Jennings and Hornigold

[The Island]

Guys,

I will stop gracing the forum with my boring topics ONLY if you help me with these few questions on these two interesting characters. These two are to some considered the Godfathers of pirates one faction belonging to Jennings the other Hornigold. If these two are so famous espically Hornigold for being a mentor of so many pirates, why is there so little written on him? What made Jennings and Hornigold rivals of each other? I read also that Bellamy and Williams, who at the time were, I believe sailing with Jennings sailed off with his treasure and joined up with Hornigold. Is there any good sources that explain why bellamy and Williams would do this and piss off Jennings and the others to join up with Hornigold? I mean its a small world for pirates and to make an enemey of a well respected and large figure as Jennings, I am surprised they got away with it. Has any leads or theories come up on either mans birth place or death except for Hornigold which is said to have been ship wrecked off Mexico and drowned? I guess what, i am getting at here with these two is they were so large back in the day being privateers prior to pirating then they simply just disappear without a trace and so little is known. I appreciate anyone who will humor me on this

[Fox]

My dear fellow, there's no need to stop gracing the forums with your questions. I, for one, welcome the change from the usual reenactment-centred discussions (not that I object to reenactment, but a change is nice).

However, rather than attempt to write down everything there is to know about Jennings and Hornigold in a handy forum sized package I'm simply going to recommend you read Woodard's Republic of Pirates. As popular history goes it's pretty good, and it's one of the few books to really tackle the careers of Jennings and Hornigold.

I will add this though: if J&H have been described as "Godfathers" of piracy then you should probably be thinking in terms of patriarchal godfathers, not Marlon Brando. Jennings and Hornigold were just two pirates with crews and ships, the only power they could exert was at the muzzles of their guns. Since Bellamy and Williams were also pirates with crew, ships, and guns, why shouldn't they have got away with it?

[Mission]

I didn't mean to imply there was anything wrong with your questions. (Other than the fact that I can't answer them at this point. ) I was just curious why you keep asking about so many obscure people one at a time. I just had the vague feeling we were doing the research for some project you were working on. Of course, once it's here, it's pretty much feed in the public trough anyhow.

Oh, and Ed, the godfathers of piracy are the pirates Morgan and Bartholomew, who set down the Code. I heard that somewhere. :P :P

[Fox]

Oh, and Ed, the godfathers of piracy are the pirates Morgan and Bartholomew, who set down the Code. I heard that somewhere. :P :P

It's somehow hard to imagine Brando with a Welsh accent though isn't it?

[The Island]

I am going to find where, i read exactly some author quoted that godfather phrase for them which, I found very humorous. I can picture Brando talking with his mouth stuffed with cotton balls NAH! ( The rumor, i heard when he did his voice impression in The Godfather movie) On the getting away with ripping off Jennings. I just assumed and (wrongly) that pirates for the most part had some ethics amongst each other and open game towards everyone else. I really never read anything like the Bellamy/Jennings situation before but thanks for clearing it up for me.

[Daniel]

Did Henry Jennings commit any more piracy after his raid on the Bahama wrecks? After he was refused entry at Jamaica and sailed off to start the pirate base at Nassau, I haven't seen anything that says he ever even left New Providence again. Did he just sit around in Nassau and sell stuff to the other pirates after that?

[Bos'n Cross]

It is apparently said that after Woodes Rodgers showed up, he accepted the kings pardon, iv found more references to his retiring as a planter after that, bbuutt the welsite of the above mentioned republic of pirates paints a different picture. Accoring to them, he afterward persued charles vane and other pyrates, and worked as a privateer in the war of the quadruple alliance and war of austrian succession, in the latter of which he was captured by the spaniards, and presumably died in captivity......i dont have the actual book(though now i might wanna get it) so id definatly like to see the sources.....any of you guys hear anything to this effect?

[The Island]

This would be interesting if we try and come up together with Jennings ending(from fact) if he did leave Nassau or retired as a planter or died in the hands of the Spanish.

[The Island]

I would like to get ahold of Kenneth Kinkor and ask him about where he got all his information on Hornigold and Jennings because in the endnotes of "The Pirate Republic" it states his name and date of 2003. Kinkor really has shed so much valuable info about these two men. I finally read this book and see why now Hornigold and Jennings became rivals due to Jennings taking his sloop which was Spanish owned at the time. I would love to find out more on these two characters. i want to thank everyone for there help on this.

[captscurvy_nc]

I don't remember where I read it, it was a long time ago but one of my favorite things I learned about Horringold was of a very odd attack. He held up a ship and had his men board only to take every hat aboard the ship because the night before his men had been drinking and all threw their hats overboard. Don't know how true this is but it's one of those stories that adds to the legend of the character

[Mission]

I don't remember where I read it, it was a long time ago but one of my favorite things I learned about Horringold was of a very odd attack. He held up a ship and had his men board only to take every hat aboard the ship because the night before his men had been drinking and all threw their hats overboard. Don't know how true this is but it's one of those stories that adds to the legend of the character

Oh, please, please, PLEASE see if you can find the source for this! It would help explain some of Stynky's behavior. (Stynky is the site owner.)

[captscurvy_nc]

It was during my Blackbeard research about 11 years ago. I'll look through my papers and see if I can find the refrence to it. May have been from the book by Robert Lee

[captscurvy_nc]

Benjamin Hornigold is cited as the "nice pirate of the West Indies." Although not much is known of Captain Hornigold himself, most of the accounts left behind by his victims speak of him as a gentleman rather than a scoundrel. One famous legend recounts that Hornigold pursued an enemy vessel for miles, only to ask for their hats once captured. It seems his crew, after a night of drinking and merriment, had tossed their own hats overboard. After taking the hats, Hornigold and his men allowed the ship to continue its voyage, gold and all.

This is from a website called Age of Pirates The Pirate Encyclopedia but it does not list any refrence to back this up as anything more than a story. Would like to think it's true though

[Mission]

Ed, Daniel...you're some of our best historical researchers. You must find a non-web reference for this if it's true. The fate of the forum depends upon it.

[captscurvy_nc]

The story was also posted on one of the displays at the Knights of the Black Flag exhibit at the NC History Museum but sadly no reference there either. Regardless, I love the story and think it is definitly something Horringold would have done.