Edward Teach the Privateer for Kids ***

1: Edward Teach was born in Bristol around 1680.

2: He spent some time sailing on privateers.

3: Despite uncommon boldness and personal courage, he was never promoted to command a ship.

4: It’s believed that he became a pirate towards the end of 1716.

5: Edward Teach became known as Blackbeard as he'd grown a large black beard which covered a large part of his face. He was known to twist the beard into small tails and tie them with ribbons.

6: He would light slow match fuses and hang them from under his hat. The resulting smoke and sparks made him look menacing.

7: He wore three braces (pairs) of pistols in a sash across his body.

8: The first command Edward Teach had, as a pirate, was of a sloop that he was put onto by Captain Benjamin Hornigold, who he'd served under for a while. Samuel 'Black Sam' Bellamy also sailed with Hornigold at this time.

9: He worked with Hornigold until early 1718 when Hornigold accepted the general pardon for pirates that had been offered by King George l (dated 5th September 1717 to last until 5th September 1718).

10: In November 1717, Edward Teach captured the French ship 'La Concorde' and renamed it 'Queen Anne’s Revenge'. To strengthen its fire power, he added 40 cannons.

11: He came across a 10 gun sloop commanded by Major Stede Bonnet. On discovering Bonnet was an sailor that lacked experience, Edward Teach, with consent from his crew, placed Captain Richards in command of Bonnet’s sloop. He then took Bonnet aboard his own ship stating that he could live easy at his pleasure, and would not be obliged to perform any duties.

12: After plundering five ships in the bay of Honduras, he let three of them go. He burned the remaining two, one because he spited the owner, the other because it was from Boston, and some men had recently been hung there for piracy.

13: Edward Teach blockaded Charles Town, Carolina, taking many ships and prisoners. He sent a few pirates, and a prisoner, to the government of the province to demand a chest of medicine. The government gave in to his demands, and having plundered the ships, he released them and the prisoners.

14: His Company consisted of the Queen Anne’s Revenge and three sloops, when he decided to abandon it, keeping the best of the money and plunder. Faking an accident, he ran the Queen Anne's Revenge aground and ordered one of the others to give assistance. In doing so, the other ship also ran aground. He transferred to another of the ships with around forty hands and sailed to an island where he marooned seventeen of them.

15: He sailed to North Carolina where he accepted the King’s general pardon from the Governor Charles Eden.

16: During this time he bigamously married, what was believed to be his fourteenth wife. It was also believed that twelve of his wives were still alive.

17: Governor Charles Eden gave him one of the ships he had taken as a pirate. This was the beginning of a partnership which would see Edward Teach returning to piracy and sharing his spoils with the Governor.

18: In June 1718 he headed to Bermuda and met two or three English ships. He only took the provisions he required from them before letting them go.

19: Near Bermuda, he encountered two French ships, one was empty the other loaded with Sugar and Cocoa. He set the crew of the loaded ship onto the empty ship then took the loaded ship back to North Carolina, where he divided the spoils with a share going to the Governor and another to the Governor’s Secretary.

20: He set the French ship alight in a river to destroy any evidence of this deed.

21: He spent three or four months in the river. At times he would trade with other ships and sometimes he would pillage them. He acted similarly with the local planters. It was said that he also took liberties with their wives.

22: Knowing Edward Teach was in league with Governor Eden, complaints against him were made to the Governor of Virginia. This resulted in a Proclamation offering rewards for capturing or killing pirates.

23: The Proclamation, dated 14th November 1718, specified a reward of one hundred pounds for Edward Teach.

24: A Lieutenant Robert Maynard, of the Royal Navy, was secretly dispatched by the Virginian Governor, with two sloops to deal with the pirate. Maynard finally encountered him on 22nd November 1718, and after boarding Maynard’s ship, Edward Teach was shot by Maynard but continued to fight.

25: He finally fell after being shot five times and receiving 20 other wounds.

26: His head was severed from his body and mounted on the bowsprit of Maynard's ship. The remainder of his body was thrown overboard.