Editing Blackbeard (section)

===Alexander Spotswood===
As it spread throughout the neighbouring colonies, the news of Teach and Vane's impromptu party worried the governor of Pennsylvania enough to send out two sloops to capture the pirates.<ref>{{Harvnb|Konstam|2007|pp=204–205}}</ref> They were unsuccessful, but Governor of Virginia [[Alexander Spotswood]] was also concerned that the supposedly retired freebooter and his crew were living in nearby North Carolina. Some of Teach's former crew had already moved into several Virginian seaport towns, prompting Spotswood to issue a proclamation on 10 July, requiring all former pirates to make themselves known to the authorities, to give up their arms and to not travel in groups larger than three. As head of a [[Crown colony]], Spotswood viewed the [[proprietary colony]] of North Carolina with contempt; he had little faith in the ability of the Carolinians to control the pirates, who he suspected would be back to their old ways, disrupting Virginian commerce, as soon as their money ran out.<ref>{{Harvnb|Lee|1974|pp=94–95}}</ref>

[[File:Queen Anne's Revenge model NCMH.jpg|thumb|right|A contemporary model of ''Queen Anne's Revenge'', displayed in the [[North Carolina Museum of History]].]]

Spotswood learned that William Howard, the former quartermaster of ''Queen Anne's Revenge'', was in the area, and believing that he might know of Teach's whereabouts had him and his two slaves arrested. Spotswood had no legal authority to have pirates tried,{{refn|Colonial governors were given the power to try pirates outside England by proclamation of [[William III of England|William III]] in 1702, but it had expired and Spotswood did not receive [[George I of Great Britain|George I]]'s new proclamation until December 1718.<ref>{{Harvnb|Konstam|2007|pp=205–206, 217}}</ref>|group="nb"}} and as a result, Howard's attorney, John Holloway, brought charges against Captain Brand of {{HMS|Lyme|1695|6}}, where Howard was imprisoned. He also sued on Howard's behalf for damages of £500, claiming wrongful arrest.<ref name="Leepp98101">{{Harvnb|Lee|1974|pp=98–101}}</ref>

Spotswood's council claimed that under a statute of [[William III of England|William III]] the governor was entitled to try pirates without a jury in times of crisis and that Teach's presence was a crisis. The charges against Howard referred to several acts of piracy supposedly committed after the pardon's cut-off date, in "a sloop belonging to ye subjects of the King of Spain", but ignored the fact that they took place outside Spotswood's jurisdiction and in a vessel then legally owned. Another charge cited two attacks, one of which was the capture of a slave ship off Charles Town Bar, from which one of Howard's slaves was presumed to have come. Howard was sent to await trial before a Court of Vice-Admiralty, on the charge of piracy, but Brand and his colleague, Captain Gordon (of {{HMS|Pearl|1708|6}}) refused to serve with Holloway present.{{refn|The two captains refused as Holloway was involved in the civil action.|group="nb"}} Incensed, Holloway had no option but to stand down, and was replaced by the [[Attorney General of Virginia]], John Clayton, whom Spotswood described as "an honester man [than Holloway]".<ref>{{Harvnb|Lee|1974|p=104}}</ref> Howard was found guilty and sentenced to be hanged, but was saved by a commission from London, which directed Spotswood to pardon all acts of piracy committed by surrendering pirates before 18 August 1718.<ref>{{cite book |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=1964 |title=Calendar of State Papers, Colonial series. America and West Indies, August 1717–Dec. 1718 |url=https://archive.org/details/calendarofstatep17171718grea  |publisher=[[Kraus Reprint]] |page=432}} ('''800''', 22 December 1718)</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Lee|1974|pp=104–105}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Konstam|2007|pp=205–207}}</ref>

Spotswood had obtained from Howard valuable information on Teach's whereabouts,<ref>{{Harvnb|Lee|1974|p=105}}</ref> and he planned to send his forces across the border into North Carolina to capture him.<ref>{{Harvnb|Lee|1974|p=106}}</ref> He gained the support of two men keen to discredit North Carolina's governor—Edward Moseley and Colonel Maurice Moore. He also wrote to the [[Board of Trade|Lords of Trade]], suggesting that the Crown might benefit financially from Teach's capture. Spotswood personally financed the operation, possibly believing that Teach had fabulous treasures hidden away. He ordered Captains Gordon and Brand of HMS ''Pearl'' and HMS ''Lyme'' to travel overland to Bath. Lieutenant [[Robert Maynard]] of HMS ''Pearl'' was given command of two commandeered sloops, to approach the town from the sea.{{refn|HMS ''Pearl'' and HMS ''Lyme'' drew too much water and were therefore unable to navigate the sandbars around Ocracoke.<ref>{{Harvnb|Konstam|2007|p=241}}</ref>|group="nb"}} An extra incentive for Teach's capture was the offer of a reward from the Assembly of Virginia, over and above any that might be received from the Crown.<ref>{{Harvnb|Lee|1974|pp=108–110}}</ref>

Maynard took command of the two armed sloops on 17 November.  He was given 57&nbsp;men—33&nbsp;from HMS ''Pearl'' and 24 from HMS ''Lyme''.  Maynard and the detachment from HMS ''Pearl'' took the larger of the two vessels and named her ''Jane''; the rest took ''Ranger'', commanded by one of Maynard's officers, a Mister Hyde.  Some from the two ships' civilian crews remained aboard.  They sailed from [[Kecoughtan, Virginia|Kecoughtan]], along the [[James River]], on 17 November.<ref>{{Harvnb|Konstam|2007|pp=242–244}}</ref> The two sloops moved slowly, giving Brand's force time to reach Bath.  Brand set out for North Carolina six days later, arriving within three miles of Bath on 23 November.  Included in Brand's force were several North Carolinians, including Colonel Moore and Captain Jeremiah Vail, sent to counter any local objection to the presence of foreign soldiers.  Moore went into the town to see if Teach was there, reporting back that he was not, but that he was expected at "every minute."  Brand then went to Governor Eden's home and informed him of his purpose.  The next day, Brand sent two canoes down [[Pamlico River]] to Ocracoke Inlet, to see if Teach could be seen.  They returned two days later and reported on what eventually transpired.<ref>{{Harvnb|Lee|1974|pp=111–112}}</ref>