9. Blackbeard's Home

Blackbeard, America's most famous pirate, was born in Bristol in 1680.

His gang was 400 strong and he sailed in a huge slave ship he named
Queen Anne's Revenge, a ship he captured from a French captain in 1717.

He was killed near Okracoke Island, North Carolina, in 1718.

Captain Charles Johnson tells us that Edward was born in Bristol. Probably the son of a sailor who had sailed out of Jamaica for several years and had returned to Bristol in about 1680 where his son was born. 

Young Edward Thatch grew up in the streets around the river docks and the sea was in his blood. He probably lived in the congested Redcliffe area just a few yards from the working waterfront.    

The Thatch family was not poor; Edward received some education and he was later able to read and write.  

One legend has it that Edward Thatch’s father died in Bristol in 1693 and his mother re-married soon after. The man she married hated his step-son and beat him unmercifully on numerous occasions. After one beating, at the age of 16, Edward turned the tables on his step-father and nearly beat him to death.  

He had no choice but to leave home, and he ran to the Bristol docks, where he signed on as a cabin boy on a ship bound for Jamaica.

In 1699 Edward Thatch may have been working as a sailor on ships sailing from Port Royal, the huge natural harbor that is Jamaica’s main port. Port Royal was rebuilding from the devastating 1692 earthquake and marine commerce was booming. Some 250 ships sailed into Port Royal harbor every year. This was second only to Boston, Massachusetts in British-America. 

Edward Thatch may have sailed on merchant ships sailing between Port Royal and the other islands and the American Main. He is known to have visited Philadelphia many times.

Blackbeard's ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge.  

For 5 years she served as a large slave ship, Le Concorde des Nantes. 

Blackbeard captured the ship in November 1717 off Martinique. It had 540 slaves on board. All were put ashore on a small island with the crew. 

on the death of Edwards father lost at sea in a storm off Jamacia on a Berkeley ship she decided to move into the city and joined the staff of Thos. Saunders who captained the Berkeley Galley on 20 slaving voyages at Nos 10 to12 Guinea St . Edward her only child was well educated in the wick hamlet and had befriended the Quaker colony at Frenchay village on the Frome, which later in life was offer him refuge on the other side of the world. 

The only surviving houses of the period can be seen here in a queen anne stle after which as theinfamous blackbeard he was to name his formidable flagship. The queen annes revenge which has recently been discovered lying complete in shallow water off the american coast where he was decapitated by the royal navy in 1717  

The three properties were later to become St. Marys hospital which later moved to the bottom of Guinea St. You can see his face as a gargoyle decoration on the upper floor. the basement led directly into the 3 miles of caves under Redcliffe and were used as access it being too dangerous to travel at pavement level at dark  

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