Archive for August, 2013

Often we think of swashbucklers as men, but a few brave women walked among the male pirates. One of them was Mary Read – a legend among pirate enthusiasts, but someone not widely known by the general public. Her extraordinary story has captivated men and women alike hundreds of years after her pirating exploits began.

Read’s mother disguised her daughter as a boy to continue receiving financial support from her paternal grandmother. Young Mary began to find work as a boy, and eventually enlisted in the British military. She married a Flemish soldier, but his early death forced Mary back into her male disguise. After a short stint with the military in Holland, she boarded a ship heading to the West Indies. Fatefully, her ship was captured by pirates and she ultimately met with “Calico Jack” Rackham and the other famous female pirate, Anne Bonny. At first, no one knew that either Bonny or Read were women (including each other), but eventually they confessed to each other and to Rackham – who broke with seafaring tradition and allowed the women to continue pirating.

Read’s exploits have inspired many young women to dream of their own swashbuckling adventures. Now you can dress as the infamous lady pirate with our Mary Read pirate costumes. Choose from our shirt, vest, coat, belt, and other pirate accessories that would make Read proud. Don’t let the boys have all the fun – get your Mary Read costume from PearsonsRenaissanceShoppe.com today!

One of the first medieval items anyone thinks of when imagining the Middle Ages is chainmail armor. The iconic metal rings were designed to protect the knights in the heat of combat, but have since become synonymous with chivalry, knighthood, and the Dark Ages. Pearson’s offers chainmail shirts, coifs, vests and gauntlets. We have blackened chainmail pieces, and mail made from plated brass and riveted aluminum.

Chainmail Armor seems to have been first created by the Celts. Seeing its value after battling with the Celts, the Romans adopted the idea of interlocking iron, steel, or brass rings together to protect the soldier within. Swords and spears did not easily pass through the material and many lives were saved because of it.

Even when plate mail overtook chainmail as a popular source of outerwear for battle, many knights kept their chainmail beneath the plate armor. It provided extra protection to joints and sensitive areas, and was more accessible than the expensive plate armor. Until the widespread use of gunpowder on the battlefield, chainmail was the best protection a soldier could wear.

Pearson’s carries real chain mail: interlocked metal rings. We sell not a cheap imitation, but the real thing! Make your LARP experience more authentic or create the perfect Halloween costume this year using authentic chainmail armor. We’re sure you’ll enjoy wearing the metal mesh because it provides a true experience of warrior life in the Dark Ages.