Blackbeard the Pirate and Lost Ship Found!

Blackbeard’s Flag

Well, it is no secret to many of the locals that Topsail Island North Carolina got it’s name from the top sail of pirate ships that once anchored on the back side of the island and waited for merchant ships to pass by.  The Jolly Roger flag was a symbol of a pirates ship and many still proudly fly on the island today. 

When I first started investigating this article, I was looking for information about a legendary pirate named Blackbeard. I had heard rumor of buried treasure and the possibility of one of his ships being run aground just offshore near Topsail Inlet. After investigating, I found Topsail Inlet is now Beaufort Inlet and yes, Blackbeards ship, The Queen Anne’s Revenge(1),  has been found just offshore in 20 feet of water near Beaufort Inlet North Carolina but most likely he took the treasure with him. Legend has it that he was a ladies man and a heavy drinker so most likely he spent his treasure partying. That isn’t saying that one can’t still find buried treasure on Topsail Island or an occasional Pieces of Eight wash ashore during a storm, but it’s doubtful the treasure you find will be Blackbeard’s. He later met his fate on Ocracoke Island North Carolina on the Outer Banks(3)

 Below is an article written by Dalton Gonzales of Belize and reprinted with permission by the author(2)

BLACKBEARD

 

Edward Teach (c. 1680[1] – November 22, 1718), was better known as Blackbeard, the notorious King of Pirates who roamed the Caribbean Sea and western Atlantic during the early 18th century.He quickly gained his fearsome reputation after only one or two ship attacks and after that he didn’t meet with much resistance. There is no record of Blackbeard ever killing anyone until the day he was killed in battle.

Blackbeard often fought, or simply showed himself, wearing a big feathered tricorn, and having multiple swords, knives, and pistols at his disposal. It was reported that he had hemp and lighted matches woven into his enormous black beard during battle. Accounts of people who saw him fighting say that they thought he “looked like the devil” with his fearsome face and the smoke cloud around his head. This image, which he cultivated, has made him the premier image of the seafaring pirate. In reality, he was actually a brilliant statistician and a master at public relations.

BLACKBEARD HAD A WAY WITH WOMEN…….

Blackbeard had a way with women and wherever he went, he stopped at a tavern, where groups of women flocked to him. He would drink with them, watch them dance, and out of that group, he would fall in love with one, and propose marriage to her. Then they would go aboard his ship the Queen Anne’s Revenge and get married. This happened some 13 times!

Blackbeard’s chief claim to fame is his blockade of Charleston, South Carolina in late May of 1718, Blackbeard entered the mouth of Charleston harbor with the Queen Anne’s Revenge and three lighter vessels. He plundered five merchant freighters attempting to enter or leave the port. No other vessels could transit the harbor for fear of encountering the pirate squadron.

Shortly afterward, Blackbeard ran two of his vessels aground at Topsail Inlet (now Beaufort Inlet), including the Queen Anne’s Revenge. He has been accused by many, including his own crew, of doing this deliberately in order to downsize his crew and increase his own share of the treasure. Deliberate or not, he stripped three of the ships of all treasure, beached or marooned most of his crew, and went to Bath, North Carolina, where he finally accepted a pardon under the royal Act of Grace. He then went off to Ocracoke Inlet in the last of his four vessels, the sloop Adventure, to enjoy his loot.

After receiving a pardon in 1718 in North Carolina, Teach sailed for Belize. On the way there, he met up with Stede Bonnet, a retired British army officer and plantation owner in Barbados who suddenly turned pirate to escape from a nagging wife, some say.After a few days though, Blackbeard could see that Bonnet knew nothing about maritime life, so Blackbeard calmly took over Bonnet’s ship! The two ended up on Turneffe Island in Belize, where they stopped to take on fresh water. There they met up with a David Herriot, captain of the Adventure from Jamaica. Blackbeard convinced Herriot to join them, after which the threesome spent a full week partying on Turneffe Island.

After their “spring break” in Belize the pirate trio found a large ship and four sloops in the waters of Belize. The sight of three vessels flying pirate flags and a blast from Blackbeard’s cannon frightened the captain and crew of the large ship enough that they abandoned ships and rowed safely to the Belizean shore. After plundering all the boats, the large ship was burned because it was owned by persons from Boston, where some pirates had recently been hanged. Then sailing out of Belizean waters for Grand Cayman, the trio continued pirating.

Having accepted another pardon, Teach had apparently retired from piracy. However, Governor Alexander Spotswood of Virginia became concerned that the notorious freebooter lived nearby. Spotswood decided to eliminate Blackbeard, even though he lived outside of Spotswood’s jurisdiction.

Blackbeard was now operating in coastal waters and in areas where it was difficult for ships of the line to engage Blackbeard in battle. To counter this situation two smaller hired sloops were put under the command of Lieutenant Robert Maynard, with instructions from Spotswood to hunt down and destroy Blackbeard.

Blackbeard’s superior knowledge of the inlet was of much help. However, on the day Maynard finally caught up with him, Blackbeard and his small crew had the misfortune of having spent the night drinking in his cabin, a situation which resulted in Blackbeard making the serious tactical error of boarding Maynard’s ship during the battle, assuming it was safe to board when he saw Maynard’s decks mostly empty. Blackbeard boarded Maynard’s ship with ten men.

Despite the best efforts of his crew of pirates, Blackbeard was killed, and the battle ended. Blackbeard was reportedly shot five times and stabbed more than twenty times before he died and was decapitated by Maynard, who then hung Blackbeard’s head from his bow.

 

(This is the end of the story of Blackbeard but read on about other famous pirates of the caribbean, very entertainingly written by Dalton Gonzales,  Pirates of Belize

 

BELIZE: THE COUNTRY NAMED AFTER A PIRATE Many Caribbean countries are steeped in pirate history, but how many of them were actually named after one of their buccaneering forefathers? Around 1638, Peter Wallace, a notorious Scottish buccaneer who once served as Sir Walter Raleigh’s 1st Lieutenant, was governor of the Caribbean island of Tortuga. After being driven from office by the Spanish, Captain Wallace settled just outside of what is today Belize City at Haulover Creek, where he sold smoked turtle meat to passing ships. According to legend, the country of Belize, as well as the Belize River, where he established the first English settlement, were named after Peter Wallace, whose name was also spelled Willis in some documents. The Annals of Jamaica 1827 read: “Willis, the notorious Buccaneer, was the first Englishman who settled on the banks of the river to which he gave his name. The Spaniards called it Walis, and the corrupting influence of time has softened it to Belize.” A modern Spanish historian has shown how the name has been written at various times until it finally became Belize. It went from Walis through several variations and finally ended up as Belize.

PIRATES IN BELIZE EDWARD LOWEWhat do you imagine when you hear the word “pirate”? BARTHOLOMEW SHARP In the year 1677, when English pirates came to Belize to cut logwood, a Spanish priest called Fray Joseph Delgado and his Spanish and Maya men were camped on a river in Belize when a band of pirates captured them. The pirates took the men to Casina Caye, now St George’s Caye, where they met Bartholomew Sharp, who treated them in a friendly way. Sharp, it appears, was in Belize with the intent to cut logwood. He knew the famous pirate Sir Captain Henry Morgan, also active in the Caribbean at that time.CAPTAIN HENRY MORGAN The attack, however, took place only days after Britain had signed a treaty with Spain, and Morgan was arrested and taken back to England. In 1673, when England began a new war with the Dutch, the King sought Morgan’s advice on Caribbean affairs. He was apparently so impressed by Morgan’s knowledge that he released him and made him deputy governor of Jamaica. Sir Henry Morgan rose to great success as a pirate, and is considered not only as one of the greatest of all the buccaneers to this day, but as one of the bravest, most intelligent, and successful swashbucklers who ever lived. To this day many Belizean families proudly carry the surnames of their pirate forefathers, those rough and ready, swaggering seamen who made Belize the interesting tropical melting pot that it is today. One of the most infamous pirates in history was Henry Morgan, a Welshman and son of a farmer. Morgan was born in the year 1635 in Wales. As a young man Henry craved adventure, as many teenagers do, and so ran off to Bristol, and from there eventually set sail to Barbados in the West Indies. In Barbados he began to associate with the pirates who roamed those islands, while he also held down gainful employment on the sugarcane plantations. As is the case with many pirates, historians know very little about Morgan’s early career. In 1662, when he was about 27 years old, he moved to Jamaica, which would become his home for the rest of his life. It is from this island that Henry “went on account” – which in pirate talk means he became a pirate. His name was mostly unheard of until 1665, when he was made second-in-command of a group of buccaneers (like privateers, buccaneers were “licensed” pirates) who had fought the Dutch in the Anglo-Dutch War. His first major exploit was to capture the town of Puerto Principe, Cuba. Dissatisfied with the booty, however, he immediately sailed for Panama and sacked the city of Portobello – a stunt that instantly made him rich and famous. After that, his name spread quickly. Throughout his career, Morgan roamed the islands of the Caribbean Sea, wreaking much havoc and burying plenty of treasure (a claim made of almost every pirate). None of Morgan’s treasures have never been found. CAPTAIN MORGAN FORCED HIS LADY TO WALK THE PLANK INTO THE OCEAN OFF OF ST. GEORGE’S CAYE. Morgan was very active in the Belize/Honduras area, frequenting the waters to such an extent that a resort on Ambergris Caye is named after him. Three anchors, three cannons and a breech adding swivel cannon have been found along the reef off the coast of Ambergris Caye Belize. These are believed to come from one of Morgan’s ships, the Oxford. One of the cannons retrieved from the area is now on display at a local school, San Pedro High School. It is a large, quite corroded cannon which seems to be of the appropriate age. Another cannon, much smaller, is at The Victoria House, a hotel at the south end of the island. And then there is the legend of the Gray Lady told by the islanders of Belize. The famous legend centers around Captain Morgan’s lady, who he brought with him during one of his sojourns to Belize. This lady it seems was a very independent and tempestous woman. One stormy night, after a particularly fiece quarrel, having to do with the seaman who was standing watch the night before, Captain Morgan forced his lady to walk the plank into the ocean off of St. George’s Caye. She wore a grey gossamer gown on that fateful night walk, one which billowed around her in the wind…..and so she became forever known as the ‘Gray Lady.’ Captain Morgan’s greatest feat occurred on January 19, 1670 when he led a fleet of 36 pirate ships against the City of Panama. At the time, the city was rumored to be the richest in the world. It was a a main jumping-off point for Spanish gold on its way to Europe. Morgan sailed into port and destroyed a much larger force led by the local governor. He burned the city to the ground and made off with 400,000 pieces of eight, later on stealing much of it from his own men. A fellow with a terrible pair of whiskers, and a wooden leg, being stuck round with pistols? This is the description Captain Charles Johnson, the pirate biographer, gave in 1724 of Captain John Taylor, who after a long career as a pirate ended his days trading in logwood from Belize. Sharp and some of his men were later tried for piracy, but were acquitted for lack of evidence.   IT SEEMS THAT THIS FELLOW WAS RAISED TO BE A PIRATE. HE GREW UP IN A FAMILY OF THIEVES. It seems that this fellow was raised to be a pirate. He grew up in a family of thieves and, while he was still small, his older brother used to carry him in a basket on his head so he could steal people’s hats. As an adult, Lowe went to Belize to steal timber. Once in Belize, he had a falling-out with his captain so he separated from the rest of the crew and took off with twelve other men in a small boat. Due to his horrific treatment of prisoners, Edward Lowe came to be known as one of the cruelest pirates ever, and yet, it is said that he wept about missing his orphan son who lived in Boston. In 1723, Lowe sailed for the west coast of Africa, never to be seen again. A REAL PEG-LEGGED PIRATE Pirates liked Belize, which was then known as the Bay of Honduras or the Bay Colony, for several reasons: The pirates could hang out in the waters just outside Belize’s coral reef, which is the second longest in the world, and raid Spanish ships carrying gold and silver back to the king of Spain. Then the pirates could flee, in their much smaller vessels, through openings in the reef and into the protected waters of Belize to hide out, where the deeper draft Spanish ships couldn’t follow. Inside the reef as well, Belize has over 200 small offshore islands called Cayes, (pronounced Keys, as in Florida, but with the old English pirate spelling retained) which were perfect places for pirates to hide out, hole up during bad weather, work on their boats, get fresh water, hunt for fresh meat or just drink rum and party. Eventually the pirates also found potential wealth in Belize, something nearly as valuable as Aztec gold…the dense forests of Belize were filled with the precious mahogany tree. GREEN GOLD When in 1667 a treaty was passed that outlawed buccaneering, many out-of-work pirates turned to the mahogany trade in Belize. During this period, mahogany was used as dyewood in England and was indispensable in the process of dyeing cloth black, gray, purple or dark red. Initially, the pirates did not know its value and when capturing ships filled with logwood, as the pirates called the mahogany, they used it for firewood! One day a certain Captain James sold off his surplus of logwood and was shocked to realize its value. William Dampier, himself a buccaneer, explorer and naturalist, spent two or three years with the logwood cutters, and describes the life of buccaneers turned log cutters: “Some fell the tree, others saw and cut them into convenient logs and one chips off the sap, and he is commonly the principal man: and when a tree is so thick that after it is logg’d, it remains still too great a burden for one man, we blow it up with gunpowder. “The logwood cutters are generally sturdy strong fellows, and will carry burdens of three or four hundred weight; but every man is left to his choice to carry what he pleaseth, and commonly they agree very well about it: For they are contented to labor very hard” “But when ships come from Jamaica with rum and sugar, they are too apt to misspend both their time and money.” THE BAYMEN The fact that Belize remained a British ruled, English speaking country was in large part due to the pirates who settled modern Belize, which was then known as the Bay of Honduras. They became known as the Baymen. The earliest date that we know of Baymen being in Belize is 1670. IN 1682, GOVERNOR LYNCH OF JAMAICA SENT A CAPTAIN COXEN TO BELIZE WITH SHIPS, TO TAKE AWAY THE BAYMEN, BUT THEN COXEN AND HIS MEN BECAME AMOURED WITH THE PIRATE’S LIFESTYLE, MUTINIED AND BECAME PRIVATEERS! The Baymen, of course, led a wild life; drinking binges could last a week. They were known to spout off all manner of swear-words and blasphemies, and their ways horrified the captains who visited them. in 1682, Governor Lynch of Jamaica sent a Captain Coxen to Belize with ships, to take away the Baymen, but then Coxen and his men became amoured with the Pirtate’s lifestyle, mutinied and became privateers! In 1739, the armistice ended when some Spanish soldiers cut off the ear of Robert Jenkins, an English captain. When he took the ear back home, pickled, and showed it to the House of Commons, thus began “The War of Jenkins Ear” between England and Spain which raged until 1748. The Baymen had developed their own constitution of sorts by 1765, called Burnaby’s Code, named after Admiral William Burnaby, commander-in-chief of Jamaica at the time. The final battle between the Baymen and the Spanish was on September 10, 1798, took place just off the coast of Belize City where the Baymen had a settlement on a small island, St. George’s Caye, which would become the first capital of Belize. The anniversary of which is celebrated as a national holiday, The Battle of St. George’s Caye Day, in Belize every year.

(1) Queen Anne’s Revenge Found

 http://www.blackbeardthepirate.com/Recovery1.htm

(2)Pirates of  Belize by Journalist  Dalton Gonzales – Reprinted by permission from Author – there is an email link on the site below if you would like to contact Dalton Gonzales

http://www.caribpro.com/Caribbean_Property_Magazine/index.php?pageid=252

(3)Ocracoke Island North Carolina where Blackbeard met his fate

 http://www.ocracoke-nc.com/blackbeard/