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Description

Bartholomew Roberts' Articles of Royal Fortune was a series of rights and obligations applicable under the command of Black Bart Roberts supporting his endeavours in piracy.

Discussion

The first half of the eighteenth century saw some of the oceans most notorious pirates including Blackbeard (Edward Thatch), Calico Jack Rackam and Black Bart Robert.

Black Bart and his crew, like all individuals designated by governments as pirates, were outlaws. One consequence of being an outlaw was that pirates being unable to rely on public law for the protection of their rights.

To facilitate order and a greater degree of certainty among the several dozen or even hundreds of crew members on any vessel, pirate captains established and enforced rules referred to as "articles". Articles were essentially a ships constitution to which all those serving aboard were bound.

Black Bart's articles concern matters such as distribution of prizes, prohibitions on gambling and the imposition of curfews.

While many activities of pirates were immoral or at least antisocial, the relevance of pirate articles, like those of Black Bart, demonstrate that order can be achieved among otherwise unsafe environments, or in [[anarchy]]. Other examples include the rules formed by street gangs and the mafia as well as in prisons.

Substantive

Bartholomew Roberts' Articles of Royal Fortune (~ 1720)​

The contents below were compiled from word of mouth as recorded by Captain Charles Johnson in 1724.

I. Every Man has a Vote in Affairs of Moment; has equal Title to the fresh Provisions, or strong Liquors, at any Time seized, and use them at pleasure, unless a Scarcity_ (no uncommon Thing among them) make it necessary, for the good of all, to vote a Retrenchment.

II. Every Man to be called fairly in turn, by List, on Board of Prizes, because, (over and above their proper Share,) they were on these Occasions allowed a Shift of Cloaths: But if they defrauded the Company to the Value of a Dollar, in Plate, Jewels, or Money, MAROONING was their Punishment. This was a Barbarous Custom of putting the Offender on Shore, on some desolate or uninhabited Cape or Island, with a Gun, a few Shot, a Bottle of Water, and a Bottle of Powder, to subsist with, or starve. If the Robbery was only between one another, they contented themselves with slitting the Ears and Nose of him that was Guilty, and set him on Shore, not in an uninhabited Place, but somewhere, where he was sure to encounter Hardships.

III. No Person to Game at Cards or Dice for Money.

IV. The Lights and Candles to be put out at eight o’Clock at Night: If any of the Crew, after that Hour, still remained inclined for Drinking, they were to do it on the open Deck; which Roberts believed would give a Check to their Debauches, for he was a sober Man himself, but found at length, that all his Endeavours to put an End to this Debauch, proved ineffectual.

V. To keep their Piece, Pistols, and Cutlash clean, and fit for Service: In this they were extravagantly nice, endeavouring to outdo one another, in the Beauty and Richness of their Arms, giving sometimes at an Auction (at the Mast,) 30 or 40 l. a Pair, for Pistols. These were slung in Time of Service, with different coloured Ribbands, over their Shoulders, in a Way peculiar to these Fellows, in which they took great Delight.

VI. No Boy or Woman to be allowed amongst them. If any Man were sound seducing anny of the latter Sex, and carried her to Sea, disguised, he was to suffer Death; so that when any fell into their Hands, as it chanced in the Onslow, they put a Centinel immediately over her to prevent ill Consequences from so dangerous an Instrument of Division and Quarrel; but then here lies the Roguery; they contend who shall be Centinel, which happens generally to one of the greatest Bullies, who, to secure the Lady’s Virtue, will let none lye with her but himself.

VII. To Desert the Ship, or their Quarters in Battle, was punished with Death, or Marooning.

VIII. No striking one another on Board, but every Man’s Quarrels to be ended on Shore, at Sword and Pistol, Thus; The Quarter-Master of the Ship, when the Parties will not come to any Reconciliation, accompanies them on Shore with what Assistance he thinks proper, and turns the Disputants Back to Back, at so many Paces Distance: At the Word of Command, they turn and fire immediately, (or else the Piece is knocked out of their Hands:) If both miss, they come to their Cutlashes, and then he is declared Victor who draws the first Blood.

IX. No Man to talk of breaking up their Way of Living, till each had shared a 1000 l. If in order to this, any Man should lose a Limb, or become a Cripple in their Service, he was to have 800 Dollars, out of the publick Stock, and for lesser Hurts, proportionably.

X. The Captain and Quarter-Master to receive two Shares of a Prize; the Master, Boatswain, and Gunner, one Share and a half, and other Officers, one and a Quarter.

XI. The Musicians to have Rest on the Sabbath Day, but the other six Days and Nights, none without special Favour.

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