Invasion of Jamaica (1655)
Encyclopedia
The Invasion of Jamaica was an amphibious expedition conducted by the English in the Caribbean in 1655 that resulted in the capture of the island from Spain. Jamaica was the first place in that part of the New World to be occupied by another power beside Spain and its capture was the cassus belli that resulted in actual war between England and Spain in 1755.
, the English expedition under Robert Venables
and William Penn
, fearing to face Oliver Cromwell
with only failure decided to attempt to capture Jamaica. The island had little defences and the Spanish settlers by this time numbered just over 1,500 men and women and children. Penn the naval commander, not trusting the army commanders after Santo Domingo took overall command.
aboard a lighter 12 gun galley Martin and led a flotilla of smaller craft. The smaller craft were used because larger ships would easily have been grounded as the bay was exceptionally shallow and as result some of the flotilla grounded a few times including the Martin before moving on. Soon an exchange of shots began between the English and a battery covering the inner anchorage. This was soon abandoned by its handful of inexperienced defenders that were led by Francisco de Proenza who was a local estate owner, or hacendado.
Penn then disembarked his contingent and advanced six miles to Santiago de la Vega which he easily overran. Penn then swiftly occupied the town and obliged the defeated Ramirez to a request a parlay
. Venables, despite being sick, came ashore on 25 May to dictate terms. He announced to Ramírez that the island was to be permanently annexed by the Commonwealth of England and that the inhabitants are to abandon the island within a fortnight, on pain of death. Ramírez temporized for two days but eventually signed the arrangement on 27 May; shortly thereafter he sails for Campeche
dying en route.
Not all the Spanish residents recognized this arrangement however, and Maestre de Campo de Proenza after evacuating many noncombatants by boat toward Cuba from northern Jamaica established his headquarters at the inland town of Guatibacoa, allying himself with the maroons of the mountainous interior to inaugurate a guerrilla war against English occupation.
. The remaining English suffered severely from disease and want of provisions, dying by the hundreds. Within a year the 7,000 English officers and troops that took part in the invasion are reduced to 2,500. Sickness however soon swept through the Spanish and one of the first victims was the unfortunate de Proenza who was left blind. he was succeeded by Cristóbal Arnaldo de Issasi, who continued a rather ineffectual resistance for three more years.
The Spanish attempted to retake Jamaica twice over the next few years; the first was when Issasi was defeated at Ocho Rios in 1657 and with a much larger force recruited from New Spain was defeated again at Rio Nuevo in 1658. After these failures Jamaica along with the Cayman islands
was eventually ceded by the Spanish to the English crown at the Treaty of Madrid (1670)
.
Under British rule Jamaica soon became a hugely profitable possession, producing large quantities of sugar for the home market and eventually for other colonies.
Background
After their defeat at Santo DomingoSiege of Santo Domingo (1655)
The Siege of Santo Domingo of 1655, was fought between April 23, 1655 to April 30, 1655 at the Spanish Colony of Santo Domingo. A force of 2,400 Spanish troops led by Governor Don Bernardino Meneses y Bracamonte, Count of Peñalba, successfully resisted a force of 13,120 troops and 34 ships of the...
, the English expedition under Robert Venables
Robert Venables
Robert Venables , was a soldier during the English Civil War and noted angler.Venables was lieutenant-colonel in the parliamentary army. He was wounded at Chester in 1645. He was appointed governor of Liverpool in 1648. He served with success in Ireland from 1649 until 1654...
and William Penn
William Penn (admiral)
Sir William Penn was an English admiral, and the father of William Penn, founder of the Province of Pennsylvania....
, fearing to face Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
with only failure decided to attempt to capture Jamaica. The island had little defences and the Spanish settlers by this time numbered just over 1,500 men and women and children. Penn the naval commander, not trusting the army commanders after Santo Domingo took overall command.
Invasion
On 19th May two Spanish settlers saw a huge a fleet just as it rounded Point Moran and warned the Spanish Governor Juan Ramírez de Arellano. The islanders and the governor were caught completely off guard and had to man what fortifications they could. At dawn on 21 May the English penetrated the shallows of Caguaya Bay (now Cagway bay) William Penn transferred from his 60 gun ship SwiftsureHMS Swiftsure (1621)
HMS Swiftsure was a 42-gun great ship of the English Royal Navy, built by Andrew Burrell at Deptford and launched in 1621.She was rebuilt in 1654 at Woolwich by Christopher Pett as a 60-gun third rate ship of the line. She was the flagship of Vice-Admiral Sir William Berkeley at the Four Days'...
aboard a lighter 12 gun galley Martin and led a flotilla of smaller craft. The smaller craft were used because larger ships would easily have been grounded as the bay was exceptionally shallow and as result some of the flotilla grounded a few times including the Martin before moving on. Soon an exchange of shots began between the English and a battery covering the inner anchorage. This was soon abandoned by its handful of inexperienced defenders that were led by Francisco de Proenza who was a local estate owner, or hacendado.
Penn then disembarked his contingent and advanced six miles to Santiago de la Vega which he easily overran. Penn then swiftly occupied the town and obliged the defeated Ramirez to a request a parlay
Parlay
'Parlay/OSA' was an open API for the telephone network. It was developed by The Parlay Group, which worked closely with ETSI and 3GPP, which all co-publish it. Within 3GPP, Parlay is part of Open Services Architecture.- Overview :...
. Venables, despite being sick, came ashore on 25 May to dictate terms. He announced to Ramírez that the island was to be permanently annexed by the Commonwealth of England and that the inhabitants are to abandon the island within a fortnight, on pain of death. Ramírez temporized for two days but eventually signed the arrangement on 27 May; shortly thereafter he sails for Campeche
Campeche
Campeche is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Located in Southeast Mexico, it is bordered by the states of Yucatán to the north east, Quintana Roo to the east, and Tabasco to the south west...
dying en route.
Not all the Spanish residents recognized this arrangement however, and Maestre de Campo de Proenza after evacuating many noncombatants by boat toward Cuba from northern Jamaica established his headquarters at the inland town of Guatibacoa, allying himself with the maroons of the mountainous interior to inaugurate a guerrilla war against English occupation.
Aftermath
The English were soon falling sick and starving and Penn and Veneables would take most of the expedition back to England in August. Justifying Penn's and Venables fears for not capturing Hispanola, Cromwell threw them both in the TowerTower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
. The remaining English suffered severely from disease and want of provisions, dying by the hundreds. Within a year the 7,000 English officers and troops that took part in the invasion are reduced to 2,500. Sickness however soon swept through the Spanish and one of the first victims was the unfortunate de Proenza who was left blind. he was succeeded by Cristóbal Arnaldo de Issasi, who continued a rather ineffectual resistance for three more years.
The Spanish attempted to retake Jamaica twice over the next few years; the first was when Issasi was defeated at Ocho Rios in 1657 and with a much larger force recruited from New Spain was defeated again at Rio Nuevo in 1658. After these failures Jamaica along with the Cayman islands
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union located in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, located south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica...
was eventually ceded by the Spanish to the English crown at the Treaty of Madrid (1670)
Treaty of Madrid (1670)
The Treaty of Madrid adopted in 1670 was a treaty between England and Spain. Under the terms of the treaty, Spain recognized English possessions in the Caribbean Sea: "all those lands, islands, colonies and places whatsoever situated in the West Indies." England took formal control of Jamaica and...
.
Under British rule Jamaica soon became a hugely profitable possession, producing large quantities of sugar for the home market and eventually for other colonies.