Capt. Sterling

when are you moving to the colonies, specifically Virginia? ahem... as always beautiful workmanship

I do.... he learned the trade from one of the best leather craftsmen from AWI, Christopher Shriber(sp)...been making them for over thirty years now...

Israel are you actually planning on making the trip down?

damn, but you gave such a great talk about how to improve one's impression... hmmm privateers out of the question? oh bring current photos

no bullets, although that shape reminds me of the modern day flowering teas, which are bullet shaped being hand-tied... Now prior to the introduction of brick tea to all the historical sites down here (VA), they used to teach the public that tea was shipped loose and then you went to purchase it with your tea caddy. This was filled up and you returned home, (or yer servant what have you).... my question though have you actually found reference to tea being baled? The idea of shipping such a staple in a fabric bale and then stowed in a leaky ship, only brings to my mind damaged cargo... chests still seem to be most mentioned with the loose leaf... which, granted may be difficult to haul around in your slops, unless you had hidden pockets installed, but shipping in bales? sounds like a giant tea bag....we have already seen here in the past, that different items were often shipped together, one being "fragile" and the other being more of a "soft pack" which would be used to protect the fragile items, because it "surrounded" the fragile item and filled in the smaller, tighter spaces... to me loose tea being packed as tightly as possible but still loose would be able to fill them hard to reach spots...so packing it loosely as we have seen so far, really does make more sense than the bricks... Would love to see some references to tea in bales instead of hard containers...

BRICK TEA/TEA BRICKS Brick tea and tea bricks were not available in western Europe or in the colonies. Many have argued that it was here, but none have come up with any primary source documentation to place it here. "Tea bricks were sold direct to Tibet and Russia and invented before modern packaging. The brick is composed of all of the plant, stalk and all." (Emily Hahn, The Cooking of China, 1968) http://www.deborahspantry.com/beverages.htm She goes on to say, in her catalog, that brick tea was NOT wanted here in the Colonies (at least) as it was held together with dung for the paste and was the left overs, scraped up off the floor.

Tobacco Coast states that most men in the tidewater region could swim early on or they could not survive (as getting from point A to point B almost always involved crossing a body of water and the ferry systems were not very good yet).....ahem...will see what the author bases that on...

Lookee you back on board, fighting the good fight...

My favorite Late 17th century boot...similar to the AWI dragoon boot... still wouldn't want to wear it on board a ship...especially if I had to fight.

FWIW...For them that like experimental archeology...having fought as a dragoon, for AWI, I was blessed to be on the HMS Rose, "shipped out" to fight on the beach at Groton, CT. during the bicentennial. Granted not bucket books, tighter fitting, no "cuff" instead high knee guards stitched into place. Well we sailed down past the fort, out into open water, then went over the side to the long boats, in full kit, armed with sabers and carbines...the weapons, weren't a problem... it was the damn boots, which got hung up on just about everything... not to mention kneeling to fire on the beach, only filled em up with sand...and you weren't going to easily take 'em off to empty 'em out like a pair of shoes... we marched and fought for nearly two hours with sand up to our ankles in our boots...talk about a bloody mess when you finally had the opportunity to take em off. I do not even wish to imagine what it would be like having to constantly try to maneuver on board ship with the rather large cuffs often seen in correct bucket boots... Also I have heard Jack Sparrow's boots were drilled with holes so the actor could function in the water with 'em, so he would NOT sink...can't image folks during the GAoP drilling holes in perfectly good boots so they could function on board a ship or in the surf coming into the beach...

Many happy returns of the day.

there goes my tea... all over the bleeding keyboard.... well played Cascabel

Belay that, do not give him any crazy ideas, he has enough of his own...and yet... hmmm, I rather like the idea of this one...

about time...sheesh....

Fort Pillow? sigh...

Aye damn good thing, THEYcouldn't see...snigger...Ye had the Devil's Nightmare howling... WHILST ye are looking through the Williamsburg coffee house link, continue searching through their archives and ye'll find their input on taverns as well...

Aye but ye just have to admit that La Belle's armour is absolutely amazing... I mean how many Pig-face Bascinets do ye see outside of museums? Just brilliant...

Welcome to the pub Matthew...and no, the Archangel crewe is not a unit...although we are more "orderly" then any of the others here, as we portray privateers/pyrate hunters...not pyrates. A number of our crewe live in Virginia, I am over in the Charlottesville area..If historical accuracy is yer interest then ye may wish to consider changing sides...

Well it makes one wonder if they are somewhat comparing oranges to apples, especially if they are having that armor machined made...

Thank ye all for all the mighty kind congratulations. The crewe really pulled together and did a fantastic job.

Details? This year's competition was broken down into two time frames... early (all units up till the year 1879) and Modern (all units after the year 1879). Previously the categories had been Cold Steel (all units prior to Black Powder or that relied more on steel than the few guns they had), then Black Powder, then Modern Warfare. So folks were being judged against more units than in the past and I was told that if the categories had been broken down as they were last year, we would have won the Black Powder, **great big happy grin. I cannot tell you how proud I am of this crewe, they worked their arses off and made it happen better than we ever had**. As t'were, we were beat by two of the most impressive groups out there – La Belle Compagnie, 1380s & Das TeufelsAlpdrücken Fähnlein(The Devil’s Nightmare Regiment), 1529...both units are amazing...but we are already hatching schemes for next year. This year we did a recruiting party back in England after the Great Storm of 1703. The Silkie's Hyde was in full swing (it has walls now), Grace and Leigh KICKED butt with a phenomenal tavern meal made completely with items that had been stored for the winter and had survived the storm. Made for slim pickings in a lot of cases during that time, even a lot of the cows weren't producing as the grass had been damaged by the salt water... but they made the most fantastic salted brisket of beef or Corned beef with pickled veggies that would have been stored away... the judges arrived and sat down to eat in the tavern with our Quartermaster(Jack Roberts) and Sailing Master(Dutch) who discussed the current events, (we had been blown off course during the storm and ended up off the coast of St. Malo, some of the crewe had been lost when the prize they were escorting back to England for condemning had sunk, the entire crewe was in mourning, the captain in full mourning,privateering, the war, etc,) Jack Roberts producing an Original London Gazette reporting on two prizes that were up for auction the date of which was actually one week prior to the actual date of the MTA event and and one prize from St. Malo. Lily Alexander than came and argued over collecting the monies for the bill from the judges and Jack said to put the meal on Captain Sterling's tab. Where upon Silkie came over to discuss Sterling's rather outstanding bills... Grace had her Kitchen completely laid out with all the spices, tools, ingredients etc and taught on each item and how it was used to make the meal. The medieval group down the road from us, ran over twenty minutes after the judges left us to tell us they overheard the judges saying that it was the best corned beef they had ever had! So congrats to our lovely ladies working in the tavern serving and keeping folks abreast of the "latest news", their long hours over the fire and all their amazing research and Mr. Roberts' hand written menu. ack more to come...just got a call from the High School nurse, snottie #1 needs to go home... Right then back to details... the third place was for Best Camp Competition which involves activities in the camp that are authentic to the time period and appropriate for the scenario of the camp; appropriate material culture items, such as weaponry, cooking utensils, foodstuffs, clothing etc.; Unit members interacting with visitors on a consistent basis and activities in the camp involve a high level of visitor participation, encouraging them to handle and try objects or activities in the camp; Degree of difficulty which includes 1st or 3rd person interpretation (we do both, but mostly, 1st person) uniforms, clothing, demonstrations, etc..; and last but not least, is the camp and what we do safe for us and the spectators. Yeah they have safety officers checking everything and everyone out. One of the best compliments from one of the judges is "Group continues to grow and evolve and is a real asset to MTA." So hat's off to the crewe!

Hmmm hard to advise you either way since none of us truly know where your story is going? If you want it to be more on the historically correct side, I would recommend reading some accounts on/from the period, as, in the end you will truly have to make the decision yourself. Waller's book is rather informative, really is a quick read, and most libraries have it. If you are working on something like a PoTC, then basically you are pretty much free to do whatever you like. You can also find Waller here, for a free trial... http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=58656934

Was asked to perform one twice and still cannot find any documentation for a captain doing so in our time frame (gaop)..but there is a wonderful ceremony from the Common book of prayer. And must agree with Foxe when it comes to loopholes, you might want to take a quick look at Maureen Waller's book 1700, Scenes from London Life for some of the nonsense that went on.

Top plate and sorry cannot make these bigger, perhaps someone else can...there are two gentlemen, note gentlemen, in bag wigs.. easiest to see if the second man in from the left foreground detail of a man in the background which can be seen above the man bending down to speak to someone a detail from a picture c. 1702-03 showing two men in bag wigs a detail from above picture some more illustrations of bag wigs... still haven't found a common sailor wearing one

Thomas Brown, in his "Letters from the Dead to the Living," presents a pen-portrait of beaux as they appeared at the commencement of the eighteenth century. Some of the passages are well worth reproducing, as they contain valuable information concerning wigs. "We met," says the writer, "three flaming beaux of the first magnitude. He in the middle made a most magnificent figure—his periwig was large enough to have loaded a camel, and he bestowed upon it at least a bushel of powder, I warrant you. His sword-knot dangled upon the ground, and his steinkirk, that was most agreeably discoloured with snuff from the top to the bottom, reach'd down to his waist; he carry'd his hat under his left arm, walk'd with both hands in the waistband of his breeches, and his cane, that hung negligently down in a string from his right arm, trail'd most harmoniously against the pebbles, while the master of it was tripping it nicely upon his toes or humming to himself." About this period in cold weather men wore muffs as well as wigs. A ballad, describing the frost fair on the Thames in the winter of 1683-84, mentions amongst those present:— "A spark of the Bar with his cane and his muff." Down to the middle of the eighteenth century wigs continued to increase in size. It will not now be without interest to direct attention to a few of the many styles of wigs. Randle Holme, in his "Academy of Armory," published in 1684, has some interesting illustrations, and we will draw upon him for a couple of pictures. Our first example is called the campaign-wig. He says it "hath knobs or bobs, or dildo, on each side, with a curled forehead." This is not so cumbrous as a periwig we have noticed. Another example from Holme is a smaller style of periwig with tail, and from this wig doubtless originated the familiar pig-tail. It was of various forms, and Swift says:— "We who wear our wigs With fantail and with snake." Periwig with Tail. A third example given by Holme is named the "short-bob," and is a plain peruke, imitating a natural head of hair. "Perukes," says Malcolm, in his "Manners and Customs," "were an highly important article in 1734. Those of right gray human hair were four guineas each; light grizzle ties, three guineas; and other colours in proportion, to twenty-five shillings. Right gray human hair, cue perukes, from two guineas; white, fifteen shillings each, which was the price of dark ones; and right gray bob perukes, two guineas and a half; fifteen shillings was the price of dark bobs. Those mixed with horsehair were much lower. It will be observed from the gradations in price, that real gray hair was most in fashion, and dark of no estimation." As time ran its course, wigs became more varied in form, and bore different names. We find in the days of Queen Anne such designations as black riding-wigs, bag-wigs, and nightcap-wigs. These were in addition to the long, formally curled perukes. In 1706 the English, led by Marlborough, gained a great victory on the battlefield of Ramillies, and that gave the title to a long wig described as "having a long, gradually diminishing, plaited tail, called the 'Ramillie-tail,' which was tied with a great bow at the top, and a smaller one at the bottom." It was at the great battle fought before the town of Ramillies that France lost the whole Spanish Netherlands, and Europe gained a wig from the vanity of Louis XIV., of whom Thackeray irreverently speaks in his "Henry Esmond," as "a little, wrinkled old man, pock-marked, and with a great periwig and red heels." Lord Lyttelton in his letters thus refers to the French king: "Louis XIV. annexed great dignity to his peruke, which he increased to an enormous size, and made a lion's mane the object of its similitude. That monarch, who daily studied the part of a king, was never seen uncovered but by the barber who shaved him. It was not his practice to exchange his wig for a nightcap till he was enclosed by his curtains, when a page received the former from his hand and delivered it to him in the morning before he undrew them. The figure of the great Bourbon must at times have been truly ridiculous." It is stated in Read's Weekly Journal of May 1st, 1736, in a report of the marriage of the Prince of Wales, that "the officers of the Horse and Foot Guards wore Ramillie periwigs by His Majesty's order." This wig survived until the days of George III. We meet, in the reign of George II., other forms of the wig, and more titles for them; the most popular, perhaps, was the pig-tail. The pig-tails were worn hanging down the back, or tied up in a knot behind as shown in our illustration. This form of wig was popular in the army, but in 1804 orders were given for it to be reduced to seven inches in length, and finally, in 1808, to be cut off. It is recorded that when the Reform Bill of 1832 received the Royal assent, the Lord Bathurst of the period solemnly cut off his pig-tail, saying, "Ichabod, for the glory was departed." AT THE SIGN OF THE BARBER'S POLE STUDIES IN HIRSUTE HISTORY BY WILLIAM ANDREWS AUTHOR OF "BYGONE ENGLAND which can be found here... http://www.gutenberg.org/files/19925/19925-h/19925-h.htm and yet, I cannot find any references to these type of items being worn by the common sailor... I am seeing mostly short hair or down to the top of shoulders