John Quelch

[Fox]

What ho chaps,

On various websites and books John Quelch's flag is described from a seemingly contemporary quote as "ornamented by and anatomy with an hourglass in one hand, and a dart in the heart with three drops of blood proceeding from it in the other"

Cordingly, in Under the Black Flag says that this quote originated at Quelch's trial "in 1702". BUT a: Quelch hadn't even turned pirate in 1702 and b: I've recently acquired a copy of the trial report and it makes no mention of such a flag.

The earliest reference I have found for this quote comes from The Book of Buried Treasure by Richard Paine (1911). Paine doesn't offer a source for his quote, but elsewhere he refers to "old manuscripts" and "old records".

SO, does anyone know what the actual origin of the quote about Quelch's flag was? Did it in fact come from his trial but can only be found in the full original notes and not the published version? Is there another "old document" which contains those words, and if so what is it? Or did Paine either make it up or mistake Quelch for some later pirate like Harris or Low?

Anyone?

[Capn_Enigma]

AFAIK, the flag in question is attributed to Edward Teach aka Thatch aka Blackbeard.

[Cut-throat]

Yep, that be Blackbeard's flag alright. I got it sittin right beside me here. Except mine be slightly different from the one pictured. The skeleton on mine has horns and is said to represent the Devil, an the hourglass be directly set in the palm o the Devil's hand. Hmmmm......If'n mine be incorrect, let me know mateys. I'll skin the merchant that sold it to me !

[Fox]

I'm afraid that the attribution of that flag to Blackbeard is almost certainly a piece of 20th century fabrication - along with the popular flags of Rackham, Avery, Bonnet, Condent and Moody. Although illustrations of their flags and "Blackbeard's" fill countless pages and websites there is no evidence for them earlier than the very late 19th century at earliest. A couple of them - Condent's and Moody's - seem to have actually existed, but there is no evidence to connect them with those pirates (Moody's supposed flag was actually a Barbary Corsair flag for example). Others - Avery's, Bonnet's, Rackham's, and Blackbeard's (with the horns) - are modern inventions.

Blackbeard's supposed flag (without the horns) was flown by a handful of pirates including Charles Harris, Ned Low and Francis Spriggs. Until yesterday I also believed it to have been flown by John Quelch, but now I'm not so sure. It is quite a different sort of a flag and Low, Harris and Spriggs all sailed together so it seems a little bit odd for Quelch to have also flown it. That's why I'm so keen to track down the origin of the description.

According to contemporary sources Blackbeard is known to have flown a flag bearing a "death's head" (probably just a skull, but maybe with crossed bones too), and at least one contemporary illustration shows him flying a black flag with a skull superimposed over bones and an English white pennant.

This same flag was also probably flown by Stede Bonnet, an associate of Blackbeard's. His flag is also described as a "death's head" and shown in a contemporary illustration thus. Nowhere in any period source have I yet found written or pictoral evidence of Bonnet's supposed flag with a heart and dagger which so often appears in modern publications.

Best get your skinning knife out, but save it for the guy who perpetuated the vexillological myths rather than your flag merchant who was duped along with the rest of us.

[Cut-throat]

Wow Foxe, this information be blowin me away. What a way to shatter all preconceived notions. Now I can't help but begin to dig deeper into the facts as ye are. Thanks mate. I really appreciate the heads-up.

[Fox]

Cheers Cut-throat,

I'm working on the definitive collection of authenticated pirate and privateer flags - I'm up to about 120 now from the 17th-19th centuries. If there's any more you want to know about let me know and I'll see what I can find.

There is one that's bugging me actually - Anyone ever come across any reference to Hornigold's flag?

[Cut-throat]

Captain Benjamin Hornigold, Edward Teach's old mentor ? The only information I can find about him are reiterated tales of his dealings with Teach. Some information about him going after Stede Bonnet and Charles Vane, but mostly just his time with ol' Blackbeard. I couldn't find any type of references to his flag. Frustrating really. Sorry mate. I'll keep searching.