Famous Pirate Biographies

[Black Bart]

To inspire us all I've started a list of famous Pirates. Model yourself on one of the real Pirates of yore, simply marvel at their dare devil lives or make up your own legends.

Famous Pirate Biographies No 1:

Blackbeard:



Edward Teach (c. 1680– November 22, 1718), better known as Blackbeard, was a notorious English pirate in the Caribbean Sea and western Atlantic during the early 18th century, a period referred to as the Golden Age of Piracy. His best known vessel was the Queen Anne's Revenge, which is believed to have run aground near Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina in 1718. Excavations of the site are ongoing and may have uncovered Blackbeard's cabin.

Blackbeard often fought, or simply showed himself, wearing a big feathered tricorn, and having multiple swords, knives, and pistols at his disposal. It was reported in the General History of the Pirates that he had hemp and lit matches woven into his enormous black beard during battle. Blackbeard is the premier image of the seafaring pirate.

He wasn't as good as Black Bart though.

[anthrobabe]

Dear sir,

could ye gives us the difinitive biography on Captain Bluebeard one day soon. oiv a skool report due and need something to copy verbatim use as a reference.

Sincerely,

Pepper Mint Patty

[Pachyderm]

Born John Roberts (May 17, 1682 - February 10, 1722), Bartholomew Roberts, also known as Bart Roberts, was a Welsh pirate who raided shipping off the Americas and West Africa between 1719 and 1722. He was the most successful pirate of the Golden Age of Piracy, capturing far more ships than some of the best-known pirates of this era such as Blackbeard or Captain Kidd. He is estimated to have captured over 470 vessels. He is also known as Black Bart (Welsh: Barti Ddu), but this name was never used in his lifetime.

Roberts was born in 1682 in the village of Casnewydd-Bach, (Little Newcastle), between Fishguard and Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire, Wales.

[Black Bart]

Captain Ahab



Not strictly a Pirate but he was obsessed wiv huntin Wales so he be my sworn enemy. I think he was from Nantucket so he be handy for yer limerics.

Captain of the Pequod, the Mysterious Captain Ahab was combination of Macbeth, Job, and Milton's Satan, Melville named the character after the Israelite king who worshiped the pagan sun god Baal. Ahab reveals to the crew that the purpose of the voyage is to hunt and kill the snow-white sperm whale, known as Moby-Dick, that had cost Ahab his leg on a previous voyage.

Ahab has nailed a goldpiece to the mast and offers it as a reward to the first man who sights the creature. Starbuck (his descendants moved to Chicago to found a well known chain of coffee shops), the first mate, tries to dissuade Ahab from the quest. The novel culminates when Moby-Dick charges the boat which sinks. Ahab is drowned, tied by the harpoon line to his arch enemy.

In his end Ahab takes his crew with him. The only survivor is the narrator, who is rescued by a passing ship. Some think that Ahab was actually Captain Cronan.

[Pachyderm]

 One of the most well know Pirates of all times was Captain Kidd, who had originally been employed to rid the sea's of pirates.

Kidd was born around 1645 (the exact date is unknown), he found employment as an English Privateer who found such success in New York and the West Indies, that he was called back to serve England. The Kings officers asked Kidd to captain a new powerful ship: the Adventure Galley. The Adventure Galley was equipped with 34 cannons and a crew of 80. It's mission was to capture all French ships, and the pirates of Madagascar. Kidd accepted the proposition.

Kidd thought his ship could use a better crew, so he recruited a gang of cutthroats in New York, and sailed for Madagascar. Once there, a good portion of his new crew left Kidd's ship in order to join the pirates. The remaining portion of pirates in Kidd's crew threatened him with mutiny, unless Kidd would attack any and all ships. Kidd refused. Mutiny was close at hand, and a fight between him and the ship gunner erupted. Kidd killed the man, and the crew did not pursue the revolt further; however, after that incident, Kidd was a changed man, plundering ships of all kinds along India's Malabar coast: Kidd had become a pirate. The holds of the Adventure Galley were already full when Kidd decided to plunder the Quedagh Merchant. The Quedagh Merchant was a huge treasure ship of 400 tons (the Adventure galley weighed only 284 tons). As the pirates approached the merchant, the captain of the vessel gave the sign of surrender; however, the captain of the merchant was secretly preparing for battle.

Sails were trimmed, sand was poured for better footing, ammunition was readied, and buckets were filled for fire fighting. As the pirates neared, the merchant vessel fired- but due to a sudden ocean swell, the shot missed its mark. The pirates immediately threw their grappling hooks, bringing the two ships together. The pirates rapidly boarded the ship, and soon Captain Kidd was in the possession of one of the greatest pirate treasures ever. With this final accomplishment under his belt: he ordered his crew to set sail for New York. Kidd thought he could fool the New Yorkers into believing that all his plunder had been taken only from French and pirate vessels.

Unfortunately for him, he was very mistaken: a great deal of the booty belonged to the powerful British East India Company. Kidd was clapped into chains and shipped to England were he was sentenced to death. Kidd experienced a terrible death: the hangman's rope broke twice, the third time it held. Once Kidd was dead: his body was dipped in tar and hung by chains along the Thames River. Kidd's body served as a warning to all would-be pirates for years to come.

Kidd's farewell speech:

My name was Captain Kidd, when I sail'd, when I sail'd,
And so wickedly I did, God's laws I did forbid,
When I sail'd, when I sail'd.
I roam'd from sound to sound, And many a ship I found,
And then I sunk or burn'd, When I sail'd.
I murder'd William Moore, And laid him in his gore,
Not many leagues from shore, When I sail'd.
Farewell to young and old, All jolly seamen bold,
You're welcome to my gold, For I must die, I must die.
Farewell to Lunnon town, The pretty girls all round,
No pardon can be found, and I must die, I must die,
Farewell, for I must die. Then to eternity, in hideous misery,
I must lie, I must lie.

[Black Bart]

Cap'n Cronan



1540 - ?

Legendary Pirate who's very name strikes fear into the heart of men. Born...no man knows...but most likely Hell itself!

Little is known of Cronan's whereabouts although he does call in at The Admiral Benbow for a bottle of Old Nick on foggy nights.

I repeat this tale by The Black Spot to put some flesh on Cronan's bones:

The Ghostly Treasure

A few years ago, we be sailin round the Cape o' Good Hope, when one o' me officers sed this be where the legendary Cap'n Cronan were last sighted.

The story be that Cronan's ship met with disaster a few weeks after 'ee had buried 'is treasure worth several million pounds. No-one knew where the hidden treasure lay.

Later that evenin'after a few grogs, me first mate said that perhaps we should 'old a seance, an see if we could contact the spirit of Cap'n Cronan.

We all sat round the table in me cabin. We put the letters o' the alphabet in a circle, an put "Ahoy", "Belay", an "Arrr" in there too. Then we turned down the lights an all placed our hooks on the upturned grog tankard in the middle o' the table.

"Be there anyone there?" I sez. The tankard moved to "Arrr".

"Are ye the ghost o' Cap'n Cronan?" I asked. The tankard moved to "Arrr" again.

"Have ye a message fer us?" The tankard moved to "Arrr".

"Cap'n Cronan were never very talkative," said the bosun.

"Cronan!" I shouted. "Will ye tell us where be yer treasure be?"

The tankard moved round the table an spelled out A-Y-E-L-A-N-D

"It be buried on an island!" said me quartermaster.

"No, he means it's in Ireland!" said me first mate.

"No, he means "Aye, it's on land" said the bosun.

"Can ye be a bit more specific, Cronan" sez I.

B-U-R-I-E-D-B-Y-C-L-I-F-F

"Aharr," sez the bosun. "It be at the foot o' a cliff."

"Perhaps 'ee means that someone called Cliff buried it" said me first mate.

"No," sez me quartermaster. "It be buried in a graveyard next to someone called Cliff."

I be startin' to lose me rag by now. "Cronan," I shouted. "Where abouts in the world is it?"

The tankard just spelled a solitary letter: C.

"Arrr, it's an island in the sea," said the bosun. "Which sea?"

"I think the C stands fer Carribean," said the quartermaster.

"Perhaps he means we can see it from here," said me first mate.

I'd had enough by this time. I remembers tellin' Cronan 'ee were lucky that people couldn't be killed twice, an I'd come lookin' fer the bastid when me time came.

Still, I learned a lesson that day. Never have a seance with an illiterate ghost.

[Griffin NoName]

Ken anywun hexplain why Cap'n Cronan allus 'as a smoile on 'is face?

[Black Bart]

He'd just sunk is 400th ship when the wind changed an froze the appy hexpression on his chops.

[Black Bart]

Long John Silver



The only man whom Captain Flint ever feared, Long John Silver was a Bristol man who served in the Royal Navy and lost his leg under "the immortal Admiral Hawke. Taken on as cook for the Hispaniola's expedition to Treasure Island, Silver leads the crew in a mutiny. Silver is one of only two former members of Captain Flint's crew to get his hands on a portion of the treasure (Benn Gun is the other).

Long John Silver had a parrot called Captain Flint in honour of his former captain. He also had an African wife back home in Bristol.

In the words of Silver aka Robert Newton:

Now clear up them there shambles, or I'll feed you piecemeal to the rats in the cellar.