The talk describes those men and women sailing under the skull and crossbones flag. Buccaneers, privateers, profiteers and pirates, with Blackbeard amongst the most famous and feared. They lurked in ‘safe haven’ ports primarily in the West and East Indies during the 17th and 18th centuries. Their targets were ships as they returned to Europe laden with spices, silks and sugar, having first offloaded their cargoes of slaves for the plantations. Mary Read and Anne Bonny(two cross-dressing women pirates) sailed with the famous Black Jack Calico. Why did sailors and others turn to piracy? Were they criminals, robbers and murderers- or just desperate to make a living even unlawfully? They have been glamourised and woven into legendary stories from Peter Pan to the films ‘The Pirates of the Caribbean’- as well as Gilbert&Sullivan’s operetta ‘the Pirates of Penzance. This was based on the real West Country’s attacks by Barbary pirates from North Africa. Today pirates still exist, attacking and boarding ships to hold crews and cargo for ransom.