Charles Eden

Charles Eden (* 1673 in County Durham , England ; † March 26, 1722 in what later became Bertie County , Province of North Carolina ) was a British colonial governor of the Province of North Carolina.

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Charles Eden came from a family in West Auckland in County Durham, England. From this family came Sir Robert Eden (1741–1784), who was to become the British governor of the Province of Maryland . Not much is known about his youth and training. In 1713 he was named the new governor of the Province of North Carolina by Queen Anne . There he replaced Thomas Pollock on May 28, 1714 . At the same time he was given land there, which he later sold again. At the beginning of his tenure as governor of North Carolina, the Tuscarora War was still in full swing. The fighting did not end until February 1715. Subsequently, his colony was also involved in the Yamasee War . In the longstanding religious conflict in the colony between members of the Church of England and the Quakers , the Anglican Eden sided with the Church of England. However, the Quakers were granted certain rights that had previously been withheld from them. Eden also tried to promote the internal stability of the colony. To this end, a total of 61 laws were passed during his tenure. At that time there was also a border conflict with the neighboring colony of Virginia , which Eden tried to resolve through negotiations. These efforts were unsuccessful during his tenure.

But Eden was best known for its role in the fight against pirates, which is still controversial among historians . It was then that leading pirates like Stede Bonnet and the infamous Blackbeard were captured. However, there was suspicion that Eden had worked with the pirates, especially Blackbeard, and accepted loot from them. That Blackbeard was pardoned and released from custody by Eden was seen as something in return from Eden. After a few weeks, Blackbeard returned to piracy. Piracy remained a problem in the years that followed. As no clear evidence could be produced against the governor regarding an illegal relationship with the pirates, complaints against him were unsuccessful. The suspicion of cooperation with the pirates against him persists with some historians to this day. Eden remained governor of the Province of North Carolina until his death. Subsequently, his predecessor Thomas Pollock also succeeded him in this office.

Web links

• Charles Eden in the database of Find a Grave (English)
• Charles Eden in the North Carolina History Project
• Charles Eden in NCpedia
• Charles Eden at Carolana.Com