Bristol is known to have an exciting and dangerous history with pirates. The unique historical heritage of the city is just one reason why people regularly enquire to letting agents. Bristol is, in fact, the 7th biggest district in England.

The stories of the history of Bristol always keeps children fascinated. It had such strong links with the sea, and was a key player in the trade of slavery and tobacco, which meant it was particularly vulnerable to piracy. Whilst piracy at the time was illegal, the practice of privateering wasn’t. The difference between a private and a privateer is that the privateer was supposed to have a ‘letter of Marque’ from the government with allowed them to attack and steal from ships belonging to certain countries.

In fact, it’s believed that the famous pirate Blackbeard was born near the old harbour in Bristol. The most successful pirate ever – Bartholomew Roberts, who captured 456 vessels in four years – was born in Bristol also. Bartholomew Roberts was killed in a battle against HMS Swallow, which was specially commissioned to capture pirates. He was buried at sea so his body would never be captured, in accordance with his dying wish.

However, Bristol wasn’t always a breeding ground for pirates. It played a significant role in the demise of piracy too. Governor Woodes Rogers was a famous privateer born in Bristol, who is most famous for rescuing Alexander Selkirk from Juan Fernandez Island, where he was marooned for over five years. After ousting Blackbeard as magistrate of the ‘Privateers Republic’, he took steps to suppress piracy. According to local legend, when Selkirk was rescued and taken back to Bristol, he met author Daniel Defoe and provided inspiration for his character Robinson Crusoe.

In fact, much of Bristol’s architecture is closely linked with pirating and privateering, which is a delight to any pirate fans. Queen Square remains much as it was hundreds of years ago, and the money that piracy generated is said to have paid to build the majority of buildings around the harbour. You never know, when flat hunting you could get a tour from a letting agent of an old pirate home.