A rare red Jolly Roger, the most feared of pirate flags, has been restored to its former, bloodthirsty glory.
The crudely stitched flag was captured during a naval battle off the Barbary Coast, North Africa, in 1780 by Lieutenant Richard Curry, who later became an admiral.
The red woollen fabric bears a skull and crossbones cut from painted cotton. The flag was in a poor condition when its owner, a descendant of Admiral Curry, took it to the Textile Conservation Centre at Southampton University.
The work took Bonnijo Chervenock, who is studying for a masters degree in textile conservation, six weeks to complete.
Miss Chervenock, an American, found gunpowder on the flag and small holes with charred edges. The Jolly Roger appears to have been cut from a garment as a buttonhole shape was found on the back.
Pirates used the Jolly Roger to intimidate their victims. If a ship's crew knew that they were under attack by pirates, they might be more willing to surrender without a fight.
A Jolly Roger with a red rather than a black background was most feared as it meant no life would be spared in a ship's capture.
Miss Chervenock said: "I cleaned the flag carefully, to remove dirt and to return the fabric to a more neutral pH - it was extremely acidic, which would be damaging in the long term - but without removing the gunpowder, which is an important part of its history."
After cleaning each fragment of the painted skull and crossbones she pieced it together and attached them to dyed crepe fabric. "I then stitched the consolidated skull and crossbones onto the flag."
The cleaned Jolly Roger was then stitched onto a fabric-covered, acid-free board so it can be framed and displayed at the owner's hotel.