Robert Jenkins was a Welsh master mariner from Llanelli, famous as the protagonist of the "Jenkins's ear" incident, which became a contributory cause of the War of Jenkins' Ear between the Kingdom of
Cartoon of Jenkins presenting his sliced-off ear, 1738
Robert Jenkins hands a dismissive Prime Minister Robert Walpole his severed ear, as his companions lift off his wig to show the scar; one of Walpole's associates displays total indifference, preferring to converse with a lady. Satirical Cartoon, 1738, British Museum
Guarda costa
Videos
Guarda costa or guardacosta was the name used in the Spanish Empire for the privateers based in their overseas territories who were tasked with hunting down pirates, smugglers, and foreign privateers.
Robert Jenkins (master mariner)
…from a trading voyage in the West Indies in command of the smuggling brig Rebecca in April 1731, Jenkins' ship was stopped and boarded by the Spanish guarda-costa or privateer La Isabela on suspicion of smuggling. According to some accounts, her commander, Juan de León Fandiño, had Jenkins bound to a mast, then…
Detail of 1739 engraving depicting guarda costa ships.
A half galley or periagua, a type of ship often used by guarda costa
Old port of San Juan, Puerto Rico, one of the main guarda costa bases.