Fox Posted January 3, 2006 Posted January 3, 2006 What ho, Over the last however long we've had some really good discussions on pirates'/seamen's clothing, particularly their working clothing and what they might have worn when living it up ashore. What I don't believe we've specifically discussed is what they might have worn in battle. Quite by chance I came across two references to "battle wear" (would "dressed to kill" be too bad a pun?) today. Both are from Johnson, and both may relate to the same men. One comes from the Howell Davis chapter, and one from the Bart Roberts chapter. Since Roberts took over Davis' crew it's not surprising to find similarities. From "The Life of Captain Davis" In the meantime the prize drew near, who obliged all the prisoners to come up on deck in white shirts, to make a show of force, as they had been directed by Davis; From "The Life of Captain Roberts" The rest appeared gay and brisk, most of them with white shirts, watches, and a deal of silk vests... I'm guessing that the purpose of the white shirts was to make the men stand out from a distance, to show the enemy that there were plenty of them, and the first quotation seems to support that hypothesis. Does anyone have any other examples of outfits worn specifically for battle? Foxe"With this Fore-Staff he fansies he does Wonders, when, God knows, it amounts to no more but only to solve that simple Question, Where are we? Which every chi'd in London can tell you." - Ned Ward The Wooden World Dissected, 1707ETFox.co.uk
blackjohn Posted January 4, 2006 Posted January 4, 2006 From "The Life of Captain Roberts"The rest appeared gay and brisk, most of them with white shirts, watches, and a deal of silk vests... Wait, I think I've got that outfit covered!!! It was freakin' hot that weekend, over 100° as I recall, with a heat index that probably pushed it even higher. My Home on the Web The Pirate Brethren Gallery Dreams are the glue that holds reality together.
Dorian Lasseter Posted January 4, 2006 Posted January 4, 2006 Whew.... wi' tha' kinda heat et all... I hope there be water in tha' bottle.... Truly, D. Lasseter Captain, The Lucy Propria Virtute Audax --- In Hoc Signo Vinces Ni Feidir An Dubh A Chur Ina Bhan Air "If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me." Deuteronomy 32:41 Envy and its evil twin - It crept in bed with slander - Idiots they gave advice - But Sloth it gave no answer - Anger kills the human soul - With butter tales of Lust - While Pavlov's Dogs keep chewin' - On the legs they never trust... The Seven Deadly Sins http://www.colonialnavy.org
Fox Posted January 4, 2006 Author Posted January 4, 2006 John, I hereby confer upon you the title of "Orfentik pyrate: battle class". Now at re-enactments you have the right to stand in front of the public and fight all day. If you want to stop fighting to get a drink we're gonna need you to get a coat I'm afraid. :) Foxe"With this Fore-Staff he fansies he does Wonders, when, God knows, it amounts to no more but only to solve that simple Question, Where are we? Which every chi'd in London can tell you." - Ned Ward The Wooden World Dissected, 1707ETFox.co.uk
 {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)}; if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script', 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq('init', '1074427760321280'); fbq('track', 'PageView'); </script> <noscript><img height=)
&ev=PageView&cd%5Bitem_id%5D=6483&cd%5Bitem_name%5D=What+pirates+wore...&cd%5Bitem_type%5D=topic&cd%5Bcategory_name%5D=Captain Twill"/>
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now