Sir Thomas Modyford, 1st Baronet

Sir Thomas Modyford (* 1620, † 1679 ) was Governor of Jamaica in 1664 and a patron of the privateer Henry Morgan, whose raids on the Spanish possessions in America, he benefited.

Life

Modyford presented as governor of the English crown for Morgan several letters of marque and procured by Henry Morgan political backing for his raids against Spanish Caribbean ports. Both were thereby wealthy men. For example, attacked Morgan in 1668 - due to the strong fortifications surprising from the land side - the port city of Portobelo, where 215,000 piastres were captured. In 1669 he led a raid by the city of Maracaibo in what is now Venezuela and in 1670 he plundered Panama, which was the largest branch in the Spanish colonial territory at that time. Panama was attacked by Morgan using 36 ships; for the transport of this captured gold 175 mules were required.

As the protests of the Spaniards rose against this approach, the English crown looked to act coerced. She sat Modyford from as governor and had him along with Morgan to England. He was succeeded by Thomas Lynch. Modyford was fixed for two years in the Tower, Morgan, however, was pardoned in 1674, charged by King Charles II knighted and eventually something used later as deputy governor of Jamaica, where he became even successfully fought against pirates.

• Governor (Jamaica )
• English
• Born in 1620
• Died in 1679
• Man