Jacob Fletcher

1. Born 22/01/1726 at Whitehaven, Cumberland, England. He married firstly on 28/05/1751 Isabella Birch and had 9 known children. She died 26/07/1779. He married secondly on 03/08/1780 Margaret Sturzaker who died 15/02/1815. No children. He died 17/01/1808 at 87, Duke Street, Liverpool, Lancashire, England. Master of the ship "Elizabeth" of Whitehaven (1/16th owned by his brother Abraham Fletcher).

2. Jacob Fletcher was a privateer of some renown. In 1776 his brig, Nelly was burned rebels in the Savannah River, Georgia, but he managed to escape. "In November, 1778, the Catcher, Captain Fletcher, a vessel of 110 tons, 14 guns, and 80 men, owned by Messrs. Salisbury & Co., brought into the Mersey a French ship from Cape Grancois for Nantz, with 130,300 lbs of sugar, 115 barrels of coffee, 7 barrels of indigo, and 12 bales of cotton." "The Elizabeth, Captain Fletcher, arrived at Jamaica [in 1794] from Liverpool, after beating off two French Privateers, of 16 and 14 guns, who attached her near Isle de Vache." "In January, 1796, within five hours' sale of Jamaica, the Elizabeth, Captain Jacob Fletcher, of Liverpool, was attached by a French privateer of superior force, which she beat off after a smart action, in which the Frenchman had about 30 men killed and wounded. In recognition of his gallant and seamanlike conduct, the underwriters of London presented Captain Fletcher with a piece of plate, of the value of 100 guineas."

3. Mr Jacob Fletcher of Duke Street, Liverpool, died 17/01/1808 age 82.

4. Jacob Fletcher was listed in the Jamaican Quit Rent books for 1754 as the owner of 697 acres of land in St Mary, 1100 acres in St Ann and 74 acres in St Thomas-in-the-Vale, total 1871 acres.

1. Email from William Guy Fletcher, 20/01/2020 sourced to Fletcher detailed sketch pedigree as meticulously drawn up by the late scientist Stuart Dixon Fletcher of Solihull (b.1916, d.17 July 1993).

2. Frank Howley, Slavers, Traders and Privateers: Liverpool, the African Trade and Revolution 1773-1808 (2008) p. 45; Gomer Williams, History of the Liverpool privateers and letters of marque with an account of the Liverpool slave trade (1897) pp. 246, 329, 338.

3. Lancaster Gazette 23/01/1808.

4. "A List of landholders in the Island of Jamaica together with the number of acres each person possessed taken from the quit rent books in the year 1754", TNA CO 142/31 transcribed at http://www.jamaicanfamilysearch.com/Samples2/1754lead.htm

We are grateful to William Guy Fletcher for his assistance with compiling this entry.