Matelotage was a same-sex civil union amongst pirates (also amongst sailors) whereby two men would form an economic partnership, share income & inherit each other’s property in the event of their death. They also pledged to fight alongside each other & to look out for one another
In his 1832 novel, Le Négrier, Édouard Corbière defines matelotage as, “this amatelotage of sailors among themselves, this hammock camaraderie, establishes a type of solidarity and commonality of interests and of goods between each man and his matelot.”
Those entering into a matelotage were known as “matelots". It has been suggested this is where the nautical term “matey” came from.
There is a lot of debate about whether or not matelotage was a sexual union.
One the one hand, forming a partnership with a platonic pal at sea does make sense. It’s an insurance policy and gives you some much needed protection in a very dangerous & volatile world where it really was survival of the fittest.
On the other hand, this is basically a marriage & there is some evidence to suggest it was not all that unusual for matelots to be lovers. Not only were (obviously) some pirates gay, but it’s no secret that homosexual relationships did occur from time to time in an all male crew
This is certainly the argument Professor Barry Richard Burg makes in “Sodomy and the Pirate Tradition: English Sea Rovers in the Seventeenth Century Caribbean.”
Burg argues that young matelots would sell sexual favours to older pirates on the ship to earn protection & promotion - as well as cash. But as most pirates didn’t write & sodomy was punishable by death - there are few historical records to really prove this.
But, one such case (and certainly the most well known) cases of a matelotage that was (possibly) sexual was that of John Swann and Captain Robert Culliford, who were pirates in the Indian Ocean during the late 17th century.
Culliford was famous for his scraps with Captain Kidd (pictured). In June 1699 Culliford was living on Ile Ste. Marie near Madagascar John Swann, who is recorded as being “great consort of [Captain] Culliford’s, who lives with him.”
We have no way of knowing of widespread the practice of matelotage, or indeed same sex relationships, were in the pirate world. But it seems it wasn’t exactly a secret on land either
In 1645, Governor Le Vasseur wrote from Tortuga to his superiors in France requesting that the government send 2,000 sex workers to the colony specifically to stop the practice of matelotage.
The plan didn’t work though because the men not only married they women they sent, but they shared them with the matelot.
Ultimately, we just don’t have the records to say definitively just what was going on here. For my money, I think there were most certainly same sex lovers who entered into a matelotage, but that there were also many who just wanted some kind of financial protection while at sea.
Both these these things are true at the same time. If you would like to read more about the practice of matelotage & the various arguments for and against, this is a wonderful article that covers the surviving evidence. digitalcommons.lmu.edu/cgi/viewconten…
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“Evidence concerning Witches and Apparitions” (1681) tells of a bewitched woman who was cured when she put her urine in a bottle “together with Pins & Needles & Nails”, corked it & “set the Bottle to the Fire”
This is one of the earliest references to a “witch bottle”
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Witch Bottles were spells / talismans to protect against witchcraft & cure those who had fallen to it. So far, over 100 of been found in Britain and less than a dozen have been found in America. This one was found buried in a civil war fort in Virginia.
They are usually found buried in the wall or the fireplace when an old house is being renovated or demolished. This one dates to the 17th century & was found near the Civil War Centre in Nottinghamshire.
This is the grave of 27 year old Betty Corrigal, who died in the 1770s. It lies between Hoy & North Walls in Orkney & has been called the loneliest grave in the world. Poor Betty could not be buried in consecrated ground.
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CW: suicide
Not much is known about poor Betty but she lived in Greengairs Cottage near Rysa on Orkney. It is said she was seduced by a young man who got her pregnant & abandoned her soon after
The social shame of being pregnant outside of wedlock was so great that Betty was shunned by her family & community. The humiliation was so great, Betty took her own life before giving birth.
The expression “call a spade a spade” comes from the work of Plutarch, who originally wrote “call a fig a fig.” Fig was crude slang for the Vulva, so “call a c**t a c**t” is closer. Nicolas Udall translated the work in 1542 & changed it to a garden spade to avoid embarrassment.
Although Udall meant a regular, everyday garden spade, the expression is rightly falling out of use today because of the racist homonym, which dates to the 20th century. Personally, I’m all for bringing back “call a c**t a c**t.”
* Plutarch actually wrote “call a fig a fig and a trough a trough”. A trough has similar connotations but not as many pretty pictures available to illustrate to point in a tweet. This article on the origin of the phrase is brilliant. colvinism.wordpress.com/2013/09/04/cal…
Bog Bodies are cadavers preserved in peat bogs. The oldest known BB is Koelbjerg Man, who dates to 8000 BCE. The most famous is probably 2400yo Tollund Man (pictured). The Nazis were fascinated with them & used them to justify their persecution of LGBTQ+ ppl.
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CW. Bodies & Nazis 🚨
The water in peat bogs is very acidic with no oxygen. These conditions mean any bodies in them are very well preserved. The acid bleaches the hair & tans the skin. Many died violent deaths & it’s unclear if this was ritualistic, punishment, or murder
“I never married because there was no need. I have three pets at home which answer the same purpose as a husband. I have a dog that growls every morning, a parrot that swears all afternoon, and a cat that comes home late at night.”
Novelist, Marie Corelli (1855-1924)
Glad to see Marie is getting some loving. Here are some interesting Marie facts.
She wrote romantic novels that were hugely popular but often derided by the intellectual elite as trashy & poorly written.
Critic, Grant Allen called her "a woman of deplorable talent who imagined that she was a genius, and was accepted as a genius by a public to whose commonplace sentimentalities and prejudices she gave a glamorous setting."
On Nov 17th 1972, 51yo Barbara Baekeland was found murdered in her Chelsea penthouse flat. A famous socialite & one of America’s richest dynasty, Barbara's death was shocking, but was nothing compared to the revelations that followed
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CW: suicide, incest, sexual assault
What made the murder particularly shocking was that Barbara had been stabbed to death by her 25yo son, Anthony (Tony) Baekeland.
Barbara Daly was born in 1921 & as a young woman was named one of the most beautiful women in New York. Her natural good looks led to modelling contracts, posing for famous artists, & some small roles in Hollywood films.