Two mysterious figures stand proud, heads held high and looking out to the horizon, one with hair flowing in the wind, the other composed and grounded; undefined and inseparable, shoulders and hips touching. The overall effect of this two-metre-high sculpture speaks of strength and unity, of independence and an unshakeable bond.
Artist Amanda Cotton's artwork Inexorable celebrates the rebellious lives of two remarkable women, Anne Bonny and Mary Read, who became infamous pirates together in the Caribbean in 1720.
"I represented them as metaphors- earth and fire," says Amanda. "Anne was fiery and acted impulsively. Mary was calm and calculated.
Their appearances were different, too, and aligned with their personalities." While Anne and Mary were the most exceptional pirates of the Golden Age of Piracy between 1670 and 1730, their names had, until recently, been eclipsed by their male contemporaries, such as Blackbeard and Bartholomew Roberts. However, in the past couple of years, there has been a surge in interest in them. Audible produced the audio drama Hell Cats based on their story, in 2020; in 2021, author Kate Castle published a novella
Born of the Sea, and the docu-drama The Lost Pirate Kingdom, released on Netflix, also featured Anne's character.
Then, this spring, Rebecca Simon, a historian of early modern piracy, published her book Pirate Queens, the first full-length biography of Anne Bonny and Mary Read.
Denne historien er fra August 2022-utgaven av BBC Countryfile Magazine.
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Denne historien er fra August 2022-utgaven av BBC Countryfile Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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We Are an Island Nation - So Let's Protect Our Seas - Living in the UK makes us islanders and personally I'm proud of that definition - not in any political or jingoistic sense, but simply because I love the sea and in this country we are totally surrounded by it.
Living in the UK makes us islanders and personally I'm proud of that definition - not in any political or jingoistic sense, but simply because I love the sea and in this country we are totally surrounded by it. We live inside thousands of miles of coastline, in a nation whose borders were created by nature and made us what we are.
Discover Jurassic Coast - With its towering cliffs, sweeping beaches and pretty seaside towns, the shoreline of Dorset and east Devon is spectacular.
With its towering cliffs, sweeping beaches and pretty seaside towns, the shoreline of Dorset and east Devon is spectacular. Jo Caird fossicks for fossils and dramatic rock formations. It's an auspicious start to my journey along the Jurassic Coast. This 95-mile stretch of shore mostly in Dorset, but nudging just into east Devon - is blessed with awe-inspiring geological formations and fossil deposits that have garnered it recognition as England's only natural UNESCO World Heritage Site. Snaking east from Orcombe Point near Exmouth to Old Harry Rocks near Swanage, it's studded with monumental rock arches, seemingly endless shingle beaches and fossil beds from which treasures were prised that altered our understanding of prehistory.
Viking shores
We picture Vikings marauding coastal settlements, looting and raiding. But what was life really like in the Viking Age? Historian Eleanor Barraclough reveals what the ancient artefacts found on Britain's shores tell us about our formidable forebears
Sea horses
On Cornwall's coastal clifftops, Melanie O'Shea meets the hardy grazing ponies that are helping to restore the land, so nature can flourish once more
A wing and a prayer
From their desks at Boulmer, 1,000 RAF personnel watch the skies for airborne threats to the country. Yet beyond the concrete of the base, vulnerable birdlife flourishes - thanks to the hard work of a small team
Cast in bone
Cuttlefish bones washed up on our shores have been used to make jewellery since ancient times. Jo Caird meets a craftswoman who's keeping the art alive on the Kent coast
EDIBLE SEAWEEDS
An ancient food harvested by humans for millennia, seaweeds bring an intense and rich flavour of the sea to a wide range of dishes, as well as essential mind-and-body-boosting nutrients
Spines and sulky faces
Watch where you put your feet at the beach - a weever fish could be lurking
Sea stars
The playful performances of Britain's bottlenose dolphins attract avid fans - but they deserve personal space
Harris's wildly beautiful beach
Cornwall may pull in the crowds, but one Hebridean strand stuns visitors
