logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2023
43m 27s

The Pirates' Code

History Hit
About this episode

How common was it for a pirates to walk the plank? Was there a lot of rum? And were relationships allowed on ships?


Kate is joined by Rebecca Simon, author of 'The Pirate's Code' to find out about the codes that pirates had to live by.


Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Joseph Knight.


Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.


For more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters here. 


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Today
History's Worst Breakups | Lord Byron vs. Lady Lamb
Sending a lock of hair to your lover has fallen a little out of fashion. Sending a lock of pubic hair to your ex-lover ... well, we aren't sure that was ever in fashion.This is just one of the things that Lady Caroline Lamb is alleged to have done when her heart was broken by Lor ... Show More
57m 56s
Feb 6
Sex & Scandal behind Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights is a story full of passion, violence and sexual tension.So it's no surprise that it shocked Victorian readers when it first came out. How did Emily Brontë, the daughter of a clergyman, create such a provocative world? How did the Brontê sisters write about sex a ... Show More
50m 39s
Feb 3
Henry VIII vs. Catherine of Aragon | History's Worst Breakups
Welcome to a brand new mini-series on Betwixt the Sheets, where our host, Dr Kate Lister, takes you through the most catastrophic breakups in history.We're starting with one that our guest, author and historian Gareth Russell, calls "the most important breakup in British history ... Show More
54m 24s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2024
The Real Pirates of the Caribbean
Throughout the late 17th and early 18th Century, the waters of the Caribbean were crawling with pirates. Stories about swash-buckling buccaneers, and insatiable treasure-seekers haunted the tropical islands, as navies tried in vain to put a stop to their reign of terror. But who ... Show More
56m 38s
Nov 2021
Introducing: Real Pirates
New Noiser Release. Starting today, unpack the epic dramas of history’s most infamous buccaneers. Real Pirates takes you right into the heart of the action with immersive storytelling and pulse-racing tales, charting the lives of the legendary men and women who roamed the oceans. ... Show More
48m 23s
Jun 2024
Women Pirates of the Caribbean
<p>Anne Bonny and Mary Read were pirates who sailed the Caribbean in the early 18th century. For both of them, piracy offered a chance at a freedom otherwise disallowed to women.</p><br><p>In this episode of <em>Not Just the Tudors</em>, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb learns more ab ... Show More
46m 30s
Dec 2022
Pirates 13: Dead Men’s Tales
Hollywood adores the loveable rogue. Pirates are often depicted as wisecracking, kind-hearted individuals who set out for treasure but inevitably do the right thing. In the end, he usually gets the girl and the treasure. Pirates. The word itself hints at a story. And in our final ... Show More
27m 35s
Feb 2023
Cracking the code
This week, let's add a chapter to our history books because this episode of Thick & Thin is dedicated to Elizebeth Smith Friedman –– America's first female cryptanalyst. As a literal codebreaker, she busted drug smugglers and helped derail Nazi spies but never got the recognition ... Show More
54m 38s
Aug 2021
Blackbeard the Pirate
In the early 18th century, one man makes his name as the most notorious pirate of all time. The legend of Edward Thatch has spawned television shows, novels, and major motion pictures. Stories abound of his wild eyes striking fear into enemy hearts, of the six pistols strapped to ... Show More
59m 36s
Jul 2022
Pirates 1: A Pirate’s Life
From sailing the high seas and buried treasure to swilling rum, pirates represent a lot about the human spirit. Through the centuries, we’ve fallen in love with adventure, danger, and exploration. In season 2 of Grim & Mild Presents, we take a swashbuckling, narrative journey int ... Show More
29m 9s
Mar 2022
Queens of the High Seas
Yo-ho, a pirate’s life for she! Legends of Blackbeard and movie buccaneers like Captain Jack Sparrow give us the impression that piracy was a man’s world. But historians and the Nat Geo book Pirate Queens: Dauntless Women Who Dared to Rule the High Seas are righting the ship. Joi ... Show More
30m 11s
Jan 2023
Short Stuff: Women Pirates
The Golden Age of Pirates didn’t have just men floating on the high seas. Some women became very successful pirates and today you’ll learn about two of them.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
16m 11s