A Pirate a Day makes the Doc Stay!

[Alexander Baker]

Most people have a way of life or code, This is where we will be looking at pirates and the sailors that had to deal with sed pirates, and they way of life they chose to follow.

[Alexander Baker]

We have this for the pirates:

Pirate Code of Conduct Bartholomew Roberts Shipboard Articles 1721

ARTICLE I - Every man shall have an equal vote in affairs of moment. He shall have an equal title to the fresh provisions or strong liquors at any time seized, and shall use them at pleasure unless a scarcity may make it necessary for the common good that a retrenchment may be voted. ARTICLE II - Every man shall be called fairly in turn by the list on board of prizes, because over and above their proper share, they are allowed a shift of clothes. But if they defraud the company to the value of even one dollar in plate, jewels or money, they shall be marooned. If any man rob another he shall have his nose and ears slit, and be put ashore where he shall be sure to encounter hardships. ARTICLE III - None shall game for money either with dice or cards. ARTICLE IV - The lights and candles should be put out at eight at night, and if any of the crew desire to drink after that hour they shall sit upon the open deck without lights. ARTICLE V - Each man shall keep his piece, cutlass and pistols at all times clean and ready for action. ARTICLE VI - No boy or woman to be allowed amongst them. If any man shall be found seducing any of the latter sex and carrying her to sea in disguise he shall suffer death. ARTICLE VII - He that shall desert the ship or his quarters in time of battle shall be punished by death or marooning. ARTICLE VIII - None shall strike another on board the ship, but every man's quarrel shall be ended on shore by sword or pistol in this manner. At the word of command from the quartermaster, each man being previously placed back to back, shall turn and fire immediately. If any man do not, the quartermaster shall knock the piece out of his hand. If both miss their aim they shall take to their cutlasses, and he that draweth first blood shall be declared the victor. ARTICLE IX - No man shall talk of breaking up their way of living till each has a share of l,000. Every man who shall become a cripple or lose a limb in the service shall have 800 pieces of eight from the common stock and for lesser hurts proportionately. ARTICLE X - The captain and the quartermaster shall each receive two shares of a prize, the master gunner and boatswain, one and one half shares, all other officers one and one quarter, and private gentlemen of fortune one share each. ARTICLE XI - The musicians shall have rest on the Sabbath Day only by right. On all other days by favour only.

Pirate Code of Conduct Bartholomew Roberts Shipboard Articles 1721

[Alexander Baker]

Pirate Hunters and Privateers:

For as long as there have been pirates, there have been men hired to hunt them down. Sometimes, the men hired to catch the pirates were pirates themselves. This occasionally led to problems. In 1696, Captain William Kidd, a respected ship's captain, was given a privateering commission to attack any French and/or pirate vessels he found. Under the terms of the contract, he could pretty much keep the spoils and enjoyed the protection of England. Many of his sailors were former pirates and not long into the voyage, when pickings were scarce, they told Kidd that he had better come up with some plunder…or else. In 1698 he attacked and sacked theQueddah Merchant, a Moorish ship with an English captain. Allegedly the ship had French papers, which was good enough for Kidd and his men. However, his arguments did not fly in a British court and Kidd was eventually hanged for piracy.

Mutiny or hanging? Such great choices on the high seas.

[Alexander Baker]

The Death of Blackbeard:

Edward "Blackbeard" Teach terrorized the Atlantic between the years of 1716-1718. In 1718 he supposedly retired, accepted a pardon and settled down in North Carolina. In reality, he was still a pirate and was in cahoots with the local governor, who offered him protection in exchange for part of his loot. The Governor of nearby Virginia chartered two warships, theRanger and the Jane, to capture or kill the legendary pirate. On November 22, 1718, they cornered Blackbeard in Okracoke Inlet. A fierce battle ensued, and Blackbeard was killed after taking five gunshot wounds and twenty cuts by sword or knife. His head was cut off and displayed: according to legend, his headless body swam around the ship three times before sinking.

[Alexander Baker]

The Last Journey of Calico Jack:

In November of 1720, the Governor of Jamaica got word that notorious pirate John "Calico Jack" Rackham was working the waters nearby. The governor outfitted a sloop for pirate hunting, named Jonathan Barnet captain and sent them off in pursuit. Barnet caught up with Rackham off of Negril Point. Rackham tried to run, but Barnet was able to corner him. The ships fought briefly: only three of Rackham's pirates put up much of a fight. Among them were the two famous female pirates, Anne Bonny and Mary Read, who berated the men for their cowardice. Later, in jail, Bonny allegedly said to Rackham: "If you had fought like a man, you need not have hanged like a dog." Rackham and his pirates were hanged, but Read and Bonny were spared because they were both pregnant.

[Alexander Baker]

The Final Battle of Stede Bonnet:

Stede "the Gentleman Pirate" Bonnet wasn't really much of a pirate. He was a born landlubber who came from a wealthy family on Barbados. Some say he took up piracy because of a nagging wife. Even though Blackbeard himself showed him the ropes, Bonnet still showed an alarming tendency to attack ships he could not defeat. He might not have had the career of a good pirate, but no one can say he didn't go out like one. On September 27, 1718, Bonnet was cornered by pirate hunters in the Cape Fear inlet. Bonnet put up a furious fight: theBattle of Cape Fear River was one of the most pitched battles in the history of piracy. It was all for nothing: Bonnet and his crew were captured and hanged.