Francis Fernando

Francis Fernando (fl. 1715–1716) was a Jamaican pirate and privateer active in the Caribbean. He was one of the few confirmed mixed-race Captains in the Golden Age of Piracy.

History

Francis Fernando, described as “a mulatto commander” and “a tawny Moor,” owned an estate in Jamaica and was prosperous enough to post a security deposit for his voyages. He was granted a privateering commission in late 1715 from Lord Archibald Hamilton, Governor of Jamaica. He also sold Hamilton a share of ownership in his sloop Bennett, which meant Hamilton would personally profit from any prize ships Fernando took.

In early 1716, he captured the Spanish sloop Nuestra Señora de Belen. His commission had been to sail against pirates; he justified taking the Spanish ship on the grounds that it had originally been an English vessel (the Kingston or Kensington), unlawfully captured by the Spanish. He returned to Jamaica to have the prize confirmed, though he only left the bulk cargo aboard - he had removed all the jewels, coins, and other valuables, worth 250,000 pieces of eight. Shrewdly, Fernando kept the Bennett offshore while awaiting the prize court’s judgment. That same year Hamilton issued a proclamation demanding that Jennings, Fernando, James Carnegie, Leigh Ashworth, and others surrender to authorities, but Hamilton was soon removed from power over corruption charges. Despite this, by 1717, Hamilton's successor, Nicholas Lawes, declared that England would not make any restitution to the Spanish for various offenses, including Fernando's capture of the Nuestra Señora de Belen.