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Profile Analysis

I need to study into each of my four pirate’s profiles I have chosen which are Black Beard, William Kidd, Black Bart and François L'Olonnais. As I want their portraits to be as close to their real life portrayal so I am going to research into them and find any information concerning how they dressed, their facial appearance and any wounds or scars they may have gotten. Also simply studying their background history will help me guess in adding features which they might likely have had because of their history. 

Edward Teach (Black Beard)

Little is known of black beards early life except that he went to sea as a young man and likely grew up in Bristol, England. So from the start of his life Black Beard would likely be wearing English fashion clothes in the very early 1700s. He could almost certainly read and write; he communicated with merchants and when killed had in his possession a letter addressed to him by the Chief Justice and Secretary of the Province of Carolina, Tobias Knight. The author Robert Lee speculated that Teach may therefore have been born into a respectable, wealthy family. So Black Beard must have been raised proper, he must have known how to dress well and to be somewhat respectable.  If he was fair off why take to sea so young? Maybe his father was a seaman himself or had relations with the army. 

 

As a privateer (legalized pirate) during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-13), he robbed ships in the West Indies. When the war ended in 1713, he turned to piracy, like many former privateers. This means he took part in the war for 12 years which is a very long time. During these years it's likely he would be involved in fights and maybe gained scars or knocked teeth, maybe received a broken nose? There are a lot of possibilities to explore. By working in the war he must have also been given a uniform which he could have kept parts of, I will have to research into this further.

 

Captain Charles Johnson, the author of a pirate history that was published six years after Teach's death, wrote what is probably the best-known description of the infamous pirate: "Captain Teach assumed the cognomen of Black-beard, from that large quantity of hair, which, like a frightful meteor, covered his whole face, and frightened America more than any comet that has appeared there in a long time." Johnson went on to say: "This beard was black, which he suffered to grow of an extravagant length; as to breadth, it came up to his eyes; he was accustomed to twist it with ribbons, in small tails … and turn them about his ears: in time of action." Can a beard truly become so large that it becomes terrifying? According to some accounts, it's been told that his beard went down to his waist; It must have been somewhat like looking into a black abyss. I would have thought adding ribbons in would have made it lose some of its scariness, however I'm imagining them tied in pretty bows for some reason, I’m guessing that’s unlikely. How his beard was described to have braids in them made me think of Dwarven beards in the film ‘The Hobbit’. The dwarves in the film pulled off the braided look very well, making them intimating, I shall use them as inspiration when designing Black Beards beard.

 

 Johnson continues "he wore a sling over his shoulders, with three brace of pistols, hanging in holsters like bandoliers [a belt worn over the shoulder]; and stuck lighted matches under his hat, which appearing on each side of his face, his eyes naturally looking fierce and wild, made him altogether such a figure, that imagination cannot form an idea of a fury, from Hell, to look more frightful.”. A lot of great information here to work with, as pistols were strapped onto his shoulders they may appear in my final portrait so I will have to get researching on 1700s guns. Johnson also describes one of the things Black Beard was most notorious for which was the lighted matches under his hat. In another article on the web I found that it was believed he tucked pieces of hempen rope (rope made from fibers of the hemp plant)—which were soaked in saltpeter and lit—into his hair. The slow-burning chords of rope gave off clouds of thick black smoke that gave him the appearance of a living demon. This is a much more accurate and believable description of Black Beards methods of creating thick smoke to appear under his hat. I should defiantly try and include this in my portrait, Perhaps the chords could appear as though they've just been put out to show the end of Black Beards life and how it was cut short. The last bit of Johnsons log is the description of Black Beards eyes and how they were "naturally fierce and wild". As I thought not anyone can just pull of that look and be deemed terrifying, you yourself have to naturally fit in with it. Black Beard himself must naturally have had a very intimidating aura and a fierce facial appearance to pull of his look and not just make the tables flip for him to be considered a laughing stock instead. Black Beard relied on his fearsome image to elicit the response he desired from those he robbed, so I need my portrait of him to be the same. I want to create the same feeling of when you look at him you feel scared of him and that you wouldn't want to be actually face to face with this man. 

 

 

Important notes

  • Part of the war in Spanish succession - English side uniform

  • Took part in war for 12 years - scars

  • Large hairy beard down to waist - braided with ribbons at top and tucked behind ears to keep out of eyes

  • Wore a sling over shoulders with three brace pistols hanging in holsters like bandoliers

  • Stuck lit hemming rope under hat appearing on each side of face creating thick black smoke

  • Eyes naturally looked fierce and wild 

  • Looked like a demon - very terrifying

  • Fearsome image scaring those he robbed enough to simply hand over their belongings.

  • Was between 35-40 years old when he died

William Kidd

By 1689 he was a member of a French-English pirate crew that sailed in the Caribbean. Captain Kidd and Blessed William became part of a small fleet assembled by Codrington to defend Nevis from the French, with whom the English were at war. In either case, he must have been an experienced leader and sailor by that time. On 11 December 1695, Bellomont, who was now governing New York, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, asked the "trusty and well beloved Captain Kidd" to attack Thomas Tew, John Ireland, Thomas Wake, William Maze, and all others who associated themselves with pirates, along with any enemy French ships. This request, if turned down, would have been viewed as disloyalty to the crown, the perception of which carried much social stigma, making it difficult for Kidd to turn down the offer so he accepted it. The new ship, Adventure Galley, was well suited to the task of catching pirates; weighing over 284 tons burthen, she was equipped with 34 cannon, oars, and 150 men. Kidd took pride in personally selecting the crew, choosing only those he deemed to be the best and most loyal officers

 

One day when Kidd and his crew sailed down the Thaims, he unaccountably failed to salute a Navy yacht at Greenwich, as custom dictated. The Navy yacht then fired a shot to make him show respect, and Kidd’s crew responded with an astounding display of impudence — by turning and slapping their backsides in disdain. One of his first out of many mistakes, Kidd seemed to be very childish and immature and certainly didn't have the respect that was needed to be a Captain. Since he seemed to lack formality he could have maybe failed in wearing his uniform properly etc, or was very clumsy with himself (stains on his shirt etc).

 

In September 1696, Kidd weighed anchor and set course for the Cape of Good Hope. A third of his crew soon perished on the Comoros due to an outbreak of cholera, the brand-new ship developed many leaks, and he failed to find the pirates he expected to encounter off Madagascar. Kidd then sailed to the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb at the southern entrance of the Red Sea, one of the most popular haunts of rovers on the Pirate Round. Here, he again failed to find any pirates.

 

According to Edward Barlow, a captain employed by the English East India Company, Kidd attacked a Mughal convoy under escort by Barlow's East Indiaman, and was repelled. If the report is true, this marked Kidd's first foray into piracy.

As it became obvious that his ambitious enterprise was failing, Kidd became understandably desperate to cover its costs. But, once again, he failed to attack several ships when given a chance, including a Dutchman and a New York privateer. Some of the crew deserted Kidd the next time Adventure Galley anchored offshore, and those who decided to stay on made constant open-threats of mutiny. 

 

Kidd even killed one of his own crewmen on 30 October 1697. While Kidd's gunner, William Moore, was on deck sharpening a chisel, a Dutch ship appeared in sight. Moore urged Kidd to attack the Dutchman, an act not only piratical but also certain to anger the Dutch-born King William. Kidd refused, calling Moore a lousy dog. Moore retorted, "If I am a lousy dog, you have made me so; you have brought me to ruin and many more." Kidd snatched up and heaved an ironbound bucket at Moore. Moore fell to the deck with a fractured skull and died the following day. 

 

Kidd clearly was wasn’t very skilled at his duty and was way in over his head for what he was capable of. He was very foolish especially in how he ended up killing one of his own men accidentally and even passed it off without a care. Plus the fact that chose pirates to join his crew without even thinking of the consequences was ridiculous. How his crew would often threaten mutiny shows Kidd must not have been a very intimidating captain. His appearance and aura must give off a very weak vibe and I'm surprised he lasted so long without being killed by his crew. He sounds very much the opposite of Black Beard. Kidd was behaving just like his last name refers, it’s as though he was too scared to admit his failure to the King which isn't an easy thing to do but it’s better than digging yourself further and further into a hole.

 

Bellomont, an investigator who was afraid of being implicated in piracy himself, knew that presenting Kidd to England in chains was his best chance to save himself. He lured Kidd into Boston with false promises of clemency, and then ordered him arrested on 6 July 1699. Kidd was placed in Stone Prison, spending most of the time in solitary confinement. His wife, Sarah, was also imprisoned. The conditions of Kidd's imprisonment were extremely harsh, and appear to have driven him at least temporarily insane. Now that is interesting, Kidd being deemed as going mad could be shown off in his expression of him in my portrait which would be very fun to do.

 

Kidd was eventually, after over a year, sent to England for questioning by Parliament. I can't believe for over a year he lived in them awful conditions, he likely would have been starved, locked in a filthy horrid cell and gotten hardly any exercise. Each of these things I could find a method in showing off in his portrait. Kidd had two lawyers to assist in his defence. He was shocked to learn at his trial that he was charged with murder. He was found guilty on all charges (murder and five counts of piracy). He was hanged on 23 May 1701, at 'Execution Dock', Wapping, in London. During the execution, the hangman's rope broke and Kidd was hanged on the second attempt. This makes me sad to hear that because although he was an idiot, I believe he wasn't deserving of death. 

 

What let Kidd down was that he had refused to name names when convicted, confident his patrons would reward his loyalty by interceding on his behalf however, during the trial Kidd's Whig backers were embarrassed and far from rewarding his loyalty, they participated in the effort to convict him by depriving him of the money and information which might have provided him with some legal defence. In particular, the two sets of French passes he had kept were missing at his trial. These passes resurfaced in the early twentieth century, misfiled with other government papers in a London building.  They were never mentioned in the trial.  If Kidd had just talked from the beginning he likely would have been spared.

 

With Kidd dying from hanging this means he would have a bruised rope mark around his neck which I could add to my portrait of him. His body was then covered in tar and hung in a gibbeted over the River Thames at Tilbury Point as a warning to future would-be pirates for three years. Sometimes I think I've heard it all but the 1700s never fails to surprise me with more disgusting methods. Since he was coated in tar this is another aspect I should show off in my portrait of him, I could have the tar flaking off his face as I wouldn’t want him completely coated in it or you wouldn’t be able to make out his expression.

 

 

Important notes

  • Born in Scotland

  • Was captain of a English fleet - Uniform

  • Immature/ foolish personality

  • Unintimidating

  • Hardly fought in Battle

  • Killed one of his crew members

  • Stayed in Stone Prison where he went partially insane

  • Held in Newgate prison for a year - lived in filthy conditions,

  • Starved

  • Hung - rope snapped first time

  • Covered in tar and put in gibbet over the Thames for three years

  • He was 56 years old when he died

Bartholomew Roberts (Black Bart)

Bartholomew Roberts was born in 1682 in Wales. His name was originally John Roberts, and his father was most likely George Roberts. This could be because pirates often adopted aliases, and he may have chosen that name after the well-known buccaneer Bartholomew Sharp. He is thought to have gone to sea when he was 13 in 1695, but there is no further record of him until 1718, when he was mate of a Barbados sloop.

 

In 1719, he was third mate on the slave ship Princess under Captain Abraham Plumb. In early June that year, the Princess was anchored at Anomabu when she was captured by pirates who were led by Captain Howell Davis. Davis, like Roberts, was a Welshman, originally from Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire. Several of the crew of the Princess were forced to join the pirates, including Roberts. Davis quickly discovered Roberts' abilities as a navigator and took to consulting him. He was also able to confide information to Roberts in Welsh, thereby keeping it hidden from the rest of the crew. Roberts is said to have been reluctant to become a pirate at first, but soon came to see the advantages of this new lifestyle. 

 

One day Davis invited the governor of Príncipe to lunch on board his ship, intending to hold him hostage for a ransom. The Portuguese had discovered that their visitors were pirates, and on the way to the fort Davis' party was ambushed and Davis himself shot dead. A new captain now had to be elected and within six weeks of his capture, Roberts was elected captain by the crew. This was an unusual move since he was openly against being on board the vessel, and it was probably due to his navigational abilities and his demeanour, which history reflects was outspoken and opinionated. He accepted the Honour, saying, that since he had dipped his Hands in Muddy Water, and must be a Pyrate, it was better being a Commander than a common Man.— A General History of the ... Pyrates (1724), p.162. Roberts was clearly a very wise and intelligent man, he understood what he was getting himself into and was very thoughtful about his decisions. Roberts certainly wasn’t the typical pirate in any case, but his intelligence and wit made him a strong leader and his crew were almost lucky to have a man of such skill to commit to piracy instead of going on to live a legal life which he could have been capable of if he hadn’t had been dragged into this. 

 

His first act as captain was to lead the crew back to Príncipe to avenge the death of Captain Davis. Roberts and his crew sprang onto the island in the darkness of night, killed a large portion of the male population, and stole all items of value that they could carry away. Soon afterwards, he captured a Dutch Guinea man, and then two days later a British ship called the Experiment. The combination of bravery and success that marked this adventure cemented most of the crew's loyalty to Roberts. They concluded that he was "pistol proof" and that they had much to gain by staying with him. I really like the term "pistol proof" that was used to describe him, I was thinking I could try and show this off someway by having bullet marks around him, hitting everywhere but at himself.

 

On one occasion Roberts took forty men in a sloop to pursue a ship, leaving Walter Kennedy in command of the Rover (one of Roberts ships). However when Roberts returned, he discovered that Kennedy had sailed off with the Rover and what remained of the loot. Roberts and his crew renamed their sloop the Fortune and agreed on new articles, now known as a pirate code, which they swore on a Bible to uphold. Roberts was the few of many pirates or decided to instrict order and formulate actual rules for the crew on the ship. This again shows of Robert’s intelligence and concern for remaining civil and keeping order.

 

On 26 February, they encountered the two pirate sloops Summerset and Philipa which were sent by the inhabitants of Barbados to try and put an end to the pirate menace. They came under attack and Roberts broke off the engagement after sustaining considerable damage and was able to escape. Roberts headed for Dominica to repair their sloop, with twenty of his crew dying of their wounds on the voyage. There were also two sloops from Martinique out searching for the pirates, and Roberts swore vengeance against the inhabitants of Barbados and Martinique. He had a new flag made with a drawing of himself standing upon 2 skulls, one labelled ABH (A Barbadian's Head) and the other AMH (A Martiniquian's Head). Robert’s defiantly has a high regard for loyalty and wanting making sure the death of those he cared about are revenged. To go ahead and make a new flag showing his dedication to revenging his crew, shows clear care and commitment as well as his anger that he feels for his crews deaths. No wonder his crew had such respect for him, as Roberts respected them back and made it his priority to get revenge every time a crew member of his dies. He held little respect for cowards and I wonder what made him feel so strongly this way. 

 

Most of the information on Roberts comes from the book A General History of the Pyrates, published a few years after Roberts' death. The original 1724 title page credits one Captain Charles Johnson as the author. Johnson devotes more space to Roberts than to any of the other pirates in his book, describing him as:

 

... a tall black [i.e. dark complexioned] Man, near forty Years of Age ... of good natural Parts, and personal Bravery, tho' he apply'd them to such wicked Purposes, as made them of no Commendation, frequently drinking 'Damn to him who ever lived to wear a Halter'.

— A General History of the ... Pyrates (1724), p.213[41]

 

After his exploits in Newfoundland, a state Governor from New England commented that "one cannot with-hold admiration for his bravery and courage". He hated cowardice, and when the crews of 22 ships in Trepassey harbour fled without firing a shot he was angry at their failure to defend their ships.

 

Roberts was the archetypal pirate captain in his love of fine clothing and jewellery, but he had some traits unusual in a pirate, notably a preference for drinking tea rather than rum. He is often described as a teetotaller and a Sabbatarian, but there is no proof of this. He certainly disliked drunkenness while at sea, yet it appears that he drank beer.

 

On 5 February 1722, Captain Chaloner Ogle of the HMS Swallow came upon many of Robert’s ships which were the Royal Fortune, Ranger, and Little Ranger. The Swallow veered away to avoid a shoal, making the pirates think that she was a fleeing merchant ship. The Ranger departed in pursuit, commanded by James Skyrme. Once out of earshot of the other pirates, the Swallow opened her gun ports and opened fire. Ten pirates were killed and Skyrme had his leg taken off by a cannonball, but he refused to leave the deck. Eventually, the Ranger was forced to strike her colours and the surviving crew were captured.

 

On 10 February, the Swallow returned to Cape Lopez and found the Royal Fortune there with Robert and his crew. On the previous day, Roberts had captured the Neptune, and many of his crew were drunk and unfit for duty just when he needed them most. At first, the pirates thought that the approaching ship was the Ranger returning, but a deserter from The Swallow recognized her and informed Roberts while he was breakfasting with Captain Hill, the master of the Neptune. As he usually did before action, he dressed himself in his finest clothes:

 

Roberts himself made a gallant figure, at the time of the engagement, being dressed in a rich crimson damask waistcoat and breeches, a red feather in his hat, a gold chain round his neck, with a diamond cross hanging to it, a sword in his hand, and two pairs of pistols slung over his shoulders ...

— A General History of the ... Pyrates (1724), p.212

 

The pirates' plan was to sail past the Swallow, which meant exposing themselves to one broadside. Once past, they would have a good chance of escaping. However, the helmsman failed to keep the Royal Fortune on the right course, and the Swallow was able to approach to deliver a second broadside. Captain Roberts was killed by grapeshot, which struck him in the throat while he stood on the deck. Before his body could be captured by Ogle, Roberts' wish to be buried at sea was fulfilled by his crew, who weighed his body down and threw it overboard after wrapping it in his ship's sail. It was never found. Roberts' death shocked the pirate world, as well as the Royal Navy. The local merchants and civilians had thought him invincible, and some considered him a hero.

François L'Olonnais

​

There’s not much information on Fancois L'Olonnais's early life, however it is suspected that he was born in les Sables-d'Olonne. in 1635. L'Olonnais first arrived in the Caribbean as an indentured servant during the 1650s. By 1660 his servitude was complete. He began to wander various islands before arriving in Saint-Domingue and becoming a buccaneer (Pirates who attack Spanish shipping in the Caribbean). He preyed upon shipping from the Spanish West Indies and Spanish Main. A year or two into his piratical career, l'Olonnais was shipwrecked near Campeche in Mexico. A party of Spanish soldiers attacked l'Olonnais and his crew, killing almost the entire party. L'Olonnais himself survived by covering himself in the blood of others and hiding amongst the dead. This shows Francois to be a very clever man and from early on he had experienced with extreme violence from a deadly attack and survived, this could have been a key moment in his life that twisted him to see the brutality men could be capable of and lower his sense of morality. Just imagine coating yourself in the blood of others and lying beneath dead bodies, now that is terrifying. 

 

After the Spanish departed, L'Olonnais with the assistance of some slaves escaped and made his way to the island of Tortuga. A short time later he and his crew held a town hostage, demanding a ransom from its Spanish rulers. The governor of Havana sent a ship to kill L'Olonnais' party. L'Olonnais captured and beheaded the entire raiding crew save one, whom he spared so that a message could be delivered to Havana: "I shall never henceforward give quarter to any Spaniard whatsoever." Notice how L'Olonnais beheaded his victims, a brutality that was unnecessary. This shows he already had a want for violence and enjoyed brutality. I could show this through in his portrait by making him appear very bloody, with unclean clothes and blood splatters on his face.

 

In 1666 l'Olonnais sailed from Tortuga with a fleet of eight ships and a crew of 440 pirates to sack Maracaibo in what is modern day Venezuela. En route, l'Olonnais crossed paths with a Spanish treasure ship which he captured, along with its cargo of cocoa beans, gemstones and more than 260,000 Spanish dollars. He earned a lot of cash which means Francois would likely be wearing rich clothing if he even cared for that sort of thing. At the time the entrance to Lake Maracaibo and thus the city itself was defended by the fort of San Carlos de la Barra with sixteen guns, which was thought to be impregnable. L'Olonnais approached it from its undefended landward side and took it in a few hours. He then proceeded to pillage the city, and found that most of the residents had fled and that their gold had been hidden. L'Olonnais' men tracked down the residents and tortured them until they revealed the location of their possessions. They also seized the fort's cannon and demolished most of the town's defence walls to ensure that a hasty retreat was possible. Yet again this last bit of information shows that Francois was clever in getting away with his crimes, I feel that his lacking sense of remorse made him capable of doing anything.

 

L'Olonnais himself was an expert torturer, and his techniques include slicing portions of flesh off the victim with a sword, burning them alive, or "woolding", which involved tying knotted rope around the victim's head until their eyes were forced out. This highlights what I said about his lack of remorse or morality, L'Olonnais certainly enjoyed the brutal acts he committed but I wonder if he was born like this or something made him this way. Over the following two months, l'Olonnais and his men raped, pillaged and eventually burned much of Maracaibo before moving to San Antonio de Gibraltar, Venezuela, on the eastern shore of Lake Maracaibo. Despite being outnumbered the pirates slaughtered 500 soldiers of Gibraltar's garrison and held the city for ransom. Despite the payment of the ransom (20,000 pieces of eight and five hundred cattle), l'Olonnais continued to ransack the city, acquiring a total of 260,000 pieces of eight, gems, silverware, silks as well as a number of slaves. I really want to show off in my portrait of L'Oonnais the corruptness about him and evil that lies within him, I will have to develop this further.

 

Word of his attack on Maracaibo and Gibraltar reached Tortuga, and l'Olonnais earned a reputation for his ferocity and cruelty. He was given the nickname "Bane of the Spanish". Seven hundred pirates enlisted with him when he mounted his next expedition, this time to the Central American mainland later that year. After pillaging in 1667 Puerto Cabello, l'Olonnais was ambushed by a large force of Spanish soldiers while en route to San Pedro. Only narrowly escaping with his life, l'Olonnais captured two Spaniards. Exquemelin wrote:

 

"He drew his cutlass, and with it cut open the breast of one of those poor Spanish, and pulling out his heart with his sacrilegious hands, began to bite and gnaw it with his teeth, like a ravenous wolf, saying to the rest: I will serve you all alike, if you show me not another way".

 

This is a terrifying description and one which shows that l'Olonnais had clearly lost the plot. To hold pull out another man’s heart is disgusting in the first place, but from l'Olonnais experience and the torturous acts he’s committed I believe this is certainly something he is capable of doing as he has become very desensitised to this level of brutality. However to then chew on the man’s heart is another thing. I feel like the thrill of barley escaping with his life yet again and the adrenaline running though him plus the fact he's ridiculously violent and slightly insane, spurred him to do such a thing. I was thinking for his concept piece he could bare his teeth and they could have blood stains on them highlighting his act of cannibalism.

 

Horrified, the surviving Spaniard showed l'Olonnais a clear route to San Pedro. L'Olonnais and the few men still surviving were repelled, and retreated back to their ship. They ran aground on a shoal on the coast of Darien, a province of Panama. Unable to dislodge their craft, they headed inland to find food and this is where everything gets even more messed up. They were captured by the Kuna tribe in Darién which are a group of cannibals themselves. L'Olonnais was eaten alive by the natives. Exquemelin wrote that the natives:

 

"...tore him in pieces alive, throwing his body limb by limb into the fire and his ashes into the air; to the intent no trace nor memory might remain of such an infamous, inhuman creature".

 

I've said this before about l'Olonnais, Karma got him in the end and this is the exact punishment he deserved for those who believe in Retributive justice. l'Olonnais certainly has the most gruesome death out of all my chosen pirates and probably out of any pirate. His portrait to showcase his death will defiantly be the most gruesome and fun to come up with. To show the ripping of his limbs I could have his ears or parts of his face ripped off, which is digusting but it's still a good idea. Also how he was eaten alive he could have bite marks on his face to showcase this. He's defiantly going to be a fun one to do and hopefully I don’t feel too sick by the end of it.

 

 

Important Notes

  • Was born in France

  • Became a buccaneer

  • L'Olonnais himself survived by covering himself in the blood of others and hiding

  • amongst the dead.

  • Very violent and Brutal - lack of remorse/ morality 

  • Was extremely wealthy

  • Want to show the corruptness about him and evil that lies within him

  • Ripped out a man’s hart and chewed on it

  • Was marooned on island and eaten alive by a cannibal tribe. his limbs torn

  • off and burnt to ashes.

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