“Shaking her head disdainfully to herself, the pirate woman joined in with the final two verses of a familiar drinking song known as The Butcher and the Tailor’s Wife, which her shipmates were rowdily singing, having tired themselves physically with drink and dancing.”
This traditional English folk song dates from the mid-17th century and is known under various names: Benjamin Bowmaneer, The Tailor’s Breeches, The Tailor and the Louse, The Bold Trooper, and The Trooper and the Tailor. In all versions the tailor is subjected to a variety of humiliating indignities. The tailor is generally portrayed as a cowardly man who is dominated by his wife.
The following lyrics are taken from a version by the Briitish folk singer Nic Jones:
Oh it’s of a wealthy tailor, in London town did dwell,
And he had a handsome wife, and her name was Mary Bell.
She’s gone to the butcher’s, a joint of meat to buy,
“What is your will, dear woman?”…
This act’s longer title is: An Act for the more effectual suppressing of Piracy. Its aim was to counter the rapid growth of piracy in the early 18th century by removing some deficiencies in the preceding piracy laws. It was mainly concerned with those who dealt with and supported the pirates and other criminals, requiring commanders of vessels and others who traded with pirates or supplied them in any way to be treated as pirates themselves. The act included provisions for the confiscation of any ill-gotten cargo and the offending commander’s ship. It’s main aim was to undermined support for the pirates. The act was repealed on 5th November 1993.
Spanish Ladies is a traditional British naval song, describing a voyage from Spain to the Downs from the viewpoint of naval ratings. It is believed to have been inspired when the Royal Navy carried supplies to Spain to aid its resistance to revolutionary France during the War of the First Coalition, which took place from 1793 to 96. Spending a lot of time in Spain during this period it seems many British sailors managed to obtain Spanish wives and lovers, who they either didn’t want to or weren’t able to bring home to England when the war ended.
The Piracy Act 1717 was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain. Its long title was “An Act for the further preventing Robbery, Burglary, and other Felonies, and for the more effectual Transportation of Felons, and unlawful Exporters of Wool; and for declaring the Law upon some Points relating to Pirates.”