Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum.

In the morning of November 22, 1718, the boarding is launched, a wild fight follows. The frightening pirate Blackbeard and Lieutenant Maynard of the Royal Navy meet themselves. They are engaged in a duel with the pistol. Blackbeard is hit. Then, they are in confrontation with the sabre, the Lieutenant's sabre breaks under the attacks of his terrible opponent. Blackbeard hurls on him to give the fatal blow, when a sailor strikes him a stab to his neck. Surmounting his pain, blood flooding on him everywhere, Blackbeard keeps on fighting courageously in spite of his multiple wounds...

What a poignant way to open this post on the terrible fight between the infamous pirate Blackbeard and Lieutenant Maynard!

This four part blog abounds in exciting true stories on pirates and privateers as well as useful maritime pirate information.

Part one is a general study of the life of a pirate around the start of the 18th Century. Of late I have been reading about pirates and Edward (Blackbeard) Teach in particular so I will use him as your archetypical pirate of the Caribbean.

Edward Teach is thought to have been born 1690 in Bristol, England. He served as a deckhand on an English Privateer during the War of the Spanish Succession but jumped ship in Jamaica and joined the pirate Captain Ben Hornigold from 1713 to 1716.

In 1717 Blackbeard captured the French ship St Vincent which he fitted out with 40 cannon, a crew of 150 men and renamed Queen Anne's Revenge. Within a short time Blackbeard became known as the "Terror of the Caribbean" with a small fleet and 300 men. In 1718 he attacked a heavily armed British warship, HMS Scarborough, winning the battle that lasted several hours, sending the Britisher in flight back to port. His reputation was sealed.

As well as the Caribbean Blackbeard raided along the Virginia and Carolina Coast. Finally the Governor of Virginia dispatched the warship HMS Pearl under the command of Lt Robert Maynard. The final outcome is as related above. Blackbeard died as the result of five bullet wounds and twenty stab wounds. Maynard suspended Blackbeard's head from the bow of his Flagship. It was later displayed on a pole at the mouth Hampton River as a deterrent.

Most people think of pirate Captains as ruthless and having absolute rule however most pirate ships operated under a very democratic system. All men were treated as equal. Skin colour, religion or ethnic origin were of little importance. The Captain and senior positions was elected by the crew and all decisions except those made during battle or in pursuit of treasure were voted on by the crew. During battle the Captain had sole authority.

They also had a Code of Conduct. The following are the rules worked out by the crew who served under pirate Captain Bartholomew Roberts. They are included in a book entitled "General History of the Pyrates" by Charles Johnson, published in 1724.

1. Every man has the right to vote on all decisions to be made, and everyone has the same right to fresh food and spirits.
2. Any man who steals from his comrades shall be marooned.
3. Nobody shall game for money, either with dice or cards.
4. Lights and candles must be extinguished at eight o'clock in the evening. If crew members want to continue drinking after this time, they should do it on deck.
5. Weapons, pistols and cutlasses must be kept clean and operational at all times.
6. No women or boys may board. Whoever lures a woman on board and takes her to sea in disguise shall forfeit his life.
7. Whoever leaves the ship or his post during a battle shall be punished by death or whipping.
8. Scrapping is banned aboard. Any disputes shall be settled on Land.
9. Anyone who loses a limb during a battle shall receive an extra share of the booty.
10. The Captain and the Quartermaster shall each receive two shares of the booty; the Mate, Chief Gunner, and Bo'sun One and a half shares; Officers one and a quarter shares, and all other crew members one share each.

Unlike the ships of the regular Navies it was standard on most pirate ships for wounded crew to receive an additional purse. Pirate Veterans who were no longer able to fight enjoyed a pension and surviving dependants were supported.

The life of a pirate was tough but the rewards and benefits could be great.

In the next series of posts I shall cover weapons, pirate flags, battle tactics, female pirates and other good stuff.

Until then; Stay good and be kind to each other.