Posted on 08/16/2007 6:47:43 PM PDT by blam
Surnames that reveal Pirate ancestry
By Nick Britten
Last Updated: 1:34am BST 17/08/2007
With all that pillaging and looting, it could be one of the bloodiest reunions in history when descendants of six of Britain's famous pirates are invited to a get-together.
People with the surnames Morgan, Rackham, Bonny, Read, Kidd or Teach, are being invited to discover possible connections with the likes of Blackbeard and Calico Jack, in a series of events by English Heritage. Dressing as a sea dog is optional.
Proving your lineage with a real-life buccaneer, however, may prove difficult. Abigail Baker, of the genealogy research organisation Achievements Ltd, said: "What could be more exhilarating than finding you are related to one of Britain's most colourful characters?"
However, said Miss Baker, due to their nefarious backgrounds, pirates rarely kept records of their activities. So proving a link can be tricky.
The six most famous British pirates are:
Sir Henry Morgan (a privateer, or legal pirate), born in 1635 in Glamorgan, Wales, who went on to rule Jamaica.
William Kidd, born around 1645 in Renfrewshire, Scotland, and executed for piracy after returning from a voyage to the Indian Ocean.
Edward "Blackbeard" Teach was thought to be born in Bristol around 1680. He wove slow-burning fuses into his beard to create clouds of smoke around his scowling face. He is said to have had 14 wives and died in battle, his head being cut off and hung from the rigging.
John "Calico Jack" Rackham's was born in 1682, and so named for his penchant for brightly coloured clothing. He is remembered for employing two female pirates, Anne Bonny and Mary Read. Rackham was executed in Jamaica in 1720.
Anne Bonny, born around 1698 near Cork, met Rackham in the Bahamas and started an affair with him, before eloping and joining his crew. She was said to be intelligent, attractive, and quick-tempered.
Mary Read, born in 1695 in London. She joined Calico Jack's crew and became one of history's most fearsome female pirates. She spent much of her life dressed as a man, and died in 1721.
The English Heritage events start this weekend at Dover Castle in Kent and continues next weekend at Whitby Abbey, North Yorks.
Anyone who can prove they share the name of one of the six most feared pirates will get in free.
Ten pirate facts
1. The idea of buried treasure is mostly a mythical one which is romantically portrayed in books such as Treasure Island. However, one pirate who was known for burying his treasure was Captain Kidd and it is believed he may have started the myth.
2. The notion that pirates only plundered gold, silver and exotic treasure is unfounded. Records suggest a normal haul was far more mundane and involved stealing linens, cloths, food, anchors, rope and sometimes medical supplies.
3. Pirates were therefore very selective about which boats they targeted, to be certain the booty was worth the risks of battle.
4. Most pirates were extreme squanderers and rarely accumulated enough treasure to bury. Due to the danger and uncertainty of their profession, they were usually determined to live for the present rather than save for the future.
5. The Jolly Roger is the pirates' most famous flag, flown to induce their target to surrender. The history of the terms is the subject of great conjecture, a popular theory being it stemmed from the word “rogue”. “Old Roger” is also the term for the Devil.
6. There is no evidence that pirates ever made their victims walk the plank; there was far too much sport of another kind to be had. A favourite method of dealing with prisoners was to tie them to the mast and then pelt the unfortunate victim with broken bottles.
7. In pirate language, “splice the mainbrace” means to have a drink and “to dance with Jack Ketch” means to go to the hangman.
8. Pirate hooks, a popular addition to any costume, probably stemmed from the story of Peter Pan and his arch enemy Captain Hook, who replaced his hand lost in battle with a hook. However, pirates often lost hands in battle and it was common for them to search the ship for something to use as a replacement.
9. Port Royal, Jamaica, became a safe haven for pirates, a place of great wealth and debauchery known as “the wickedest city on Earth”.
10. Modern day pirates exist, especially in the waters off Indonesia and Somalia. Rather than relying on cannons and swords though, they tend to prefer using AK-47 rifles and speed boats.
How about people with surnames like Blackbeard?
Sparrow?
Really? Hadn't heard that one before. Old Nick, sure. (Not to be confused with St. Nick.)
Haven't heard of that one. Hillary, sure.
Most pirates throughout history have been Muslims in the service of local Sheikhs, who extort tribute and ransom from the Infidel whenever possible.
This is still true today.
There is nothing remotely attractive or appealing about piracy. They are about as romantic and admirable as the Taliban scum holding the 21 Korean missionary hostages in Afghanistan today.
Scum then. Scum today. Scum always. Murderous putrid Muslim scum.
LOL.
Swann?
Stargell?
Hear, hear - um, I mean, ARRRRR!
This thread should be rated “Arrrgh!”
Hmm...well, my granddaddy Aloisius “Pegleg” Drill was fond of getting wasted on absinthe and sliding down the bannisters with cutlass in hand yelling “Keelhaul the Bos’n’s Mate!” but I thought it was a holdover from his time in the seminary...
Another theory is that “Jolly Roger” is an English corruption of the French “Jolie Rouge” referring originally to a red flag used by pirates and which eventually came to refer to any pirate flag, esp using the skull & bones or skeleton motif.
That's all too short of summary of the very interesting case of Captain Kidd. Even the unreliable Wikipedia is better than that its article here.
(In particular, the bit currently in the Wikipedia article about Captain Kidd and Takarajima appears to be unreliable (Takarajima is literally "Treasure Island" in Japanese.) It seems very unlikely that Captain Kidd had anything to do with that Japanese island.)
"Might I be seein' some proof o' age, Missy?"
Of course, their descendants are probably busy running hedge funds, or maybe getting large government contracts.
OK Kids, What is the pirate’s favorite letterin the alphabet?
Give up?
The letter is Rrrrrrrr!
I'm "Bloody Bess Vane."
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