Pirates ahoy!!

Our Class are preparing for a Pirate oral, based on their own researched written task, about their chosen pirate...a few have chosen Edward Teach, also known as the infamous "Blackbeard". Other choises have been Mary Read and Anne Bonny, Henry Morgan and Jack Rackam.

Edward Teach or Thatch (lived from 1680 to November 22, 1718), better known as Blackbeard, was a notorious English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of the American colonies.

Teach was most likely born in Bristol, England. Little is known about his early life, but in 1716 he joined the crew of Benjamin Hornigold, a pirate who operated from the Caribbean island of New Providence. He quickly gained his own ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, and from 1717–1718 became a notorious and feared pirate. His cognomen was derived from his thick black beard and fearsome appearance; he was reported to have tied lit fuses under his hat to frighten his enemies.

After separating from Hornigold, Teach formed an alliance of pirates, and with his cohorts blockaded the port of Charleston, South Carolina. After successfully ransoming the port's inhabitants, he reportedly ran his ship aground, left with a small crew, and accepted a royal pardon. He was soon back at sea however, where he attracted the attention of the Governor of Virginia, Alexander Spotswood.

Spotswood arranged for a party of soldiers and sailors to find and capture the pirate, which they did on 22 November 1718. During a ferocious battle, Teach was killed by a small force of sailors led by Lieutenant Robert Maynard.