A few folks had some thoughts about my recent Blackbeard post. Some took issue with me “romanticizing” a pirate, while others grumbled that it wasn’t North Carolina-focused. That last one? Truly baffling—Blackbeard is the quintessential North Carolinian. But I digress.
Clearly, those folks don’t know me—because if they did, they’d know just how delightfully petty I can be. Don’t like Blackbeard? Upset that the NC Queen dared to talk about North Carolina history found in Virginia? Bless. I reckon I’ll just have to do it again.
Which brings me to today’s post: why every North Carolinian should visit Raleigh Tavern in Williamsburg.
Built sometime before 1735, Raleigh Tavern was named for Sir Walter Raleigh, the man behind England’s first attempt at colonizing the New World on Roanoke Island. A lead bust of Raleigh sat above the entrance door.
For over a century—until an arsonist burned it down in 1859—Raleigh Tavern played host to some of the most legendary figures in American history. George Washington? Thomas Jefferson? Patrick Henry? All of them dined and danced in the Apollo Room.
This wasn’t just a place for drinking and merriment; it was a hub of political defiance. In response to Governor Botetourt dissolving the House of Burgesses, Virginians gathered here to adopt the Non-Importation Agreement, boycotting British goods. And in 1773, Patriots met within these very walls to establish the intercolonial committees of correspondence—the backbone of the American Revolution.
Thankfully, this history wasn’t lost to the sands of time because the tavern was reconstructed in 1931 on its original foundation, marking the opening of Colonial Williamsburg.
Now, what does any of this have to do with North Carolina or Blackbeard? Nothing. I’m just setting the stage. Work with me, people.
The connection between Raleigh Tavern and North Carolina runs deeper than just the name Raleigh. According to legend, the tavern and North Carolina share something else—Blackbeard himself.
But how? Blackbeard died in 1718—long before Raleigh Tavern was established.
Wait for it…
As we covered in Blackbeard’s Point, Blackbeard was beheaded by Virginians, who displayed his severed head on a spike along the Hampton River—a grim warning to would-be pirates. Some claim it remained there for years, a morbid trophy of Virginia’s victory over the infamous outlaw.
But what happened to it after that? Was it returned to North Carolina for a proper burial? Come on now! Y’all know better than that. We know what Virginia thought about us back then.
According to reputable sources, Blackbeard’s skull didn’t just vanish—it was repurposed. Antiquarian John F. Watson wrote that the “skull was made into the bottom part of a very large punch bowl, called the Infant, which was long used as a drinking vessel at Raleigh Tavern in Williamsburg. It was enlarged with silver, or silver plated; and I have seen those whose forefathers have spoken of their drinking punch from it, with a silver ladle appurtenant to that bowl.”
Could this possibly be true? Watson wasn’t alone in his claims. Historian John Esten Cooke, writing in Virginia in 1903, also stated that the cup was still preserved in the state at the time.
Countless others have repeated the rumor, but today, the mysterious cup’s whereabouts are unknown.
So, is it possible that Blackbeard—North Carolina’s most infamous son—had his final resting place not in the sandbanks of Ocracoke, but in a silver-rimmed punch bowl at Raleigh Tavern?
Well, I’d say that’s a story worth toasting to.
Raise a glass, y’all.
Great story! I truly believe this could have happened with his head! Thanks for the knowledge!
Blackbeard was awesome, and a staple in North Carolina, I grew up hearing all kinds of stories about him. People lack mystery these days, it’s all fact fact fact, which we all know is a glorified word for opinion.
Keep at it!
❤️
Love maritime history
Nice story; one that interested me enough to do book reports on it, years ago (over ,5 century). I thought that I’d add; most of us in the south whose descendants came here as immigrants early in US history, came through Virginia. People immigrated to Virginia mostly for a chance at good money; people immigrated to Massachusetts for religious reasons mostly. I had kin at Roanoke and kin at Jamestown, who died early. I have direct kin who were on Jamestown Muster roles in the 1620’s. Most of my kin and there were several of my top 4 surnames, were granted land in VA through King James, Charles, George…. Some ended up with a good deal of VA land without people to take care of it or even clear it. That took slaves; like those of Washington and Jefferson. One 9th GGgranddad was a blacksmith who had acquired about 1500 acres of granted lands and he was fairly poor. Stuff to clear and work on but nothing to do with it. His grandkids gave it away mostly and moved to NC for more land grants. Poor working farmers with land that is just there. Others kept digging to more southern states, mostly through NC, for more land and chances for their families. Most who moved on were in NC for a generation or 2 or more. I own land in Wake County that my 6th GGgranddad got as a 300 acre grant from King George (pre-1780); the land is in its 3rd county. When Blackbeard sank Queen Anne’s Revenge, he got a “ROYAL pardon”. The dude was from Bristol, England, where most of my kin came from. Just adding to an interesting story.
I always loved history; my dad was a US History teacher, in high school. I always thought history was about the people in the books but when I did my DNA, Ancestry and studied my people, I found out history is about US. Some in those books are us. I have kin that were on the Governor’s Council for Jamestown, Commander of James City, etc. One who Captioned many different ships to America, bringing food, animals and people. I learned much more history after schooling was done. Some got rich and more struggled.