[General] [Clothing] [Miscellaneous]

The first thing that most observers noticed about Buccaneers was the amount of weaponry hung about their person, and the fact that they carried them at all times. Each Buccaneer would usually have a sword a dagger one or more pistols and a musket or blunderbuss, often both.
Swords. Buccaneers had a preference for cutting and slashing blades rather than thrusting swords. the most common type of sword seems to have been the common soldiers hanger, either straight bladed or curved, by the end of the 17th century this type of sword had evolved into the naval cutlass. Cavalry broadswords were also common amongst the Buccaneers, and the Scottish basket hilted broadsword and the English "mortuary sword" were both on sale in Port Royal Jamaica from the 1660s onwards. A few thrusting swords were used, especially those captured from the Spanish. Twist hilt and cup hilted rapiers are excellent for this period, but generally speaking the Buccaneers preferred heavy blades which gave them an advantage over the light blades of the Spanish.
Daggers. Most sailors of this period would have carried a knife of some sort as a general purpose tool. those carried by Buccaneers would have varied from crude homemade versions to highly ornate and decorated weapons. The plug bayonet was in use by this time, and although seldom used as a bayonet, (except by French Buccaneers), they would have been carried as a general purpose blade.
Firearms. Most Buccaneers were musketeers at this time. both matchlocks and flintlocks were in use at this time, although Buccaneers preferred to use flintlocks whenever they could get them. At this time most of the Spanish troops stationed in the Caribbean were still using matchlocks. The most common way of carrying powder for muskets was in bandoliers, in the humid climate of the Caribbean paper cartridges did not keep very well. They were usually only made up on the day of battle and if not used within a day , the powder was returned to the flask to keep it from the damp. Waterproof and relatively airtight apostles were simply more practical in most conditions encountered in the Caribbean. Pistols of all kinds were very common, from the tiny pocket pistols to huge dragoon pistols almost the size of a small carbine. Flintlocks were the most common but there were still some wheel locks around at this time. Buccaneers and pirates often carried their pistols suspended from a cord around their necks to save losing them while boarding enemy ships. Blunderbusses and blunderbuss pistols were very popular amongst pirates at this time, excellent for clearing the decks of an enemy vessel.
Other weapons. Long pikes were not used at all by Buccaneers, they were of no use on board ship and on land Buccaneers relied on their heavy firepower and surprise to win their victories. Some short boarding pikes were used however, these were about the size of a half pike and were used as individual weapons rather than in a block. Halberds were occasionally used, also axes clubs or anything else that came to hand, including those old pirate favourites, the marlin spike and the belaying pin. Other weapons used by Buccaneers were Grenadoes, smokepots and stink bombs (recipe available on request). The general rule for weaponry in Buccaneer and pirate re-enactment, is if it was invented by the 1670s you can use it.

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