MadMike

I know of three instances, one is from Johnston's book relating to Anstis's crew, of Captain Smith (alias Gow), and one pirate who was heading to the gallows (who identified a victim in the crowd). Johnston writes about Bartholomew Roberts articles regarding women "so that when any fell into their Hands, as it chanced in the Onslow, they put a Centinel immediately over her to prevent ill Consequences from so dangerous an Instrument of Division and Quarrel; but then here lyes the Roguery; they contend who shall be Centinel, which happens generally to one of the greatest Bullies, who, to secure the Lady's Virtue, will let none lye with her but himself." Yours, Mike

Arrest warrent issued by Governor Francis Nicholson of Virginia, December 20, 1699- "John Loyd, of ordinary stature, rawboned, very pale, dark hair, remarkably deformed in the lower eyelid, about 30 Thomas Hughes, tall, lusty, rawboned, long visaged, swarthy, about 28 Thomas Simpson, short and small, much squint eyed, about 10 of age James Venner, short, well set, fresh colored, pock-fretten, about 20 Tee Wetherly, short, very small, blind in one eye, about 18 Thomas Jameson, cooper, Scot, tall meager, sickly look, large black eyes, 20 William Griffith, short, well set, broad faced, darkest hair, about 30 Thomas Davis, short, small, sharp chinned, redish hair, about 22 Francis Reade, short and small, reddish hair, about 18 William Saunders, of ordinary stature, well-set, fresh colored, black hair, about 15" "The Pirates" Time-Life Seafarer series, page 28. Yours, Mike

Interesting read, I have another reference for a ten year old pirate crewmember, will post it tomorrow. Yours, Mike

I've saved hundreds of dollars hand sewing my own clothing- sailor's slops, a 1700's era coat, waistcoat, etc. Granted, it took a long time but the experience was worth it. Yours, &c. Mike

Don't know if this has been posted before, but here's an interesting notation from the Whydah website- "2005 was a successful year for us on the wreck site--and 2006 promises to be even more spectacular! Toward the end of the dive season, Barry Clifford and our dive team found a new area of the site with fifteen more cannon--bringing our total located so far to over fifty! The new artifact concentration is close to Data Reference Point A, but is covered with a 30 foot blanket of sand that could not be previously penetrated... ...since since our former recovery vessel--Vast Explorer II--was only capable of excavating through 22 feet of sand. Cyprian Southack, the salvor sent by Governor Shute in April 1717 to recover the riches of the pirate ship, predicted at the end of his unsuccesful mission that "the riches with the guns will be buried in the sand". These are clearly the cannon of which he wrote. They had been stored in the very bottom of the ship's hold, we found them lined up, cascabel to cascabel, like soldiers standing at attention, wheras the deck-mounted guns we have found in previous seasons were far more scattered. According to Peter Hoof, one of the captured pirates, the money found in the Whydah when Bellamy captured her "was counted over, in the cabin, and put up in bags, fifty pounds [weight] to every man's share, there being 180 men on board...Their money was kept in chests between decks." When the Whydah rolled over and capsized, the cannon stored below crashed down through the decks, pinning countless artifacts underneath them. Below the lined-up cannon in the sand, we observed rigging, timbers, barrels, lead rolls and what appears to be a large iron chest. Before pulling off the site for the season--just ahead of a threatening hurricane--we recovered gold dust, coins, and two herefore elusive silver "biscuits". These are extremely rare ingots, which are about the diameter and height of a large biscuit. According to one historical source there were "many hundreds" of such round silver and gold ingots aboard the Whydah. Our fieldwork in the coming season therefore promises to be incredibly exciting! Given that we have found approximately 15,000 coins within a hundred feet of this area in past years, we may finally be on the brink of the long-sought "mother lode" of the Whydah." http://whydah.com/index.php?option=com_fro...ntpage&Itemid=1 Yours, &c. Mike Oops, that should be "Whydah"

I know of only one pirate (and a rather mediocre one at that) who had "expenses"- Stede Bonnet. Otherwise, pirates generally traded stolen goods with unscrupulous merchants (or threw the goods overboard). Such articles of regulation are detailed in "Buccaneers of America", and no doubt existed long before the book originally went to print. Of interest is the cut marks on the gold bar remnants from the Whydah wreckage. Also, items confiscated from any captured ship would likely be placed into the common chest for sale at the mast. Some recommended reads include "Captured by Pirates", Johnston's "A General History of the Pyrates" edited by Schonhorn, and "The Buccaneer's of America". All are available from DeadMenTellNoTales.com. Yours, &c. Mike

Wish Kass's pattern was available a year ago, but... I used the Simplicity pattern as the basic pattern to work my coat. I had to alter the pattern significantly. Basically, I downloaded some historical coat patterns and period pictures off the Costumer Manifesto's page and Gentleman of Fortune's website as the basis for my 1700 coat. I added extra material to the skirt of the coat to make it more historically accurate. Everything was hand sewn except for the buttonholes (sorry, I tried but after spending a month hand sewing the garment, it was time for a break). http://www.geocities.com/flpyrate/projects.html The coat project is about halfway down the page. Will post better pics when I get a digital camera. Yours, &c. Mike

Anyone have a copy of the OED handy to look up terms? Speaking of provisions (and experimental archaeology), anyone ever try eating one pound of biscuit (hardtack) a day? The daily gallon of beer a day, did that many times while in service... Yours, Mike

I used the Simplicity breeches pattern as the basis for my slops, with much modification (after some research). They turned out quite well- http://www.geocities.com/flpyrate/projects.html Yours &c., Mike

Check out the picture of the original Walker doglock from TDG's own site (no less)- Yours, Mike

Let me offer some insight into The Discriminating General's "doglock" fusil. They originally offered it as a "copy" of a piece on display in the Parks Canada collection, without showing the Roman nose style of stock of the replica in accompanying pictures. In fact, the original piece in the Parks Canada collection had a British style stock (much like a Bess); I contacted the former owner who provided some insight into the history of the design. Haven't found much to support the use of a fusil style "doglock" until the French and Indian War period (and these were guns made by colonists). I'd go for the Loyalist Arms doglock. I opted for a Dublin Castle Bess and am quite happy with it. UPDATE- The Discriminating General is still being deceptive- "The reproduction here, designed after an original in the Parks Canada collection made by Walker, has a 42 inch barrel." This is false. The original Walker doglock musket in the Parks Canada collection DOES NOT have a fusil style buttstock. Yours, Mike

The drawing appears to be by artist Peter F. Copeland. Looks like it came from his "Pirates and Buccaneers" coloring book. Anyone who is familiar with The Company of Military Historians knows Copeland's excellent research. Yours, &c. Mike

Yeah, the silk screened pseudo "Rackham" pirate flag in the first POTC was a disappointment, hope to see some historically accurate ones next time around (then again, it's entertainment). Yours, &c. Mike

Anson's fiasco had more to do with scurvy, lack of proper provisions, and bad luck rather than "sailing the latitude" (since it was rather difficult to locate in a storm lasting 58 days). Yours, &c. Mike

There are some axes shown on the La Salle Shipwreck site- http://www.thc.state.tx.us/belle/lasbellea...eartifacts.html Anyone know what type axes were recovered from the Whydah? Here's something from the Phips Expedition website (sorry, no picture)- Belt Axes One weapon that remains synonymous with warfare in North America is the belt axe, sometimes referred to as the camp axe or, popularly, the tomahawk. Axes were more suited to campaigning in the wilderness than swords and bayonets, as the former could be employed in a number of useful day-to-day functions in addition to combat. Three belt axe handles and an additional two fragments were recovered at the site. Although heads of these weapons are periodically recovered archaeologically, handles seldom survive. Two handles contain drilled holes at the base to accommodate a leather strap, one of which was recovered in situ. Two also possessed grooves for hands, which were either the result of wear or had been deliberately worked into the handles. An incised, cross-hatched decoration accompanied by the owner's initials appears on one example. Yours, &c. Mike

Great work, GoF. I've always used the inexpensive wool felt hats from Townsend (Smoke and Fire Company sells them also for about $20). I shaped the crown over a pot of steaming water and let it cool after placing it over a coffee can (giving it the flat top). Hats can be stiffened per the following off the Najecki website- Hat Stiffening If your existing hat is becoming a bit droopy it can be renewed by: · Let the brims down and brush out the loose dirt from the felt. · Make a mixture of 1 part shellac (white or orange 3 lb cut) to 2 parts denatured alcohol. · Liberally brush the mixture to one side of the felt. It should quickly absorb into the felt · and not lay on the surface. Allow to dry thoroughly (about 8 hours). · Repeat to other side of felt. Apply additional coats if desired. Never have found a period reference stating the use of wax to "waterproof" or stiffen hats (or leather "tricorns", for that matter). Best bet is to buy a heavy wool felt hat or felt fur- http://jas-townsend.com/product_info.php?c...products_id=759 Ready made hats are also listed on the Townsend website. Yours, &C. Mike

Why waste time building a tree stump cannon when they coulda made improvised hand grenadoes? Interesting link on European cannon development- http://www.hyw.com/Books/History/cannon.htm and another- http://www.du.edu/~jcalvert/tech/cannon.htm Yours, &c. Mike

Recently finished hand sewing a pair of sailors slops. I altered the Simplicity "Pirate" breeches pattern by adding extra material from the crotch down. The rest was eyeballed (adding waistband, cutout for the ties in back, French fly, etc, from the breeches I have). Not a bad project, took me about 12 hours total over the course of four days. Gotta admit they're more comfortable compared to breeches. Will add a link with pic's tomorrow. Had a pirate party for the nephew today and wouldn't ya know forgot to take pictures (was too busy organizing the backyard treasure hunt). Yours, &c. Mike Pic's added 11 Oct 2005, scroll down to bottom of page- http://www.geocities.com/flpyrate/projects.html

Joshua Red, Gotta agree with ya there. Haven't seen his program so I can't comment on it (could be great, then again...). FL just passed a law requiring anyone desiring to work in a school to undergo a background check (pay $60-80 fee and fingerprints). This includes anyone wishing to do educational programs at schools. Doesn't matter if you've had federal background checks (like I underwent for 15 years in the military). Yours, &c. Mike

Hmm... wonder if he's bothered to review Rene Chartrand's book "Uniforms and Equipment of the United States Forces in the War of 1812"? It does after all, contain descriptions of Baratarian pirates AND the correct clothing for a privateer officer... Yours, &c. Mike

Nice looking coat! For an authentic 1690-1730 coat, the Townsend pattern would need extra material to give it a more "skirt" like appearance (in addition to the cuffs). Examples are pictured in period pirate pic's, on The Costumer's Manifesto website, and on GoF's page- http://www.gentlemenoffortune.com/Justaucorps.htm I finally completed hand sewing my coat (with the exception of buttonholes which a seamstress did)- http://www.geocities.com/flpyrate/projects.html All I need now is me buttons. I believe the Townsend website has a justacorps pattern on it... Yours, &c. Mike

Great idea. Thankfully that's one project I accomplished about seven years ago. Still have the shirt too. Yours, &c. Mike

Superb work, Kass. Just about finished with my hand sewn gentleman's coat. The only exception is that I had the buttonholes machine sewn on by a seamstress. One can only have so much patience trying to hand sew 35 buttonholes!!! Yours, &c. Mike

Pirate Petee, Some interesting info here- http://www.geocities.com/slunemo/ Hurricane season, only two more months to go... Yours, &c. Mike

Foxe, I used the 1700's trader picture as the basis for a box, using details based on antique chests and those pictured in "Collectors Illustrated Encyclopedia of the American Revolution (hasps, lids, handles, paint scheme, etc). Will try to take pics, the cell phone photo's aren't the greatest of quality. Any info on chests recovered from the Mary Rose or Wasa? Yours, &c. Mike