Calico Jack

Ahoy, all. Working in the Public School service plus the Maritime Museum up here, means that I get but rare chances for travelling. I'm already lookin' at a rare trip south to Connecticut in late August, afore the new school year starts up, and so thought to have a browse for anything during taht time. An' it _looks_ as though only Toronto, Ontario, has anything piratically-inclined that's not in May or December! [Well, a slight exaggeration, but...] Anyone know of anything on the Eastern Seaboard that's coming up in mid- to late-August? Since I'll be on the prowl, and all.

Well, the _flags_ all fly nose to the wind, true, but the pennants can be just as successfully mounted in either facing. Just because Wizkids puts them backwards in all their photos, doesn't mean that we who "know better" can't do it the Right way. As for islands, I'm looking at building a few myself. If anyone has managed (like me) to come into a free copy of Games Workshop's old Mighty Empires game, they'll find that the little villages and towns are just the right size to look appropriate for the _islands_ scale in PotSM (not the ship scale, which is obviously a different scale entirely).

Less interested in the submarines, in all ['though a fan of Steampunk, so I won't find one or two totally remiss], but more concern that it'll water down the overall theme for those just getting into the sets [just as Junks and Galleys did - to a lesser degree - in those expansions]. That said, attempts at submarines [with some success] date back to before the Great Age of Piracy, so it's not _that_ far afield. The Mercenaries idea will be good specifically for those just joining, since the implication is that they can work on ships of any nationality [no more the woes of finding, say, all French ships, but only Spanish crew]. Of course, locally when we do play, we just use the convention of ignoring the nationality of non-named crew [since they have the same crew for everyone, if you find 'em]. Of the greatest interest to me is what they do with the Islands... The idea of Island effects should combine well with Terrain effects to make for an interesting game, _without_ adding too many new rules-as-such to the game [since Islands should have plenty of space for the printing of their effects right on the card]. In fact, my only qualm with the run at present is the swiftly increasing number of Keyword effects that need to be looked up on the rulesheet, instead of being written out on the ship templates. So long as they don't keep adding two such to each expansion, we should be okay, but so many Collectible games fall down to the ever-expanding-rules problem. In that the rules are fairly loose, it's not as much a problem with this game, but either looking up effects for so many keywords (if you use wizkids' rules), or making up effects for so many keywords (if you don't), well.....

I've the Phantasma from the first set, and am looking for the Phantasma from the newest set, but I have to admit he's fairly low down in my "trading desires." That said, I'm one of what appears to be few people playing locally, and there's _no_ organized play up here. (Organized by the players that is, rather than by Wizkids.) P'raps I should start something up amongst the Museum crowd up here. Anyhow, I must admit I'm overall more a fan of the "giant squid" sea monsters than of the "sea serpent" sea monsters, but I suppose that's my Historical Interest creeping in. Also a fan of their occasionally blending in the Real Folks amongst the fictions. And yes, glad to hear from the Lady that they've included the "Fool's Gold" amongst the Davey Jones ships. One is on its way. Calico Jack

The above is from that page [link posted in the message above] which claims to be a "ship's captain's whip that's had the end chopped off." Rather it looks much to be a "manrope" - a line held or lashed over the side of a vessel to give someone a "hand up" as it were, with the knotted end being something to brace your grip with, were you climbing up the side. One of many on-line images of the Manrope knot can be found at http://www.stairropes.com/knots.html - these days the knot is used "merely" as the terminal to the manrope which acts as a handrail on the sides of the gangway [which bit of line is still called the "manrope," by the by]. It was also one of the only bits of "rope" aboard ship, instead of being called "line." The three "ropes" were bolt rope, boat rope, and manrope. Australian heritage fleet news even makes a mention in their on-line journal for May 2002: <<Manrope knots were formerly tied in the ends of elaborate manropes, which were often coach whipped, painted, fringed, tasseled, decorated with Turk’s heads. They were hung from stanchions in the rails and provided a handhold for visitors coming on board. They were normally tied in four-strand rope now impossible to get.>> Hope that's useful, even if it denounces _one_ of the "whip used aboard ship" theories. We even have one in the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic's collection. A quick google search turns up that apparently the book "Eighteenth-century rigs and rigging" by Karl Heinz Marquardt includes a chater on the manrope or "entering rope." Calico Jack

Ah, now, not all Myth and "slighty adjusted history for the sake of a good story" comes from the that website, by a long shot ['though it is a nice one]. My putting "Mythtory" in quotations was not an attempt to cite the site, but rather a reference to my not really believing it to be a proper word... Tell someone in Newfoundland that there's no Easton myths, and you're opening up an hours-long discussion over the ballad [yes, musical and poetic ballad] of Princess Sheila and the Pirates. Aim to tell anyone in Savoy [near present-day Monaco] that there's no history, and they'll tell you about the Marquis... It's just the rest of us outside those areas as haven't much heard of him, as his reputation [once England, France, and Spain considered him a terrible blight and near unassailable in his fortified port - to the point where the Spaniards begged England to deal with this "notorious pirate"] seems to have - like that of Bart Roberts - fallen by the wayside in popular culture; whereas Blackbeard and Morgan have remained, even if details of their histories have generally fallen to fiction. Anyhow, enough from me, 'til I find out more history. And nice site, by the way.

More on Easton, the successful pirate... Seems he signed out, yes, in 1602, as a quiet privateer for Queen Liz to 'harry the Spaniards' in the New World. Elizabeth after all didn't like the Spanish, but liked to keep that a secret from the Spaniards. Ah, those English "Sea Hawks." Anyhow, in 1603, a small difficulty cropped up for Easton and company. That problem was named King James. James who liked the Spaniards. James who _particularly_ liked the Spaniards to know James liked the Spaniards. So James had Easton [who was in the Americas at the time] declared pirate. "Mythtory" has it that the first Easton learned of his new status is when the 'pirate hunters' started trying to collect the bounty. Whether that is true or no, I'm not sure [evidence in either direction is welcome!]. Either way, Easton's response - whilst a-typical a career move for privateers - is certain. If James called him a pirate, well than a pirate he'd be. Counts vary, but some sources of numbers as legitimate as others claim up to forty ships and thousands of pirates under his command at various times throughout the rest of the decade, until 1610, when England called him a "notorious pirate." Apparently there's a bit of info from the diary of John Guy: 'John Guy records in his diary that Easton returned to Newfoundland in 1610 and 1612 with his fleet. Along the rugged coasts he swept everything before him like a barbarian, capturing ships, a cannon, and $100,000 worth of bounty. He even enlisted 500 more men for his crews, most of whom joined gladly, but some of whom were tortured into submission. With his captured cannon, Peter Easton fortified Harbour Grace Bay, and a little island off the harbor still bears his name. He built a fort just east of Caplin Cove near the spot where the museum stand today. He made his headquarters across the bay from Harbour Grace on Kelly’s Island. ' There are other, even less "factual" stories in the Easton myth/history, such as the "Princess and the Pirate" story about Princess Sheila Na Geira and Gilbert Pike - supposedly en route from Ireland to elsewhere Sheila was captured by Dutch pirates, who were in turn captured by Easton's crowd. Anyhow, here's some more sources on an interesting character, an interesting history, and an interesting [and still active] myth: Davis, Mary. Sheila Nageira Pike: "Carbonear's Irish Princess" "Gravesite of Irish princess could be tourist attraction", Evening Telegram, Saturday, May 10, 1986, p. A3. Horwood, Harold. The Princess and the Pirates, Evening Telegram Weekend Magazine, v.9, no. 29, July 18, 1959. p9-12. Newfoundland Historic Trust. Ten Historic Towns. Newfoundland Historic Trust Publications, Volume II, 1978. Captain John Smith published in 1629 that Easton was the wealthy Marquis of Savoy.

Ahoy, folks. Whilst most of William Crooker's books are reiteration of materials available elsewhere, he seems to have done some solid reseach for one of the stories in his "Pirates of the North Atlantic" [iSBN1-55109-513-0]. Here's the story [in summary, so as not to 'pirate' the chapter whole from Crooker's Book - check yer local library]: "The story of piracy and murder to unfold here took place off the coast of Nova Scotia, but it sprouted from a seed planted in Jamaica in or before the year 1865. An experienced white mariner, John C. Douglas, and a black cook, Henry Dowsey [...]" Douglas and Dowsey worked together in 1865 aboard the mail steamer _Montezuma_ to New York.Douglas then found a berth aboard the brigantine _Zero_. The captain was Colin Benson, from New Brunswick, planning to pick up a load of coal in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and deliver it to the USA. Benson refused to hire Dowsey while in port in New York, claiming a preference for an all-white crew. Before the hiring was finished, Benson fired his cook. Douglas slipped out to the boarding house where Dowsey was staying, and told him he could ship aboard as cook. By the time Benson found out who the cook was that Douglas "could provide" it was too late to change, and Dowsey shipped out aboard _Zero_ as cook. Benson's only comment was "So you are going with us after all," and he let the matter stand. Over time, Benson grated on the bulk of the crew, and especially Douglas. Part of the crew deserted, and Benson kept pulling the rug from under Douglas' aspirations to move up the ranks aboard the ship. Finally, Douglas determined to mutiny. First, he determined to steal a small boat from aboard, and make off, deserting with minimal supplies. Dowsey and another crewman agreed to ship out with him, but they were caught in the act by Captain Benson. Benson argued persistantly to get them to change their minds. Eventually they gave in. Douglas and Benson remained antagonistic, and Douglas began to scheme with the cabin boy of how to take the vessel. Douglas convinced himself that doing in the captain was the only option left him, and he crept below one evening after trying unsuccessfully to convince the rest of the crew to mutiny (they were self-admittedly afraid of failure, and no one wanted to be the first to agree, in case the rest did not). Douglas struck Benson with a metal belaying pin, knocking him out and thinking he'd killed him. Douglas convinced Dowsey and another of the crew to move the corpse overboard - blood was apparently pooling from Benson's head, but he mumbled awake whilst Dowsey and the other crewman were wrapping him in a blanket and hauling him up on deck. Together, the two pitched the "corpse" over the rail. Finding the ship's papers more complicated than he expected, Douglas discovered that he could not pretend to be Benson, as was his plan. The ship would be missed before they reached the West Indies, and the authorities would be looking for it. Instead, they burned the papers and the captain's clothes were distributed amongst the crew. They drilled holes in her bottom in an attempt to sink the _Zero_ and boated ashore to an island at LaHave Head [in Nova Scotia]hey were taken into custody by the magistrate in Liverpool. The ship had continued to float, despite the mutineers' efforts to sink her (which means their story of having had to abandon ship didn't float). Douglas accused Dowsey of murdering the Captain, Dowsey, the cabin boy, and the rest accused Douglas. Dowsey admitted his guilt. John Douglas was sentenced death, but it was immediately commuted to "life in prison and hard labour." The rest of the crew were acquitted, except for Dowsey, who was also sentenced to be hanged by the neck until dead. Some four thousand people signed a petition demanding the same sentence for Dowsey as for Douglas. Dowsey was a Catholic and Douglas a Baptist, Douglas white and Dowsey black; but the government refused to intervene. After all, they said, it was not the blow to the head which killed Benson, but rather being dumped overboard, wrapped in a blanket, whilst still alive. Still, the petitioners were certain that Dowsey was being penalized for his religion and his colour. In the end, Henry Dowsey hanged, the last "pirate mutineer" hanged in Canada. Calico Jack

As a librarian, I'll vouch that having someone willing to plumb Gutenberg and compile lists of themed books is a valuable having indeed. Gutenberg books are basically Public Domain in the USA, but they do have certain requests about redistribution. Check the bottom of any Gutenberg e-text for information on redistribution. Cheers, Calico Jack.

Another interesting bit on the subject as wasn't covered in an earlier thread: from The Seaman's New Vade Mecum, by R. Liddel, purser in the Royal Navy, M,DCC,LXXVII (1877) "Certificate of impressed Men at End of the Account. THESE are to certify the principal Officers and Commissioners of His Majesty's Navy, that the Men above mentioned were impressed by Lieutenant _______, of his Majesty's Ship _______, under my Command, and by him delivered on Board the said Ship at ________, and I do find them as above duly qualified, and fit and able to serve his Majesty, and that I find them neither Foreigners nor impressed from Protections. Given under my Hand, &c. _______ Captain." This gives some indications by its very nature of those who were exempt from impressment - those with Protections [exemptions], those Foreign to the Empire and nor British citizens [with British Impressment into the Royal Navy], those not fit and able. Basically, sailors hale and whole, British. Generally found aboard fishing or merchant vessels, and there impressed, or in dockside taverns and streets.

In 1781, six Lunenburg [NS] farmers were impressed in Halifax [NS] by the Royal Navy whilst out on the town for a celebratory pint after selling their wares. It went to court, and six months later after much debate, it was determined that the impressment was unlawful - the farmers were not skilled seamen in any sense, and the farmers were to be released. Of course, they were six months to sea already by that point... Not everyone was liable to impressment. Citizens who were skilled sailors, and who did not have an exemption for other reasons, were those impressable. One of the reasons for the War of 1812 was that there was such an underground trade in forged "American citizenry exemption papers from British Impressment" that the British navy started to ignore such papers when presented. The American government claimed the impressment of _truly_ American citizens as one of the reasons to go to war. The British cited the forgeries which outnumbered the Real Thing as the excuse for the impressment. It got a bit ... heated.

Here's what I know so far [from a variety of sources]: 1. He broke the rule that Privateers don't become pirates [despite Exc. et al's insistance otherwise, there's little evidence]; when he signed on to sail privately against the Spaniards for Liz, he didn't count on King James. James declared him and his crew Pirates [to make the Spanish happy], and Easton seems to have retaliated by becoming one. 2. He worked out of Harbour Grace in Newfoundland, eventually fortifying a small "pirate town" [shades of Tortuga]. Expect the "town" was minimal, but the fortifications remain in evidence. 3. Around 1610, he had "forty ships and five thousand men" under his command, and was a plague such that the English, French and Spanish begged the British Crown to put a stop to him. 4. He broke another rule: he saved money. Enough to buy a rather expensive [he was well known] pardon from the British Crown, and then a wedding in France. 5. He broke the third rule as well. He retired by around 162x. He retired to France as the Marquis of Savoy, having bought himself a wedding into title and estate. Anything more than that is what I'm looking for. Anyone? [And I'll check out the recommended book, as well.]

RELATED QUESTION: [question removed for period relevance.] Calico Jack Maritime Museum of the Atlantic

Whew! Don't check for a few days and ... BUSY topic! Most of my re-enacting for the Maritime Museum here spirals in and out around a centre of Naval Surgeon around 1812. Late in the day for most of the Pirate re-enactors here, but scurvy had just been 'cured' officially in Great Britain and the United States. Surgery still involved surgeons, rather than doctors, or even untrained men if you weren't a navy ship but rather a privateer or merchantman, and combat wounds include Splinters - the worst of all. A gruesome and interesting subject.

I know the dates and basics of the story. I know that Easton broke most of the rules [privateer turned pirate, retired rich], worked out of Newfoundland in 1602 and follows; but always looking for more information. What sorts of bits can this crowd offer? Will post what I know already this afternoon, but thought I'd get the topic started, as I'm always hoping to learn more about Easton and his pirate fleet in the North Atlantic. Calico Jack

Chandlers', like William Robertson and Son's (in Halifax), did derive from those originally selling candles, as portholes (and portlights with glass, following even later) are not so old as most might think (1400s or 1500s, but definitively by 1515). Prior to that, the only light below decks was lantern and, most often, candle. Well, some French entrepreneur [yes, they do have a word for entrepreneur] realized that ships were his best customers, and branched out. Soon, they were carrying line, canvas, and any dry goods you might need aboard ship. Anything, really, shy of groceries [grins]! So a ship's chandlery would stock for sale anything one might need aboard, and would usually be located right next the wharf, with a well-stocked warehouse. One stop shopping. They rarely made their own goods, but acted in general as a middle-man, like [unfortunately for example] Wal-Mart. But again without the groceries. Chandleries adapted well to the rise of Steam, but the rise of satellite cellular 'phones has pretty well relegated them today to serving mostly yachtsmen, as the large vessels now can call up the manufacturer, place an order with a credit card number, and ask for delivery "at pier 20 in Halifax on Tuesday afternoon," when they know they'll arive. No more middle man. Yachtsmen, on the other hand, remember just before going sailing that they snapped a line last weekend, and had best pick one up on the way to the marina....

Be wary of Crooker. He tends to be selective in his books of which bits of "evidence" he chooses to reveal and which to ignore, principally base on his pet theory at the time. The book Oak Island and Its Lost Treasure by Harris [iSBN 0887804926] is the one I'd be more inclined to recommend, simply for the comprehensive inclusion of everything 'sensible' and 'otherwise' with little regard for which theories the events support. - Calico Jack

As a local, I can vouch for a few things: One. This has nothing to do with Kidd. Kidd was apoor sod screwed over by politics, who tried to buy a chance to escape by inventing a "buried treasure" [at best] or who failed to realise that the Crown had already nipped in and confiscated the stuff he left for safe keeping with a buddy in New England. Nope, not Kidd. Not the bloody manuscripts of Bill Shakespeare as writ by Marlowe. _Not_ something that anyone intended to dig up later. The island leaks water like a seive, tunnels or no tunnels. Whatever was stuck down that hole, it was stuck there for keeps. Not the bleeding Templars, either. There's good odds of figuring when the digging would have taken place based on the still evidence of the lopped branch and remnants of tackle. There was enough left for the kids to notice, not a hundred years of growth. So? Time and date, it may have been British or French, but no one in [then slightly settled] Mahone Bay noticed a big ship with diggings, or lights, so no big production. Not likely gold, since the only "evidence" for actual gold comes from a 'translation' of a 'coded' inscription which since went missing if ever it was to begin with. The oft-purported 'gold chain link' was to all appearances a bit of copper wire, so I propose the radical possibility that said was actually a bit of copper wire. Thus, I throw in my vote with "other." Nor do I think the answer matters so much as the question. Heck, mayhaps _nothing_ was put down the hole, but rather the hole was the exercise in itself. Nor was it Elvis and Aliens from the future burying the corpse of Jimmy Hoffa [grins]. And Easton was not exactly famed for sticking money in a hole in the dirt. Spending was more his style. URL? http://www.geocities.com/frailbridges/hier...rchy/island.htm and, for those with a sense of humour, http://www.geocities.com/frailbridges/hier...hy/island2.html [templars and aliens, as it were]. - Calico Jack.

Of course, aboard ship your most likely work for the surgeon after an engagement is either Splinters [yes, splinters, but often a couple of feet long and jagged], or else crushing damage from falls or tumbled gear. As such, with few 'clean' wounds, amputation was generally the rule. And infection? That's how you knew the cure was working - in any wound, what we would call infection was generally seen as an important part of the healing process... ... and of course 'Wind of the Ball.' Few cannon balls actually ever _hit_ anyone, but if one passed within a couple of feet of you, you would likely die of wind of the ball [internal hemorraging], unless it was closest to your head... ... and lets not forget the cure-all properties [or near abouts] of Mercury. That surgeon's chest mentioned above, often near forty of those two hundred odd medications were variations of Mercury, recommended for most ailments. You could tell the mercury was starting to have the desired effect when the patient began to frequently and copiously _drool_... Ah, medication in 1812. And to think at the Shannon and the Chesapeake, the surgeon in the _winning_ vessel had roughly 8 casualties per minute dragged down to his tiny arena below decks. No wonder doctors looked down on the smelly, bloody, dirty surgeon.

Alas, Most of my Ship's doctorin' [well, no degree or high-and-fancy hands-off stuff for me, so surgeon and sawbones it is, lower pay despite] is tailored to the 1812, rather than the golden age of piracy. The Bloody Apron is an interpretive heritage program at the Maritime Museum where I am lucky enough to sometime find employment, and I've the honour of aiming to do said program justice. Splinters and mercury, splinters and mercury. For the piratically-minded, there was a decent article in a past No Quarter Given [likely already mentioned by one of these scurrulous dogs]. Always willing to compare notes [ CalicoJack@pyracy.com ], and best of luck to you in said endeavours.

Well, for miniature models, scale and level of detail are pretty important in the decision. They can range from high end [such as those at http://www.tallshipmodels.com/soldgallery.htm ] to pretty simple used for wargames [such as that at http://www.wargamesfoundry.com/library/pir...eship/index.asp ]. It really depends very much on what you are looking for. - Calico Jack

First, be fore-warned that there are few "objective" examinations of Impressment. Most are written by Americans looking at it as _the_ cause for the War of 1812, and the rest are written by the British [such as the account in _Nelson's Navy_ by Philip Haythornthwaite]. Fair game was generally [for the _British_ Navy] British sailors, in particular former British Navy Sailors [deserters especially]. service. In England, impressment was historically employed by the army and navy, but by the 19th century it was commonly used only by the navy. From the British viewpoint, impressment made some sense. Conditions in the Royal Navy were extremely harsh, resulting in a high number of desertions. Sailors ashore were as well fair game - but the key is sailors. Records show that hundreds of sailors ran away - not surprisingly, as they did not always join up voluntarily. From as early as Saxon times, all kinds of men were impressed into service against their will. By 1744 the practice had become standard, and press gangs would literally pluck men from their families or snatch them on their way to work. Convicts, vagrants and the unemployed were regularly picked up in pubs. Boys as young as 12 and men as old as 55 could suffer impressment. Farmhands were generally exempt, as they were needed for essential work. Another option during the Wars against the Americas - The majority of African-Americans who participated on either side during the War of 1812 did so as sailors rather than soldiers. In 1812, the Royal Navy already had a small percentage of black seamen in its ranks. In 1814, black regiments from the West Indies were employed during the ill-fated naval campaign against New Orleans. Also, throughout the conflict, the British navy recruited a number of blacks from the U.S. to fight against the Americans. These African-Americans were promised their freedom in return for joining British naval campaigns. It is known that more than two hundred such black marines participated in the battles in Bladensburg, Washington, and Baltimore. The British did relocate a significant number of black Americans and their families to Canada where slavery had been abolished under British law. Nova Scotia in particular would become the new home for a large number of these people. Particularly of use, note http://www.nelsonsnavy.co.uk/broadside7.html - Calico Jack.

And as an interesting aside, said Jack Jenning of Liverpool NS makes it into a rather famous sea chantey as well: In Liverpool there liv'd a man - Jack Jennings was his name And in the days of square-rigged sail he played the shanghai game. His wife's name was Caroline, sailors knew from near and far; And when she played the shanghai game she used his big stone jar. In the old Virginia lowlands, lowlands low, In the old Virginia lowlands low! First time I went to Liverpool I got up on a spree, Went up to old Jack Jennings' place, such gallant sights to see: There were drunkards in the corner and bummers at the bar, And Caroline was supplying them with a big five-gallon jar. Said old Jack to old Caroline, "I'll tell you what we'll do. There's a ship lying down to McKinnon's Wharf; I think she wants a crew. We'll go down around the corners to get some drunken tars. We'll shanghai them away out of Liverpool Bay with a big five-gallon jar!" So Jack and Cal they worked their game when the ships signed on their tars. Skys'l Jack and Pete and Bowline Bill helped to judge old Cal's five-gallon jar. Now we'll bid adieu to Cal and Jack and set our sails for ports afar. Dear Shanghai Cal, we'll all come back, and sample Jack's five gallon jar. - Calico Jack

In 1781, a number of Lunenburg County [Nova Scotia] farmers and agriculturists were in Halifax [Nova Scotia] for the market, and were snapped up [likely at a pub] by a Press Gang [properly said, they were "Impressed" into service, or "pressed" into service]. Their wives and families back home raised a hue and cry, and it went to trial. Peter McNab was one of the Grand Jurors at the trial. It was found that this particular impressment did not follow the law, and was illegal, and the men from Lunenburg were free to go. Of course, by this time, they were long away out across the ocean. Common techniques involved: [a] getting a potential sailor roaring drunk, 'til he keels over, then pick him up and carry him aboard ship; tricking him into accepting a coin in "hire fee" by a variety of specious means [such as placing it under his ale, so that when he lifts to lip, he exposes and thus "accepts" the coin - this led to glass-bottomed steins coming into common favour in Nova Scotia and beyond]; [c] purchasing sailors from inkeepers [Jack Jennings of Liverpool, Nova Scotia was famous for selling drunken sailors to ships' captains]. Can add more information later. Back to work with me, now. - Calico Jack

Easton ["the Marquis of Savoy"] is definitely one of the least known most interesting Pirates in the Atlantic. Here's a bit from Newfoundland about the "Marquis" himself, for those wanting their Canadian history right on the boards... ***** During the reign of Elizabeth I, England was known for the skill and bravery of her privateers who traveled the world looking for bounty. They acted under a "Letter of Marquee" from the queen, but they commanded their own fleets. Men such as Drake, Raleigh, and Hawkins are famous for their contribution to world history. Through their skills they helped to defeat Spain and to make Great Britain the most powerful nation on the sea. One of these privateers was Captain Peter Easton, who had been commissioned by the Queen in 1602, to take three British Warships to Newfoundland to enforce a British peace among the lawless fishermen of many nations who were living along the hundreds of miles of coastline. It was during this journey that he met and rescued Princess Sheila. [Legends and stories are a part of all Newfoundlanders. One of the oldest and most interesting of these legends is about Sheila Na Geira, a young Irish woman who became known as the "Carbonear Princess". The story began the year 1602 when Sheila, accompanied by her maid, was sent by passenger boat from Ireland to France to study with her aunt who was the Abbess of a convent. According to one version of the story Sheila, who was a member of an aristocratic Irish family, was going to France to escape from the invasions of Ireland that were carried out by the forces of Elizabeth I. She was a descendent of old Celtic Kings of Western Ireland, which made her family even more vulnerable to attack. Whatever the reason, she sailed from Ireland on a small ship. Soon after her ship headed into the English Channel, it was captured by Dutch pirates and all the passengers and crew were taken on the Dutch pirate ship. The pirates took all the valuables and scuttled the Irish ship. Fortunately for Sheila and the other prisoners, Captain Peter Easton came to their rescue. He seized the Dutch pirate ship after a short hand to hand battle. Since the ships were on their way to Newfoundland, the liberated people were taken there.] When James I came to the throne in 1603 and the Spanish Armada was defeated in 1604, the war with Spain ended suddenly. James I decreased the size and power of the English navy, so Easton and the members of his crew were stranded in Newfoundland without pay and they began to talk about organizing pirate crews. Most of the English officers and men took an oath of blood brotherhood along with Captain Easton. They took over the vessels which they had formerly sailed as British warships and they set out for the Spanish Main to plunder shipping and communities along the coast. Gilbert Pike refused to go. He opted to become a fisherman, taking his bride to the settlement of Mosquito, (now called Bristol's Hope) where they built a home and began to raise a family. By 1610 the British referred to Easton as a "Notorious Pirate". He had become the most powerful pirate in the Western Hemisphere. He was very wealthy and had thousands of men in his crew. He had a fleet of forty ships which were stationed near Bristol at the mouth of the river Avon. From this site he was able to hold up all the traffic in the English Channel. His plundering drove the Bristol merchants to seek the help of the Lord Admiral, Earl of Nottingham to get rid of him. As a result of this action, John Guy records in his diary that Easton returned to Newfoundland in 1610 and 1612 with his fleet. Along the rugged coasts he swept everything before him like a barbarian, capturing ships, a cannon, and $100,000 worth of bounty. He even enlisted 500 more men for his crews, most of whom joined gladly, but some of whom were tortured into submission. With his captured cannon, Peter Easton fortified Harbour Grace Bay, and a little island off the harbor still bears his name. He built a fort just east of Caplin Cove near the spot where the museum stand today. He made his headquarters across the bay from Harbour Grace on Kelly’s Island. People visit the island by boat today and some still search for treasure. There is a local story that two American tourists actually did find gold on the island, but it has never been confirmed. While he was living on Kelly’s Island he captured the king’s representative in the colony, Sir Richard Whitbourne . Sir Richard had been sent to Newfoundland to attempt to bring order, and had set up the first English court of law in the New World. According to Sir Richard’s book (which was not published until 1620), he was kept on the ship for 11 weeks. During that time Easton lavished him with excellent treatment, in order to persuade him to join as his first lieutenant. He wanted Whitbourne to rule Newfoundland with him, using the colony as a base to conquer the New World. Although Whitbourne refused to participate in Easton’s scheme, he did agree to go to England and support a petition for pardon, which would enable Easton to return to England and spend his days living in royal splendor on his loot. Harbour Grace could be easily attacked by sea should the King decide to send a fleet against him, so Easton moved to Ferryland and fortified the harbor. He now had his armada of 40 ships, a fortress which was virtually unassailable, including Isle au Bois, off Ferryland, which later defied the French navy. From this fortress he sent an ultimatum to England. If he were pardoned, he would go home and settle quietly for the rest of his life. If not, he would continue to rule the high seas according to his own fancy. The Government of England capitulated and sent the pardon, but Easton never received it. He lived for two years in Ferryland, waiting for it to arrive, and built a splendid palace on Fox Hill, the site of which may still be seen. He conducted raids against merchant ships out of Ferryland, and from nearby Aquaforte, where he always kept part of his fleet. He grew impatient at the delay in the arrival of the pardon, and sailed for the Azores to intercept the Spanish fleet that were making for home. He was next sighted on the Barbary Coast in 1614 with fourteen ships heavily laden with plunder. He made an alliance with the King of Algiers. Together, they fought a very profitable war against Spain. Then Easton disbanded his armada, divided his vast treasure, and bought a palace in the pirate kingdom of Savoy - at Ville Franche, near the present Principality of Monaco. There he lived to a ripe old age in great splendor and extravagance on a bounty that is reported to be two million pound in gold, perhaps the most successful pirate who ever lived. Captain John Smith, of Pocahontas fame in Virginia, published in 1629, that Easton was so wealthy that he had the title, Marquis of Savoy. Peter Easton was just one of many pirates that operated out of Newfoundland, as a result many legacies of piracy remain on the Island. There are many stories of pirate treasure in addition to one about Kelly’s Island. A fortune in gold was discovered on a ship wreck off Baccalieu Island (and which as now been declared a bird sanctuary of international importance). Pirates have also given names to communities. Turk’s Gut was a favorite shelter for pirate ships, and got its name because the settlers called the pirates "Turks". The town of Heart’s Desire was named after a pirate ship which ravaged both sides of the Atlantic for years until 1620. The ship was captured by a Newfoundland skipper and brought back to Newfoundland as a prize. Lastly, pirates have also left their descendants in the province. Easton is still a common family names on the south side of Conception Bay. *** Print References Horwood, Harold, The Princess and the Pirates, Evening Telegram Weekend Magazine, v.9, no. 29, July 18, 1959. p9-12. Newfoundland Historic Trust. Ten Hisotric Towns. Newfoundland Historic Trust Publications, Volume II, 1978. - Calico Jack