Pirates

1. Pirates By Isabel Goddard

2. Pirates • Pirates sailed the seven seas and stole money and gold and anything else that was worth stealing. • They attacked ships on the open seas with their pirate ships flying the jolly roger flag with its distinctive skull & crossbones motif. • They stole a lot of treasure then buried it in caves or on deserted desert islands.

3. Famous Pirates • Major StedeBonnett (The Gentleman Pirate) • Anne Bonny • Edward Teach (Black Beard) • Sir Henry Morgan • Mary Read

4. Why did Anne Bonny become a pirate? • Anne met ‘Calico Jack’ Rackamwho was a pirate captain and asked to join his crew. Dressed in men’s clothes she set sail on his ship. • Anne became well respected as a pirate even though she was a woman. • She was captured and foundguilty of the crime of piracy but her sentence was suspended because she was pregnant.

5. Pirate flag • Starting in the early 18th century, pirates began using a black flag in place of a red one. • This black flag (often emblazoned with a skull)  became a symbol of piratical terror. Many pirates designed and used their own colours as a way to distinguish themselves, and to intimidate their prey. These designs typically included depictions of weapons (swords, daggers, and cannons) and death, (skeletons, bones, skulls, and the devil). The flags of those most notorious pirates quickly became the subject of legend, as they were a symbol of those fearsome, black-hearted men who roamed the sea.

6. Outfits • The captain of each pirate ship wore the most flamboyant clothing of the crew. He normally wore a hat adorned with an exotic feather that matched the colour of his waistcoat. He wore matching waistcoat and breeches, both made of crimson velvet. He wore a silk sash tied around his waist and a leather sash that was worn diagonally across his shoulder and the front of his waistcoat. Boots were worn by the captain along with adornments of gold jewellery. • Motley clothing for the pirate crew were three-cornered hat, bandanna, doublet/coat, Monmouth caps, breeches, waistcoats, shirts, boots, stockings and drawers.

7. Pirate accessories • Other items that the pirates wore were gold hoop earrings; precious metal, jewels and pearl jewellery; sash; braids; ribbons; boots; belts, buckles, fancy buttons, wigs and scarves. Crew members did not always wear boots; they went barefoot when swabbing the deck. • Pirates used and carried a type of sword called the pirate cutlass. This type of sword was curved and very heavy. It had only one cutting edge but was very deadly. And they carried daggers and pistols, often in their sashes.