Mission

Somewhere I heard that the crossed leather thongs on tricorns was not period correct. (I don't recall where, but I'm fairly certain it was from someone yammering on the topic at an event. So caveat emptor...) Stitching would be more challenging to notice in artwork if it matched the hat color. Of course, stitching would not seem like it would hold up to having a pipe shoved into and being plucked out of it repeatedly, so that begs the question of whether you would put your pipe into a stitched cross that was primarily meant for keeping the hat in shape. I also sort of wonder why they would stitch hats if the hats could be formed without it. (Maybe someone knows the reason for that?) Still, of the people who might do such a thing, it would seem to me that sailors would have a reason since they worked in damp environments where the hat might more easily lose it's blocking due to being wet so often. Curious that there really hasn't been any proof produced for this on tricorns yet.

I figured that from the outset (drawing power always trumps appropriateness in Hollywood when they can afford it), but it still begs the question... Who should play Anne Bonny?

I will try to remember to dig up Captured By Pirates and scan the title page in for you. If I recall correctly, the majority of the accounts are post-GAoP. I know parts of Snelgrave's account are in there, but he excerpted them in a way that focuses on the sensational aspects. I wouldn't call it a very good source of information, other than as a way to find the original accounts. The editor's notes in the book are nearly useless and the whole thing gave me the idea that it was slapped together to capitalize on the fascination with pirates. (Not unlike the second book of the General History in a way. )

Most interesting! If you find the book, I'd appreciate anything you find. This is the sort of thing I dislike about Thrower - he only sporadically gives his sources, so you never know what's true and what's rumor in his book. It's an awful way to write history.

This is from William Red Wake's fascinating thread Period Publications for the Private and Public use of Privateers (including ongoing emphasis on alliteration). I was going to comment on it there, but it resurrected a question I had about GAoP fire-fighting on ships and I didn't want to destroy the clean lines of William's topic with a lot of irrelevant discussion about fire-fighting. Anyhow, here is the document: Question 1 The document gives some neat details about fire-fighting on land from this time. I wonder what "the two large bags containing Three Bushels at least" are? What do they contain? Question 2 This is a long-standing question I've had about shipboard fire-fighting. I read in W.R. Thrower's (too often unreliable) book Life at Sea in the Age of Sail. (Between this and, more particularly, his book The Pirate Picture, I have found enough provably incorrect facts that I don't trust him without corroborating what he says.) From the book: "For a long time ships all carried piss tubs in various places, which not only served the purpose indicated but also provided ‘fire points’, to use the modern term. With the ever-present risk it was essential to have water supplies handy, and using urine instead of sea water waved work: filling buckets over a ship’s side is never easy and is especially difficult when an ample supply of water is suddenly needed to douse a fire. Urine somehow acquired a reputation for being better than water for extinguishing fires…” (Thrower, Sea, p. 82) Is this generally true? Is their proof for it? Was it a GAoP practice? Is there proof of that?

It's Captain Jim before he became a pirate and got the spiffy red socks and nice hat. Incidentally, I think that would be an awesome hat for a re-enactor to have if they wanted to stand out in the crowd of tricorns. I'd be tempted to try and get one myself if I didn't already have a Patrick Hand Original. Grymm, you are a fountain of knowledge! I wondered what Leghorn was (other than a place). I come across it occasionally in my readings.

Tell me that doesn't look like Captain Jim. C'mon, tell me.

I once wrote an article about a local girl who had all four of her limbs amputated to save her life when she got meningitis. (It's on my old web page here if you want to read it.) She now gives motivational speeches.

Actually, if you read the my treatise on amputation, you'll find that amputation was a pretty common among the population at this time. In fact, it was probably done to save the fellow's life.

It sounds as if your dad needs to become a pirate reenactor. (Does he like rum?)

Precisely. Excellent point. (I am really enjoying my reading of the General History.)

I think a more interesting underlying question to your question might be how many on-going first-hand GAoP pirate accounts are there? Many of those I've seen are not long-running accounts of a group of pirates, but single incidences recorded in or for court proceedings. (Unsupported, such may not be highly regarded in academic study, including, to some degree, history. The scientific method gives them the (rather derogatory) name of 'anecdotal evidence.' However, if you could gather than and post them here as you seem to want, you might have something. Then again, if you were inclined to go to that much trouble, I would publish it to get something out of my work and not just pop it on some public forum for all the world to steal see.) Also keep in mind that some of what is contained in the General History is supposed to be gathered from first hand accounts which might otherwise be lost to us. So I think it is may be foolish to discard it out of hand. At least until Foxe puts out his volume highlighting the sources of the General History.

There are scads and gobs of them in the General History. Sometimes they're quite graphic [like l'Olonoise cutting out someone's heart and gnawing on it] and other times they're nearly footnotes [such as '10 men were lost out of the x BRN ship during the battle' or 'the ship of x100 slaves was burnt rather than bothering to save them.']

A guest was reading it (as I learned from wading into the current user list) and I thought it sounded interesting so... here it is again! Those guests uncover the most interesting topics (probably with the assistance of search engines.) Besides, as Duchess once said, I AM the Thread Necromancer Extraordinaire!

Give him a pair of spec and long red socks and it's Captain ("I'm not Captain of the Mercury") Jim! (I think the guy and the right needs to have a surgeon look at his right arm, though.)

I have to agree with this one because... it contained skeletons! Then there is the original skeleton sword fight, of course from . Yeah, the stop-motion isn't up to today's FX standards and the music is just plain dopey, but... it's a sword fight with a skeleton! Even better were the multiple fights from . Impacted my life greatly, that last one did (made me love the idea of animated skeletons).

This may not be news to many of you, but I still found the description sort of amusing and interesting. "...he [pirate William Phillips, former boatswain of the King Solomon taken by Robert's Crew] had confessed to [George] Fenn [Mate of the King Solomon] that he had been obliged to sign their Articles that Night, (a Pistol being laid on the Table, to signify that he must do it, or be shot,) when the whole appeared to be an Untruth from other Evidence... The Court observed the Pretences of this, and other of the Pyrates, of a Pistol and their Article, being served up in a Dish together, or of their being misused and forced from an honest Service, was often a Complotment ["A plotting together".- what an awesome word!] of the Parties, to render them less suspected of those they came from and was to answer the End of being put in a NewsPaper or Affidavit, and the Pyrates were so generous as not to refuse a Compliment to a Brother that cost them nothing, and, at the same Time, secured them the best Hands, the best I call them, because such a Dependance made them act more boldly." (Johnson, A general history of the pyrates, 3rd ed., p. 300)

Wow. Who would they get to play Anne Bonny? It would have to be someone feisty.

And of course, "hella" originated from the streets of San Francisco in the Hunters Point neighborhood in the 20th century. It is commonly used in place of "really" or "very" when describing something. (What?)

That is a nice, large event for getting a look at historical pirates.

Just be glad you weren't looking for a name that was a variation on Red Handed Jill, Black beard or Captain Jack. Then you'd have lots of neighbors in the list.

They did love to ramble on in those days in the title. Consider the full title of James Yonge's book about the uses of turpentine in medicine: "Currus triumphalis, è terebinthô, or, An account of the many admirable vertues of oleum terebinthinæ : more particularly, of the good effects produced by its application to recent wounds, especially with respect to the hemorrhagies of the veins, and arteries, and the no less pernicious weepings of the nerves, and lymphaducts : wherein also, the common methods, and medicaments, used to restrain hemorrhagies, are examined, and divers of them censured : and lastly, a new way of amputation, and a speedier convenient method of curing stumps, than that commonly practised, is with divers other useful matters recommended to the military chirurgeon, in two letters : the one to his most honoured, James Pearse, Esq, chirurgeon to His Royal Highness the Duke of York, and chirurgeon general to His Majestie's Navy Royal : the other, to Mr. Thomas Hobbs, chirurgeon in London" The whole book is 120 pages long with fairly large (say 14 or 16 point in modern terms) print. I think he ran out of steam after coming up with that title.

Maybe they don't have it in Finland.

That pewter tent would be a neat design for a vendor to use at an event - with period proof, yet! [Note - this topic has been split off from Period Cups and Tankards since it's running in a completely new direction and it seemed like it might hold its own as a thread.]

I love the word 'vapoured.' I came across it in the Roberts account and have been using it freely ever since.