Rackham’s true first name was John, Jack being a nickname for John, said to have originated from the Middle English variation of John, which was commonly pronounced as ‘Jankin’ or ‘Jackin’, over time being shortened to ‘Jack’. His surname is usually spelt Rackham, although other spellings appeared in sources of in a time before spelling was standardized, such as Rackam, Rackum, Racum, or even Racan. The nickname ‘Calico Jack’ first appeared in the 1728 edition of Charles Johnson’s A General History of the Pyrates. It has been claimed he was born in Bristol, England, in 1682, but there is no surviving evidence of this. He is often considered as having been one of the least successful pirates of the Golden Age, only having captured fourteen vessels over a short period, seven of which were fishing boats, one a canoe, the others small trading vessels, obtaing no more than £1400 in plunder.…
The popular images in film and literature of what pirates wore does not generally correspond to 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.…
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.…