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 Madri...