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The main purpose of their attacks was to capture Christian slaves for the slave markets of North Africa. Along with seizing ships, they engaged in Razzias, raids on coastal towns.

This was an area known as the Barbary Coast, from its Berber inhabitants. Sometimes called Ottoman corsairs, the Barbary pirates operated from North Africa and were based primarily in the ports of Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli. Ironically, bearing in mind the image of pirates as hard-drinking men, the majority of the BayвЂ™s pirates would consequently have been teetotal as they followed the Muslim faith. Our communities needed to keep a constant watch for the arrival of new sails in the Bay. There were large numbers of pirates вЂ“ in 1640 it was reported that there were 60 вЂњTurkish men-of-warвЂќ off the South West coast. During the seventeenth century all along the Devon coast these raiders burnt settlements, sank ships and carried off men, women and children into slavery. How they are beat upon the soles of the feet and belliesвЂ¦вЂќВ Samuel Pepys in his diary of 8 February 1661ДЇor over a hundred years Torbay was terrorised by Barbary pirates. As, how they eat nothing but bread and waterвЂ¦.

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вЂњвЂ¦to the Fleece tavern to drink and there we spent till 4 a-clock telling stories of Algier and the manner of the life of Slaves thereвЂ¦ those who have been slaves did make me full acquainted with their condition there.