Fortunatus Wright (c.1712–1757) was a British merchant and

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

, notable for his activities in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

during the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George's W ...

and the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

Early life

Wright was apparently a native of

Wallasey Wallasey () is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England; until 1974, it was part of the historic county of Cheshire. It is situated at the mouth of the River Mersey, at the north-eastern corner of the Wirral Pe ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, the son of

master mariner A master mariner is a licensed mariner who holds the highest grade of seafarer qualification; namely, an unlimited master's license. Such a license is labelled ''unlimited'' because it has no limits on the tonnage, power, or geographic location of ...

and ship owner John Wright (d. 1717). After going to sea as a boy, he settled down as a brewer and distiller and married Martha Painter in 1732. They had several children, including a daughter, Philippa. His wife died shortly after Philippa's birth, and in 1736 Wright married Mary Bulkeley, a daughter of William Bulkeley of

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...

. Their daughter Ann was born the next year. The marriage was unhappy, and in 1741 Wright abandoned his wife and traveled to Italy.Wallasey People: Fortunatus Wright
Retrieved 27 January 2020

War of the Austrian Succession

After being arrested in

Lucca Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957. Lucca is known as one o ...

for refusing to give up his guns and pointing one at a guard, Wright settled in

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...

and became a merchant. In January 1744 his ship ''Swallow'' was captured and ransomed at sea. Wright and other Livorno merchants fitted out the privateer ''Fame'' and by 1746 he had reportedly captured sixteen enemy ships worth as much as 400,000 pounds (a number perhaps greatly exaggerated, as Wright was never rich). Wright's capture of a French ship in December 1746 carrying the baggage of the Prince of Campo Florido (the Spanish ambassador to France) led to a dispute over whether a pass from King George to the Prince covered his luggage; English authorities in Italy decided that it did, and Wright was forced to give up a portion of what he had seized. Another capture by the ''Fame'', that of the French ''Hermione'' on 26 February 1746/7, led to a dispute over Turkish property on board. Wright was jailed by authorities in Tuscany in December 1747 for refusing to turn over profits from the sale, but was freed in June 1748. After the war Wright and fellow Englishman William Hutchinson bought and fitted out the 20-gun ''Lowestoft'' for trading, and Hutchinson captained it on a number of voyages to the West Indies and in the Mediterranean.

Seven Years War

When war broke out again in May 1756, Wright had a new ship ready for action, the ''St. George''. Local authorities attempted to restrain Wright, but finally allowed him to leave port with a few guns on the St. George and four merchant vessels; once off-shore, Wright moved armaments which he had hidden in the merchant cargoes to the ''St. George'' and prepared his ship for battle. French merchants of Marseilles had outfitted a warship specifically to destroy Wright, but Wright managed to put the French ship to flight, although the ''St. George'' was damaged and he was forced to return to port. The local authorities in Livorno seized his ship and all other English shipping in an effort to maintain neutrality; they were not freed until September when two English warships forced their release by the Tuscan government. After an unsuccessful attempt to recruit men in

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

, Wright took several prizes which were sent to

Cagliari Cagliari (, also , , ; sc, Casteddu ; lat, Caralis) is an Italian municipality and the capital of the island of Sardinia, an autonomous region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name ''Casteddu'' means ''castle''. It has about 155,000 inhabitant ...

. He was largely successful in several engagements off Malta with the French ''Hirondelle'', sent to halt his activities. The ''St. George'' and Wright were probably lost at sea in early 1757, by one report on 16 March. Most of Wright's estate went to his daughter Philippa, who was married to Charles Evelyn, grandson of the writer and diarist

John Evelyn John Evelyn (31 October 162027 February 1706) was an English writer, landowner, gardener, courtier and minor government official, who is now best known as a diarist. He was a founding Fellow of the Royal Society. John Evelyn's diary, or memo ...

Legacy

Wright was celebrated in his time and afterwards for his successful privateering. William Hutchinson, who served under him, wrote admiringly of his seamanship and bravery.

Tobias Smollett Tobias George Smollett (baptised 19 March 1721 – 17 September 1771) was a Scottish poet and author. He was best known for picaresque novels such as ''The Adventures of Roderick Random'' (1748), ''The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle'' (1751) a ...

called him "this brave corsair" in his 1825 ''History of England'', while Gomer Williams in his 1897 ''History of the Liverpool Privateers'' wrote "...he strikes the imagination as the ideal and ever-victorious captain, around whose name and fate clings the halo of mystery and romance." He is mentioned in

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...

's ''

Finnegans Wake ''Finnegans Wake'' is a novel by Irish literature, Irish writer James Joyce. It is well known for its experimental style and reputation as one of the most difficult works of fiction in the Western canon. It has been called "a work of fiction whi ...

''.Finnegans Wake, Book 2, Chapter 3, page 327
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References

External links

Fortunatus Wright
at

ODNB The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Fortunatus People from Wallasey British privateers 1712 births 1757 deaths