 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 19 June 2025)
Pirate Quote of the
Month
. . . the
Pirates commit un-heard of
Cruelties; they have hang’d
Capt. Abraham Plumb of the
Prince’s Galley [sic]; and
just as if they set
themselves apart to study
Cruelty, have hang’d several
of the Negroes by the Legs,
and afterwards shot ‘em.”
— from an
article that appeared in the
Weekly Journal on 10
October 1719
(Howell Davis and his men,
including Bartholomew
Roberts, did attack Princess,
but this is an example of
fake news in the 18th
century. Captain Plumb was
still
alive 10 years after his
reported death.)
 June-July Article |
 June-July
Reviews |
Verboten!
There is a
charm about the forbidden that makes it
unspeakably desirable.
In fact, the more things are
forbidden, the more popular they become.
Has anyone ever
said you can’t have something? Your
immediate reaction is to crave what you
can’t have, just as Mark Twain wrote.
Twice, my parents told me I couldn’t read
two books, so I tried my darndest to do
just that. (Succeeded once, failed once.)
Pirates included provisions in their codes
that forbade certain behaviors because
they knew that these could cause trouble
amongst themselves, usually when they
could least afford the strife. That didn’t
mean that they totally denied themselves
such temptations and seductions. They
simply waited until opportunity presented
itself.
Author’s Note:
While I
worked on this article, my father
passed away. He shared his affinity
for the water and boats with me in
my youth, which helped awaken a
desire to write about pirates. This
article is for him. Now that you are
at peace and without pain, Dad, may
you eat, drink, and be merry.
Lee Aker
Rest in peace
|
A
Merciful Sea
by Katie Daysch
Nautical Fiction
Don't
Disturb the Pirate!
by Rhiannon Findlay
illustrated by Siân Roberts
Books for Young
Pirates
Story
Spinners
by Cassandra Federman
Books for
Pirate Apprentices:
Graphic Novels
The
Adriatic
Affair
by Jennifer N.
Sellitti
Disasters,
Mutinies,
&
Shipwrecks
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Pirate & Maritime News
|
Events & Activities
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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.
The latest pages that have been
overhauled include Friends
and Enemies, The
Jolly Roger and No Quarter Given,
Medicine
at Sea, A
Most Unwelcome Death, Oh
To Be a Pirate, Pirate
Tactics, and Pirates
& Death.
2024 Inductee
 Congratulations
to Eric Jay Dolin, a new inductees
to the International Pirate Hall
of Fame. He is one of over 500
nominees. Previous winners include
Dave Burgess, Toby Stephens, and
Angus Konstam. The organization,
which hopes to one day open a
museum for all to visit, is to
preserve history, honor those who
have created a name for themselves
through acts of piracy, and
encourage others involved in
keeping history alive.
Eric
writes, "Getting this accolade is
great fun! Aaaarrrrrgghhh!!!" Eric
is the author of numerous books,
including one about pirates
entitled Black Flags, Blue
Waters (review). To
learn more about Eric and his
books, visit his website.
Rarely
is state piracy as blatant as in
the case of Blackbeard's Law -- a
North Carolina statute that
targeted videographer Rick Allen's
unique footage of Blackbeard's
flagship Queen Anne's Revenge.
The statute claimed that the state
could freely use, copy, and
distribute Allen's artistic work
without compensating him.
After being sued, North Carolina
amended its statute but continued
its claims and its use of his
work. Last August, the state's
attempt to have the lawsuit kicked
out of court failed. The sate
appealed the judge's ruling to the
US Court of Appeals for the 4th
Circuit. Allen has filed an appeal
in which he explains that the
state is conducting "piracy on a
grand scale: a targeted attempt to
take [his] body of work by
intentionally infringing his
copyrights and by adopting
policies that allow others to do
the same, all without any due
process or compensation." For more
information or a history of this
10-year defense of intellectual
property rights, click on the
headline above.
 Wil Shade, also known
as Will Streett, announces the release
of his serialized historical novel, Tides
of Fury, which is set in the
early 19th century. The story focuses
on Penny Rollings and Jack Pyle as
they confront slavery, war, and their
own convictions. He writes, "America
is entering its adolescence -- with no
guarantees, multiple existential
challenges, and deep moral
contradictions. And the people of
Maryland are caught in the middle of
it all."
For the next few weeks, all the
content (individual chapters and other
bonus offerings) are free. The first
12 chapters are free, but the rest
will be offered only on a subscription
basis. There are 2 options. Full
access to the novel and bonus
materials costs $5 per month or $50
annually. Founders, those who
subscribe for $100, will have lifetime
access, which includes access to all
novels in this series as well as
exclusive extras.
To read the opening chapters, to learn
more, and to subscribe, visit the link
above.
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Art of the Sea
Online Exhibition & Sale
The American Society of Marine
Artists & The National
Maritime Historical Society
Brick
Wrecks
Sunken Ships in LEGO Bricks
8 March - 31 August 2025
The Historic Dockyard Chatham
Chatham, Kent, United Kingdom
Pirates
29 March 2025 - 4 January 2026
National Maritime Museum
Greenwich, United Kingdom
Vikings
Before Vikings
11 April - 30 December 2025
Vrak -- Museum of Wrecks
Stockholm, Sweden
Pirate
Day
27 June 2025
Marco Island, Florida
Privateer
Days
27 & 29 June 2025
Liverpool, Nova Scotia, Canada
Vikings North Exhibition
11 July 2025 - 2027
Yorkshire Museum
York, United Kingdom
Boarded
A New Pirate
Adventure
12 July 2025
11 October
2025
29 November
2025
27 December
2025
Maritime
Museum of San
Diego
San Diego,
California
Golden Age of Piracy
12-13 July
2025
Old Royal
Naval College
Greenwich,
United Kingdom
Bald Head Island Pirate Invasion
1-3 August
2025
Bald Head
Island, North
Carolina
Ontario Pirate Festive
2-4 August
2025
Guelph,
Ontario,
Canada
Boyne City Piratefest
7-9 August
2025
Boyne City,
Michigan
Pirates & Wenches Weekend
8-10 August
2025
Rock Hall,
Maryland
Outer Banks Pirate Festival
14-15 August
2025
Nags Head,
North Carolina
Pirate
Viking Summer
Festival
23-24 August
2025
Edgewood, New
Mexico
Maritime
Heritage Conference
24-27 September 2025
Buffalo Convention Center
Buffalo, New York
Pirates Weekend
Royal Stagg Renaissance Festival
27-28 September 2025
Marshall, Michigan
Sail 250th New York
4 July 2026
New York City, New York
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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
receive the monthly Pirates
& Privateers Newsletter,
send
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If you're not sure,
here's a sample
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you enjoy!
Note
to subscribers: If you fail
to receive your newsletter,
it's possible that your
e-mail provider returned it
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reasons: they deem it to be
junk mail; your mailbox is
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changed your e-mail address
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the change. Contact me and
we will try to resolve the
problem.
If your
newsletter bounces two months
in a row and you don't contact
me, I just delete you from the
subscriber list. You're
welcome to resubscribe if that
occurs.
Copyright ©2023 Cindy
Vallar
Click to contact me
Background image compliments
of Anke's Graphics |
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