300th Anniversary of the Demise of Blackbeard
Thanksgiving Day just happened to mark the 300th anniversary of one of the most historical “battles” to have ever occurred in North Carolina. While certainly not of the same magnitude of Guilford Courthouse or Bentonville, the ultimate demise of Blackbeard the Pirate came to pass in Ocracoke Inlet on November 22nd of 1718.
Given the perpetual interest regarding pirates in general (and Blackbeard in particular), the Richmond Observer offers a series of articles chronicling the life and times of arguably the most recognized (if not indeed the most nefarious) pirate of all time. This is the twelfth segment.
Blackbeard Part XII: Take It to the Grave
The political aftermath of the “Blackbeard situation” proved quite interesting in and of itself. Virginia Governor Spotswood was cited as having acted without any legal authority to “invade” the Province of North Carolina, but defended his actions effectively. He appealed to Lord Carteret, the predominant shareholder of the Province of North Carolina, offering an equitable share of the monies derived from the sale of the seized property. Spotswood also contended that his actions were condoned by the king himself, and that the operation was kept secret from the Carolina authorities because “Eden could contribute nothing to the Success of the Design.”
Governor Eden continued to suffer through the proceedings subsequent to the demise of Blackbeard. He was the target of heavy scrutiny and criticism in conjunction with the situation and was almost certainly embarrassed by the turn of events. However, he was able to overcome direct accusations of having been in actual collusion with the pirate.
So, too, was the case for Secretary Tobias Knight. Spotswood claimed to have evidence to explicitly implicate Knight as a willing partner in the pirate’s operations. The letter found in Blackbeard’s cabin and subsequent pirate testimony indicated that Tobias Knight had himself met with Blackbeard on board the pirate’s ship in August and had later entertained Teach and some of his crew at Knight’s home in Bath, receiving gifts from Blackbeard at the time. The “gifts” were allegedly part of the plunder from the French ship that Blackbeard had “found” floating freely at sea.
Eden had no choice but to bring Knight in for official questioning. This occurred on 4 April 1719 but Knight, though sick and close to death, defended himself adequately. He cited North Carolina law as disavowing any testimony from a black (one of the primary accusers was a Negro), and that Israel Hands had been coerced and forced under duress to render his comments. Knight further contended that the sugar and other supplies stored in his barn were in fact legal commodities and that Teach had visited in the capacity of an honest merchant under color of the king’s pardon. Knight was eventually exonerated, but died soon after.
Governor Eden himself was never directly charged with any improprieties, but he continued to hold Governor Spotswood in contempt. It was Eden’s contention (and seemingly with proper legal cause) that, despite the “ends justify the means” position of Spotswood, the entire operation was beyond the auspices and rights of the Virginia governor, and that the seized goods were the legal property of North Carolina, regardless of how they were originally procured.
Ultimately, though, no definitive closure of the case was ever achieved. The arguments continued until Eden’s death from yellow fever on 17 March 1722. He left a substantial portion of his holdings to John Holloway, a staunch opponent of Spotswood, evidently hoping to facilitate continuation of the battle even from the grave. Something worked for Eden because later that same year Spotswood was deposed as governor, primarily due to the Blackbeard controversy.
