18th Century Maritime

For some years, The Colchester Historical Enactment Society had been searching for a new period of history to re-enact, many different historical periods were tried, with varying degrees of success. Finally, we returned to an idea that had been discussed way back in the early days of the groups history.

Pirates!!

And so it was decided to drag C.H.E.S. Kicking and screaming into the 18th Century.

Our aim is to be as authentic as possible in our representation of the costume and equipment of the "Golden Age" of pirates. However, The modern image of pirates has been so colored over the years by the works of illustrators such as Howard Pyle, and so in turn by the interpretations of Hollywood, that it has become almost impossible to separate the fact from the fiction. After a great deal of research and a visits to several collections of 18th century costume, including the Victoria & Albert museum, we believe that we have created as accurate as possible a representation of the costume and equipment of the "Gentlemen of fortune" (and also the ladies) during the Golden Age of Piracy.

While pirate re-enactment can work on a number of levels, from the swashbuckling romance of Hollywood at one extreme to a demonstration of the hardships of mariners who operated outside the law during the age of sail at the other, Pirate enactment is not suitable for every situation, or for every venue. Also, in spite of our best efforts to be authentic and to depict the reality of the life of a seaman during the first part of the eighteenth century when required, we quickly realized that Pirate re-enactment, was not regarded as "proper" maritime re-enactment in some quarters.

As pirates were primarily sailors, it takes only a few very minor changes to our costume and display, to accurately represent merchant seamen of the eighteenth century.

And now, having invested in clothing and equipment, our 18th century maritime enactment can now take any one of a number of forms.

PIRATES.

During the turn of the 17th / 18th Centuries, the Treasure fleets that traveled the circuit of the West Indies and the eastern coast of what is now South America, collecting gold for the Spanish court, Created an almost irresistible target for "Gentlemen of fortune" many took to piracy in the hope of achieving great wealth. Most only ever found the end of a rope at execution dock, but tales of the activities caught the public imagination back in England, and this era became known as the "Golden Age" of piracy.

Of course Piracy was not limited to the Indies, during this period, pirates operated along the Eastern coast of America, off Madagascar, in the Mediterranean, and anywhere else where bounty could be dishonestly gotten. There are even records of river pirates operating in the Thames at this time.

Although C.H.E.S. Have been fortunate enough to stage enactments aboard replica ships on a number of occasions, our usual piratical enactment display recreates a careening encampment, a temporary shore based camp used by pirates as a temporary on land base whilst their vessel is being repaired and maintained.

Our show can be a serious depiction of life in the "Golden age" of piracy, or it can be pure Hollywood, evoking the spirits Of captain Hook and Long John Silver.

DOCKSIDE.

The lack of a Ship is by no means an impairment to our presenting a show, we are more than happy to go ashore and represent the "Dockside scum", the vagabonds, cut throats and the doxies who populated most English ports and harbors at this time. 

In this incarnation, we can dress a section of street or dockside as the exterior of an eighteenth century tavern, and demonstrate the disreputable practices of gambling with dice and cards, singing, brawling and drinking ale. And even, what was then considers the even worse vice of coffee drinking!!!

SMUGGLERS.

By the beginning of the Eighteenth century, the influence of British naval power had opened up trade routes across the known world, merchants and traders often became very wealthy by using these routes to import new, luxury goods into England. The cost of protecting this trade fell to the Navy, and thus to the British government. It seemed obvious that those who were profiting from international trading should contribute to the cost of policing it. So a list was drawn up of luxury items that would be subject to import tax. By 1760 this list numbered over800 items. This, plus the Excise Duty, which had been introduced during the English Civil War in order to offset the cost of the conflict, (Which still exists today as VAT.) Meant that a large proportion of the cost of most luxury items, was tax. The opportunity for making money from smuggling was great, and the shallow beeches and tortuous creeks of North Essex and of Suffolk, provided the perfect venue for "free traders" to operate in.

Contraband goods were bought ashore under cover of darkness and transported by mule to encampments, where they were sold on and thence transported to the nearby towns.

The C.H.E.S. Smuggling display, depicts one such encampment, operated by the notorious Colchester Gang, who were reputedly responsible for much of the smuggling that took place in the area during the Eighteenth century. where such untaxed goods as Tea, Spirits, silks and spices, were imported and sold illegally. 

MERCHANT MARINE & NAVY.

During the closing years of the 17th Century, England consolidated its already established position as one of the worlds dominant sea powers. The English colonies, and the trade routes that connected them, needed to be serviced by merchant vessels, and protected by the Navy.

The Life of a mariner during the age of sail was tough, and the harsh discipline aboard a naval vessel made a life at sea a very unpopular career choice. Although a few brave souls volunteered for naval service, this was not enough to support the needs of the Navy of the day, so many sailors found themselves "recruited" by the Press Gang.

As the only available methods of preserving food were salting or drying, a mariners diet consisted almost entirely of dried peas, ships biscuits, and salted meat, washed down with eight pints of beer a day.

The C.H.E.S. Naval display can exhibit many of the facets of a mariners life during the early years of the 18th Century. The food, the discipline, the navigational equipment, and the weapons. We can demonstrate life on board ship and the activities if the notorious Press Gangs.