Good morning everyone.
Thank you so much for hosting me today!
I wanted to do a little fact versus reality comparison for you all
today, in relation to my debut historical romance, Bound by Decency.
The Reality of Pirates in 1717 – Not Quite Pirates of the Caribbean
Disney has done a great deal to influence our perception of
a pirate and tell us what a pirate should, or should not be. We all love Jack Sparrow – who wouldn’t with
Johnny Depp behind the name? But the
truth is, the reality of pirates aren’t quite what the production companies
would like us to believe. Let’s break a
few myths, shall we?
1. The Dialect – They
really speak like this, yes?
We have a national Talk Like A Pirate Day, how could it be
otherwise? Truth is… no. The exaggerated rrs and the catch-phrases we all associate with pirates originate
not from history annals, but from Long John Silver, 1954. Did pirates have a brogue? Probably.
In fact, most likely. And it was
also most likely a similar variation of the Cockney accent. The poor, uneducated British man’s
speech. If not, they’d possess the
natural English brogue we associate with the land. In short—if they were educated, they’d speak
like our ladies and lords we love of Regency romance. If they were uneducated and (typically) poor,
it would resemble more Eliza Doolittle.
2. All Pirates Were
Drunks – Um… well… yes and no.
To examine this, water
has to be considered. Finding potable water on board a ship was really
hard. They might leave port with several
barrels, but bacteria would set in, or they’d flat run out. Which left them with cleaner, healthier rum,
wine, whiskey, and alcohol in general.
So yes, indeed, they drank a lot of spirits.
But here’s the crux:
Every agreement that crews drew up reference severe penalties for
failure to adhere to duties or abandon posts, and some reference penalties for
being drunk at the time of engagement.
Given that it’s rather obvious if a person is truly drunk, it stands to
reason attention to duties often suffers, the drawback to being drunk isn’t
often worth the indulgement. Who really
wants to die for drinking past 8 bells?
So it stands to reason that while alcohol infused their daily lives,
drinking was done in moderation aboard ship, with attention to sobriety. (Five glasses consumed over a day, as opposed
to five in an hour). The real partying
came when the ship was at port.
3. Pirates Wanted
Gold, And They Buried it Too!
Ahh… the romance of fiction.
Did pirates want gold? Well—do
you? Of course they wanted gold, and they certainly wouldn’t leave it behind on a ship
they raided. But the vast majority of
pirating didn’t involve riches. It
involved the simple things needed for survival on a ship. Recall that spoiled water? Yup, they’d raid because they needed
fresh. This goes hand-in-hand with
rotten food, tobacco, medicines, guns, ammunition, and things like canvas for
battered sails.
Then there’s the whole burying these treasures part. Ignoring the fact that most of what they
stole were consumables, we can thank Treasure Island
for this common misconception. Fact is,
no legitimate treasure map has ever been found.
Nothing exists to suggest they buried riches, and for men who partied
hard in port—they spent what they acquired as fast as they could. Buried treasure doesn’t really fit the
bill. Unless you’re speaking of the rare incident when excessive coin was discovered. In such cases, a pirate captain who naturally
would’t trust his crew to watch over the take, might hide his riches. But he would do so in a place he could
readily get to. Which nixes the idea of
complex pirate maps.
So, there you have it.
A peek at the reality of pirates in the early 1700s. Disney has given us great memories, but
before you claim Sparrow as the epitome of pirate life, consider some of these
more unromantic facts!
ENTER CLAIRE'S BLOG TOUR GIVEAWAY!
Giveaway Details:
Claire will be giving away a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card to one
random commenter during the tour. Follow
the tour – the more times you comment, the better your chances of winning! Complete schedule can be found here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR...
Claire
Ashgrove has been writing since her early teens and maintained the hobby for
twenty years before deciding to leap into the professional world. Her first
contemporary novel, Seduction's
Stakes, sold
to The Wild Rose Press in 2008, where she continues to write steamy, sexy
stories for the Champagne
She is an active member of Romance Writers of America, and
her local RWA chapters, Heartland Romance Authors, Midwest Romance Writers, North Texas Romance Writers of America, and Celtic Hearts Romance
Writers.
Claire lives in Missouri
with her two toddler sons, and too-many horses, cats, and dogs. In her “free”
time, she enjoys cooking, winning at Rummy, studying Ancient Civilizations, and
spending quiet moments with her family, including the critters. She credits her
success to her family's constant support and endless patience.
To learn more about
Claire, visit her on the web at www.claireashgrove.com,
or www.toristclaire.com.
ABOUT THE BOOK...
Bound by Decency -- Book One: The Flying Gang Series
After inheriting a portion of Spain ’s Royal Inheritance, Cain
left The Flying Gang for a chance at honest wealth. With the secrets of his
piracy tucked away, he achieved his lofty aspirations. But when his partner and
best friend betrays him to the Royal Navy, Cain’s dreams are ripped to shreds.
He’s left with his ship, the tattered remnants of a stolen future, and a piece
of Spanish mystery. Wanted by three nations and destined for the gallows, he
returns to the legendary band of buccaneers for one purpose -- vengeance.
Kidnapped by the
formidable Cain , India
Prescott
discovers he intends to kill the man she’s to marry. Cain’s story reveals
betrayal. Treachery that extends to her as well. Although she holds the key to
retribution, India
refuses to become another man’s pawn. Freedom lies before her, the liberty to
shrug off propriety, make her own decisions, and claim her destiny. But when
she uncovers goodness in Cain’s soul and he awakens passion in her heart, she
must combat the chains of convention once more.
Only this time India 's not
fighting society. She’s battling a pirate bent on keeping her decency intact.
For a moment, he could do nothing more than stare. Richard had said his
intended was lovely, but somehow, Cain had never pictured her as a beauty. Yet
now, as she stood before him, her chest heaving with indignation and her hair a
sopping mess, he realized Richard had once again played him false. India
Prescott wasn’t merely lovely. She was breathtaking.
“What in the name of Mary do you think you’re doing?” she snapped. “My
father will see you hang for this.”
Her sharp tongue yanked Cain out of his stupor. He collected himself
quickly, and for the first time since his arrest, gave into a broad grin.
“Indeed, he will have to get in line.”
India’s eyes widened a fraction, but anger drew delicate brows
downward, and those sky-blue eyes narrowed. “I see no amusement in this. Do you
have any idea who I am?”
As a rumble of laughter broke through the men within earshot, Cain’s
humor subsided. His smile faded, and he reached out to twine a thick lock of
her hair around his finger. Turning his wrist, he wrapped the silken length
around his hand, slowly bringing her closer. So close that the wet fabric
straining across her breasts dampened his shirt. The heat of her skin grazed
his. “I know well who you are, Miss Prescott.” He ran the back of his free hand
across her dainty collar bone, over the slope of her shoulder, then lifted it
to draw his thumb across her parted lips. The audible catch of her breath
ricocheted through him. So she was not unaffected by him. Good. He could use it
to his advantage.
His gaze held hers. A flicker of fear passed behind her eyes, but to
her credit, she didn’t shrink away. She stood straight and proud, even as she
shivered in the stirring breeze. Courage Cain didn’t often encounter from the
gentle born. God’s teeth, men far stronger and larger than she didn’t hesitate
to grovel at his feet. Yet she, no bigger than a lark, defied him with stubborn
silence.
Unacceptable.
To drive her subservient position as his captive home, he tightened his
hold on her hair until she winced. Leaning forward, he lowered his mouth to her
ear. “You are the daughter of a powerful man and presently my prisoner, to do
with as I will.” Stepping back, he untwined his hand and smirked.
India’s palm cracked
across his cheek. “Rot in hell!”
4 comments:
The cockney accent is not (and has never been) "The poor, uneducated British man’s speech."
It is a working class, regional accent from a very small part of England, so yes if the pirate in question originally came from London then they would have spoken a variation of cockney, but if they came from another part of Britian then they would not.
What we know as "Pirate speech" is an exaggerated form of Yorkshire accent, and given that there were a lot of major ports in and around Yorkshire at the time then it is also very likely that some pirates spoke with a Yorkshire accent (but it would have been a lot more toned down than what we hear in movies), further north and you would hear the Geordie dialect of North Eastern England and North of that the Scottish accents (starting with Borders that isn't that much different to Geordie), before becoming Lowland (the soft accents of the people around Edinburgh) and then Highland (the harsher tones of Glasgow).
There are a lot of accents in Britain, and there have been for hundreds of years.
Thank you for sharing your insight so succinctly, Alexandriaweb. Glad you were able to help substantiate the truth that the Hollywood accent isn't real.
I was almost positive pirates wern't actually like Capain Hook
;-) But, ya know, if they were, say, to look like Johnny Depp, I think it would make being catured a little bit easier *winkwink*
In all seriousness, THANK YOU for sharing, Claire! I really enjoyed reading your post :-)
justforswag(AT)yahoo(DOT)com
Some good points from Alexandriweb but, in all fairness, what we know now as "pirate speech" came from a very specific source: the character actor Wallace Beery in his portrayal of Long John Silver in the 1934 movie version of "Treasure Island."
Though many "Golden Age" pirates were from Britain - and Devon in particular - just as many came from all over the globe.
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