CAPTAIN FRANCIS LIGHT

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The Francis Light Statue when it was at the Penang Museum.

Captain Francis Light is the kind of man that spells high sea adventure. Credited as the founder of Penang, Francis Light was the illegitimate son of an English nobleman by the name of William Negus. He was born on 15 December, 1740 in Dallinghoo, Suffolk, England. While in the Royal Navy, he got acquainted with one James Scott was like him was also a midshipman.

When he was in his twenties, he arrived in Madras where he became the master of the ship Speedwell. He worked for the firm of Jourdain Sulivan & De Souza, and traded between India, Aceh and the Malay peninsula. In 1765 he was instructed by his company to establish trading relations with the rulers of this part of the world. Francis Light set up a trading base in Kedah, and had a working relationship with the Sultan of Kedah. Kedah was then under constant threat from Siam. In 1771, the Sultan of Kedah offered Penang to Francis Light in return for British Protection of Kedah. (cross reference by reading about Fort Cornwallis) Light wrote to his superiors informing them of the Sultan's offer, but his letter was largely ignored.

[ Last edited by  jofizo at 8-12-2006 04:32 PM ]

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A bitter Francis Light withdrew to Phuket in 1772, where he set up a trading business with his long time friend, James Scott. There he met a Portuguese Eurasian lady by the name of Martina Rozells. Together, they set up a trading post in Kuala Kedah. The Sultan of Kedah has given Light the permission to trade in Kuala Kedah, and all along the coast of the Sultanate of Kedah.

In 1785, Francis Light found out that the Burmese was about to Phuket. His warning helped the islanders successfully defend themselves.

In February of 1786, Francis Light wrote to the Governor-General of India, telling him about Penang. He had learned that the British was looking for a trading post. He proposed two possible options: Phuket (also called Junk Ceylon at that time) and Penang. This time, he got the attention of the Sir John MacPherson, the Governor-General, who authorised him to negotiate with the Sultan of Kedah. By then, the young Sultan Abdullah had taken over the reign. Francis Light landed in Penang on 11 August 1786 and became the first Superintendent of the island, which he renamed Prince of Wales Island. To avoid a conflict of interest, Light let his business partner James Scott take care of his business.

He brought Martina, whom he never legally married, and their two illegitimate children seven-year-old Sarah and infant William to Penang, where he would father another two children, Lanoon and Lukey. His eldest son William was born in Kuala Kedah on 27 April of the same year, 1786. He was to become Colonel William Light, the founder of the city of Adelaide exactly fifty years after the founding of Penang.

Francis Light succumbed to malaria on 21 October, 1794, just eight years after the founding of Penang.

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The Francis Light Statue after it was moved to Fort Cornwallis.

The Francis Light Statue when it was at the Penang Museum.  The Francis Light Statue was build in 1936 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the founding of Penang by Captain Francis Light. The bronze statue was sculpted by F.J. Wilcoxson and cast at Burton's Foundry in Thames Ditton. The statue was actually modelled after Francis Light's son, William Light, since no picture could be found of the senior Light. William Light founded the Australian city of Adelaide fifty years after the founding of Penang.

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The Francis Light Grave in the compound of the St George's Anglican Church.

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The Francis Light Memorial in the compound of the St George's Anglican Church.

The Francis Light Memorial was build in 1886 to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the founding of Penang by Captain Francis Light stands in the compound of the St George's Church. The Francis Light Memorial is built in similar Georgian-Palladium style as the church. It has a dome ornamented with vases. Underneath the dome is a marble plaque honouring Light.

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View from under the Francis Light Memorial.



Another view of the Francis Light Memorial.

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Reconstruction of the camp set up by the British upon landing in Penang, on the grounds of Fort Cornwallis.

Fort Cornwallis in Penang is the largest intact fortress in Malaysia. When Captain Francis Light landed in Penang in 1786, on the cape which today becomes George Town, he built a simple stockade out of nibong palms. The tip of Penang Island where Fort Cornwallis was located was called Fort Point. Fort Cornwallis was named after the Governor-General of Bengal, Charles Marquis Cornwallis.

Three years later, in 1789, with convict labour imported from India, Francis Light rebuilt Fort Cornwallis in bricks in the same star-shaped size and layout. The total cost of the reconstruction, completed in 1793, was 67,000 Spanish Dollars. Cannons were mounted along the perimeter.

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The most famous cannon at Forn Cornwallis is the Seri Rambai. This particular cannon has a fascinating history. It was first presented by the Dutch to the Sultan of Johor in 1606. In 1613, the Portuguese took possession of Seri Rambai. Then it was taken to Java, where it stayed until 1795, when it was given to Acheh, and was brought to Kuala Selangor. Later, in 1871, the British seized the cannon and brought it over to Penang. It was installed on Forn Cornwallis, where it is still located, on the northwest bastion. Locals believe that Seri Rambai possesses magical powers, and that women who place flowers on the barrel will improve their fertility.

Forn Cornwallis was originally encircled by a 27-feet wide, 6-feet deep moat. It was filled up in the 1920s to prevent malaria (there was an epidemic which hit Penang then).

Fort Cornwallis was the first military and administrative base of the British East India Company. The East India Company was started in the early 17th century. On 31 December 1600, a group of British merchants were given monopoly privileges on all British trades with the East Indies, and the East India Company was started. Over the years, their business activities boomed.

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View of the Seri Rambai

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Entrance to Fort Cornwallis.

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The East India Company traded in spices such as cloves, nutmeg and peppercorns. In the later half of the 18th century, the East India Company managed to obtain a monopoly on the trade in silk, with Canton (Guangzhou), China. However, there was no refueling station between China and the British base in India. Hence there was a need to find a suitable port for the British vessels to stop over.

The East India Company first took steps to find a base in Southeast Asia in 1763, but the missions were unsuccessful. The Director of the East India Company sent a message to the Madras Council to try once again to secure a settlement in or near the Straits of Malacca. While the message was still in passage, something else happened to helped the British secure the settlement they were seeking.

Captain Francis Light, a seaman who has established a trading station in Kedah for the Madras firm of Jourdain, Sullivan and De Souza put together a plan that practically solved the problem. Light suggested that the island of Penang would be a suitable station for the East India Company. At the same time, Light reported to his superiors at the Madras firm that the King of Kedah had granted him Kuala Kedah as well as the entire coast including Penang Island, in return for protection against Selangor. However, after a few letters to his superiors and having been ignored in these negotiations, a bitter Francis Light withdrew to Phuket. He continued his trading activities and maintained his relationship with the ruler of Kedah. On 15 February 1786, he wrote to the acting Governor-General of India, on the success of his mission in getting Penang, and on 11 August 1786, Francis Light took formal possession of Penang Island.

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The Fort Cornwallis Lighthouse.



In an effort to create a living museum, staff in period costume is employed.

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The store, on the southwest part of Fort Cornwallis.

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Pillbox shape of the Gunpowder Magazine.



Entrance to the Gunpowder Magazine.

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Fort Cornwallis Chapel.


Timothy Tye, the founder of AsiaExplorers, with the statue of Francis Light.

kornea

Francis Light = 100% bullshiter