THIS week people across the country will celebrate one of history's most interesting characters...pirates.

On September 19, it is Talk Like a Pirate Day, a time of year where people try their best to imitate the way pirates used to speak.

A pirate is a robber who travels by water, and whilst most pirates targeted ships some set their sights on coastal towns.

Many of us think of pirates as evil and brutish people, but in actual fact most of them were ordinary people who had been forced to turn to criminal activity to make ends meet.

When sailing on the high seas, anyone who wasn't the captain of the ship would sleep out in the open on a hammock or on the floor.

However, there were 'pirate havens' in the Indian ocean and around Madagascar that were often safe places for pirates to stay, outside of the law and state governance.

Pirates have existed since ancient times with many threatening the trading routes of Ancient Greece and Rome. The most famous and far reaching pirates in Europe during the middles ages were Vikings.

Thousands of pirates were active from 1650–1720. These years are sometimes known as a 'Golden Age' of piracy. Famous pirates from this period include Blackbeard (Edward Teach), Henry Morgan, William 'Captain' Kidd, 'Calico' Jack Rackham and Bartholomew Roberts.

During this time news of piracy reached the ears of both rich and poor.

These pictures show how people in Cumbria have been inspired by the 'Golden Age' of pirates and have used their traditional outfits for fancy dress and other events.

We hope these photos bring back some fond memories for some of you.