Journey from Cornwall

It was time to travel back to London - slowly. On Monday I set off from Newquay having spent time on Tolcarne beach before breakfast. I drove down to Falmouth for the Pirate Exhibition at the National Maritime Museum. It was a toss up between that and going back to Charlestown and their museum. Either would have been grand. But I chose Falmouth.

The exhibition focused on the so called 'Golden Age' of piracy from 1650–1720, when thousands of pirates were active . Famous pirates from this period include Blackbeard (Edward Teach), Henry Morgan, William 'Captain' Kidd, 'Calico' Jack Rackham and Bartholomew Roberts. These were participants in the second Anglo Spanish War which was fought from 1654 to 1660 in Europe, but continued on in the Caribbean. Some were outright pirates who attacked anyone, but many were privateers - who had marques which sanctioned civilian sailors to attack Spanish ships, steal cargo and bring it back,

But then in 1670 The Treaty of Madrid was signed. This treaty, also known as the Godolphin Treaty, was a treaty between England and Spain that was agreed to in July 1670 "for the settlement of all disputes in America".^[1] The treaty officially ended the war begun in 1654 in the Caribbean in which England had conquered Jamaica. And that meant the privateers were not longer sanctioned, and the naval fleet was downsized. For many there was not a lot left to do but carry on their lives of raiding. With little other recourse, crime was the only solution. Weirdly governments have not learnt this lesson, and are surprised when desperate people turn to crime and gangs. In this case this led to unsanctioned piracy, with all its gruesome reputation.

"Some historians have described pirate ships as the original republics. Pirate captains had to be elected, with all decisions made upon the basis that they benefitted the crew. Any money that was captured was shared equally amongst the crew. pirate ships did not have the same hierarchical discipline as navy ships. Pirate crews tended to be less divided by national, religious and racial differences than communities were on land. There was however also tough discipline on board. If you failed to follow the rules, you could be flogged, killed, or marooned. There were also long periods without food or medical supplies, and the only option was to go hungry." You can read more here.

Despite what we see on movies, the life expectancy of a pirate was not particularity long. Even Blackbeard's reign was quite short. Most died in battle, drowned, or were caught and executed. Their bodies were sometimes hung in iron cages as a warning to others thinking about following a similar life choice. They had one of those cages with a piece of pirate skull stuck in the iron - you were warned before entering that area.

After another fruit scone and coffee, it was time to head to Exeter. Someone had told me the cathedral was beautiful, and it was on the way to Hilfield friary where I was to spent the next two nights. I put Plymouth in my google maps and off I went. But then google maps found a quicker way to Exeter, and I stupidly said yes, and I did not end up going to Plymouth. 

My plan was to find a car park and visit the cathedral on arrival, but my route in took me past my hotel. So I parked, checked in and walked up to the cathedral. Alas, it was about to close, but I could return at 5pm for BCP said evensong - which also gave free entry into the Cathedral. So I walked about for about an hour exploring, mostly the Exe river, the Exeter Quay and waterfront, spotting a place for dinner. It was a nice few hours, but by the end my body was complaining. I had done too much apparently. So my plans for gong back to the Cathedral the next morning were shelved, and headed off to Hilfield for two days of quiet.

You can see some of my Exeter photos here.