Robert Maynard

Robert Maynard
Capture of the Pirate, Blackbeard, 1718, Jean Leon Gerome Ferris
Born	(1684-09-19)19 September 1684 Dartford, Kent, Kingdom of England
Died	4 January 1751(1751-01-04) (aged 66) Great Mongeham, Kent, England, Kingdom of Great Britain
Buried	St Martin's Church
Allegiance	Kingdom of Great Britain
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Rank	Captain
Commands	HMS Cumberland HMS Sheerness HMS Antelope HMS Russell HMS Ipswich
Battles/wars	War of the Austrian Succession Attack on Chagres Battle of Cartagena de Indias Invasion of Cuba
Spouse(s)	Ann Johnson Maynard
Relations	Margaret Mitchell (sister) Thomas Maynard (brother)

Robert Maynard (19 September 1684 – 4 January 1751) was a British Royal Navy officer. Little is known about Maynard's early life, other than that he was born in England in 1684 and then later joined the English Navy. He was made a lieutenant in January 1707, and by 1709 was the third lieutenant on HMS Bedford.

In November 1718, Maynard was tasked with hunting down and capturing the notorious pirate Blackbeard. While leading HMS Pearl, Maynard lured Blackbeard into attacking his ship off the coast of North Carolina, and in the ensuing struggle Maynard and his crew killed Blackbeard. Expecting to be rewarded for his actions, Maynard was never fully compensated or paid for the expedition. He was eventually promoted to commander in 1739, and to captain in 1740, before dying at the age of 66 in his home county of Kent, England.