Robert Jenkins (master mariner)

Robert Jenkins (master mariner)

Robert Jenkins (fl. 1730s-40s) was an English master mariner, famous as the protagonist of the "Jenkins's ear" incident, which became a contributory cause of the War of Jenkins' Ear between Britain and Spain in 1739.

Returning home from the West Indies in command of the brig "Rebecca" in 1731, Jenkins had his ship stopped and boarded by the Spanish guarda-costa "La Isabela". Her commander, Captain Julio León Fandiño, had Jenkins bound to a mast and then sliced off one of his ears with his sword. On arriving in England, Jenkins addressed his grievances to the king, and a report was furnished by the Commander-in-Chief in the West Indies confirming Jenkins' account. At the time the incident received little attention, but in 1738 Jenkins repeated his story with dramatic details before a committee of the House of Commons, producing what he claimed to be his ear that had been cut off. [ [http://www.boat-links.com/books/Lardas/Lardas04.html A Very Oddly Named War ] ]

Jenkins was subsequently given the command of a ship in the British East India Company's service. In 1741 he was sent from England to St. Helena to investigate charges of corruption brought against the acting governor, and from May 1741 until March 1742 he administered the affairs of the island. Thereafter he resumed his career at sea. He is said to have preserved his own vessel and three others under his care during an engagement with a pirate vessel.

References

*1911
*T. H. Brooke, "History of the Island of St Helena" (London, 2nd ed., 1824).
*H. R. Janisch, "Extracts from the St Helena Records", 1885.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Robert Jenkins — may refer to:* Robert Jenkins (master mariner) (fl. 1731 ndash;1745), English master mariner * Robert Jenkins (UK politician) (1900 ndash;1978), British Conservative Member of Parliament for Dulwich, 1951 ndash;1964 * Robert Jenkins… …   Wikipedia

  • Jenkins (surname) — Jenkins is a surname that originated in Cornwall, England, but came to be popular in southern Wales. The name Jenkin originally meant little John or son of John . The kin portion is of Dutch origin ( kijn ), which then gained a certain popularity …   Wikipedia

  • Robert Walpole — For other people named Robert Walpole, see Robert Walpole (disambiguation). The Right Honourable The Earl of Orford KG KB PC …   Wikipedia

  • History of Saint Helena — St Helena has a history of over 500 years since it was first discovered as an uninhabited island by the Portuguese in 1502. Claiming to be Britain’s second oldest colony, this is one of the most isolated islands in the world and was for several… …   Wikipedia

  • Brig — Infobox Weapon is vehicle=yes type=Naval vessel origin=Mediterranean name = Brig caption = The Brig Lady Washington length = 75–165 ft (23–50 m) weight = Tonnages up to 480 speed = Varies per conditions, up to convert|11|kn|km/h|0 reported crew …   Wikipedia

  • List of Onedin Line episodes — The Onedin Line episode list shows details of the 91 episodes of the BBC television series The Onedin Line. Contents 1 Series 1 2 Series 2 3 …   Wikipedia

  • List of aircraft (M) — This is a list of aircraft in alphabetical order beginning with M . pre 1914 3 20 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Gliders HPA UAV s Engines M M Squared Aircraft M Squared Sport 1000 M Squared Sprint 1000 FP M Squared Sprint 10 …   Wikipedia

  • Marvel Team-Up — Spider Man teams up with Killraven in Marvel Team Up #45. Publication information Publisher …   Wikipedia

  • Ned Chaillet — Edward William Ned Chaillet, III (  /ˈʃaɪ …   Wikipedia

  • US-amerikanische Kinder- und Jugendliteratur — Amerikanische Schulkinder wählen in der kleinen Bibliothek ihrer Grundschule Bücher aus (1938)[1] Die amerikanische Kinder und Jugendliteratur umfasst alle literarischen Arbeiten, die für ein Publikum von Kindern und Jugendlichen geschaffen,… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”