A horrific, but morbidly fun, practice shown in films such as the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise involves unfortunate victims being forced to walk along a plank of wood positioned over the edge of a ship, usually leading to them falling overboard and drowning. Real-life pirates did not use this as a method of punishment, however.
Instead, many pirates’ victims – including people forced into piracy to replace deceased crew, or hostages taken during battle – were tied up and kept below deck, where they were subject to beatings and (in extreme cases) disfigurement.
On the podcast: Dr Rebecca Simon responds to your questions on the 17th-century golden age of piracy. Plus, how accurate are pop culture portrayals of pirates?
Marooning was also a form of punishment, reserved for victims whom the pirates deemed to be little threat on land. If a person refused to join the pirate crew but swore to stay quiet, they would be left stranded on an island with a bottle of water, a bottle of gunpowder, a pistol and a single bullet.
This content is part of our series of pirate myths – read the rest in the series:
- Did any real pirates wear eyepatches or have peg legs?
- X marks the spot: did pirates bury their treasure?
- Did real pirates fly the Jolly Roger?
- What is the origin and meaning of the pirate expression ‘shiver me timbers’?
- Did most English pirates really talk with a West Country accent?
This content first appeared in the December 2021 issue of BBC History Revealed