Historic References
The Brethren.
The Brethren or Brethren of the Coast were a loose coalition of Pirates and Buccaneers that were active in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico. They mostly operated in two locations, the island of Tortuga off the coast of Haiti and in the city of Port Royal on the island of Jamaica.
The Brethren were a syndicate of captains with letters of marque and reprisal who regulated their privateering enterprises within the community of privateers and with their outside benefactors. They were primarily private individual merchant mariners of Protestant background, usually of English and French origin.
Rye
Set against the shifting edges of the English coastline, Rye’s story unfolds like a maritime legend fierce, resilient, and shadowed by intrigue. As one of the esteemed Cinque Ports, Rye was once a vital naval outpost, its harbour teeming with ships ready to defend the realm or strike out in trade.
But the tides of nature and history left their mark: silting storms pushed the sea away, turning a fortified island into a hilltop haven, by the 14th century, Rye had earned a reputation as a town that fought back. After suffering a fiery raid by the French in 1377, Rye’s citizens retaliated with grit and flair recovering stolen church bells and bringing back spoils that echoed their defiance.
Letter of Marque.
The Brethren were a loose coalition of pirates and Buccaneers that were active in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico. They mostly operated in two locations, the island of Tortuga off the coast of Haiti and in the city of Port Royal on the island of Jamaica.
The Brethren were a syndicate of captains with letters of marque and reprisal who regulated their privateering enterprises within the community of privateers and with their outside benefactors. They were primarily private individual merchant mariners of Protestant background, usually of English and French origin.
Establishment of pirate codes
The pirate articles were not codes of chivalry, they were established to keep things running smoothly and peacefully onboard the ship. The first and most important step after a pirate crew formed was to draft the code under which it would sail.
The codes were considered to be legally binding, and there were swift and severe consequences for those that broke them. There was, however, no official hierarchy, and every vote carried equal weight in establishing these codes.
The captain’s authority was not absolute, though the articles might have been influenced by his leadership style and the crew’s goals and experiences. The captain’s primary duties included navigation and deciding when to engage in naval warfare.
The quartermaster was responsible for overseeing daily operations, the jolly Roger, or skull and crossbones on a black flag provided a symbol that connected the pirates under a single brotherhood.
Jolly Roger
Pirates have used flags to identify themselves for hundreds of years. During the 17th century, they flew either red or black flags: red meant they would provide “no quarter” (i.e., no mercy) while black meant they would give quarter.
The name "Jolly Roger" may have come from the French joli rouge, which means “pretty red.” However, others have suggested that it comes from the English term “Old Roger,” which means “The Devil.”
Sometimes the flags had a skull, but usually they were just plain colours. The first recorded use of the now-iconic “Jolly Roger” known as the black flag featuring a skull and crossbones, was that of the French pirate Emmanuel (Emanuel) Wynne (Wynn), who flew it during a battle in July 1700.
British Admiralty Records dated 18th July 1700 tell of HMS Poole, commanded by Captain John Cranby, engaging Wynne's ship off the Cape Verde Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Cranby chased Wynn into a cove at Brava Island but, with help from Portuguese soldiers, Wynne escaped. Cranby described Wynne's flag as "a sable ensigne with cross bones, a death's head, and an hour glass."
By 1710, most pirates flew their own flags with their own personalized designs.
"Hoist the Colours"
Hoisting the Colours is not merely an act of rebellion it is the ceremonial call to unity, legacy, and defiance. In its rise, the banner carries the weight of old allegiances and the courage to forge new ones. It signals to the lost, the loyal, and the lawless alike: the time has come to reclaim the narrative, to honour the codes that bind us, and to stand together beneath the symbols that define us.
In every stitch of the flag, there’s a story of salt worn sails, shadowed coves, and whispered oaths, when we hoist the colours, we don’t just raise a standard we resurrect a cause.
.jpg)