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| Menu > Category List > Admiralty Reports | |||
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| 1225 Enemy Wine seized by the King | |||
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We took the wine because "..they were in hostility to us." | ||
| 1228 Pirate Hanged | |||
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(See also, Capt. Kidd and Ann
Bonny for hanging.) This is almost the only record of hanging for piracy before the sixteenth century. "...confessed after inquisition." (old joke: "I know he was hung; but how'd he die?") |
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| 1346 Pirate Pardoned | |||
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Pirate is pardoned because he volunteered his war ship for the King's service. (What choice did he have?) | ||
| 1577 Instructions for Capturing Pirates | |||
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Detailed instructions for capturing pirates and sea rovers. This would accompany a Letter of Marque. | ||
| 1585 Sir Walter Raleigh Bond | |||
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Bond paid by Sir Walter Raleigh on account for pirates' goods he hoped to capture. | ||
| 1592 Broadside fired for refusing to strike colors | |||
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A true account of the sea battle between the HMS Guardland and the Black Bull. | ||
| 1611 Pirate Treasure Disbursed | |||
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Sentence condemning the captain of the HMS Advantage in the value of the gold captured by him from a pirate who captured it from a Frenchman. | ||
| 1627 Anti-Pirate Squadron Formed | |||
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Orders to Admiral of squadron to stop French Pirates. | ||
| 1670 Henry Morgan's Instructions | |||
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See also Morgan's
Letter
of Marque One of the most interesting document in the collection. It spells out everything he is empowered to do; and he sure took it to the extreme. |
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| 1673 Instructions for Enforcing Gun Salute | |||
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Instructions for enforcing the gun salute and taking captured English seaman out of foreign ships. | ||
| 1703 Surgeon of Ship | |||
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Report of surgery after a battle. | ||
| 1703 Marooning Report | |||
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Report of marooning Samuel Huxford in the Cape Verde Islands where he died within three months. | ||
| 1705 Mutineers Turn Pirates | |||
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Mutineers choose sides and strip ship. | ||
| 1708 Marooned Man Found | |||
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Alexander Selkirk was marooned for four years and four months. He was the inspiration for Daniel DeFoe's book Robinson Crusoe. | ||
| 1708 Marooned Padre | |||
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Padre marooned with young female negro. | ||
| 2004 Modern Piracy | |||
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Modern Piracy is a $15 Billion a year crime. | ||
| 1708 Ships' Stores | |||
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A partial list of the ships stores for a privateer. | ||
| 1709 Naval Battle | |||
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Report of battle at sea by three Naval Ships against a Spanish Galleon. | ||
| 1709 Spanish Treasure Galleon | |||
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Three English privateers fire 500 six-pound cannon balls and get beaten badly by the superior Spanish Ship. | ||
| 1710 Poor Conditions | |||
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A brief report of the poor conditions of the three ships that captured the Manila Galleon.. | ||
| 1717 Broadside by a French Pirate | |||
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The devastating effect of this powerful naval action. | ||
| 1718 Blackbeard Raids Charleston | |||
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His fleet blockaded the harbor for five days and plundered all the ships. | ||
| 1718 Blackbeard's Reward Poster | |||
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Governor of Virginia offers £500 for Teach, £100 for officers, £15 for crew. | ||
| 1718 Blackbeard's Death Report | |||
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Heavy
duty reporting. A stirring account of the famous pirate's demise in his last battle. |
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| 1718 Blackbeard's History | |||
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The fiercest pirate who ever lived. Plundering from Trinidad to Maine. | ||
| 1720 Black Bart / Bartholomew Roberts Plunders the Samuel | |||
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A drunken orgy of plundering a merchantman. | ||
| 1721 Ann Bonny and Mary Read Trial | |||
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They
wrote the book on women's issues! "...only two of the pirates had put up any fight and they had fought like wildcats." Their sentence was to be "severely hanged by the neck till you are severely dead." |
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| 1721 Calico Jack's Charges at his Trial | |||
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The charges against him and his crew at trial in Spanish Town, Jamaica. | ||
| 1722 Black Bart / Bartholomew Roberts Death Report | |||
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An exciting account of the last battle from a report made at the trial of the remaining pirates. | ||
| 1722 Pirate Sentenced to Hang | |||
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Fifty-two men were hanged in the month of April. Their bodies were then wrapped in chains and hung in public view until they rotted. "...to be hanged by the neck, till you are dead, dead, dead." | ||
| 1723 George Lowther Plunders the Princess Galley | |||
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Report of the pirate George Lowther plundering the Princess Galley off the west coast of Africa. | ||
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Modern Piracy is an $15 billion
a year problem. This is a link to the International Piracy report page
from the IMB Piracy Reporting Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (There are
no documents to personalize.) |
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| Menu > Category List > Advertisements and Pamphlets | |||
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| 1668 Prize Money | |||
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This is an advertisement for a crew to man a privateer. A 36 gun East Indiaman "...seek out enemies of his Majesty to their confusion and destruction." | ||
| 1691 Slave for Sale | |||
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Advertisement for sale of a much tattooed slave prince from New Guinea | ||
| 1779 Riches and Honour | |||
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This is the most
popular document that we personalize This advertisement is for a crew for the privateer Revenge that appeared in the Nova Scotia Gazette on Jan 12, 1779. |
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| 1845 The Jane Ann & the Pirate | |||
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This is a reproduction of a hand bill for donations to help a poor crewman who was captured by pirates and had his tongue cut out and cast adrift. | ||
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| Menu > Category List > Articles | |||
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| These are the only articles that have survived the years. | |||
| 1700 Bartholomew Roberts' Articles | |||
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From 1682 to 1722 Bart Roberts (Black Bart) captured more than 400 ships. These are the Articles his crew drew-up in order to sail with this famous pirate. | ||
| 1729 George Lowther's Articles | |||
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These are the Articles drawn up by the crew of this famous pirate who took his prizes mostly on the East Coast of the United States. | ||
| 1724 John Phillips' Articles | |||
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Little is known about this pirate except for these Articles. They are interesting because they refer to Moses' Law. See Glossary. | ||
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| Menu > Category List > Letters of Marque | |||
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| 1404 Anti-Pirate Fleet | |||
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License to form a fleet to capture the enemies of England. "To pass the seas with as many ships, Barges, and Balingers of war, men-at-arms, Bowman...to do all the hurt he can do." |
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| 1404 English against Scotland | |||
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License
to Henry Prince to kidnap a crew to attack the ships of Scotland Authorizing press gangs that must obey the captain under pain of death. |
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| 1405 Two Ships & Two Captains | |||
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This
license is good to personalize because it includes TWO vessels and TWO
captains. King allows both captains to keep all the booty instead of the usual "tenths". |
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| 1667 Avalon | |||
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License for the
mighty HMS Emerald Dragon This is the legendary island where King Arthur was taken to recuperate and return to England at her greatest time of need. (This is the only non-authentic document, but contains all the groovy elements of the best war documents. It is the best for women as it refers to the Queen). |
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| 1693 France against England | |||
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License
from Admiral of France to attack pirates, corsairs, subjects of the
Catholic King (England) "...to arm the cutter Revenge with men, cannon, ball, powder, and lead...and attack pirates, corsairs and other lawless men." |
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| 1695 Captain Kidd | |||
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License
issued to Kidd that the King denied because of Kidd's abuse of it. Captain Kidd was hung as a pirate because he couldn't find Letters of Marque from ships he had captured. These papers were found in the Public Record Office--200 years later! |
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| 1669 Henry Morgan | |||
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License
of the greatest pirate of all time. He commanded all land and sea forces
in the Western hemisphere. If you were Spanish--you were in deep trouble! The most famous pirate/privateer ever! A legend. This is his original Letter of Marque issued to him from Jamaica authorizing him to invade Cuba and anywhere else the Spanish might be. Check out Morgan's Instructions |
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| 1779 Canada against United States | |||
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License
issued in Canada by the British to capture American ships. This Letter of Marque authorizes the Duke of Kent, a British ship mounting 20 Carriage guns and navigated by 100 men as a private ship of war based in Nova Scotia, Canada to "distress and annoy all His Majestie's Enemies." (The Americans) |
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| 1812 Canada against United States | |||
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License
issued in Canada by the British to capture American ships. This remarkable schooner with only four carriage guns is credited with more than 50 captures of American vessels in the War of 1812. A real badass! |
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| 1814 American Schooner against England | |||
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License
issued by the United States to capture British shipping. The war of 1812 caused President James Madison to issue this Letter of Marque to the Schooner Lucy of 25 tons, 4 carriage guns and 26 men so she could become a private war ship in order to "Subdue, seize, and take any armed or unarmed British vessel." |
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| 1814 American Brigantine against United States | |||
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License issued by the United States to capture British shipping. Issued during the war of 1812 to the Brig Prince Neufchatel of 318 tons,18 carriage guns and 129 men. |
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| 1861 Confederate States of America | |||
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This is a composite of three documents written by Jefferson Davis and his Congress. There were 99 Letters of marque issues by The confederate States of America. | ||
| 1882 Conch Republic (Letter of Marque) | |||
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The Conch Republic of the Florida Keys issued this license to arm a private warship (Privateer) | ||
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| Menu > Category List > Letters of Reprisal | |||
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| 1411 French Wine | |||
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This
is a good one to personalize for groups as it allows the crew to be
listed. Letters of Reprisal against the French for taking the Zeland and her wine. |
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| 1563 Cinque Ports Warrant | |||
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Warrant to the Wardens of the Cinque Ports which were the influential Naval ports located in the south of England, to issue Letters of Reprisal. | ||
| 1585 David Cabreth | |||
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To capture those supplying them with victual and war material. | ||
| 1585 Elizabeth of Plymouth | |||
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Recognisance of £1,000 for good behavior of the Elizabeth, for which Letters of Reprisal had been issued. | ||
| 1585 John Foxall | |||
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Reprisal issued because the Spanish captured his ship and goods. | ||
| 1585 John Kitchin | |||
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Reprisal against Spain for capturing his ship and goods. | ||
| 1586 John Couper | |||
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Award of £2,000 because his ship was captured by the Spanish, but he went and captured one of theirs and this is his compensation. | ||
| 1585 Sir Walter Raleigh | |||
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Sit Walter Raleigh was a privateer. This is a bond he posted to account for pirates' goods he hoped to capture. | ||
| 1586 William Fenner | |||
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Authorizing him to take one Spanish ship as pay-back. | ||
| 1636 Elizabeth of London | |||
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Order directing the capture of the Compass of Horne a Dutch Ship that had sunk the Elizabeth of London in Falmouth harbor. | ||
| 1650 William of London | |||
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To arm the William of London is the purpose of this Letter of Reprisal against France for the loss of the Mercury. | ||
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| Menu > Category List > Quotes | |||
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| 65 B.C. . Horace | |||
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Roman Poet "They change their skies, but not their souls who run across the sea." |
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| 1708 Longest Sword | |||
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Mutineers: "Hee that had ye Longest sword should carray it. And his woard should be ye Law." | ||
| 1746 Fight For a Galleon | |||
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"A man who would not
fight for a galleon would fight for nothing at all!" --Admiral Sir Charles Wager |
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| 1789 Captain Bligh-Knowledge | |||
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"Knowledge of the sea never comes amiss to a seaman." | ||
| 1789 Captain Bligh-Think | |||
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"Think, if you like, of the distance we have come, but never let your mind run forward faster than your vessel. | ||
| 1914 African Queen | |||
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"Now that I've had a taste of it, I can see why you love boating, Mister Alnutt." | ||
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| Menu > Category List > Miscellaneous | |||
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| 1627 Indentured Servant | |||
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Contract to be a servant for four years on a Virginia Plantation in exchange for 50 acres of land. They would live no better than a slave. Great to personalize because you can stipulate any terms and conditions. | ||
| 1633 Devil's Pact | |||
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Supposedly a real pact with the Devil that was recovered from the Catholic Church. | ||
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The Rules of Dueling.
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| 1900 Marriage License | |||
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A beautiful marriage license from the past printed in full color and personalized for you. | ||
| 1269 Pact with the Devil | |||
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You can name the person who sold their
soul for a change of fortune. After the legend of Faust according to Le Miracle de Theopile |
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