enjoying a fine holiday season. :) When you a moment please e-mail me an address. Thanks!

My condolances to you Lady. You'll be in my prayers.

***You Are Dasher*** You're an independent minded reindeer who never plays by the rules. Why You're Naughty: That little coup you tried to stage against Santa last year Why You're Nice: You secretly give naughty children presents.

Yah... I got the same thing.... But he dosen't have a bunch guys in red shirts drinkin' lots or beer in his honnor like Emperior Norton does....... Emperor Norton Has a bunch of guys drinking beer in his honor?! Is this some sort of society Patrick. I've always been a fan of him. I call the Patron Saint of Lunatics and Geniuses. Because he either had to be truly insane or a brillant charleton! :)

It fails to mention also Protectorate of Mexico (which he later renounced this title because he considered Mexico to be ungovernable ) Also Empreror Norton had his own money printed which was considered legal tender by some. He even had a 'royal' box at the S.F. opera house. He was Jewish but attend both church and synagouge because he wanted to treat all his subjects equally. His funeral was attended by 50,000 people. A true original. :)

http://rumandmonkey.com/widgets/tests/lunatics/ I'm Charles VI! Which Historical Lunatic Are You? You are Charles VI of France, also known as Charles the Mad or Charles the Well-Beloved! A fine, amiable and dreamy young man, skilled in horsemanship and archery, you were also from a long line of dribbling madmen. King at 12 and quickly married to your sweetheart, Bavarian Princess Isabeau, you enjoyed many happy months together before either of you could speak anything of the other's language. However, after illness you became a tad unstable. When a raving lunatic ran up to your entourage spouting an incoherent prophecy of doom, you were unsettled enough to slaughter four of your best men when a page dropped a lance. Your hair and nails fell out. At a royal masquerade, you and your courtiers dressed as wild men, ending in tragedy when four of them accidentally caught fire and burned to death. You were saved by the timely intervention of the Duchess of Berry's underskirts. This brought on another bout of sickness, which surgeons countered by drilling holes in your skull. The following months saw you suffer an exorcism, beg your friends to kill you, go into hyperactive fits of gaiety, run through your rooms to the point of exhaustion, hide from imaginary assassins, claim your name was Georges, deny that you were King and fail to recognise your family. You smashed furniture and wet yourself at regular intervals. Passing briefly into erratic genius, you believed yourself to be made of glass and demanded iron rods in your attire to prevent you breaking. In 1405 you stopped bathing, shaving or changing your clothes. This went on until several men were hired to blacken their faces, hide, jump out and shout "boo!", upon which you resumed basic hygiene. Despite this, your wife continued sleeping with you until 1407, when she hired a young beauty, Odette de Champdivers, to take her place. Isabeau then consoled herself, as it were, with your brother. Her lovers followed thick and fast while you became a pawn of your court, until you had her latest beau strangled and drowned. A severe fever was fended off with oranges and pomegranates in vast quantities, but you succumbed again in 1422 and died. Your disease was most likely hereditary. Unfortunately, you had anywhere up to eleven children, who variously went on to develop capriciousness, great cruelty, insecurity, paranoia, revulsion towards food and, in one case, a phobia of bridges.

There's a 1724 edition here at the Huntington Library

We're they dirt cheap? Sorry had to say that.