John Fenn (pirate) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Fenn
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|---|---|
| Born |
England
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| Died | c. May 1723 Caribbean
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| Piratical career | |
| Type | Pirate |
| Years active | c. June 1719 – c. May 1723 |
| Base of operations | Caribbean |
| Commands | Frigate Morning Star (c. 1721 – c. August 1722), Frigate Antelope (c. December 1722 – c. April 1723) |
John Fenn (died May 1723) was an English pirate from the early 1700s. He sailed with famous pirate Captain Bartholomew Roberts. Later, he worked for a short time with another pirate, Thomas Anstis.
A Pirate's Journey
John Fenn's early life as a pirate is not well known. He joined Captain Roberts's group of ships between June 1719 and April 1720. Then, he left Roberts's crew with Thomas Anstis. Anstis was given command of a ship called the Morning Star, which had 21 cannons. They left the West Indies for West Africa in April 1721.
Fenn stayed with Anstis in the Caribbean Sea. In June, they captured several merchant ships near islands like Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Martinique. After these captures, Fenn was given command of the 21-gun Morning Star.
Trying to Quit Piracy
After some time, Anstis and Fenn decided they wanted to stop being pirates. They asked King George I for a special pardon. They claimed that Captain Roberts had forced them to become pirates. They waited for nine months on an empty island near Cuba, hoping for a reply from the British government.
Since they did not hear back, they decided to go back to piracy in August 1722.
Storms and Escapes
Soon after they started sailing again, a big storm hit. Fenn's ship was wrecked on Grand Cayman Island. While Anstis was trying to rescue Fenn and his crew, two British warships appeared.
The Royal Navy ships chased the pirates. Luckily for the pirates, the wind stopped completely. This allowed them to row their ship, the Good Fortune, to safety. They sailed to the Bay of Honduras. There, they captured another ship to replace the lost Morning Star.
Over the next few months, they had success capturing more ships in the Bahamas.
Final Capture
In April 1723, Fenn and Anstis were fixing their ships at Tobago. They were surprised by a British warship called the HMS Winchelsey. During this attack, Fenn's ship was lost.
Fenn had to run into the thick forests of Tobago. He was caught the next day. He was taken to Antigua. There, he was found responsible for piracy. He and six of his crew members faced serious consequences the following month.
