Wench

Two wenches, Scarlett and Giselle.

"Weigh anchor now, ya swabbies. What be I offered for this winsome wench? Stout 'arted and corn fed she be..."
"Hey, are you selling her by the pound?"
"Shift yer cargo, dearie, show 'em your larboard side."

―Auctioneer and a drunk pirate

Wench was a term that referred to a girl or a young woman of a lower class, especially a buxom or lively one. Though the term mostly referred to a promiscuous woman, a mistress ("other woman in an extramarital relationship"), or frequent prostitutes. More common in pirate ports like Tortuga, wenches often operated out of houses, owned by a "madame".

History

"What about port?"
"I prefer rum. Rum's good."
"Making port."
"Where we can get rum, and salty wenches, once every ten years."

―Jack Sparrow and his hallucinations

A famous runner of prostitution rings was the Pirate Lord, Mistress Ching. The infamous pirate captain Left-Foot Louis once refered to Laura Smith as "a loud-mouthed wench". Melinda was a notable trollop in Shipwreck City during Jack Sparrow's early adulthood. Jack Sparrow once had an affair with a bar wench in Port Royal, which didn't end well when she realized he already had an affair with her sister. Jack called Tia Dalma "bossy wench" once. After saving Jocard from King Samuel and Sarah, Marcella said Jocard was stupid for falling for a scheming wench like Sarah. Scarlett, Giselle and Cassandra were notable wenches who operated out of Tortuga. Unlike most wenches, they owned their own houses to work in. Mayor Dix inadvertently referred to his wife, Frances, as a "trollop" during the bank robbery in Saint Martin.

Notable wenches

Scarlett

Giselle

Courtroom Wench

Cassandra

Behind the scenes

"And who might this be?"
"A witch -- or a wench. Depends who you ask."

―John Brand and Jack Sparrow

• Wenches first appeared in Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean, having previously been first identified by name in the 1966 soundtrack. The word "trollop" was first used in the 2011 novel The Price of Freedom by A. C. Crispin.
• In Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's first screenplay draft of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, during Captain Barbossa's meeting with Sao Feng in Singapore the Chinese pirate would have suggested to Barbossa to give him Elizabeth Swann as payment for the charts, with Barbossa replying that "the wench" was not for sale. At the end of the script, Jack Sparrow made his way to the docks of Tortuga with a smiling wench—Scarlett and Veronica—on each arm. Sparrow was with Scarlett and Giselle by the film's late production draft titled Calypso's Fury, as well as the final cut of the film.
• In Jeff Nathanson's early screenplay draft for Dead Men Tell No Tales, a wench auction was organized on the island of Coronation Bay, with the Auctioneer selling the imprisoned Carina Smyth to the highest bidder. Laster, when Carina appeared before the ghost of Captain Brand and he asked who she was, Jack Sparrow replied that she was a witch or a wench, depending on who was asked.

Appearances

• Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean (First appearance)
• Jack Sparrow: The Pirate Chase (Mentioned only)
• The Price of Freedom (First identified as trollop)
• Legends of the Brethren Court: The Caribbean (Mentioned only)
• Legends of the Brethren Court: Wild Waters (Mentioned only)
• Tales of the Code: Wedlocked
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
• LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (Non-canonical appearance)

Sources

• Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Sound Track of the Fabulous Adventure (First identified as wench)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies