ADMIRAL SIR HENRY MORGAN

Shipmates, please use our A-Z to navigate this site or return HOME me hearties.

Sir Henry Morgan, was a brilliant tactician and piratical businessman, able to command the loyalty of privateers, who followed him into battle.

In this original Treasure Island adventure Henry Morgan appears as a ghost, and in the dreams of Dan Hawk and other members of the Cast of characters.

Admiral Sir Henry Morgan started out life as an able seaman, then turned his nautical skills to plundering ships laden with booty.

Sir Henry Morgan was born is 1635 at Llanrhymney, Glamorgan [now Cardiff], Wales, He died of a heart attack on August 25, 1688, at Lawrencefield, Jamaica, and was buried in the cemetary at Palisodes, Port Royal. The Welsh buccaneer was one of the most famous of the adventurers who plundered Spain’s Caribbean colonies during the late 17th century. Operating with the unofficial support of the English government, he undermined Spanish authority in the West Indies.

During the second Anglo-Dutch War (1665–67), he was second in command of the buccaneers operating against Dutch colonies in the Caribbean.

As the selected commander of the buccaneers in 1668, Morgan quickly captured Puerto Príncipe (now Camagüey), Cuba, and - in an extraordinarily daring move - stormed and sacked the well-fortified city of Portobelo on the Isthmus of Panama. In 1669 he made a successful raid on wealthy Spanish settlements around Lake Maracaibo on the coast of Venezuela. Finally, in August 1670, with 36 ships and nearly 2,000 buccaneers, Morgan set out to capture Panamá, one of the chief cities of Spain’s American empire. Crossing the Isthmus of Panama, he defeated a large Spanish force (January 18, 1671) and entered the city, which burned to the ground while his men were looting it. On the return journey he deserted his followers and absconded with most of the booty.

This significant haul of gold, was never recovered. Morgan did not immediately need the money and needed to hide it for later recovery, since there was no such thing as banks for pirates in those days. Then, as Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica, he started to make significant profits from his sugar cane plantations and distilling rum.

Because Morgan’s raid on Panamá had taken place after the conclusion of a peace between England and Spain, he was arrested and transported to London (April 1672). Nevertheless, relations with Spain quickly deteriorated, and in 1674 King Charles II knighted Morgan and sent him out again as deputy governor of Jamaica, where he lived as a wealthy and respected planter until his death.

The Admiral, although only 52, realized that we was too old and unfit to recover his stash of gold, undeclared to the British, thus left instructions to be buried in a coffin made of lignum vitae, wherein he had a secret compartment built in, with clues to the location of the stolen Spanish gold. he also left a parchment as part of his Will, with additional clues, copies of which were lodged with his scribe and estate manager. Not before time, he suffered a heart attack on August 25th 1688 aged 53 brought on by acute alcoholism and obesity.

The parchments though, went missing, ending with Edward Teach (Blackbeard) acquiring one of the documents, though the parchment on its own was not enough for Blackbeard to recover the lost treasure.

Blackbeard knew he'd probably find the additional clues with Henry Morgan's corpse. Something for him to tend to when more settled. But took this secret with him to the grave. Cursing Lieutenant Robert Maynard and his descendants, for his torture and murder.

The Formative Years: A Young Trainee in Cromwell’s Fleet

In the midst of the mid-17th century, as political ambitions intertwined with maritime destiny, a young Henry Morgan stepped aboard one of Oliver Cromwell’s fleet vessels in 1654. Fresh-faced and eager, he was not merely learning the ropes of naval warfare but absorbing an entire culture of bold tactics and uncompromising resolve. Cromwell’s fleet—a motley assemblage of disciplined sailors and daring privateers—was sent to the Caribbean with a singular mission: weaken Spanish hegemony by intercepting and seizing their treasure-laden ships. For Morgan, the Caribbean was not only a theatre of war but an unforgiving academy where every battle honed his natural instincts and tactical brilliance.

Rising through the Ranks: The Making of a Master Strategist

In his early exploits, Morgan quickly distinguished himself. Imagine a scenario where a lightly guarded Spanish convoy was spotted under the moonlight; while many hesitated, Morgan saw opportunity in every shadow. Rallying a handful of trusting sailors, he orchestrated a surprise boarding—swift, calculated, and powered by an instinct that belied his youth. Such daring raids rapidly earned him commendations from his superiors. His actions were not the reckless gambles of a green recruit; they were the first chapters in a manual of privateering brilliance that combined audacity with a deep respect for the art of naval combat.

Morgan’s rise was catalyzed by more than just battlefield bravery. Over time, his innate ability to read both the sea and the human spirit allowed him to nurture loyalty among his men. His leadership was as much about inspiring confidence as it was about executing flawless maneuvers against enemy vessels. Every skirmish bolstered his reputation, and soon his innovative tactics—leveraging both the wind and the unpredictable moods of the Caribbean—became the talk of Cromwell’s fleet. In this milieu, rising in rank wasn't simply a matter of battlefield valor; it was about emerging as a visionary who could turn disadvantage into opportunity.

From Privateer to Political Figure

As the dust of conflict settled and Cromwell’s own political narrative shifted, Morgan’s relentless ambition and proven track record made him an asset beyond the battlefield. His string of successful raids undermined Spanish power and filled the coffers of the British crown, effectively redrawing the balance of power in the Caribbean. With each raid, his reputation mushroomed—from a fierce tactician commanding a single ship to a celebrated leader trusted with coordinating complex maritime operations.

Morgan’s transition from privateer to a quasi-official governing figure was as much a tale of political acumen as it was of knife-edge combat. Recognizing that the stability of an emerging colonial power lay in the hands of proven leaders, the British authorities—and later, the shifting regimes following Cromwell’s era—began to view him as the ideal candidate to administer and secure their interests in the Caribbean. By the time he assumed the role that would eventually earn him the title of Governor of Jamaica, Morgan had amassed not only treasure and notoriety but also an intimate understanding of the region’s volatile politics. He seamlessly blended the rough-and-tumble ferocity of privateering with the measured pragmatism required of a ruler, thus securing a legacy that straddled both myth and administrative genius.

Epilogue: The Legacy of a Legend

This speculative retelling ties together the strands of ambition, opportunity, and sheer maritime genius. In our narrative, Morgan’s journey from a trainee absorbing the lessons of Cromwell’s fleet to a master strategist and eventually a stabilizing force as Governor of Jamaica illustrates the complex interplay between personal ambition and the expansive political canvas of the Caribbean. Whether inspiring his crew with his daring exploits or outmaneuvering larger enemy fleets with his strategic insights, Henry Morgan's story remains a testament to how circumstance, boldness, and a keen mind can transform a life from humble beginnings to the stuff of legends.

Only gold, silver and gemstones were worth anything to captains of old. The currency was easy to trade and did not corrode, so ideal to be secreted in the most inhospitable environments.

CAST OF - "TREASURE ISLAND: BLACKBEARD'S CURSE & PIRATES GOLD"

Draft scripts for Kulo-Luna and Cleopatra The Mummy are published with 'Treasure Island'.

  CAPTAIN SIR HENRY MORGAN HID THE SPANISH GOLD HE STOLE AND TOOK THE SECRET LOCATION WITH HIM TO HIS GRAVE - TREASURE ISLAND - THE ADVENTURES OF JOHN STORM

Ahoy there, please use our INDEX to navigate this site or return HOME

The rights of Jameson Hunter and Cleaner Ocean Foundation to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988. This website and the associated Treasure Island artwork is Copyright © 2025 Cleaner Ocean Foundation and Jameson Hunter. This is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the authors' imaginations, and any resemblance to any person, living or departed, is entirely coincidental.