A historical reenactment of a 1646 event in which Privateers anchored in Plymouth Harbor and gave an economic boost to the town. Family-oriented, living history.
Pirates Ashore! will take place on May 16, 2020 at the Mayflower Society House, 4 Winslow Street, Plymouth, and the Plymouth Waterfront. Based on the 1646 visit of English privateer Captain Thomas Cromwell and his 80 “lusty men”, we reenact this tumultuous month-long period in Plymouth history. The Gard is joined by three pirate crews: the Crew of the Raven, the Free Men of the Sea, and the Crew of the Mermayde for a romp that includes – landing of the Pirates on the shallop Elizabeth Tilley, drunken sailors making scenes at Cole’s Ordinary, sword fights, and the murder trial of the privateer captain. This is our biggest and best event of the year. In the words of Governor William Bradford: “They continued here about a month or 6 weeks,… in which time they spent and scattered a great deal of money among the people, and yet more sin (I fear) than money, notwithstanding all the care and watchfulness that was used towards them to prevent what might be.” Sponsored by the Mayflower Society.
