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Robert Jenkins (master mariner)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert Jenkins (fl. 1731–1745) was an English master mariner, known as the protagonist of the "Jenkins's ear" incident, which, magnified in Britain by the press and the opposition, became a contributory cause of the War of Jenkins' Ear between Britain and Spain (1739). Bringing home the brig Rebecca from the West Indies in 1731, Jenkins had his ship boarded by Spanish guarda-costa, whose commander cut off one of his ears. On arriving in England, Jenkins stated his grievance to the king, and a report was furnished by the Commander-in-Chief in the West Indies confirming his account. At first the case created no great stir, but in 1738 he repeated his story with dramatic detail before a committee of the House of Commons, producing what purported to be the ear that had been cut off. Detractors suggested that he lost the ear in the pillory.[1]