Blackbeard

Blackbeard, d. 1718, English pirate. His name was probably Edward Teach, Thatch, or Thach. He probably began as a privateer in the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–14), then turned pirate. In 1716–18 he preyed on shipping and coastal settlements of the West Indies and the Atlantic coast of North America, becoming notorious for cruelty. His headquarters were in the Bahamas and the Carolinas. The governor of North Carolina shared some of the booty, but despite his protection Blackbeard was killed by a British force from Virginia. Legend has romanticized Blackbeard; his ship, found near Beaufort, N.C., in 1996, is key to a tourist "Pirate's Trail."

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Blackbeard

 orig. Edward Teach

(born , Bristol?, Eng.—died Nov. 22, 1718, Ocracoke Island, North Carolina) English pirate. He was probably a privateer in the West Indies until 1716. With his 40-gun warship, he preyed on shipping off the Virginia and Carolina coasts, sharing his prizes with the governor of the North Carolina colony in return for protection. He was eventually killed by a British naval force, and his head, with its great black beard, was affixed to the end of his bowsprit. According to legend, he left a great buried treasure; it has never been found and probably never existed.

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Blackbeard

nickname of pirate, Edward Teach (d. 1718). [Am. Hist.: Hart, 84]

See : Cruelty

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Blackbeard (Edward Teach,

d. 1718) colorful, albeit savage, corsair. [Br. Hist.: Jameson, 495]

See : Piracy