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Tattoo History - William Bligh
William Bligh
The british seafarer William Bligh was born in 1754 and died in 1817. He accompanied James Cook on his third journey to the southern pacific. In 1787 he sailed with the Bounty from England to Tahiti, to bring seedlings of the bread fruit to western india.
On their return voyage to England a mutiny broke out due to the brutal strictness on board and Bligh was set out on a boat together with 19 other sailors. Thanks to his seamanly abilities he could safely return to England where he was convicted for the loss of his ship but later pardoned with honors. In court he read the ship's log and described every mutineer by appearance, age, eye color and tattoos which they had made on Tahiti. 21 out of 25 mutineers possessed tattooings and each and every one was exactly described in Blighs records.
Today the official ship's log of the Bounty is located in the bureau for registration in Kew, London. Together with the records of Sir Joseph Bank they are considered one of the most important transcripts about early tattooings.
