Light's will (1794)

I, Francis Light of the Parish of Dallingoo in the County of Suffolk, Great Britain and now residing on Prince of Wales' Island in the East Indies do hereby make this my last Will and Testament and do by these presents revoke all other wills and testaments by me heretofore made.

Imprimis I give and bequeath the paddy field situated in Nibong plain and containing 100 orlongs of land or thereabouts together with the houses plantation's implements of husbandry and 40 buffaloes unto Martina Rozells who has cohabited with me since the year 1772 to be by her possessed during her natural life and at her death to be divided equally among her children, if no person born of her body remains at her death it shall be disposed of according to her will.

Francis Light and Martina Rozells. We were told by Trapaud (1788) and Tuckey (1815) that Light married a Kedah princess, making him, in effect, the son-in-law of the Sultan of Kedah. This is unlikely to be true since what was given to Light was only a handmaiden of the Queen of Kedah. The only partner acknowledged by Light in his will is a lady named Martina Rozells (a Portuguese Eurasian from Phuket), who lived and shared the household with him since 1772 (Rozells was the mother of five of Light’s children: Sarah^{1779, ♀}, William^{1784, ♂}, Mary^{1789, ♀}, Lanoon^{1791, ♂}, Lucky^{1792, ♀}). It is likely that the 1771 Kedah mission to Aceh was led by Martina Rozells, a calculated move by the shrewd Sultan to maximize the odds of enticing the English captain to Kuala Kedah. In MS 40320/6, f. 65, we have: . . . pada sembilan hari bulan Muharram hari Arba’ (24 April 1771, 1185 AH) pada ketika itu adalah Nyonya bawa mari Kapitan Francis Light iaitu daripada wakil Señor Francis Jourdan saudagar negeri Madras (bagi menghadap Sultan) Muhammad Jiwa Zain al-‘Adilin Mu‘azzam Shah Yang Maha Mulia semayam di negeri Kedah . . . Bonney (1965) supposed that the Kedah princess story was manufactured by Light himself, probably to elevate his social prestige. However, if Lady Rozells was the goddaughter of Sultan of Kedah, then Light's description of his partner was probably approximately correct.

I give and bequeath likewise unto the aforesaid Martina Rozells, the pepper gardens with my garden house plantations and all the land by me cleared in that part of this Island called Suffolk as also the pepper garden and plantation farming by Chee Hong in Orange Valley subject to such limitation as by articles is agreed upon between me and Chee Hong and at her death to be shared equally among the children born of her body before or within 9 months after my decease.

I give and bequeath unto the said Martina Rozells my bungalow in George Town with the ground thereunto belonging with 1 set of mahogany tables, 2 card tables, 2 couches, 2 bedstead large and 2 small with bedding and et cetera, a dressing table and 18 chairs, 2 silver candlesticks, 1 silver teapot, 2 sugar dishes, 12 table spoons, 12 tea spoons, 1 soup spoon (silver) and all the utensils not under the steward's charge to be by her disposed of as she thinks proper without any limitation. I give also unto the said Martina Rozells 4 of my best cows and 1 bull.

I will that all other of my effects with the brick house and outhouses and grounds hereunto belonging be sold and the amount sale disposed of as hereafter directed.

I will that all my Malay bonds be delivered to my executors to be by them recovered and the money given to Martina. But I request the debtors may not be distressed for payment if their circumstances are low.

From the money arising from the sale of my brick house cattle effects et cetera I give unto Enneat a female whom I have liberated the sum of 200 dollars and unto Emai another female slave I give 100 dollars with her freedom.

I give and bequeath all my Batak slaves unto Martina Rozells I leave all my Caffres slaves the following choice either to remain with Martina during her life she being willing to maintain them or each man to pay her 50 dollars to be free.

I release the following people from all further bondage or servitude and bequeath each of them 10 dollars viz. I Boon and his wife, I Boon small and Echan his wife and children, I Tong, Tong Dam and his wife and his daughter, Ton Chan and her brother, but not Esan she remains with Martina, Seng Pao and Elloi are not slaves, they may go where they please.

The tableware of the white Devaraja: I give and bequeath unto Martina Rozells . . . two silver candlesticks, one silver teapot, two sugar dishes, twelve table spoons, twelve tea spoons, one silver soup spoon, and all the utensils not under the steward's charge to be by her disposed of as she thinks proper without any limitation . . .

My gold gurglet and bason I bequeath to William Fairlie, Esq. as a token of friendship. My silver gurglet and bason I bequeath to James Scott as a remembrance. My watch I bequeath to Thos Pigou also the choice of any of my books.

I give and bequeath all moneys remitted to England to William Light, son of Martina Rozells now under the care of George Doughty, Esq. of Suffolk, and in case of the death of the said William Light I give and bequeath this money if it does not exceed 2,000 pounds sterling unto the said George Doughty, and his heirs, whatever may be over and above 2,000 pounds I will that it be equally divided among my surviving children.

All the rest and residue of my estate whatsoever after my just debts are paid I give and beg unto my executors in trust for the use and benefit of the children of Martina Rozells with whom I have long cohabited whose names are: Sarah Light, William Light, Mary Light, Lanoon Light, Lucky Light and any other child the said Martina Rozells may have within 9 months from the day of my death or the survivor or survivors of them share and share alike, to be distributed by my executors on their severally attaining the age of 16 years and previous to that period such part of the principal and interest of this bequest to be applied towards their maintenance and education as my executors may see necessary.

I appoint William Fairlie, Esq. of Calcutta, James Scott and Thomas Pigou my executors to this my last Will and Testament. Done in George Town, Prince of Wales's Island this 20th day of October in the year of our Lord 1794.

Signed sealed and declared to be my best Will and Testament in the presence of:

(Sd.) F. Light.
(Sd.) Wm. Scott.
(Sd.) Nathl. Bacon, Jr.
(Sd.) W. Lindesay.

Registered by Order of the Superintendent this 2nd. day of March 1795, No. 4.

(Sd.) Nathl. Bacon, Jr.

1. The facial characteristics of Sarah Light (b. 1779, d. 1839) and William Light (b. 1784, d. 1839) may have represented a statistical amalgamation of traits inherited from Rozells and Light.
   
   
   
   
   
   Dallinghoo was the village where Mary Light, Francis Light’s biological mother, lived. The nearby town of Woodbridge lay just three miles away.
   
   
2. Cheah (2002) incorrectly claimed that ‘. . . in 1786, he was appointed an EIC agent. Sultan Abdullah grew so fond of him that he allowed Light to marry a lady of his court, the beautiful Portuguese Eurasian, Martina Rozells . . .' See B. K. Cheah (2002) Light on a dark subject, in N. Khor, M. Dias (2002) Glimpses of Old Penang, pp. 5 - 7.
   
   
3. 1 orlong is approximately \(80^2\) square yard or \(\frac{160}{121}\) acre. Light's paddy field in Nibong plain was thus approximately 54 hectare.
   
   
4. James H. Tuckey (1815) Maritime geography and statistics or a description of the ocean and its coast, maritime commerce, navigation, etc, etc, etc. Volume III, Black, Parry and Co, London, p. 230. See also R. Bonney (1965) Francis Light and Penang, JMBRAS 38(1), pp. 135 - 158, and E. Trapaud (1788) A short account of the Prince of Wales's Island, or Pulo Peenang, in the East-Indies, given to Capt. Light, by the King of Quedah, ornamented with an elegant engraving, representing a view of teh North Point of the Prince of Wales's Island, and the ceremony of christening it, John Stockdale, London.
   
   Elisha Trapaud (1788) claimed in his book that Captain Light has assisted Sultan Muhammad Jiwa Zain al-‘Adilin in quelling some troubles in his dominions, who in return bestowed upon him a princess of the blood in marriage, together with this island as her dower. Captain Light, who is extremely well beloved amongst the Malays, chose to marry the princess according to the fashions of her own country.
   
   
   The British Colors (a. 1707 - 1801) was probably first raised at the Fort of Kuala Bahang in 1771, when the port was handed over to Light. Fifteen years later, the same flag was hoisted once more in Penang. It was the British flag before the incorporation of the St. Patrick's Cross. The explanatory note accompanying the fort reads:
   
   This oldest Malay bastion in the north of Peninsular Malaysia is known as Kota Kuala Bahang. It was initially built using clay, mangrove wood and bamboo during the reign of Sultan Sulaiman Shah (1602 - 1626). This fort was destroyed as a result of enemy attack and was reconstructed again using bricks on March 25, 1771 during the reign of Sultan Muhammad Jiwa. In addition to being a defence fort, it was also an administrative centre during the reign of Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin Halim Shah II, the 22nd Sultan of Kedah (1804 - 1845). During His Majesty's rule, this fort was attacked and destroyed by Siamese armada on November 12, 1821. The fort was subsequently occupied by the Japanese army during the Japanese occupation of Malaya.
   
   25 March 1771 is apparently not a correct date to be associated with construction of the fort. It is not known how people can just confidently quote date without checking.
   
   
5. A Bahawa akan surat daripada Kapitan dan Nyonya dibawa mualim kecil Mir Sab itu sampailah pada kami. Tersebut di dalamnya Kapitan yang baharu mari itu bercakap hendak beli kapal kami di Selangor. Berikan Nakhoda Cik Ni dengan penolong, Kapitan itulah bayar harganya dengan modal dirinya itupun besarlah penolong Kapitan akan kami. Maka akan harganya itu mari sampai Kapitan itu mengadap kami boleh kami bayar dengan timah atau barang yang dikehendakinya. Tiada gendala pada kami.
   
   Sebermula, tatkala sudah boleh kapal itu di dalam tangan Cik Ni, siapa pula menolong Cik Ni layarkan kapal itu ke Melaka atau ke mari daripada kelasi, serang serba-serba pun. Sepatutnya Kapitan itulah menolong, maka dapat Cik Ni itu layarkan apabila dikehendaki. Sudah-sudah pun boleh kami beri.
   
   Kalau kapal itu sudah dijual Bugis pada tempat lain, jadi susah Kapitan itu membicarakan modal kami itu. Tempat itulah Kapitan dan Nyonya tentukan, periksa pada Kapitan yang baharu mari itu, dimaklumkan mari dengan segeranya boleh kami turut kerajakan.
   
   Sebermula, jika ada rial ringgit barang dua ribu, Kapitan dan Nyonya bicarakan, beri mari di dalam harga timah kami perbuat belanja segala hal negeri kami. Perbuat surat pada sanah 1185 pada empat haribulan Rabi al-Akhir hari Selasa. Tamat.
   
   Demikian lagi opium apabila sudah putus harga diberi mari pada Sri Setia Khan dua peti pada kami. Tamat.
   
   letter (MS 40320/7, f.182. Surat daripada Yang Dipertuan Besar kepada Nyonya dan Kapitan Francis Light فرڠسيس ليک) was written on 16 July 1771 (about four months after the Bugis attack) and it was addressed by Sultan Muhammad Jiwa al-‘Adilin (who was at Kota Kayangan) to Francis Light and Martina Rozells (who were at Kuala Kedah). The letter outlines Light's plan to buy back the vessels plundered (disamun) by the Selangorians.
   
   A Sanat 1185, tahun Zai, pada tujuh haribulan Rabi al-Akhir, pada hari Khamis. Ketika itu Nakhoda Cik Ni mari [✗] di Kota Kayangan, dimaklumkan perintah Kapitan Francis Light dan Nyonya. Ambil janji daripada Kapitan yang baharu mari itu hendak [✗] disamun Bugis bawa ke Selangor.
   
   Itulah ia hendak beli, beri dengan modal diberinya, ambil serahkan Nakhoda Cik Ni dengan [✗] surat persembahannya, mari maklumkan kami. Maka kata Nakhoda Cik Ni, apabila ada kapal, tentulah ditolong Kapitan beli berikan patik. Tatkala sudah patik terima kapal itu, betapa hal patik boleh melayarkan kapal daripada serang dan tandil, kelasi, mualim, dan barang yang kurang daripada tali, agar serba-serba siapa akan menolong hal patik.
   
   Maka inilah, kami perbuat surat, ditentukan dengan hari dan bulan, diserahkan wakil kami, Nakhoda Cik Ni. Apabila sudah boleh kapal itu diterima Cik Ni, maka hendaklah Kapitan tolong segala hal sakit, sukar, beberapa belanja, biaya di atas kapal itu, menyampaikan kami, Kapitan beri serta buat daftar ambil daripada Cik Ni tanda ia terima daripada harga kapal dan segala belanja, ditentukan banyaknya. Mari terima, ambil pada kami; tiada gendala hak kapitan pada kami, kerana nyata kami minta tolong pada Kapitan sekali.
   
   Inilah kami hendak terima kasih Kapitan. Apabila ada hayat, kami boleh balas kebajikan Kapitan yang baharu mari itu. Maka akan surat ini, apabila Cik Ni terima kapal dengan belanja surat ini, kapitan terima ambil, taruh bersama daftar daripada Cik Ni, bawa mari pada kami tanda kapitan serah dan terima. Tamat.
   
   official statement (MS 40320/7, f.179) was issued by the King of Kedah, on 20 July 1771.
   
   
6. A [✗] tahun [✗], pada sembilan haribulan Muharram, hari Arba’.
   
   Pada ketika itu adalah Nyonya bawa mari Kapitan [✗], iaitu daripada wakil Señor Francis Jourdan, Saudagar negeri Madras, [✗] Muhamad Jiwa Zain al-Adilin Muazzam Shah Yang Maha Mulia semayam di negeri Kedah Perlis [✗] sudah menghadap, sembahkan [✗] Aceh serta dengan teriak tangis minta tolong [✗] duduk di negeri Kedah, di Kuala [✗], sama Nyonya [✗] serta dengan [✗] dan supaya seratus orang tunggu jaga kawal segala seteru Yang Maha Mulia, maka [✗] sampai mari ke negeri [✗], sekalipun diminta Nyonya suruh binasakan serta diminta pelihara Raja [✗] daftar [✗] ikrar hendak kerjakan seperti kehendak Nyonya.
   
   Itulah lalu disuruh Kapitan Francis agar buat [✗] wakil daripada penghulunya, disembahkan taruh pada ke bawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia, supaya jangan jadi bersalahan ikrar pada hari ke hadapan.
   
   Syahadan, maka [✗] Nyonya pada ke bawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia, balas kebajikan orang putih itu: segala perniagaan dari laut, daripada [✗] Aceh, Bugis, Makassar, serba dagangan yang dibeli saudagar penyuruh Nyonya dan Inggeris sematanya, [✗] labanya lalu dibahagi tiga. Suatu bahagian itulah dipersembahkan ke bawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia, suatu bahagian dihantarkan pergi [✗], dan suatu bahagian itulah ambil Kapitan Francis akan jadi segala belanja [✗] perniagaan [✗] Keling dan ke Aceh [✗] dan [✗] sematanya.
   
   [✗] telah lalu di dalam perintah raja, tiada [✗]. Dan Kapitan dan [✗] dagangan [✗] dan [✗] itu dua afqah? dibeli bersama-sama, tetap ditaruh di dalam persimpanan Yang Maha Mulia [✗] perbahagian itulah. Demikianlah perjanjian antara duanya dan Kapitan pada ke bawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia serta [✗]. Tatkala sudah khusus perjanjian, maka titah Yang Maha Mulia suruh dapat Padukira? Wangsa muafakat [✗] buat surat dua pucuk. Sepucuk sembahkan taruh, dan sepucuk diserahkan Kapitan Francis.
   
   [✗] tiada perkenan akan orang putih, maka disuruh pulang ke negerinya; itupun tiada soal [✗]. Perjanjian itu wa kafa billah syahidan aliman wa katibuhu (وَكَفَى بِاللَّهِ شَهِيدًا عَلِيمًا وَكَاتِبُهُ) Hakim Seri Jaya Lela. Tamat. Ini cap Dato Sri Perdana Menteri.letter was written by the Prime Minister of Kedah, on the day of Francis Light and Martina Rozells’s arrival at Kuala Kedah, 24 April 1771. Among the items discussed in the letter was the proposed profit sharing scheme associated with the operation of Kuala Kedah (\(\frac{1}{3}\) to the Sultan, \(\frac{1}{3}\) to the Madras (?), \(\frac{1}{3}\) to Francis Light to finance operational overheads in Aceh)
   
   
   The original brass plaque, also crafted by F. J. Wilcoxson, followed Swettenham’s advice (1935) for a minimalist inscription. It simply reads: FRANCIS LIGHT – FOUNDER OF PENANG – 1786. The plaque was further embellished with the heraldic rajalañchana of the Prince of Wales (پرِّنسَ اَبوَیلسِ), depicting three white ostrich feathers rising from a gold coronet and accompanied by a ribbon inscribed with the German motto ICH DIEN (I serve). The three ostrich feathers were once on Penang’s emblem, but they were replaced by the image of the Penang Bridge, a Mahathir-era project inaugurated in 1985. The metal body of Light was originally positioned on a locally fabricated granite pedestal of 12 feet high (by United Engineers Limited at cost of about $900 or 10% of cost of sculpting the 10-feet bronze avatar). At such height, any malicious effort to introduce additional latex-based chroma on Light is practically quite difficult.
   
   
   
7. The centenary of Penang was celebrated with a week-long public holiday from 10 to 16 August 1886. On the Tuesday morning of August 10, Sir Frederick Aloysius Weld, Governor of the Straits Settlements, arrived from Singapore to find George Town in party mood. The streets were adorned with bunting and red-and-white Venetian poles streaming with flags, while the festivities included horse races, boat races, and nightly fireworks. A contemporary observer even boldly predicted:
   
   “Penang at the next Centenary will very likely be a city of palaces. We shall not be there to see what goes on in 1986, but although the people of that distant period may do things on a grand scale, they will not enjoy themselves any more than we did last week.”
   That projection, however, did not age very well, for Penang passed her 200th birthday in silent mode, perhaps because Dr. Mahathir saw little cause for celebration in an event that marked the Island’s forced cession to Light.
   
   The bitter anti-colonialist sentiment in Mahathir’s heart was not shared by Penangites in 1936, when they marked the 150th anniversary of the Island’s founding with festivities. On August 11 that year, about 100 Penangites, together with 40 Malay policemen, staged a theatrical reenactment of the signing of the agreement that ceded Penang to the United East India Company. The performance featured J. M. Barron, Deputy Controller of Labour in Penang, in the role of Captain Light, and Captain Mohamed Noor bin Shaik Ahmad, Malay interpreter at the Supreme Court, portraying Sultan Abdullah Mukarram Shah.
   
   About a year earlier in 1935, the Pinang Gazette sought Swettenham’s opinion on a proposal to erect a memorial in honour of Francis Light, to which he responded as follows:
   
   . . . you invite me to express an opinion on a proposal to do something in Penang to make public recognition of the services of Francis Light, the Founder of the Settlement. This is a question for the people of Penang, and it is only at your request that I venture to say that if they don't mind calling attention to the fact that for 150 years successive generations have neglected an obvious duty, the sooner the omission is made good the better. As to the form of recognition, I have less hessitation in saying that a statue is preferable to a Museum. Unless a Museum is absolutely first rate—a very costly business—it is apt to become a dull and dusty affair, and I hardly see how a Museum would attract attention to the Founder of Penang, or perpetuate his foresight and his services to the Settlement. A statue at the landing place would attract more attention, and be more suitable as a memorial of the man. One suggestion I do make. When the inscription is written don't call him ‘Captain'— Francis Light is good enough and cannot be questioned . . .
   We were told that Swettenham’s suggestion was eventually adopted. The project’s cost was initally estimated at approximately £1,050 (around $9,000) for the sculptor (Frederick J. Wilcoxson, A.R.B.S. of 13 Selwood Terrance, London), with a locally made pedestal not exceeding $2,600. The Penangites contributed about $8,000/$9,000 through crowdfunding, with the remaining balance was covered by the Municipal Fund ($3,000).
   
   The $12,064.19-statue reached Penang on Saturday, 6 May 1939, and was unveiled by the Governor of the Straits Settlements, Sir Shenton Thomas, about 5 months later on October 3. The Governor's speech was calibrated with the fact that Britain and France had declared war on Nazi Germany on September 3 after Poland was invaded:
   
   . . . Captain Francis Light as a builder of Empire had vision, courage, and determination and these are precisely the qualities that are being so severely tried today. We are paying tribute to him at a time when the freedom of this island is being threatened, when defeat will mean that the British Flag will disappear and the people of Penang will live in fear, not daring even to talk freely to their friends. I know that I speak for all of you when I say there shall be no defeat, but I say also that there is need today for each one of us to show that he too has the qualities of our founder, courage to face the difficultie and the sacrifices of war, determination to overcome every obstacle until victory is achieved, and vision to see that out of tribulation can come greater happiness if only we have the faith to work for it . . .
   
8. Nathaniel Bacon was the secretary of Francis Light. When Bacon died in 1830, Syed Hassan Syed Haron, his adopted son of Yemeni ancestry, inherited a large portion of Bacon's estate in Ayer Itam. William Lindesay a country trader and merchant, he settled in Penang in 1796. William Scott (b. 1780, d. 1861) was the son of James Scott (b. 1746, d. 1808), he was later sued by the Lights for diluting Light's estates and assets.