 Pirates and Privateers
The History of Maritime
Piracy
Cindy Vallar, Editor
& Reviewer
P.O. Box 425,
Keller, TX 76244-0425
 
Welcome aboard Pirates and
Privateers, a site devoted to the history
of maritime piracy, privateering, and the sea
before the Age of Steam.
Within these pages you will find articles
dealing with the history and culture of these
topics from ancient times to modern day. Click
one of the links above or below to explore the
treasures within this website.
Each month, I send out a newsletter
about the latest article and reviews posted
here. I also include information that doesn't
appear at Pirates and Privateers, but is
still of interest to adherents of piracy and
maritime history. By subscribing to the
newsletter, you'll never miss out on the latest
happenings here at Pirates and Privateers.
As
always, if you have a question about pirates,
please write
and ask. If there is a particular pirate
or subject, you'd like me to write about, let
me know.
One cautionary note for those
seeking genealogical information: Historical
records about pirates are rare. Much of what
is known comes from government records,
newspaper accounts, and the few contemporary
accounts written during a particular period.
This information rarely contains details
pertinent to what you need to know to identify
an ancestor. The simple fact is that the vast
majority of pirates' names remain unknown. I cannot answer
genealogical questions. Instead, I recommend
contacting genealogical depositories and
websites, historical societies, and
national archives --
places where the librarians and curators are
better trained to assist in this type of
query.
A special note to teachers
and students: If
you need help with a project or
report, please contact
me. Should you use any of my
articles or reviews, please let me
know and remember to include the
proper citation. The majority of
material contained with this
website is copyrighted.
Fair winds and
following seas,
Cindy
(site last updated 18 September 2024)
Pirate Quotes of the
Month
I am not
afraid of Death, I am not
afraid of the Gallows, but I
am afraid of what follows; I
am afraid of a Great God, and
a Judgment to Come.
– John
Quelch, 1704
condemned
pirate's last words to a
minister
Every cowardly fellow would turn pirate . . . many of
those who are
now cheating
the widows and
orphans, and
oppressing
their
neighbours . .
. would then
rob at sea and
the ocean
would be
crowded with
rogues, like
the land, and
no merchant
would venture
out.
– Mary
Read, 1720
a pirate
in defense of the death
penalty for pirates
 October Article |
 October
Reviews |
Just Desserts
One popular quotation long associated
with Bartholomew Roberts is “a merry
life and a short one, shall be my
motto.” The more I learned about Stede
Bonnet, the more I felt that he would
disagree with this sentiment. Little
about his three decades of life fell
within the category of being “merry,”
and with an average life expectancy of
thirty-five in colonial America, his
wasn’t destined to be short.
Three other quotations seem more
apropos.
It is difficult to free fools from
the chains they revere.
Common sense is not so common.
We are all full of weakness and
errors; let us mutually pardon each
other our follies – it is the first
law of nature.
These come from François-Marie Arouet,
more commonly known as Voltaire. While
individuals may be willing to forgive
follies and foibles, the law isn’t
always so amenable. Laws are enacted
and enforced so that those deemed
guilty get what they deserve,
regardless of how repentant they may
be.
|
Portsmouth
Point
by C. Northcote Parkinson
History: Navy &
Nautical Fiction
The
Life and Times of Horatio
Hornblower
by C. Northcote Parkinson
Nautical
Fiction
The
Sugar Storm
by Lyle Garford
Historical
Fiction & Historical
Mystery
Curse
of the Templar Seal
by C. Wayne Dawson
Historical
Fiction & Historical
Mystery
|
|
|
Pirate & Maritime News
|
Events & Activities
|
Some pages remain in the
old style, while others are in the new
style. We apologize for this. After
twenty-four years, there are many
pages to overhaul and this takes time.
We appreciate your understanding and
patience.
Blackbeard Copyright
Lawsuit
Sails Forward in North Carolina
North Carolina’s Department of Natural
and Cultural Resources received a
stern reminder that those who don’t
remember history are doomed to repeat
it. The lesson came on 30 August 2024,
from Judge Terrence Boyle, in a
lawsuit involving DNCR’s repeated
piracy of documentary footage created
by videographer Rick Allen: unique
underwater images of Blackbeard’s
flagship, the Queen Anne's Revenge.
Judge Boyle’s ruling allows Allen to
proceed with his claims against DNCR.
“Allen has plausibly stated a claim
that the DNCR infringed on his
copyrights. It is undisputed that
Allen holds valid copyrights in the
materials he alleges th[at] DNCR
infringed . . . Allen provides
detailed accounts of his copyrights
and the DNCR's alleged infringements
of specific copyrights by copying,
displaying, distributing, and
performing his works without
permission online and in a state
museum.”
This isn’t the first time DNCR has
faced liability for pirating Allen’s
work. In 2013, DNCR violated
copyrights in videography of Queen
Anne’s Revenge owned by Allen
and his company, Nautilus
Productions -- and paid $15,000
to settle that copyright infringement
claim. Desperate to keep using the
images, but unwilling to pay, the
State passed “Blackbeard’s Law” (so
named because its target was Allen’s
valuable images of Blackbeard’s
flagship). The law converted all
photographs and video of shipwrecks
that came into State hands into
“public records” that the State could
use without payment. Allen and
Nautilus filed a federal lawsuit in
2015, and after eight years of
litigation, on 30 June 2023, North
Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed a
bill repealing Blackbeard's Law. But
DNCR continued to follow Blackbeard’s
own piratical ethics, arguing that
even without Blackbeard’s Law, Allen’s
valuable footage was still the
“property of the people” of North
Carolina, which DNCR could continue
copying without payment. Now, Judge
Boyle’s ruling reminds DNCR that
pirates -- including State pirates --
can look forward to walking the plank.
“We are grateful to Judge Boyle for
his ruling!” stated Allen. “Our number
one focus continues to be protecting
the rights of all artists and creators
from theft of their creative works by
states and state agencies. North
Carolina’s claim that it can sue its
citizens for copyright infringement,
but face no liability for its own
state-led copyright theft, is not only
unethical, but unconstitutional.”
For nearly two decades, Nautilus
Productions was the official video
crew for the Blackbeard’s Queen Anne’s
Revenge Shipwreck Project.
Nautilus Productions documented
archaeological activities and the
recovery of artifacts from
Blackbeard’s infamous shipwreck at
zero cost to the taxpayers of North
Carolina. Nautilus’ footage of
Blackbeard’s shipwreck has aired
worldwide on the BBC, the History
Channel, the Discovery Channel, PBS,
National Geographic and many more.
The shipwreck was discovered in 1996
by Intersal, Inc. which has filed a
separate breach of contract lawsuit
against North Carolina and its
Department of Natural and Cultural
Resources in state court.
If ye be wantin’ to observe Talk
Like a Pirate Day – September 19th
for those who’ve forgotten – there
be no better way than to sneak a
peek at the Summer issue of Wreckwatch.
’Tis yours for simply visitin’
their website and addin’ your name
to the roll. The first treasure to
explore be about a 300-year-old
mystery. Your editor, Cindy
Vallar, investigates “Who Wrote
the First Pirate Blockbuster.” Ye,
o’ course, ken she’s wonderin’
just who be Captain Charles
Johnson, who put pen to paper to
regale us wi’ tales of famous
scurvy knaves.
|
San
Salvador Sailing Adventure
Various Saturdays 2024
Museum of San Diego
San Diego, California
Tall
Ship Adventure Aboard Californian
Various Sundays 2024
Museum of San Diego
San Diego, California
Northglenn
Pirate Festival
20-21 September 2024
Northglenn, Colorado
Marcus
Hook Pirate Festival
21 September 2024
Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania
Moonlight
Tavern Night
21 September 2024
Historic Merchants and Drovers Tavern Museum
Rathwath, New Jersey
World
Maritime Day
26 September 2024
Mystic Seaport Museum
Mystic, Connecticut
From
Barns and Basements to Museum Exhibit
Galleries
How Maritime Museums Can Bring Long Lost
Shipwreck Artifacts Back to the Public
3 October 2024
Zoom Virtual Seminar
National Maritime Historical
Society
Buccaneer
Days
3-6 October 2024
Catalina Island, California
Tybee
Island Pirate Fest
10-13 October 2024
Tybee Island, Georgia
Pirates
on the High Seas
& Renaissance Festival
11-13 October 2024
Panama City Beach, Florida
Harwich
International Shanty Festival
11-13 October 2024
Harwich, United Kingdom
Kings
of the Coast Pirate Treasure Hunt
14 October 2024
Oyster Bay, New York
What
Lurks Beneath
A Halloween Experience
18 & 19 October 2024
24-26 October 2024
Mystic Seaport Museum
Mystic, Connecticut
Boarded!
A New Pirate Adventure
19 October 2024
30 November 2024
28 December 2024
Maritime Museum of San Diego
San Diego, California
Sailabration
Sailing Traditions in Ink
26 October 2024
Fell's Point Broadway Pier
Baltimore, Maryland
Left
for Dead
14 November 2024
Evening with author Eric Jay Dolin
In-person & Virtual
The Mariners' Museum and Park
Newport News, Virginia
Beaufort
Pirate Invasion
22-24 November 2024
Beaufort, North Carolina
Sail
250th New York
4 July 2026
New York City, New York
|
The Rebel & the Spy
These
five people played roles in the War of 1812.
James Madison (far left) was president at
the time and, in my current
work-in-progress, he has a special
assignment for Lucas Burnett, one of the
protagonists in the novel. Jean Laffite
(beside Madison) operates a smuggling
operation, based on barrier islands
southwest of New Orleans. One of his
captains, is Dominique You, whose sister
Alexine has been raised in this nefarious
world of smugglers, pirates, privateers, and
cutthroats. Dolley Madison is the country's
presidentress (first lady) and plays a vital
role in preserving some of our national
treasures during the British invasion of
Washington City. General Andrew Jackson
(second from right) has no intention of
allowing the British to gain entry to the
United States through its back door (the
Mississippi). Governor William C. C.
Claiborne (far right) is Lucas's cousin and
a constant thorn in Laffite's side. They
come together within the pages of The
Rebel & the Spy, a historical
novel where it's not always easy to decide
who is the rebel and who is the spy.
The links below are to a gallery of places
depicted in my novel and a resource list for
those seeking information on the people
pictured above, pirates, ships in the age of
sail, the Battle of New Orleans, the
invasion and burning of Washington, the
bombardment of Fort McHenry, and much more.
(Please note that these pages are updated
from time to time, so check back to see
what's been added.) I hope you enjoy.
Pirates & Privateers
Newsletter
Each month I alert
readers to the posting of the
latest piracy article and book
reviews, new additions made to the
website, and interesting maritime
tidbits. If you would like to
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Copyright ©2023 Cindy
Vallar
Click to contact me
Background image compliments
of Anke's Graphics |
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