Skull & Crossed Bones

[Buenchico]

Just about every Hollywoood movie about piracy shows the pirate ship flying the 'Skull & Crossed Bones' flag. Is this just an invention of Hollywood (or, possibly, of 19th century English novelists) or is there actually an historical record of this flag being flown by pirates?

Chris

[Rabelais]

It's called the Jolly Roger and has been in use by pirates since the 18th century.

[jno]

No, they were real. There was no single flag, though, each pirate ship had its own. Skulls, bones, and whole skeletons were common emblems on them. The first known skull and crossbones one was hoisted by Emanuel Wynne, about 1700; it also had an hourglass to show his enemies their time was running out. 'Jolly Roger', the generic name for the flag, may come from 'joli rouge' - French for 'pretty red' (ie bloodstained). Information from a Time/Life book on pirates.

Stede Bonnet was said to be the only pirate who ever made anyone walk the plank, though, and even he may never have done it; so that may be pure invention.

[Buenchico]

Thanks for the answers.

Jno's information that there were many variants makes some sort of sense. I posted my question mainly because I couldn't understand why pirates would choose to adopt a 'uniform' !

Thanks again,

Chris

[jno]

several of them shown here

[Octavius]

Calico Jack Rackham and Thomas Tew used variations with swords. Edward Teach (Blackbeard) used a skeleton (here) holding an hourglass in one hand and a spear or dart in the other while standing beside a bleeding heart. Bartholomew Roberts (Black Bart) had two variations: a man and a skeleton, who held a spear or dart in one hand (shownhere) , holding either an hourglass or a cup while toasting death or an armed man standing on two skulls over the letters ABH and AMH (a warning to residents of Barbados and Martinique that death awaited them). Dancing skeletons signified that the pirates cared little for their fate.

A black flag with skull and crossbones is also the flag of the Chetniks.

Walking the plank is a Hollywood myth (for pirates at least). Typically pirates had three forms of punishment, Moses' law (flogging with 40 lashes less 1 - within 1 lash of his life - 39 lashes was the most you give a man without declaring a penalty of death), throwing overboard, and marooning. Marooning was a punishment reserved for murderers, rapists, thieves, and bad captains. Typically a marooned man would be given the clothes on his back, a bottle of water or rum, an arm (pistol), a bottle of powder and a handful of shot. He would then be left behind on some spit of inhospitable land to his own devices.

[Tatty Rollox]

....... some pirates used to swing around from the yard arm singing "I ain't got no body" ............

[Octavius]

Remember Captain Red Shirt (The Ballad of Old Redcoat). If you wear a red shirt they can't see you bleed, and if you wear brown trousers they can't see you.......

[GuavaJellie]

For those that like pirate stories, in our local ASDA is the new DVD release of the old film "Treasure Island" with Robert Newton. It is �5.97 on the label, but only �4.97 when you take it to the till. Presumably this applies to all ASDA's. It is most enjoyable, and an absolute bargain.

[Skids]

HM Submarines that complete a successful mission where some action had taken place are entitled to fly the Jolly Roger. These usually have emblems added to indicate the sort of action that had taken place.

Since WWII eight submarines have returned home flying the Jolly Roger;

HMS Conqueror, 1982

HMS Opossum, HMS Otus, 1991

HMS Splendid, 1999

HMS Trafalgar, HMS Triumph, HMS Superb, 2002

HMS Turbulent, 2003