Edward Robinson

Arrr! Edward Robinson be a figure shrouded in mystery, lost among the legends of the Golden Age alongside Bonnet, Blackbeard, and their ilk. The tale of the Newcastle Pirate begins where the River Tyne kisses the Newcastle Quayside, beneath the shadow of the mighty Tyne Bridge and the brew-darkened waters of the River Tyne.

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In Robinson's time, the Tyne bustled with the comings and goings of ships, their bows nestled tight along the quays, while others charted their course through the bustling shipping lanes to and fro the North Sea. Customs boats prowled the waters, ever vigilant for smugglers and rogues, whilst navy warships stood sentinel against the scourge of piracy and privateering. The newspapers of yore were filled with tales of ships lost to enemies near the Tyne's mouth, painting a perilous picture of the mariner's life.

Three centuries hence, Newcastle has transformed, and the River Tyne no longer pulses with the city's heartbeat. Yet echoes of Robinson's time linger among the timeworn buildings and ale-soaked taverns. Though the Old Tyne Bridge, his likely crossing, has succumbed to the ravages of flood, relics like Bessie Surtees' House stand as silent witnesses to days long past.

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As local lore tells it, Robinson drew his first breath in the Beehive, now known as the Red House, a den of debauchery where his mother toiled as a lady of the night. Tales speak of his upbringing amidst the clink of tankards and the haze of pipe smoke. Yet darker deeds were afoot, for it's said he committed murder in the White-Hart Inn, a stone's throw from the river's edge. The victim's fate: a blade to the neck, followed by a watery grave.

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But truth be as elusive as the horizon at sea. Records are scarce, and the story of Robinson's flight from justice may be but a whisper on the wind. Was he a common criminal or a desperate soul driven to piracy by circumstance? Clues emerge from the annals of maritime history, where an Edward Robinson once helmed the Concord, a vessel that sailed the waves from Europe to America.

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Could this be the same Robinson who found himself ensnared in the clutches of piracy aboard La Concorde, rechristened Queen Anne's Revenge by the infamous Blackbeard? The line between fact and fiction blurs, yet one name stands firm in the annals of piracy: Edward Robinson, late of Newcastle upon Tyne, a man whose deeds were as murky as the waters he sailed.

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The search for truth sails on, propelled by the winds of curiosity and the tide of history. In Charleston, South Carolina, court records whisper of Robinson's trials and tribulations, weaving a tapestry of adventure and danger. Though his fate may be lost to the ages, the legend of the Newcastle Pirate endures, a testament to the enduring allure of the high seas and the rogues who roam them.