Pirates at Pointe-à-Callière

Montreal Museum Exhibition Explores Piracy in the New World

Jul 14, 2009

Ahoy matey! Pointe-à-Callière, the Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History, explores havoc on the high seas with Pirates, Privateers, and Freebooters.

The new Pointe-à-Callière exhibition, Pirates, Privateers, and Freebooters, explores the origins and history of piracy in the New World. On hand are 165 artifacts that tell the tale of 16th- to 19th-century seafaring adventurers who prowled the eastern seaboard of North America and the Caribbean. We meet plundering pirates, government-sponsored privateers, and some freebooters in search of some free loot.

And the place simply looks great: the exhibit is laid out to look like the Pointe-à-Corsaire, a boat that comes complete with ship deck, mini mast, cannons, barrels, authentic figureheads, and the sounds of squawking seagulls.

What’s the Difference between a Pirate, a Privateer, and a Freebooter?

A pirate was an outlaw who was always ready to seize a ship, any ship, any nationality. At the time English, Spanish, French and Dutch vessels were all susceptible to pirate attacks, says the exhibit text. Pirates would operate in both times of war and peace, steal a ship’s booty, and divide it amongst the crew.

A privateer only operated in wartime and worked on behalf of his boss, the ruling monarch. Privateers needed to carry with them a letter of marque, basically an OK to hunt enemies of the state at sea.

A freebooter, also known as a buccaneer or filibuster, were specifically European pirates who sailed during the 16th and 17th centuries and mostly attacked ships in the Caribbean Sea, which was known as the Spanish Main.

Life Onboard a Pirate Ship

Life onboard a pirate ship was a harsh endeavor. The food staple of choice was a sea biscuit, basically a flour and water mixture baked not once, but twice. And they were as hard as a rock. That said, the biscuits would indeed soften with time when sea moisture infiltrated the crispy crunchy concoctions, which only brought to life tiny little mealy bugs hidden inside. Mmmmm…delicious!

Care for a drink of water? After a few short weeks on board, a barrel of fresh water soon became undrinkable. Instead, how about a glass of grog? Grog was just water with a splash of alcohol. It served two purposes: grog lessened alcohol’s potency so as not to have ship-full of drunken sailors, and according to an old world recipe instituted by Admiral Edwin Vernon who added a splash of lime for a better taste, grog actually prevented disease such as scurvy.

Other pirate ship fun facts are mentioned as well. For example, wearing an earring helped improve eyesight, it was bad luck to kill a parrot, and it was even more bad luck to have a woman on board.

On display are a number of centuries-old cook’s galley utensils, cauldrons, pewter measuring cups, and a cannonball, which doubled as a mortar.

A number of crude surgical instruments also support the difficult life at sea. On hand are scissors that date to 1650, a knife from 1680, and an 18th-century (gulp!) surgeon’s saw. No surgeon on board? No worry, the resident carpenter had the gruesome task of sawing off a wounded limb.

Rounding out the exhibit is a fine collection of vintage navigational tools, a pirate timeline, and bios of the more well-known pirates complete with their signature black flags — Jolly Roger skull and crossbones included. Blackbeard, Calico Jack, and Bartholomew Roberts all get a nod.

Perhaps the most terrifying pirate of all was Christopher Moody who presented himself with the fear-inducing red flag. A black flag warned enemy ships of impending surrender or fight to the death. A red flag meant no one would be spared.

A pirate exhibit isn’t complete without some bountiful booty. Spanish coins, pieces of eight, flintlock pistols, sundials, signet rings, and delftware dinnerware are all on display.

And don’t miss the original letter of marque with monarch seal given to privateer Lewis Knaut who sailed aboard the ship Liverpool. The letter, dated Oct. 19, 1814, is in near perfect condition.

Visiting Pointe-à-Callière

The copyright of the article Pirates at Pointe-à-Callière in Quebec Travel is owned by Steven Howell. Permission to republish Pirates at Pointe-à-Callière in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.