John Perkins (Royal Navy officer)
John Perkins | |
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Napoleonic War |
John Perkins (died 27 January 1812), nicknamed Jack Punch, was a British
Later in his career Perkins acted for the navy as a spy and undertook missions to Cuba and Saint-Domingue (modern day Haiti). At the start of the slave revolt in Saint-Domingue he was captured in Cap-Français and sentenced to death for supplying the rebel slaves with weapons.
After his rescue he was promoted commander in 1797 and then
Early life and career
John Perkins was probably born in Kingston, Jamaica in the middle of the 18th century. Very little is known of his birth or early life. One account written 30 years after his death described him as of mixed race.[1] At the time in the colonial West Indies, mixed-race people typically became slaves like their black parent. But occasionally a mixed-race son of a prominent white man was acknowledged by his father and given an education to prepare him for a clerical or administrative career; this may have been the case with Perkins.[2]
In 1775 Perkins first appears in the records of the Royal Navy when he was appointed to the 50-gun HMS Antelope, the flagship of the commander-in-chief of the Jamaica station as an extra pilot. "His knowledge of the different ports, &C. in the West Indies was, perhaps, seldom equalled, and never surpassed."[3]
In 1778 he was placed in command of the schooner Punch, a ship probably armed with ten 2 or 4-pounder guns, though no detailed records survive. At this time he received his nickname Jack Punch, most probably earned because of the name of his command. During the next two years Perkins claimed to have captured 315 ships, an average of three per week, a claim that was later endorsed by the Jamaican House of Assembly.[4]
Admiral
In 1782 Perkins captured a much larger vessel containing several important French officers.
For several years between 1783 and 1790 Perkins disappeared from the books of the Royal Navy. It may be during this time that he turned to piracy as there is a French source and several English records that describe him as such.[12][13]
In 1790, fifteen years after he had first joined the navy, Perkins made an application to the Jamaican House of Assembly for their assistance in achieving his promotion. After presenting his certificates to the assembly, the assembly investigated Perkins' claim and resolved to make an application to the
Capture on Saint-Domingue
In 1790 Perkins volunteered once more and served under Admiral
Return to service
In September 1793 Perkins returned to the books of the Navy. Perkins is listed as commanding
Promotion to commander
The circumstances of his promotion are unrecorded, but in 1797 Admiral
In Drake, in company with
Promotion to post-captain
Perkins was promoted on 6 September 1800 to post-captain[30] in the 32-gun frigate HMS Meleager.[31] In early 1801 Perkins moved to the 22-gun HMS Arab.[32]
Battle of West Key
In March 1801, Arab, in company with the 18-gun British privateer Experiment, caught and challenged two Danish vessels, the
On 13 April 1801 Arab captured the Spanish privateer Duenda.[34]
Capture of Saint Eustatia and Saba Islands
On 16 April 1801 Perkins, in company with
After several further cruises Perkins was transferred in 1802 into the 32-gun frigate HMS Tartar.[37]
Later career
Between 20 November and 4 December 1803 Tartar was in company with Commodore
Final mission to Haiti
In January 1804
Retirement and death
In March 1804 Perkins resigned his commission on health grounds. It is rumoured that Perkins finally visited England in 1805 although there is no supporting evidence for this. There is no further record of his involvement with the Navy or Haiti. Perkins died on 27 January 1812 at his home in Jamaica.[3] According to his obituary he suffered for many years with a condition described as "asthma" and that this was the cause of his demise. His obituary in the Naval Chronicle described his actions while in command of the schooner Punch; "he annoyed the enemy more than any other officer, by his repeated feats of gallantry, and the immense number of prizes he took."[3] The will of John Perkins of Kingston, "a captain in His Majesty's Royal Navy", was proved in 1819.[45]
The Jamaica Almanac for 1812 records Perkins as owning the Mount Dorothy estate in Saint Andrew Parish, Jamaica and 26 slaves.[46][47] It is probable that he had used some of his prize money to acquire property in Jamaica. In his will Perkins directs that on his death all his property should be sold and, after payment of funeral expenses and debts, the money used to make provision for two women, Roberta Walker and Judith Lassley, both of Kingston; and for seven boys and four girls he acknowledges as his children.[48]
See also
Citations
- ^ Donnithorne.
- ^ Costello (2012), p. 97
- ^ a b c d Naval Chronicle, 27 (1812), pp. 351–352
- ^ a b c d Journals of the Jamaican house of assembly, 8
- ^ ADM 51/4181 Captains' logs Endeavour 31 May 1776 – 21 Feb 1781
- ^ Ships of the Royal Navy, Colledge, p.114.
- ^ Letter-Books and Order-Books of George, Lord Rodney, Admiral of the White Squadron, Volume 1. Page 230
- ^ Letter-Books and Order-Books of George, Lord Rodney, Admiral of the White Squadron, Volume 1. Page 490
- ^ a b c The Life and Correspondence of the Late Admiral Rodney. Godfrey Basil Mundy, p. 344,345
- ^ Letter-Books and Order-Books of George, Lord Rodney, Admiral of the White Squadron, Volume 1. Page 511
- ^ Letter-Books and Order-Books of George, Lord Rodney, Admiral of the White Squadron, Volume 2. 685
- ^ Lady Nugent's Journal of Her Residence in Jamaica from 1801 to 1805, Shepherd, p. 311,312
- ^ Christophe: King of Haiti, Cole, p. 303
- ^ 'Naval Chronicle, 17 (1807), pp. 458–462
- ^ ADM 8/69 Admiralty Records held at The National Archives, Kew
- ^ The Royal Navy. A History from the Earliest Times to 1900, William Clowes, Volume 4, p. 214
- ^ Ships of the Royal Navy, Colledge, p.216
- ^ "No. 13600". The London Gazette. 10 December 1793. p. 1096.
- ^ "No. 13684". The London Gazette. 17 July 1794. pp. 723–725.
- ^ "No. 15717". The London Gazette. 7 July 1804. p. 841.
- ^ British Warships in the Age of Sail 1714–1792, Winfield, p. 313
- ^ Ships of the Royal Navy, Colledge, p.102
- ^ National Archives, Kew: ADM 36/14999 Admiralty: Royal Navy Ships' Musters (Series I) 1795 May – 1798 Aug HMS Drake
- ^ The Royal Navy. A History from the Earliest Times to 1900, William Clowes, p. 334, 335
- ^ Naval History of Great Britain Vol. 2, James, p. 113
- ^ "No. 18729". The London Gazette. 24 September 1830. p. 2022.
- ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
- ^ "No. 15872". The London Gazette. 14 December 1805. p. 1570.
- ^ British Warships in the Age of Sail 1714–1792, Winfield, p. 214
- ^ Isaac Schomberg (1802). Naval chronology; or, An historical summary of naval & maritime events, from the time of the Romans, to the Treaty of Peace, 1802. C, Rowarth, Bell Lane, Fleet Street. p. 378.
- ^ Ships of the Royal Navy, Colledge, p.222
- ^ Ships of the Royal Navy, Colledge, p.18
- ^ a b Johnny Erik Balsved (17 February 2003). "Battle of West Kay 1801". 2009–2011 Johnny E. Balsved. Archived from the original on 17 August 2010. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
- ^ "No. 16027". The London Gazette. 9 May 1807. p. 621.
- ^ The Royal Navy. A History from the Earliest Times to 1900, William Clowes, p. 471
- ^ Naval History of Great Britain Vol. 3, James, p. 150
- ^ Ships of the Royal Navy, Colledge, p.345
- ^ "No. 15935". The London Gazette. 8 July 1806. p. 861.
- ^ "No. 15672". The London Gazette. 4 February 1804. pp. 165–167.
- ^ Naval History of Great Britain Vol. 3, James, p. 186
- ^ National Archives, Kew: ADM 51/1447 Captains' logs Tartar 16 Apr 1802 – 30 Apr 1804
- ^ "No. 15889". The London Gazette. 11 February 1806. p. 196.
- ^ Lady Nugent's Journal of Her Residence in Jamaica from 1801 to 1805, Shepherd
- ^ Christophe: King of Haiti, Cole, pp. 140–143
- ^ The National Archives; TNA, PROB 11/1617/236
- ^ "Jamaica Almanac, 1812". Retrieved 21 November 2022.
- ^ "John Perkins". Legacies of British Slave-ownership. London: University College London. 2020. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
- ^ The National Archives; TNA, PROB 11/1617/236 : "...to pay unto Roberta Walker of the City and parish of Kingston aforesaid the sum of one hundred pounds sterling money of Great Britain at the expiration of six months after my decease the sum of one hundred pounds current money of Jamaica to my reputed son Henry Perkins at the expiration of six months after my decease and also an annuity or yearly sum of Fifty pounds like current money unto Judith Lassley of the said City and Parish of Kingston by four even and equal quarterly payments during the term of her natural life and as to the surplus or remainder thereof... in trust to divide the same in equal shares and proportions to and among my reputed Children Henry Perkins John Perkins George Perkins Joseph Perkins Charles Perkins Philip Perkins Arthur Perkins my two reputed daughters respectively named Bessy alias Elizabeth Perkins Sally alias Sarah Perkins & Mary Glotion(?) Perkins and Louise Perkins or such of them as shall then be living share and share alike..."
Bibliography
- The Naval Chronicle. Vol. 17. Bunney & Gold.
- The Naval Chronicle. Vol. 27. Bunney & Gold.
- ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
- ISBN 1-86176-013-2.
- ISBN 1-86176-014-0.
- Costello, Ray (2012). Black Salt: Seafarers of African Descent on British Ships. Liverpool University Press. ISBN 978-1-84631-818-4.
- Hubert, Cole (1967). Christophe King of Haiti. Eyre & Spottiswoode. ISBN 0-413-25786-X.
- Donnithorne, Christopher H. (undated) Documentation of the British Ships and Battle with the Danes on March 3, 1801, St. Thomas, Danish West Indies. (Unpublished paper accessed 2 September 2015).
- James, William; Chamier, Frederick (1837). The naval history of Great Britain: from the declaration of war by France in 1793 to the accession of George IV. Vol. 2. London: R. Bentley.
- James, William; Chamier, Frederick (1837). The naval history of Great Britain: from the declaration of war by France in 1793 to the accession of George IV. Vol. 3. London: R. Bentley.
- Mundy, Basil (2007). The Life And Correspondence of the Late Admiral Lord Rodney V2. Kessinger Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-548-21801-3.
- Rodney, George Brydges (1932). Letter-Books and Order-Books of George, Lord Rodney, Admiral of the White Squadron, Volume 1. J.J. Little and Ives for The New-York Historical Society.
- Rodney, George Brydges (1932). Letter-Books and Order-Books of George, Lord Rodney, Admiral of the White Squadron, Volume 2. J.J. Little and Ives for The New-York Historical Society.
- ISBN 0-14-102690-1.
- Isaac Schomberg (1802). Naval chronology; or, An historical summary of naval & maritime events, from the time of the Romans, to the Treaty of Peace, 1802. Vol. 5. C, Rowarth, Bell Lane, Fleet Street. p. 378.
- Winfield, Rif (2007). British Warships in the Age of Sail 1714–1792. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84415-700-6.
- Wright, Philip (2002). Lady Nugent's Journal of Her Residence in Jamaica from 1801 to 1805. University of the West Indies Press. ISBN 1-84415-143-3.
External links
- Battle of the West Kay 1801, An account of the battle between HMS Arab and the Danish Brig Lougen
- The Rise of Emperor Dessalines including letters from Perkins to Admiral Duckworth 1804
- Ships of the Old Navy HMS Tartar
- HM Sloop Endeavour
- HMS Arab
- HMS Drake
- HMS Meleager
- HMS Ferret. The ship under Lieutenant Nowell that rescued Perkins from execution on Saint-Domingue in 1791
- National Maritime Museum
- The Institute of Jamaica