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Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/Stede Bonnet

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The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted 04:25, 4 November 2007.

Stede Bonnet

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I'm nominating this article for featured article because I think it meets the featured article criteria. This article was initially written by PirateDan. I stumbled upon it in July 2007, and I expanded and referenced the article thoroughly. It quickly passed GA, and after a few copyedits and readthroughs, I think it's ready for FA status. Nishkid64 (talk) 05:38, 21 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

  • Question: I'm sure this is easy to solve, the reference link to his birth and death dates only explains the date notation used, there is no reference for the actual dates. P.S. Since the books mentioned in "Further reading" were actually used as sources based on the notes, I've included them in the reference section. - Mgm|(talk) 19:32, 21 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I'm not talking about the difference in style. I'm just missing a source that confirms that was when he was born and when he died. It's a fact that can be questioned especially with the dating differences in that period, so you need a reference that tells us his birthday and death date. You probably have that reference already, so all you need to do is link it. - Mgm|(talk) 22:27, 21 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Oh. It was my intention to leave those references out because they were already covered (see ref 3, 4 and 61) later on in the article. In any case, I'll add a different source in the introduction. Nishkid64 (talk) 23:36, 21 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
There is nothing wrong with using the same source twice. I mentioned it, because we write in summary style and people who want to know the basics about Stede Bonnet, need to be able to read the lead section without having to hunt through the article for further sources. - Mgm|(talk) 08:16, 22 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • A few more comments:
    • "and engaged in some level of militia service" why not military?
    • Somewhere halfway through their collaboration, Blackbeard acquired Queen Anne's Revenge. What did he sail before meeting Stede. Did Stede give command of his ship willingly?
      • REPLY Not sure what Blackbeard sailed before meeting Bonnet. Charles Johnson's 1724 work A General History of Pyrates says that Blackbeard commanded a ship called the Guiney. Also, from Johnson's work, it seems that he took command of Bonnet's ship after asking Bonnet's crew. Blackbeard felt that Bonnet was not skillful enough to command his ship. Nishkid64 (talk) 18:21, 22 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
      • checkY Doesn't need to be included, just to satisfy my curiosity and explain the background.
    • "Bonnet accompanied his Blackbeard to South Carolina," Huh? I think 'his' is misplaced here. Either that or you're missing a word.
    • "King's Evidence" Since this is about the US, shouldn't that be State's Evidence?
    • "and modern scholars generally agree that the whole concept of pirates delivering prisoners to a watery grave via a narrow timber road is largely mythical." Unsourced claim.
      • REPLY  Done There's a lot of material that says it's mythical, but it's hard to find one that says "most modern scholars" believe it is mythical. So, I have reworded the sentence and referenced it to a notable pirate historian and scholar. Nishkid64 (talk) 18:21, 22 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
    • "A plaque regarding Bonnet stands near Bonnet's Creek in Southport, North Carolina, on the Cape Fear River." I think 'regarding' is the wrong word here. Perhaps 'commemorating'.
    • "Bonnet's flag is featured in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End as Capitaine Chevalle's flag." Unreferenced. - Mgm|(talk) 08:19, 22 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comment: a few bits of prose that could do with looking at:
  • In the lead, Incapacitated to lead his crew - this just doesn't look right to me. Is it grammatically correct? I'm not sure, but it could surely be replaced with something less... odd?
  • Pre-criminal life: Allamby died before 1715, while the others survived; perhaps while the children is better?
  • Collaboration with Blackbeard: At Nassau, Bonnet met for the first time Captain Benjamin Hornigold and Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, who played a large role in the remainder of Bonnet's life. - "for the first time" is clumsy there. Perhaps something like While at Nassau, Bonnet met Captain Benjamin Hornigold and Edward Teach for the first time; Teach, better known as Blackbeard, played a large role in the remainder of Bonnet's life.?
  • Same section - Blackbeard and Bonnet were blockading Charleston, and then the next sentence they fled. Why did they flee?
  • Resumption of pirate command - perhaps Resumption of piracy?
  • Same section (actually, I should just go change this myself) - Topsail inlet should be Topsail Inlet (end of 1st para). Changed it myself.
  • Same section, last para - the careening was done by the prisoners; is it relevant that there were several black slaves among the prisoners?
  • wait out the hurricane season in this location -> wait out the hurricane season there
  • Battle of Cape River Fear: in an effort to bracket the Royal James between them - bracket makes between them redundant.
  • Same section - The battle was stalemated for the next five or six hours - urgh, stalemated. I know English allows pretty much anything to be used as a verb, but something like The battle was at a stalemate for... is simple enough, and doesn't induce the cringe!
  • What's a wiff knot? I did a search on WP and google, and couldn't find it anywhere else; can it be explained or something?
  • Awww - I wanted to know what one was... I don't know if I can support without this vital information!  :)
  • Escape, recapture... - last para, sentence beginning with But; could just replace the full-stop (period) with a comma.
  • Walking the plank: concept of pirates delivering prisoners to a watery grave via a narrow timber road is largely mythical.; mentioned in previous comments for lack of citation, but in this case cited for flowery language... a narrow timber road?
  • Possessive apostrophes: this one I'm not sure about - what's in the article isn't wrong (Royal James' powder magazine or Tim Powers' On Stranger Tides), but I'm not sure if there's a WP policy on this. Perhaps a MOS guru can answer if it's ok as is, or should be Royal James's etc.

to It should be James's (fixed that), That's it for now. Carre 10:07, 22 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

  • Thanks for the MOS link Neil - I knew there was a reason I used "s's" in my recent FA (even though my preference is without!). The only thing stopping my support is the reason for fleeing after the blockade. Either they just gave up the blockade, in which case they wouldn't have fled, I think; or, the RN or some heavily armed merchantmen turned up and ran (sailed) them off. It just looks a little strange to me to go from blockading to running for no apparent reason. I take it you don't disagree, else you would have said above, so you're just looking for the info or waiting for PirateDan to help out? Carre 09:53, 23 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • REPLY Actually, I missed that comment entirely. However, I have now looked into the matter, and I have removed the word "fled". Essentially, Bonnet and Blackbeard set up the blockade, and then left Charleston to find a place to rest and refit their vessels. They went up the North Carolina coast, and settled at Topsail Inlet. It was there that Blackbeard lost the Queen Anne's Revenge. I hope that clarifies the situation, Carre. Nishkid64 (talk) 14:10, 23 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Excellent. --ROGER DAVIES TALK 17:42, 24 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Pass & support

  • On the basis that its acceptable based on my very low standards.

"Bonnet set sail for Nassau," change to Nassau, Bahamas Learnedo 00:35, 28 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.
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