Captain Midnight

Kass, it is a GREAT help to me, thank you so much! Between this drawing and all the photos, I think I can make the hat now. And notice the date on the drawing...perfect for the GAoP... :)

I found it. Here is the link to the reference site that I had lost and mentioned above: Pepys Diary Pretty interesting reading, if you like this period.

That's a wonderful idea, Paul! I would buy such a set with no qualms at all! There are many I would like to see, but for starters, how about Black Sam Bellamy and the Whydah? Or Blackbeard, (my favorite pirate of all), whom you've already mentioned, aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge... The possibilities for such an edition of the game could be endless! :)

Nice job on the coat, Foxe!

Here is one more pic of a montero cap: This is the style I actually like better than all of them...but notice out of all the pics of the hat I've posted, none are exactly alike, so I guess the styles were dependent upon the individual craftsman who made them? Note the man wearing a Monmouth cap in the background...both hats were popular and in fashion at the same period in history... I was browsing around online last night and found historical references to this cap being used by sailors, the reference was a man's personal diary from the period. However, I foolishly didn't save the link to the website, and lost it. But all you have to do to find it is to Google "Montero Cap Pattern", and look through the links...you can find it there. Now if I can just find a sewing pattern for it, or either draft one myself...(which is probably what I will end up having to do).

That's an awesome pic, Scrounger! Good job with your impression!

Greg, That would be great! I have looked at Syke's Sutlery web site as Kass suggested, but I can't find Montero caps listed anywhere on the site. I see other types of caps and hats, but no Monteroes. I wouldn't necessarily need a sewing pattern proper to make one of these hats, just to be able to examine one closely. If I could see close up photos of the inside and outside of one, I could probably see all the seams and tell how to make my own pattern for it. I have a pretty good idea already, just from looking at these photos, but some close up ones would be awesome. If you do indeed have the opportunity to do that, Greg, I would be deeply grateful and indebted to you! Thanks so much!

So, if I wore one, would it be incorrect for me, Foxe? My pirate's persona is between 1680-1700... Kass, do you know of any place I could find a pattern for one? I'm positive I could make one myself if I had a few details... Thank you both for helping me with this, I am indebted to you.

Thanks Foxe! What would be the date of that particular documentation? I would like to wear one of these caps too, but only if it is period-correct for the GAoP. Of course I have the usual tricorn hat, but a cap would be more comfortable and practical on board a ship...

Well mates, I was wrong, I don't think they were knitted, it seems they were just made of wool. Here are a couple of pictures of soldiers from the English Civil War wearing them. They were contemporary with the Monmouth cap, so I am wondering if they could have been worn by a sailor during the same period, or in the later part of the 17th century. Anyone know where I could find one of these in the U.S.A., or at least a pattern for one?

Me too. I think the closest to correct and the best (in my opinion) shown so far are the pommel holsters Story has posted. I wouldn't think it unfathomable to have such holsters (or at least one, which is probably what I will end up doing) attached to a baldric. Don't know if it was done, but they certainly would have had the baldric, as well as that type of holster available to them, so it seems reasonable at least, what with no real conclusive evidence as to how they were carried...

Ahoy Greg, I used to be a late Roman reenactor and bought the ash shaft for my spear from a mail order company called By The Sword. Spears and Ash Poles They are a company out of Florida in the USA, and I have gotten very good service from them in the past. I believe the shaft is about $30 U.S. The shaft I bought for my spear is 7 feet long. Hope this helps you out.

Ahoy Patrick, Your sword (at least the way it will soon look) is almost exactly like the one I am currently building, except that I fabricated my own blade out of an industrial band saw blade from a lumber mill. I have already built my handguard, and it is not as much trouble as it seems. You just have to dish the areas for the "clam shells", and I then cut in the decorative grooves with a dremel tool, and polished the heck out of the whole affair with a buffing wheel and jeweler's rouge. I just got the antler for my grip this past weekend. It was hard for me to find one with a beam large enough for a grip here in the part of Georgia I live in, but thanks to my brother-in-law in New York, I now have a nice piece. I will try to make pictures and post so we can compare notes...

A great comedy classic! I proudly own it in me own collection!

Aye, Blackbeard truly belongs to all who love him... :)

My wife and her family hail from New York, near West Point Military Academy...Pink sky is what she learned from her mother and taught me, but I had never heard either version before we married. Doesn't really matter, it means the same thing...

Does anyone know where I might find a knitted Montero cap, and whether or not they were worn in the GAoP? They were a knitted or crocheted wool cap similar in construction and appearance to a Monmouth cap, with the exception that they had a short brim or visor similar to a modern baseball cap. They were worn by English troops (and I'm sure others as well) during the English Civil War, so I'm wondering if they would have been appropriate for a sailor of the GAoP. If anyone knows where I can buy one, I would sure appreciate any help you could provide. Thank you mates!

I don't know the origins of this old saying, but my wife taught it to me, and her mother used to tell it to her when she was a little girl; "Pink sky at night is a sailor's delight; Pink sky in the morning is a sailor's warning."

Sure they were manufactured specifically as such. They were no different than the grenades used by your standard infantry of the day, which I highly doubt were issued with glass bottles and home-made pipe bombs and such. Where do you think the term "Grenadier" comes from? They were a specialized kind of soldier who used a specialized weapon. I believe they were certainly manufactured as grenadoes. The wooden fuses alone tell that they were not home made or "field expedient", as they all show common characteristics and features, and would have taken some time to produce.

I am a gardener, although I consider myself an amateur. I grow cayenne pepper, yellow (crookneck) squash, okra, eggplant, and tomatoes, and gourds (which I use for craft purposes). Outside of the vegetable garden, I grow my own scuppernong and muscadine grapes, and blueberries.

I'd be interested in seeing that as well. I have always seen the historic blades, but no scabbards.

That's an awesome painting!

Thanks for the compliments, mates!

Count me in, too, Greg. I will need a proper pair when I make my shoes over the winter.

Thanks for that little tip, mrwill. I have never understood until now exactly how the fuse worked (I didn't know if they had a piece of slow-match fuse, etc), so your information is very helpful! It will be a very small matter to just pluck the fuse out and pack the fuse "barrel" as you stated with simulated "black powder". I like your grenades, too, they are very nice, particularly the little leather protective covers.