Pick up lines from pirates in bars are also a give-away: "No my dear young lady, that is not a peg-leg, but I certainly am glad to meet you!!"
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.
I was surprised to see in a recent special on modern-day pirates that most ships are not allowed to be armed. They are usually boarded at night when crews are asleep.
The latest pirate racket is just to kidnap the captain and any other important crew and then ransom them. Shipping companies usually pay up, quite privately.
Ping!
Let’s not forget the buccaneer Edward Davis whose loot helped found The College of William and Mary in colonial Virginia.
Dirty Jenny Calico-— I have no idea where that came from
Cap'n Davy Read
Even though there's no legal rank on a pirate ship, everyone recognizes you're the one in charge. Even through many pirates have a reputation for not being the brightest souls on earth, you defy the sterotypes. You've got taste and education. Arr! Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network
'Tho me fancies t'wernt more than any man's, 'cept for me silk sleeves, Anne Bonny and Mary were the best mates a lonely corsair could hope to command -- by a hogshead!
Dancing the hempin jig was a pain in the neck, Ye might say.
Ahhhrrr!
Scourge of the Baltic
"Splice the mainbrace!" is a well recognized order in the British Navy, and was in the U.S. Navy until it went dry.
This guy always gets left out of famous pirate lists.
One man, however, may have been the most successful pirate in history. His name was Henry Avery. He was also known as Long Ben Avery.
In sixteen ninety-five, Avery and his crew attacked a ship named the Gunsway. It belonged to a great ruler of India. The Gunsway carried millions of dollars in gold, silver and jewels.
Avery and his crew took the treasure. They sailed to the West Indies, then left their ship. Some of the crew went to America. Others sailed on different ships. Avery disappeared with a captain’s share of the treasure. He was never caught. Nor was he ever heard from again.
Call me Iron Bill Avery
Yes, but the artical deems privateers as pirates. In that case, you are wrong. Privateers were not muslim. But the illegal version of privateers were often muslim.
Some historians claim that after the “friday the thirteenth” when the leader of the Templar knights was executed by the church, the escaped knights templar restorted to piracy in order to survive.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrggggggggggghhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!
Mad Anne Cash
Every pirate is a little bit crazy. You, though, are more than just a little bit. You’re musical, and you’ve got a certain style if not flair. You’ll do just fine. Arr!
Very cool thread!
Arrgh!!
Mr. Owl:
Iron Harry Rackham
A pirate’s life isn’t easy; it takes a tough person. That’s okay with you, though, since you a tough person. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!
LOL!
Pick up lines from pirates in bars are also a give-away: "No my dear young lady, that is not a peg-leg, but I certainly am glad to meet you!!"
I saw Isaac Kidd Jr. once on C-SPAN, testifying for a congressional committee and he seemed like a real character. He was saying stuff like: "When your bird farm is torpedoed and you're swimming around in the water, it can ruin your whole day."
I’m Red Mary Rackham.
“Passion is a big part of your life, which makes sense for a pirate. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!”
I like it. ;o)
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