What did pirates wear?

Still from the American comedy film Clothes Make the Pirate (1925).The popular images in film and literature of what pirates wore does not generally correspond the the reality of the period, and is usually based more on 19th century depictions. Howard Pyle drew many interpretations taken from a combination of contemporary South American dress and what 19th century seamen wore. Not a great deal is known about what pirates actually did wear as no pirates were directly painted by artists, but we can assume that most pirate crews were probably indistinguishable from other seamen of the time. Sailors clothes were known as slops and were cheap, baggy, and durable. Uniforms weren’t introduced until 1857. Jackets and trousers were often painted with pine tar to make them water resistant, giving sailors the name tars. Clothing was a much sought after and pirates would often steal it when a ship taken, so they usually wore the clothes of ordinary sailors supplemented by those stolen from more well-off victims, which were often auctioned off at the mast.…

Keel over

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.

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Black Sam Bellamy

“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

Sam Bellamy - painting commissioned by Gregory Manchess to illustrate the National Geographic exhibition Real Pirates: The Untold Story of The Whydah, from Slave Ship to Pirate Ship.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.…

Batten down the hatches

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.

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The 1692 Port Royal Earthquake

“…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

Sunken Pirate City of Port Royal (1692).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.…