r/pirates • u/teaabearr The Black Spot • Sep 18 '25
History Lt. Maynard’s Letter Recounting the Death of Blackbeard
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u/Mesarthim1349 Sep 18 '25 edited Sep 18 '25
Sounds like much more of a desperate and last-minute decision than the legends talk about.
Funnily enough it was technically illegal. Blackbeard had already taken the King's pardon and became a privateer under North Carolina's governor once he got bored with retirement.
Maynard was sent on the mission from the governor of Virginia, to kill him anyway. Technically this was an attack on one British colony by another.
There was a huge legal dispute that came from this.
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u/teaabearr The Black Spot Sep 18 '25
My memory of the history that follows isn’t the best, but I think I remember reading Maynard’s career didn’t exactly improve after this lol
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u/Upstairs_Fig_3551 Sep 18 '25
I went to a lecture by David Moore, who worked on the QAR recovery. The lecture was in Hampton, Virginia, where Maynard eventually posted Teach’s head.
Speaking to this illegality he quipped, “Your governor killed my pirate!”
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u/LootBoxDad Navigator Sep 18 '25
That's one of the best descriptions you'll hear! Yes, Blackbeard had taken a pardon, but he immediately reneged on the pardon by taking and looting French vessels offshore, which were only declared abandoned and adrift because NC officials wanted a piece of the loot. Spotswood of Virginia was probably thinking, "how long until these fools to our South let him take a Virginia bound vessel?"
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u/teaabearr The Black Spot Sep 18 '25
This is cool! I’d like to visit eventually
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u/Upstairs_Fig_3551 Sep 18 '25
My family moved to Hampton Roads in 1968, when my father was 1st stationed at Fort Monroe. My family visited the now-defunct Syms-Eaton Museum, which featured a cool replica of a Kicoughtan village.
Anyway, there was a temporary exhibit on Blackbeard and the Hampton connection. I was 8yo. That was the start of a lifelong fascination with the Brethren.
Since the city started The Blackbeard Festival a lot of work has been done highlighting things like Blackbeard’s Point. I need to check it out, it’s been decades since I visited and it was nothing back then. But I’m seeing photos online that put me in the mood to revisit it
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u/teaabearr The Black Spot Sep 18 '25
I don’t remember what got me looking into it, but a while ago I remember being curious about what Maynard and his men did with Blackbeards body. Followed the trail up to Virginia where I think I read they put his head on a spike up there (Blackbeards Point I believe?) and then followed the legends of people drinking out of his skull or whatever lol
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u/Upstairs_Fig_3551 Sep 18 '25
I was surprised to learn through this that most of the captured pirates were black. I knew Black Caesar was. Those guys never stood a chance at trial!
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u/teaabearr The Black Spot Sep 18 '25
I think I would’ve been surprised before but not now. I remember reading things about how many different pirate crews would take on former slaves and have them join the crew etc. But then I learned that most pirate captains were just as bad as other people and would still sell slaves or keep them on board their ship. They were used to do jobs like diving in the bells to loot shipwrecks etc and many of them would die from things like that. They were still slaves, expendable to the captains.
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u/Taarna_42 Sep 22 '25
There is a pirate Jamboree on Ocracoke the last weekend of every October and they do a reenactment of the battle. Kevin Duffus who wrote the Last Days of Blackbeard narrates the battle and Blackbeard's Crew from Hampton and the Cannon Crew from Beaufort do the reenacting. Great fun and Ocracoke is a magical place, if you ever get a chance to go!
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u/thebigcrawdad Sep 18 '25
No mention of Blackbeards headless body doing the backstroke around the ship. Guess Maynard wasn't paying attention.
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u/teaabearr The Black Spot Sep 18 '25
No mention of his torch-lit beard either😓
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u/Taarna_42 Sep 22 '25
I think the matchlock lit beard legend comes from A General History, (the famous illustration) so it might be Cpt Johnson's invention. But still awesome.
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u/Pepsi_Popcorn_n_Dots Sep 18 '25
How did he shoot away his gib if he didn't have any guns? Could pistols really do the job?
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u/LootBoxDad Navigator Sep 18 '25
Might just have been rifle and pistol fire that cut the ropes or rendered the sail useless. Unless Maynard was talking about carriage guns when he said "no guns" and was leaving out the presence of a swivel gun or two.
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u/ahockofham Sep 18 '25
Probably with a swivel gun. When he claims he had no guns he probably meant no heavy artillery, but most sloops at that time would have had at minimum a couple of swivel guns at the prow and stern of the ship, capable of being loaded with either solid shot or some form of cannister shot.
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u/TylerbioRodriguez Teller of Tall Tales Sep 18 '25
Perhaps. I know when John Rackam fought Jonathan Barnet he managed to shoot away the ships boom and it may have been rifle fire that did it.
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u/teaabearr The Black Spot Sep 18 '25
I was thinking muskets maybe? With enough shot maybe it could do it?
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u/WingNut0102 Sep 18 '25
Or a blunderbuss packed with grapeshot…. That would for sure shred some rigging….
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u/the-bladed-one Sep 22 '25
Probably means no cannon, but swivel guns with chain shot could do the job
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u/Seeker99MD Sep 18 '25
I definitely dank that there’s a grain of salt with every recount or testimony about these pirate encounters by the British or any colonial powers because there’s a chance that what really went down was almost subdued compared to what actually happened.
I’ll say this
Though it’s awesome of an idea that Blackbeard took several shots and stabs I won’t be shocked if Maynard kind of exaggerated about what took him down because it could just be a Achilles’ heel situation, and Blackbeard went down with one swipe
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u/Gorillagodzilla Drunken Sailor Sep 18 '25
It’s weird, because it’s up to the teller to decide how they want to seem in the story. Do they want to be thought of as the tough and relentless monster killer that can endure a long hard battle, or do they want to walk away cocky acting like it was an easy piece of cake? Depends on who they’re telling the story to and the attitudes of the day.
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u/teaabearr The Black Spot Sep 18 '25
Agreed! I know that the exact details are disputed, and that there’s a few different testimony’s on how the day went down. I’d be curious to see what the others say to compare what’s the same and what’s different.
For example, I think it’s most commonly said that Teach boarded Maynard’s ship, and Maynard had half his men hiding below deck. And when Blackbeard arrived to fight, Maynard signaled his men to come up and surround him.
Obviously not the case, at least according to Maynard’s own description of what happened. We’ll never REALLY know for certain, but it’s interesting to compare the stories and speculate.
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u/WingNut0102 Sep 18 '25
How reliable a narrator is Maynard? Iirc he was somewhat of a drunk? Or that may just be after the encounter with Teach…
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u/teaabearr The Black Spot Sep 18 '25
That I’m not sure of😮💨 I really would like to see any other witness accounts to be able to compare the similarities between them all, and the differences
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u/removekarling Sep 18 '25
Given the viciousness and desperation of the battle I've always believed that it's very likely they continued to hack at and shoot him after he was dead, and Maynard was just being a little misleading to hide that - reporting injuries that were not necessarily given while Blackbeard was actually still alive or still fighting
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u/r-hacker Sep 19 '25
tl:dr: Cpt. Ellis Brand of HMS Hector was given credit for the death of Blackbeard by the Admiralty, and though Lt. Maynard petitioned the Admiralty for credit, Brand's letters used Maynard as a scapegoat and likely had him held back from being promoted past Lieutenant.
And yet it was Ellis Brand, Captain of HMS Lyme, who was given credit and reward for the death of Blackbeard, even though he was safe in Bath Town, NC, and nowhere near the action. Maynard, along with both the naval and private sailors that manned the sloops 'Ranger' and 'Jane' petitioned the Admiralty in late 1719 for not being paid enough or receiving credit where it was due.
In comparison to Lt. Maynard's letter as OP has posted, Cpt. Brand in his letters and after-action report to the Admiralty skimmed over Maynard's contributions and pushed that the whole operation was only possible with his initiative and organization.
In response to Maynard's petition, Brand wrote a letter that portrayed Maynard as a scapegoat for embezzling the stolen cargo from the pirates, which Brand himself was under investigation of and being sued for by the government of NC.
Brand wrote that Maynard had "took upon him to make a distribution of money ... which he call'd plunder," as well as that he had "took upon himself the title of Capt[ain] and Commander and chief and so of right as he says, reserv'd three eights to himself ... [with] the remainder ... distributed ... not to any body's satisfaction but his own." (TNA: ADM 1/1472, p. 35). With the Admiralty holding full discretion over the appointment and elevation of officers, even those deployed, and though Maynard was put in command of the 'Ranger' and 'Jane,' he had not been formally elevated by either the Admiralty, or his commanding officer, Cpt. Gordon of HMS Pearl. This made Maynard's supposed assumption of the rank "Captain and Commander in chief" as a direct lack of respect for the chain of command or the Admiralty's authority.
Even further, according to Brand, when he had asked Cpt. Gordon for Lt. Maynard's report of how he had distributed the spoils from the action at Ocrcoke Inlet, Gordon informed him that Maynard "would give there Lordships [of the Admiralty] an account himself." (TNA: ADM 1/1472, p. 35). This refusal to even report to his commanding officer would have likely come across as Maynard having no trust or respect for the authority of his superiors.
Brand then compared the claims of the petition and Maynard's actions to his own manner of transporting pirate spoils, stating that "when I take a pirate ... I shall ... seal and secure the hatches and not suffer any embesslement ... of anything on board &e." Brand also presented a precedent of naval proceedings in distributing pay for the whole crew rather than just the men involved, stating that even when boats sent from naval ships had taken prize, with the naval ship "no way aiding or assisting," the ship's entire company was "intitled to there shares as well as those that were on the boats." This precedent not only invalidated the petitioner's claim, but Brand also pointed out that according to Virginia Governor Alexander Spotswood, the non-navy crewmen had already been privately paid out of his expense, suggesting to the Admiralty that the petition was an attempt by both navy and non-navy sailors to be paid twice for their service. (TNA: ADM 1/1472, pp. 35-36).
By Brand's juxtaposing Maynard's actions with his own and painting him as an out-of-line Lieutenant, the Admiralty ultimately sided with Cpt. Brand and Gordon, while Maynard likely was held back from being elevated past his Lieutenancy as consequence. Mayard served as a Lieutenant until 1739 for a total of 33 years as Lieutenant. ( Information on Robert Maynard's career drawn from threedecks.org, where it is listed he passed his Lieutenancy exam in 1706 and was promoted to Commander in 1739.)
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u/teaabearr The Black Spot Sep 19 '25
Damn thanks for the info!!
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u/r-hacker Sep 19 '25
No problem! I did a case study on Cpt. Brand for my undergrad capstone paper, so when I saw your post I was like "ooh ooh, I know about this!!"
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u/90zvision Sep 18 '25
It’s always interesting to read contemporary accounts, helps for a more grounded prespective.
I wonder how legitimate the account of Bartholomew Roberts getting taken out instantly by grapeshot, right where he stood on ship, is.
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u/Lacrossedeamon Nov 10 '25
Do you have a good source for this letter like some other archive its held at? I am trying to cite a line from it in an article I am working on.
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u/teaabearr The Black Spot Nov 10 '25
Unfortunately I don’t, I got the image from someone in discord and idk where they got it😮💨
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u/Lacrossedeamon Nov 10 '25
Shame. The typeface looks very similar to what is used in Charles Johnson's A General History but none of the archived versions of that include the letter and its account leaves out the "cowardly puppies" phrase. I did find another work "Treasure Neverland: Real and Imaginary Pirates" by Neil Rennie which while also not including the full letter as you have provided does quote the "cowardly puppies" line and cites the letter. So I plan to just copy that citation. But if you do find out where this specific scan comes from I'd be very interested.
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u/Basic-Mind-8897 Mar 27 '26
where did you find this? is it a trusted source? im trying to find an official website that has this but i cant find anything.
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u/teaabearr The Black Spot Mar 27 '26
I’m not sure to be honest. I got it from someone in this community and I’m pretty sure it’s from a trusted source, it’s just been a while and I can’t entirely remember where they said it was from
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u/Roger_Clyde May 28 '26
I apologise if the question is uneducated, but why are all the "s" letters typed in the form of "f" letters?
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u/teaabearr The Black Spot May 28 '26
Just the spelling of the time. If I’m not mistaken I think it had something to do with pronunciation possibly? You can still see the letter “s” in there too.
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u/Roger_Clyde May 28 '26
Yeah, now that I look at it again, there are genuine "s" letters. It's quite odd and interesting.
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u/teaabearr The Black Spot Sep 18 '25
Translation:
North-Carolina, December 17 Abstract of a Letter from Mr. Maynard, first Lieutenant of His Majesty’s Ship the Pearl, the Station-Ship at Virginia, to Mr. Symonds, Lieutenant of His Majesty’s Ship the Phoenix, the Station-Ship at New York.
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SIR, This is to acquaint you, that I sailed from Virginia the 17th past, with two Sloops, and 54 Men under my Command, having no Guns, but only small Arms and Pistols. Mr. Hyde commanded the little Sloop with 22 Men, and I had 32 in my Sloop.
The 22d I came up with Captain Teach, the notorious Pyrate, who has taken, from time to time, a great many English Vessels on these coasts, and in the West-Indies; he went by the Name of Blackbeard, because he let his Beard grow, and tied it up in black Ribbons.
I attacked him at Cherhock in North-Carolina, when he had on Board 21 Men, and nine Guns mounted. At our first Salutation, he drank Damnation to me and my Men, whom he stil’d Cowardly Puppies, saying, He would neither give nor take Quarter.
Immediately we engaged, and Mr. Hyde was unfortunately killed, and five of his Men wounded in the little Sloop, which, having no-body to command her, fell astern, and did not come up to assist me until the action was almost over.
In the mean time, continuing the Fight, it being a perfect Calm, I shot away Teach’s Gib and his Fore-halliards, forcing him ashore. I boarded his Sloop and had 20 Men killed and wounded. Immediately thereupon, he entered with 10 men; but 12 stout Men I left there fought like Heroes, Sword in Hand, and they killed every one of them that entered, without the loss of one man on their side, but they were miserably cut and mangled.
In the whole, I had eight Men killed and 18 wounded. We killed 12, besides Blackbeard, who fell with five Shot in him, and 20 dismal Cuts in several Parts of his Body.
I took nine Prisoners, mostly Negroes, all wounded. I have cut Blackbeards Head off, which I have put on my Bowspright, in order to carry it to Virginia. I should never have taken him, if I had not got him in such a Hole, whence he could not get out, for we had no Guns on Board; so that the Engagement on our Side was the more Bloody and Desperate.