The Pyrate Chronicles website serves two purposes. Firstly, it presents the historical background to the books series. Secondly, it provides detailed information on the Golden Age of Piracy in general. The Pyrate Chronicles book series tells the story of a group of pirates who find themselves on a desperate journey to return to familiar lands after inadvertently sailing into a mysterious mist. It is pirate fanstasy set to a historical background. This website is a work in progress, constantly being added to.
To fall over suddenly in an uncontrolled manner. The keel is the longitudinal timber ridge along the middle of the hull to which the rest of the boat’s timbers are fixed. It acts as a counterbalance for the mast and keeps the boat stable in conditions that would otherwise cause the boat to capsize. ‘Keeled over’ referred to ships which had rolled on their side in turbulent waters and were in danger of sinking, or were laid on their side on land with their keels showing.
“They vilify us, the scoundrels do, when there is only this difference, they rob the poor under the cover of law, forsooth, and we plunder the rich under the protection of our own courage.” speech attributed to Samuel Bellamy in Captain Johnson’s A History of the Pyrates
Much admired by some, Samuel Bellamy was sometimes referred to as the Robin Hood of the sea, although there is no evidence of him giving to the poor as did the mythic hero of Sherwood Forest. Bellamy is viewed as one of the most successful pirates of his time, although his pirating career lasted little over a year. He is said to have treated captives well in comparison to many of his contemporaries, but was not averse to forcing men to serve in his crew, especially carpenters. He was apparently called Black Sam because he didn’t want to wear a wig, preferring his long black hair to flow free.…
To make preparations for an approaching difficult situation. This nautical term originally meant to close off the entrances to the lower part of a ship using tarpaulins secured with wooden battens in preparation for impending bad weather conditions. The hatches were designed with wood grating to promote fresh air circulation below deck and needed to be covered in bad weather to keep the interiors dry.
“…the great Calamity that hath befallen this Island by a terrible Earthquake, on the 7th instant, which hath thrown down almost all the Houses, Churches, Sugar-Works, Mills and Bridges, through the whole Country. It tore the Rocks and Mountains, destroyed some whole Plantations, and threw them into the Sea, Port-Royal had much the greatest share in this terrible Judgement of God.” – Dr. Emmanuel Heath, Anglican rector of St. Paul’s Church, Port Royal
In 1692, Port Royal was the main British base in Caribbean, which had been captured from the Spanish in 1655. The town became a thriving centre of trade and privateering, but by 1692 the focus had shifted to the cultivation of tobacco and sugar cane with an increased growth in the slave trade. Port Royal was built on a peninsula off the coast of Jamaica across from present-day Kingston and was religiously and culturally very diverse. At its height in 1692, the population of the town is estimated to have exceeded 6500 inhabitants, of which about 2500 were slaves.…
This phrase is used to describe someone who is unstable, unpredictable, or uncontrollable. This term has its roots in Naval warfare in the Age of Sail. Due to their weight the cannons on a sailing ship, which were generally referred to as guns, were secured to prevent them from moving about with the waves of the sea or to prevent damage from the enormous recoil when fired. A cannon that had become loose of its restraints and was rolling dangerously about the deck could cause immense damage to the vessel and crew.