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Francis Light (c. 1740 – 21 October 1794) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer best known for founding the colony of Penang and its capital city of George Town in 1786. Light was the father of William Light, who founded the city of Adelaide in South Australia in 1836.
Sep 2, 2024 · Francis Light (born c. 1740, Suffolk, Eng.—died Oct. 21, 1794, Penang Island [now in Malaysia]) was a British naval officer who was responsible for acquiring Penang (Pinang) Island in the Strait of Malacca as a British naval base. Light served in the Royal Navy from 1759 until 1763.
Captain Francis Light was the man instrumental in putting Penang on the map. While there has been arguments over whether or not he founded Penang, there is no denying that he established the trading port of George Town, and that made possible activities that led to the island becoming one of the most important cities in the country.
Jun 7, 2019 · Francis Light is Penang's most famous historical figure having established the British colony in 1786. From the age of 19 Light worked first as a midshipman in the navy and then as a trader attached to the East India Company based in Phuket.
Nov 26, 2021 · Backed by extensive research and a strong fascination of Martinha Rozells, Gan – a British national now based in Kuala Lumpur – weaves a rich tale of a charming, ambitious and, often times, lucky Francis Light.
Sep 7, 2012 · In many ways, the statue which stands today in Fort Cornwallis sums up the enigma that is Francis Light. It is modelled on his eldest son, Colonel William Light (the founder of Adelaide in South Australia) because there are no surviving images of its subject.
Oct 15, 2022 · Captain Francis Light, a British explorer and naval officer credited as the founder of Penang, is a familiar name to most Malaysians. In George Town, where he was buried after dying from malaria in 1794, you can visit his grave at the Old Protestant Cemetery along Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah Road.
FRANCIS LIGHT AND PENANG. by R. BONNEY. One of the most interesting episodes in the field of Malay-British relations. is the manner by which the English East India Company came to hold legal tenure over the island of Penang in 1791.
Feb 13, 2024 · TWO LATEST historical narratives on colonial Penang reveal interesting facets of its British pioneer Francis Light and how the state's traditional capital of George Town was initially a thriving fertile land for agriculture, including crops like padi and rubber.
Jun 19, 2012 · The whole motley gathering was led by Francis Light, an English sea captain and merchant who had been trading in the region for almost twenty years, and who recently had been appointed a fullfledged Captain in the Marine of the East India Company.
