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Topic: "Black Jack" Wenham of Hastings (Read 463 times)
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Laverdiere
RootsChat Senior
Posts: 374
Rosa St-Denis
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Acording to Google Book search (which provided only a snippet view) of A Naval History of England - Page 404 by Geoffrey Jules Marcus - 1961
There was a smuggler in Hastings known as "Black Jack" Wenham. Anyone know who this refers to?
Thanks, Laverdiere
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liverpool annie
RootsChat Marquessate
Posts: 13128
Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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Hi Laverdiere !
As always - I've gone off on a tangent ....... thought you might enjoy this site ( good for background !!  ) .... even though I don't think Black Jack is on there !! 
http://www.smuggling.co.uk/famous.html
Annie 
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tazzie
RootsChat Marquessate
Posts: 4893
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Capt James Wenham of Hastings was given a letter of marque authorising him to attack other vessels during the years 1778-1790's when England was at war with France Spain Holland and the Americas.
They alllowed him to be a privateer and to take the ships cargos.
The Wenham family became very rich at this time.
Tazzie
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Liscoe -all Green/Simpson/Underwood-Beds Walker/Foulkes/Fookes/Fooks/Hedges/Lamborne-Bucks. Stanton/Pattrick/Cooper/Fitzjohn/Holland/Spalding-London Rewallin/Underwood -Devon Casbolt-London/Cambridge Favell/Favel - Lincs-Beds This information is Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk |
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liverpool annie
RootsChat Marquessate
Posts: 13128
Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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I did find this ! .... ( I have to admit .... only after Tazzie said his real name !! )
Between 1778 and the 1790s when the UK was at war with France, Spain, Holland, and the American Colonies, privateering became legitimate again and Hastings captains such as James Wenham were given letters of marque authorising them to attack enemy ships and take their cargoes. The Wenham family prospered during this period.
The Hastings fleet was also much involved with smuggling - tea, tobacco, wines, spirits, silks, linens came in, and when export duties were imposed, wool and leather were smuggled out.
http://www.rootschat.com/links/012g/
EDIT .... just realised Tazzie .... you said exactly the same thing ....... sorry !! 
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Laverdiere
RootsChat Senior
Posts: 374
Rosa St-Denis
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Hi Tazzie and Annie, thank you for your replies.
Captain James Wenham was one of my 6th great-grandfather. So I guess he was known in the smuggling world as "Black Jack"!?
The little information I have comes from Marian Marshall's book "Hastings Saga" but I am interested in finding some primary sources somewhere--like the marque document Tazzie referred to.
GoogleBook also had a snippet (from Statesmen at War: The Strategy of Overthrow, 1798-1799 By Piers Mackesy page 169) that went something like this:
"Popham had suggested sending for a Mr. Wenham of Hastings to fetch pilots from Holland: ‘he is the head of these gentlemen of the gin keg and he will get over the pilots directly.’ "
Though it doesn't say which Wenham--James' brother William and some other Wenhams were also smugglers.
Laverdiere
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Laverdiere
RootsChat Senior
Posts: 374
Rosa St-Denis
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Hi Andrea, thanks for your reply. Some of them did leave wills so I'm going to order the appropriate microfilms and have a look-see.
Laverdiere
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