#llanrumney

History

Captain Morgan’s life is shrouded in myth, mystery and misinterpretation. While no official account of his birth has been reliably recorded, it is believed that he was born in 1635 in Llanrumney (then a small village in Monmouthshire just outside Cardiff). His father Robert Morgan was squire of Llanrumney Hall where a young Henry is believed to have grown up.

The earliest record of his existence came in 1655 as part of an expedition by Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell to capture Jamaica from the Spanish, he was already believed to be in his 20s. There is also some debate about how he came to be in the Caribbean at that time. Some accounts say he was kidnapped from Bristol and sold to a Barbadian plantation owner before escaping to join Cromwell's expedition. Another report says that he joined Cromwell voluntarily before working his way up to position of junior officer.

Once in the Caribbean, Captain Morgan looked to exploit the on-going war between England and Spain and set about invading largely Spanish-controlled areas of the Americas. In 1668 the Captain assembled a fleet to invade the Cuban city of Puerto Principe, this was subsequently followed by invasions of Porto Bello in Panama and the gold-rich city of Cartagena in northern Columbia. The Venezuelan city of Maracaibo proved the sternest test of Morgan's tyranny in 1669, but the 1670-71 invasion of Panama City proved his most infamous.

Unbeknown to Captain Morgan and his crew, their invasion of Panama took place during a period of peace between England and Spain following the signing of the Treaty of Madrid (1670). The treaty outlawed English piracy in the Caribbean in exchange for Spain's acknowledgement of Jamaica's sovereignty. Morgan was deported to England in 1672 to face trial for his actions, although he arrived the following year to a hero's welcome after relations with Spain had once again deteriorated. Rather than face trial, Morgan was knighted in 1674 by King Charles II and appointed Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica.

Morgan stood down from the role a year later but enjoyed a second spell as Governor in 1678. His third spell as Governor two years later was abruptly ended in 1682 when he was suspended from the Jamaican government after exaggerated stories of his exploits in the Caribbean were published by one of his former crew Alexandre Exquemelin.

RUMOUR: Exquemelin's book 'De Americaensche Zee-Roovers' (English: Buccaneers of the Americas) is widely believed to be where the tales of Morgan as a cut-throat bloodthirsty Pirate first originated.

Morgan successfully sued the author for slander the following year and had a portion of the book retracted, but he had to wait until 1688 to have his suspension from the Jamaican Government overturned. He died in August of the same year following a period of ill health where he is believed to have suffered from hydropsy and tuberculosis. He was given a hero's burial at a cemetery on the Palisadoes strip east of Kingston Harbour, but four years later an earthquake devastated the Jamaican port and the cemetery fell to the sea floor.

Captain Morgan Rum

In 1944 Canadian distillery Segram began using the Captain Morgan name to promote its new Jamaican Rum. The rum has a particular relevance to fans of Cardiff City FC. In 1960 the distillery agreed to pay the club £300-a-year to rent the recently-constructed ‘Bob Bank’ roof at Ninian Park. The distillery, most likely aware of the Captain’s links with the city, used the roof to advertise the rum with the catchphrase ‘The Right Rum For Today’s Taste’.

Despite only taking out a three-year lease, the advert remained in situ until 2001 when it was replaced by the branding of budget supermarket chain Hyper Value. At 41 years this was believed to be the longest serving advertisement at any British football ground (and at an average of just over £7 a year almost certainly the best value for money!).

Modern day legacy

Despite the ongoing disagreement surrounding the Captain's birthplace, the Cardiff district of Llanrumney continues to claim him as one of their own. On the Llanrumney side of Newport Road there is a pub known as the Sir Henry Morgan, while Llanrumney Hall previously operated as a pub decorated with various memorabilia alleged to have belonged to the Morgan family. Today the Hall is owned by Cardiff City FC director Steve Borley who plans to convert it to a multipurpose venue, including a cafe/bar, community hall and nursery.

Captain Morgan Rum is still widely available throughout Cardiff, Jamaica and the majority of the western world.

Further reading and references:

Guttmna, R. (Oct 1991) The Pirate who invaded Panama in 1671. Military History, http://www.historynet.com/henry-morgan-the-pirate-who-invaded-panama-in-1671.htm

Tortello, R. (no year) Henry Morgan: The pirate king http://jamaica-gleaner.com/pages/history/story0038.htm

Captain Henry Morgan, Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Morgan

Ossian, R. (no year) Henry Morgan, thepirateking.com http://www.thepirateking.com/bios/morgan_henry.htm

Urban75.org (30 November 2011) The 41 year reign of the Captain Morgan Rum advert at Ninian Park, Cardiff http://www.urban75.org/blog/the-41-year-reign-of-the-captain-morgan-rum-advert-ninian-park-cardiff/