Ysgol Glancegin
Forward from Derek Hainge
I am writing to congratulate all those students, staff and people from the communities of Bangor and the Ogwen Valley, in North Wales, along with the students, staff and people from the communities of the Pennants District, in Clarendon, Jamaica, who contributed to this first edition of ‘Building Bridges’ using poetry to link and explore the shared history of our communities.
I am sharing some history to explain the link with a family here in North Wales and the name Pennant.
The Pennant family lived in Flintshire in North Wales and one son, Gifford Pennant, supported Oliver Cromwell and was given a military role as ‘Master of Horse’ on a convoy of British ships that set sail across the Atlantic sea in 1654? with the aim of capturing the island and wealth of Hispaniola which Spain had captured. However, when they were unsuccessful, they sailed on to try to capture an easier target and that was the island now called Jamaica. Politics changed in Britain and it was unwise for Gifford Pennant to return, so he made the decision to make a life for himself in Jamaica and began to develop plantations in Clarendon. He gave his name to one of these plantations which is now the area called Pennants. He proved to be good at making money out of these plantations, this was because he bought enslaved Africans who had to do all the work for no pay. His son Edward Pennant even became the Chief Justice of Jamaica.
Over 100 years later the family had become very wealthy and his son John Pennant decided he would take his wife to his family home in Wales and their baby, named Richard Pennant, was born on the journey, he grew up to continued to manage his plantations with letters sent back and forth by sea.
Every good wish to you all, stay safe!
Derek Hainge
Chair of Governors Ysgol Glancegin