Historic Replicas

Someone asked about the proper size for a cutlass, so here is a quick bit of info… A pirate’s cutlass would be no more than 24 to 30 inches long to allow it to be used properly in a tight space. A boarding cutlass might be slightly longer but would be quickly replaced by the classic pirate’s cutlass at 22 – 25 inches for tight close work.

I think that the movies made us think that pirate swords were very long, when really they were short and quite functionable.  Hollywood has much to answer for – they even invented ‘walking the plank’ to add drama to the screen.  I would assume that a real pirate would simply have thrown the victim overboard.

More on pirate weapons – today some uses for the commonly used flintlock pistols.  Pirate’s typically favored small blunderbusses and used them as boarding weapons. A blunderbuss was a medieval shotgun (used even into the 19th century) and it could clear part of a deck with one shot. That would leave it easier for the boarding crew to clear up that part of the deck.  Others would have boarding blunderbusses for the part of the deck that they boarded.

Other types of flintlock pistols had a grenade like flare at the end of the barrel.  That looks just like a cup and its function was to hold a grenade for launching.  One of the more famous pirate replicas is Captain John Henry Morgan’s flintlock, that was inscribed witth “1671″ and markings of a skull and crossbones.  The picture above is a replica of a real grenade cup flintlock, owned by a former British Admiral from Wales who became a privateer.  He was a pirate who used the Anglo-Spanish wars to get himself knighted by sinking Spanish ships among other things , and finally died of liver failure due to his heavy drinking:  “Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum”, but not so much ‘ho-ho’  and too much rum for poor old Henry!

Contiuing on my theme from last time.  Pirate themes…

You don’t have to dress like Johnny Depp, but the problem that you have to face, and the decision you have to make, is whether to give people what they expect a pirate to look like or what one really looked like.  As an example, should you create a dinner party with a pirate theme you are best to go for the former, wear the eye-patch, the hook on the hand and the stuffed parrot on your shoulder.  However, you will not be able to forget the pirate weapons to be really authentic in the popular eye.  The best place to get these are online.  Search for pirate swords or pirate cutlasses:  either the long ones or the proper sized ones with a blade length of 24 inches or less, and also the flintlock pistols. 

Just remember that real pirates would carry several primed pistols because they take such a long to to reload.  They oftern had to discharge in the heat of battle and leave the used ones behind.

 Being a pirate is a state of mind.  I highly doubt that you have to wear an eye patch or wear a sword or flintlock to be identified as a pirate.  Just make sure to bring to the party a good hearty yo-ho and a menacing stare!

Many people purchase pirate weapons for a variety of purposes.  They might be genuine collectors of pirate memorabilia, although such people are more interested in the genuine article than pirate replicas.  Like you, they might be interested in pirates, and perhaps decorate of the rooms in their homes with a pirate theme. Themed rooms are a growing trend in the US, and are also spreading to Europe. A pirate theme is easy to create, with a few Jolly Roger flags (these were really used) and some nautical artifacts such as ships wheels and compass, and one of these boards with nautical knots, and it is even more authentic when the man of the house dons the eye patch and the clothes.

A replica of the flintlock that Captain Henry Morgan used can be purchased online from from a few sites online.  However, for now, the other weapons used by a pirate would be a belaying pin, a heavy wooden baton much like a baseball bat used to fracture skulls, and a boarding axe which looked a bit like a tomahawk, and was used to cut rigging and was also a good close-quarters weapon.

Many people have a use for pirate weapons of one kind or another, but if you are seeking reproduction or replica weapons, make sure that you are buying from a reputable source and that they are true replicas of real weapons that once existed.
Suggested resource:

For more information on pirate weapons and how to purchase a replica of Henry Morgan’s rocket launcher search online for pirate guns, pirate swords or pirate cutlasses.

The movies glorify pirate fights.  The real pirates did not win fights using rapiers and long swords of any kind.  That was just for show on television.  In Hollywood they had full sets to fight on.  In real life they were on board ships with hardly enough room for half a dozen people on deck.

What is the truth about pirates guns, and what weapons did they really use?

The real weapons that pirates used were flintlocks, daggers and smaller cutlasses.  These pirate replicas are the functional weapons that these men of the seas preferred. There are tons of people who take pirates and their activities seriously, although I wonder if they are accurate in their reenacting their nefarious deeds? 

Suprisingly, I found a wonderful source of pirate history information on NPR’s website. Found it very informative and it served as a great diversion.  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5675841

Some would agree that Errol Flynn, not Johnny Depp, is the movie world’s top buccaneer.  You could also say that he is the suave actor that is responsible for the romantic view of pirates and pirate weapons that most people think of today, or perhaps the thanks is due to the Hollywood producers and directors that created his swashbuckling characters. 

I have to admit, I am a huge fan of Johnny Depp in the Pirates of the Carribean series.  Loved by children and adults.  He was a little creepy, untrustworthy and ruthless, but somehow endearing? Still I remember the good old days of the pirate, and I would agree that no one will ever beat Errol Flynn.  This guy had charm, charisma and he was extremely good looking.  He was also physically convincing – who doesn’t remember the action in Adventures of Captain Fabian. 

Supposedly he really did know how to fence and in real-life he was a heavy drinking, hard-living kind of guy, so I guess he was pretty close to being Hollywood’s version of a true pirate.

I thought that this was a cool poll that people might like – written by the World Entertainment News Network (WENN) on StarPulse.com. 

Here is the best pirate poll by WENN circa late 2006:
1. Errol Flynn As Dr Peter Blood – Captain Blood (1935)
2. Johnny Depp As Captain Jack Sparrow – Pirates Of The Caribbean (2003-2006)
3. Robert Newton As Long John Silver – Treasure Island (1950)
4. Tyrone Power As Jamie Waring – The Black Swan (1942)
5. Douglas Fairbanks As The Black Pirate – The Black Pirate (1926)
6. Charles Laughton As Captain William Kidd – Captain Kidd (1945)
7. Dustin Hoffman As Captain Hook – Hook (1991)
8. Walter Matthau As Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red – Pirates (1986)
9. Robert Newton As Blackbeard – Blackbeard, The Pirate (1952)
10. Wallace Beery As Long John Silver – Treasure Island (1934)

Replica pirate flags are popular, as are pirate apparel such as coats, pirate hats and general ‘pirate type’ clothing that is based upon real clothing known to be worn by pirates of the period. All of these reproduction articles are great for holding ‘pirate evenings’ on the beach or barbecues.  You can even purchase replica pirate guns of the types described above.  These are true replicas based upon actual weapons belonging to known pirates.

Famous pirates include Henry Morgan, known to have roasted a woman on a stove for refusing to reveal the whereabouts of her jewelry, and L’Ollonaise was another, whose favorite pastime was tying a cord round a victim’s head across the eyes, and tightening it until the eyes popped out.  Pirates were not the swashbuckling heroes of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’, though one punishment that is myth is ‘walking the plank’.  This is a practice invented by novelists and there are no known records of this happening. You will not find planks among the pirate collectibles available online!

Whatever your feelings about pirates are, there is no doubt that they fascinate many people.  Pirate collectibles are back in fashion, if they ever went out of fashion, and pirate replicas are popular for beach parties and such events as themed barbecues.  Although this has been fuelled recently by the popularized view of pirates as presented in the aforementioned movie, it matters very little, and if that is what you enjoy then there is a wide variety of artifacts available to enable you to improve on your collection.

There are not many authentic pirate collectibles available to the public, and there is no real definition of what makes an item specifically related to pirates as such.  Pirate weapons and clothing were those of the day, and frequently acquired from the ships that they took.  Nothing was wasted, and pirates tried not to sink ships but to capture them, and to keep and sell everything aboard them.  The pirate swords are popular, but if you opt to get one you should also have the hanger.  18th and 19th Century pirates, the two centuries in which pirates were most active, did not use scabbards for their swords and cutlasses, but hangers.  These were belts with ‘frogs’, or openings, between layers of belt through which the sword was hung.

The pirate guns were flintlocks, frequently of the wide mouthed ‘blunderbus’ design, though the design changed according to the country of origination.  Most 18th century pirates were Spanish, French and English, though there were pirates of every nationality, including Portuguese, and North African. The Corsairs were French and the Barbary Corsairs were Turks. They would track boats for days deciding whether to attack them or not, but rarely used shot since that would damage the vessel that they wished to capture, not to destroy.

Their tactic would be fly a friendly flag as they approached a ship, then strike it and raise the pirate flag, the skull and crossbones. They would then fire one shot that generally persuaded the captain of the other ship to strike colors and surrender. In that way they took the ship complete and none of the treasure on board was lost.

Thanks to Johnny Depp and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’, pirate replicas are back in fashion. Very much so in fact. Just check out the internet and you will find out how many pirate replicas are available. Much like Wild West outlaws, pirates are represented as dashing buccaneers; Robin Hoods of the sea. However, like the outlaws of the Wild West, they were nothing of the sort, but it doesn’t seem to matter. The popular view holds sway.

Pirates were bloodthirsty killers whose sole motivation was to gain at the expense of others on the sea. Stories of ‘marooning’ and burying people up their necks are not fable, but fact. These things did happen and all in the name of profit. No doubt there were those who were forced into this way of living, but all told, there can be no glorifying of their activities.

Yet we adore them! We love and accept characters such as Captain Jack Sparrow as being typical pirates, with their concern for the damsel in distress, much as knights of old are portrayed in the same way. We are also displaying this by snapping up pirate collectibles wherever we can get them. So what is available, and what exactly is a pirate collectible?

How about a pirate cutlass? It is unlikely that you will come across a genuine cutlass used by a known pirate anywhere but in a museum. However, it is possible to acquire a replica cutlass that is true in every detail to the original. A typical pirate cutlass had a thick, slightly curved blade just over two feet in length. There were many variants to this basic design, and many of these are available as replicas.