AllByMeOnesies

Thanks for the info. In particular I'm thinking of a merchant ship sailing from England to the Carolinas. It appears from the clockwise dominant winds that they would sail south and west before sailing north up toward the Carolinas. That's what I had suspected, and those maps seem to bear that out.

I'm looking for information regarding the Atlantic shipping routes, specifically England to the east coast of America in summer, including prevailing winds (if possible). Thanks for any help.

That melon shot picture is certainly sobering. Melon mash, anyone?

Great stuff, guys! Thanks so much for the info. Very enlightening. I toast you all.

This is going to sound like a very strange question, but...I'm wondering what type of result would be had if a pistol was fired pointblank at another person's head. I know it would most likely be fatal, but what I'm wondering is the type of damage caused. Pistols nowadays on TV leave seemingly neat little holes. I'm wondering with the type of ball used in a 17th century pistol pointblank if it would be...um...messy or not. And how on earth does one find this out (short of shooting someone pointblank with said pistol )?

Till the late 17th century, wooden stoppers were used, soaked in (vegetable) oil and tightened with hemp wound around them.

Thankee. I was worried that having bottles in what I'm writing was historically inaccurate. Now I can sleep tonight.

Thanks, gents, good info. However, I'm still wondering about what sealed the bottles. Some of the pictures show cork but the Restoration book says "cork stoppers had not yet been developed." So what was used as a cap or stopper for bottles of the late 17th century? Were cork stoppers developed by, say, 1690?

An internet search and a library search have yielded little for me regarding when bottles and corks, etc. were manufactured and used. The Restoration London book says at that time liquor was not stored in bottles because there was no way to seal the bottles. I'm wondering in particular about the late 1600's for what I'm writing.

Anyone know of any good resources?

Up untill the 1780's one of the distinctions of being a sailor was close cropped hair. Period discriptions and Runa-Away notices described the mariner's hair as being close cropped.

It was just one of the many things that distinguished the man of the sea.

So the hardened mariner wore short hair clean shaven and tatoos.

The long que was the sign of a seaman after the GAP

So many myths in our hobbie

Ed McGrath

Very interesting! Could you cite some sources? If so, thankee.

I thought there was a big debate here or somewhere about tattoes, and the majority said tattoes were NOT that common back then??

I'm also wondering about those in mourning during their private time. For example, I'm working on something that takes place (besides on the high seas) on a plantation in the late 1690's. I'm wondering if what they wore during the mourning period just while at home was different than in public. I would think so.

Capt. Sterling, I've heard of that book on here before and will check it out. Thankee. Interesting rings. I would think those would be for the aristocracy?? And one wouldn't think something like that could be knocked out in a day or so, so that makes me think mourning was indeed a lengthy deal then (at least for some classes).

Anyone know of any good sources for this type of info? I've found very little. I've read about the wearing of black arm bands but was that in lieu of black mourning dress? Did men in the family of the deceased wear black? What about the servants of the house of the deceased? How long was the period of mourning?

Dang.

If we're talking about the word "dress" meaning her outfit entire, there is certainly no reason you couldn't use the word "dress" or any other synonym but "clothing" might get you fewer poison pen letters.

Yes, that's what I meant. Sorry for the confusion.

Thanks for the response.

Kass: If I'm writing [historial fiction] about a woman's attire, it would be rather cumbersome (and perhaps confusing to the modern reader) to describe "her petticoat and stays". Is using the word "dress" when describing the entire picture too inaccurate? (Can you tell I'm concerned with readers such as yourself sending poison pen emails after the book is published? )

Thanks to all for your help. The Wikipedia page was particularly interesting/informative.

I'm talking a typical pistol around 1690. What would be the loading procedure for such? Also, in movies you see men walking about with the pistol on their person then whipping it out and firing it. This, of course, makes me wonder about the logistics of such a thing, considering loose gunpowder, etc. Am I making any sense?

Does anyone have sources they can cite to back-up the belief that captains could legally perform marriages at sea in the 17th century?

Thanks for any help.

OK, I just had to laugh at the remarks about the sailors not getting tattoos because they were afraid of infection, etc. If that be the truth, it sure didn't frighten 'em away from the brothels.

I guess I'm going to put on my garb. It's a month until then. Starts on July 28 over here. My theater shows a double feature, but in german.

Jack speaking in German. That is just so incredibly, hilariously wrong. I would laugh through the whole thing.

I have my ticket already for the midnight showing. I'll wear a POTC shirt, my POTC bracelets and necklaces. I can't wait!!

Marty is a great guy and is very involved in charitable work. Way to go, Marty!

I believe Cordingly's book to be one of the standards, IMO.

I'm not familiar with debate surrounding it's accuracy. Anyone care to enlighten me?

The books I'm talking about are Dan Perry's book "Blackbeard: The Real Pirate of the Caribbean" and the other is Angus Konstam's "Blackbeard: America's Most Notorious Pirate."

Have any of you read one or both of them? If so which one is the best for detailed research (i.e. not a rehash of the usual stuff we already know re: Blackbeard, pirates in general, etc.)?

My inclination would be that the stowage of small arms on pirate ships would vary by captain/ship. Lots of drunkenness among pirates, and I can't see "officers" encouraging drunks to carry weapons about.

However, having said that, there are multiple references in Defoe's book about men being awarded the best pistol, etc. for things like sighting a ship first while on lookout or boarding a prize first, etc. So that would lend credance to the belief that weapons were personal items.

Has anyone done any research on dental hygiene of the period? Seems like I've heard about everything else but that. Were there things available like toothbrushes (or something similar), etc.?

Why shouldn't pirates wear gloves?

Because they are hot. That is, if we're talking pirates in the tropics and not the arctic. Ever wear even light gloves in the summer? I ride horses and, trust me, you take them babies off as soon as you dismount. At least I do.

Question; has anyone heard reports on the up-coming period movie, "Libertine"? Aye, it has that Depp feller in it, but what be the premise?

Cheers!

The Libertine is out here in the States. It is about the last years of John Wilmot (Earl of Rochester) during the Restoration, his affair with an actress whom he tutors and his relationship with King Charles II. I saw it opening day and liked it, but it's not a movie for everyone. Depp's performance was magnificent.

Regarding the Marie-Antoinette movie, all I have to say is Kirsten Dunst can't act her way out of a wet paper bag.