The brown, murky waters of Faversham Creek are a far cry from the turquoise seas and white sands of the Caribbean.

Yet that is where the fisherman turned notorious pirate, who is said to have inspired the flamboyant lead character of one of Walt Disney's best known film franchises, first set sail.

But while swashbuckling Jack Sparrow – played by Johnny Depp in the blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean film series – became a household name, few, if any, will have heard of Jack Ward whose life he was based on.

And there's certainly no blue plaque to mark his former residence in the town.

The BBC History Magazine, which makes the claim of the link to Sparrow, says John Ward was "outlandish and fearless, terrorising the Mediterranean with a complete absence of morals", adding: "Little wonder the English pirate was an inspiration for Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean films."

According to the author and history writer Giles Milton, Ward was born into an impoverished family with his early life spent fishing the tidal waters of his native Kent.

He adds that he was "an out-and-out wastrel who spent much of his time getting drunk" but who went on to be one of England's most notorious pirates.

Kent already has a firm connection to the film franchise in Canterbury-born actor Orlando Bloom, who starred as Will Turner in the movies.

But what do we know of Jack Ward, who also went by the name Jack Birdy, and who is believed to have been born in Faversham around 1553?

Information about Ward's early life comes from a pamphlet purportedly written by someone who sailed with him during his pirate days.

Like many born in coastal areas, he spent his youth and early adult years working in the fisheries. After the failed invasion of England by the Spanish Armada in 1588, Ward found work as a privateer, plundering Spanish ships with a licence from Queen Elizabeth I.

When James I ended the war with Spain on assuming the throne in 1603, many privateers refused to give up their livelihood and simply continued to plunder.

Those who did were considered pirates because they no longer had valid licences – called letters of marque – issued by the state.

Elected captain by his shipmates, Ward's prolific exploits on the high seas gained him a reputation as one of the most fearsome and notorious pirates of his time.

At his peak, he had a fleet of 15 ships and 1,500 men under his command.

His numerous ship captures included one Venetian vessel, which is said to have led to the ambassador saying: "That famous pirate, Ward, so well-known in this port for the damage he has done, is beyond doubt the greatest scoundrel that ever sailed from England."

In his later years he converted to Islam, changing his name to Yusuf Reis, but a description of his appearance by an English sailor in Tunis could not be further from Depp's flamboyant interpretation.

"John Ward was an out-and-out wastrel who spent much of his time getting drunk..."

He allegedly described Ward as "very short with little hair, and that quite white, bald in front, swarthy face and beard.

"Speaks little and almost always swearing. Drunk from morn till night... the habits of a thorough salt. A fool and an idiot out of his trade."

There is certainly a geographical discrepancy between the hunting grounds of Jack Sparrow and Jack Ward, who seemed to mostly roam the Mediterranean looking for victims.

He ended his 'career' in piracy in around 1612, electing to teach younger privateers gunnery and navigation.

But he had profited greatly from his ill-gotten gains, retiring to Tunis to live a life of opulent comfort until his death in 1622, at the age of 70, possibly from the plague.

A fictionalised account of Ward's career appears in Thomas Costain's historical novel For My Great Folly, which was published in 1942.

In the 2010s, various Turkish newspapers and websites popularised a suggestion that John Ward could be the inspiration for Jack Sparrow, and then the BBC History Magazine also revealed John Ward as the pirate behind the character.

The claimed connection between Jack Sparrow and the real-life Jack Ward has been flagged up on social media as a 'fun fact' by Ashley Young.

It has sparked debate and suggestions for how the town could even capitalise on the connection.

"We could have a pirate festival on the creek," wrote Claire Martin.

Another referred to an annual pirate festival in Poole which celebrates one of its historic bandits of the seas.

Now the town council's events and development officer, Claire Windridge, thinks the idea of a pirates festival "is something worth exploring".

"I have heard of the festival in Poole and we could do something like that here," she said.

"There's a huge appetite for anything historical in the town so it could well be embraced and businesses could benefit.

"I will certainly put the idea to the committee on the town council and look into it further."