Henry Jennings facts for kids
Henry Jennings (died possibly 1745) was an English privateer from Bermuda in the 1700s. He was active during the War of the Spanish Succession. Later, he became a leader of the pirate haven known as the "Republic of Pirates" in New Providence.
Jennings' first known act of piracy happened in early 1716. With three ships and many men, his fleet attacked a Spanish camp. This camp was salvaging treasure from the 1715 Treasure Fleet that had sunk. After this raid in Florida, Jennings and his crew also joined up with Benjamin Hornigold's group of pirates from New Providence Island. From 1716 for about a year and a half, Jennings sailed during the Golden Age of Piracy. He sailed with famous pirates like "Black Sam" Bellamy.
Quick facts for kids
Henry Jennings
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| Died | unknown, possibly 1745 |
| Nationality | English |
| Citizenship | British |
| Occupation | Privateer-turned-pirate, ship captain, landowner |
| Era | 1710s |
| Employer | Kingdom of Great Britain |
| Criminal status | Pardoned for piracy during general amnesty in 1718 |
| Piratical career | |
| Type | Privateer-turned-pirate |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of Great Britain Republic of Pirates |
| Years active | -1714 (Privateer) circa 1715-1718 (Piracy) |
| Rank | Commodore |
| Base of operations | Jamaica, followed by New Providence and Nassau in the Bahamas |
| Commands | Sloop Bersheba |
| Battles/wars | War of Spanish Succession |
Contents
Henry Jennings' Story
Early Adventures from Jamaica
Author Colin Woodard described Jennings as a "ship captain with a comfortable estate" in Bermuda. He owned land in both Bermuda and Jamaica. Jennings called himself a Bermudian. His family was well-known there, especially in Flatts Village.
Jennings first appeared in records as a privateer during the War of the Spanish Succession. He operated from Jamaica, which was then led by Lord Archibald Hamilton. Jennings owned enough land in Jamaica to live well. This makes his reasons for becoming a pirate a bit of a mystery.
Raiding the Sunken Treasure Fleet
On July 31, 1715, a large Spanish treasure fleet, the 1715 Treasure Fleet, was hit by a hurricane. All 11 ships sank near Cape Canaveral, Florida. News of the wreck reached Jamaica in November 1715. Jennings and his ship, the Bersheba, quickly sailed to the Florida coast.
Jennings had permission from Jamaica's governor, Lord Archibald Hamilton. This permission allowed him to act against pirates. However, some believed Hamilton also wanted Jennings to attack the Spanish wrecks. In December, Jennings and Charles Vane captured a Spanish mail ship. They learned the exact location of the main Spanish salvage camp.
By early 1716, when Jennings arrived, much of the treasure had been recovered. But Jennings found the rest waiting on the beach in a lightly guarded fort. Jennings' first act of piracy happened when his fleet, with three ships and 150-300 men, attacked this Spanish camp. The pirate force included Jennings, Charles Vane, Samuel Bellamy, Benjamin Hornigold, and Edward England. They outnumbered the Spanish soldiers. They took about £87,500 in gold and silver. This was a huge amount of money at the time.
Sharing Treasure in Nassau
By the end of 1715, Nassau, the capital of New Providence, was growing. Jennings arrived there with £87,000 in Spanish treasure. He had 200 well-armed men and at least two sloops. After a few days of celebration, Jennings and his men sailed to Jamaica. They planned to show their treasure to the court there.
Jennings sailed to Jamaica with about 350,000 pesos. He was joined by Captain John Wills and his crew. On the way, Jennings' fleet met a Spanish merchant ship. Jennings captured and plundered it. He then released the crew and their ship. The Spanish captain followed Jennings back to Jamaica. He reported the attack to the Spanish viceroy. The viceroy was very angry and demanded that Jennings be arrested.
Jennings arrived in Jamaica on January 26, 1716. He and Willis presented their treasure to Hamilton. Hamilton later said he didn't take any of the treasure. He also didn't arrest Jennings or the other privateers.
More Raids and Growing Fame
Jennings' arrival with his fortune caused a stir in Jamaica. Many other privateers and pirates sailed to Florida to find treasure. Jennings and his pirates were popular in Jamaica. They brought many looted supplies to sell. However, Hamilton worried about conflict with the Spanish. He advised Jennings to leave Jamaica quietly. Jennings sold his goods and prepared to leave.
Soon after leaving Jamaica, Jennings and his men attacked a Jamaican merchant ship. They took valuables from the English crew. The merchant ship returned to Jamaica and reported the incident. Jennings was then called a pirate for attacking both English and Spanish ships. Around this time, a Spanish fleet tried to capture Jennings. Instead, they burned the boats of some Englishmen on an island. Jennings found these men later and offered them a chance to join his fleet, which they did. As his fleet and fame grew, he had to split his forces into two groups.
Jennings attacked the Spanish wrecks again in January 1716 with the Bathsheba. He went after another warehouse of salvaged Spanish treasure. The Spanish leader offered Jennings 25,000 pieces of eight to leave. Jennings took the money but continued to plunder the Spanish. He took their personal items and cannons before sailing away.
Planning New Voyages
Jennings and his crews stayed in Jamaica until late February. Jennings asked Hamilton for permission for a new voyage. Hamilton personally signed his departure papers. In early March 1716, Jennings announced a new trip to the Spanish wrecks. Leigh Ashworth took command of the sloop-of-war Mary. Two others, Samuel Liddell and James Carnegie, joined without official permission. They accepted Jennings' overall command. Charles Vane also rejoined Jennings' crew.
When Jennings sailed with the Bersheba this third time, he was under orders from Daniel De Costa Alvarenga, the new owner of the sloop. Hamilton tried to stop the Bersheba from sailing, but it had official clearance and left anyway.
Encounters with French Ships
First Captures in April
In April 1716, Jennings left Bluefield’s Bay in Jamaica in his sloop Bersheba. His fleet planned to search the Spanish wrecks. They left on March 9 and regrouped near Cuba. On April 2, they rounded Cape Corrientes. The next day, off Cuba, the Bersheba saw Sam Bellamy and Paulsgrave Williams looting a ship. Bellamy and Williams fled when they saw Jennings' four sloops.
Captain Young, whose ship was being attacked by Bellamy, expected Jennings to rescue him. Instead, Jennings took control of the ship. His fleet then found a large French merchant ship, the St. Marie, in a harbor. Jennings decided to attack at night. Only Liddell voted against the attack, saying it was piracy. But he was outvoted. Many of his crew joined Jennings for the attack.
That evening, Bellamy and Williams met Jennings for the first time. They joined the force preparing for the attack. After a successful attack on April 4, 1716, Jennings questioned the French crew. The French captain later reported that Jennings' crew made them reveal where they had hidden 30,000 pieces of eight. Jennings kept the St. Marie and made Carnegie its captain. He gave the French captain Carnegie’s Discovery instead. Jennings also made the French captain write a letter to Hamilton, saying the attackers had done nothing wrong.
Taking the Marianne and Mary
Later, a canoe approached the St. Marie to trade. Jennings then forced information from the new captives to find their larger vessel. He found that Benjamin Hornigold had already taken the Marianne. Jennings ordered all his ships to chase Hornigold. However, the St. Marie lagged behind. By the time they caught up, the rest of the fleet was out of sight.
Jennings failed to catch Hornigold. He returned to the bay with the Barsheba and Mary. He found that Bellamy and Williams had surprised Jennings' crew and the French prisoners. They took control of the St. Marie at gunpoint. They then sailed away with 28,500 pieces of eight. Jennings was furious about losing the valuables. He ordered his fleet to sail to Nassau to divide the remaining spoils.
In April 1716, Jennings captured the French vessel Marianne. During the attack, he fired the Bersheba's Great Gun himself, easily taking the ship. At this time, he met Benjamin Hornigold who was trying to join in the plunder. Jennings told Hornigold off for interfering. Hornigold and other ships then attacked other French ships instead.
Capturing Hornigold's Ship and Nassau
After the raid on the Marianne, Jennings, Ashworth, and another captain sailed to New Providence. This island in the Bahamas was once the capital of the Bahamian government. On the way, Jennings chased Hornigold to get treasure from the Mary, a ship Hornigold had just captured.
Jennings reached New Providence around April 22, 1716. He used the island as a base to split the French treasure. There was some disagreement about how the spoils were shared. Jennings split the French spoils three ways: one third for the men, and one third each for the sloop owners. According to an eyewitness, when Jennings arrived in Providence, he "bought in as prize a French ship [Marianne] mounted with 32 guns." He shared its cargo, which was rich with European goods, among his men. Then he went to the Florida wrecks and served as a guardship.
Leaving Jamaica
Jennings continued to sail for the wrecks in Florida after his French raids. He stopped ships like Spanish mailboats along the way. By April 1716, the Spanish salvagers had left the site of Jennings' first two attacks. Jennings returned again to the site, leading efforts to recover more sunken treasure.
Due to political pressure, Hamilton announced in April 1716 that no commissioned ships in Jamaica could search the Florida wrecks for plunder. This was one of his last acts as governor. He declared all treasure hunting passes invalid. This meant any captain attacking Spanish forts or ships in peacetime was now considered a pirate. On his third trip to the wrecks, Jennings stopped a Spanish ship returning from the salvage site. He reappeared off Port Royal with 30,000 pieces of eight he had taken from the Spanish ship. Hamilton made it clear that Jennings would be arrested if the Bersheba entered Kingston harbor. Jennings and his crew chose to sail away with their cargo.
The Pirate Republic of Nassau
Leading the Pirates in Nassau
Lord Archibald Hamilton declared Jennings a pirate. So, Jennings could not return to Jamaica. He made Nassau his base for more raids on Spanish wrecks. Many pirates followed Jennings to New Providence. Nassau's pirate population grew from dozens to hundreds after the Florida shipwrecks. By early 1716, the Governor of Bermuda said there were over 1000 pirates in Nassau. They outnumbered the town's 100 inhabitants.
Jennings became an unofficial leader of the growing pirate colony in Nassau, also known as the Republic of Pirates. Author Johnson-Mist later described him as "Captain Jennings, who was [the Nassau pirates'] Commodore, and who always bore a great Sway among them, being a Man of good Understanding, and good Estate, before this Whim took him of going a Pyrating." The Republic of Pirates was led by Hornigold and Jennings, who were rivals. Hornigold mentored pirates like Edward "Blackbeard" Teach, Sam Bellamy, and Stede Bonnet. Jennings mentored pirates like Charles Vane, 'Calico' Jack Rackham, Anne Bonny, and Mary Read. Despite their rivalries, the pirates worked together through the 'Flying Gang'. They quickly became famous for their adventures.
Capturing a Governor's Ship
Hamilton was arrested in October 1716 for breaking treaties with the Spanish. He left Jamaica for England around September 22 with a fleet of seventeen ships. In November 1716, Jennings and 134 men captured the governor’s ship, Hamilton Galley. They held Captain Stone for four days. They only took twenty gallons of rum. Stone later said his captors "treated him civil, & told him they hurt no English Men." Hamilton later moved to HMS Bedford. The day after Stone was captured, another pirate tried to take Jennings, but Jennings stopped the attempt. In December 1716, Jennings had his spoils transferred in Kingston.
A New Start: Pardon and Retirement
The new Governor of the Bahamas, Woodes Rogers, issued a royal order on September 5, 1717. This order pardoned all pirates who surrendered within a year. This meant outlaws in the Bahamas could receive a general amnesty from British authorities. In early 1718, Jennings sailed to Bermuda to turn himself in. He surrendered to the authorities and accepted the pardon.
He was one of 400 pirates who took advantage of this offer. After serving as a privateer in the War of the Quadruple Alliance, he retired to Bermuda. He lived the rest of his life as a wealthy and respected member of society. He became a rich plantation owner in Bermuda. He is one of the few pirates said to have had a successful retirement. We don't know what happened to him in the end. Some historians think he was captured by the Spanish later in life and died in a prison. Other stories say he grew old with his family in Bermuda.
See also
