29 Facts About Henry Jennings

Henry Jennings described himself as a Bermudian, and the Jennings family was well established there, especially at Flatts Village in Hamilton Parish, the affluent neighbourhood in Smith's Parish to the immediate west of which is still known as Jennings' Land after Captain Richard Jennings.

However, Henry Jennings found the rest awaiting shipment on the beach in a lightly guarded fort at Palma de Ayz, possibly close to Vero Beach.

Henry Jennings set sail for Jamaica carrying back an estimated 350,000 peso, or 120,000 pieces of eight, accompanied by fellow Captain John Wills and his crew of the Eagle.

Henry Jennings sold the rest of his booty, and prepared to leave with his men.

The merchant ship sailed back to Jamaica and told of the incident, where Henry Jennings was described as a pirate for preying on both English and Spanish ships.

Around this time, a Spanish squadron of ships sent to capture Henry Jennings instead burned the boats of several Englishmen on an island, while the Englishmen were ashore chopping wood.

Henry Jennings came across the moored men several days later, and offered to allow them to join his fleet, which they took him up on.

Henry Jennings again went after a warehouse of salvaged Spanish treasure.

At that time, when Henry Jennings came to Hamilton about permission for a new cruise, Hamilton signed his departure papers personally, signing another commission for Henry Jennings.

When Henry Jennings sailed with the Bersheba to the wrecks this third time, he was under direct orders of Daniel De Costa Alvarenga, a Jewish merchant from Kingston who was the new owner of the sloop.

Henry Jennings's intention was to fish the Spanish wrecks, moving up from the Isle of Pines to Florida.

Henry Jennings dropped anchor with his flotilla of five ships out of sight and sent several men in to hail the French ship to assess what was on board.

Henry Jennings's, meeting with the other captains, declared he would attack at night so the Bersheba would not be sunk in a direct attack.

Henry Jennings was outvoted, with 23 of his crew joining Jennings's forces for the attack as well.

That evening, Bellamy and Williams hailed Henry Jennings, meeting him for the first time and joining the force preparing for the sneak attack.

Henry Jennings kept the St Marie and appointed Carnegie the captain, giving the French captain Carnegie's Discovery instead.

Furthermore, Henry Jennings forced the French captain to write a letter to Hamilton, absolving the attackers of wrongdoing.

Henry Jennings set sail afterwards, ordering all vessels to chase Hornigold down.

Henry Jennings, failing to capture Hornigold, returned to the bay several hours later with the Barsheba and Mary, to discover that Bellamy and Williams had surprised Henry Jennings's prize crew and the French prisoners to take control of the St Marie at gunpoint.

Henry Jennings arrived to find Bellamy sailing away, and although he fruitlessly gave chase, he gave up and returned to the St Marie to find the valuables taken.

Henry Jennings was furious at the loss of the valuables on the St Marie.

Henry Jennings had the second of Bellamy's periaguas seized and "cut to pieces," presumably with the remainder of Bellamy's men onboard.

Henry Jennings ordered Captain Young's sloop burnt to the waterline.

Henry Jennings harshly rebuffed Hornigold for interfering in his "official" operation, so Hornigold and other ships involved in the raid afterwards attacked other French ships instead.

Henry Jennings continued to sail for the wrecks in Florida after his raids on the French, stopping ships such as Spanish mailboats along the way.

On his third trip to the wrecks, Henry Jennings intercepted a Spanish vessel as it returned from the salvage site, and reappeared off Port Royal with 30,000 pieces of eight he'd forcibly taken from the Spanish vessel.

Hamilton made it clear that Henry Jennings would be arrested if the Bersheba entered Kingston harbor, and the sloop and the cargo impounded.

In early 1718, Henry Jennings sailed to Bermuda to turn himself in, surrendering to authorities and accepting the reprieve.

Henry Jennings is not listed on the 1727 property tax assessment of Bermuda despite the presence of other Jennings' there.