John Naylor Wright
John Naylor Wright, Mayor, 1816-17 and 1833-34
Hanging in the Large Ballroom of Liverpool Town Hall is the portrait of John Naylor Wright (1788-1850), by an unknown artist. The plaque currently in place (pictured below) describes him as “the son of one of Liverpool’s chief shipbuilders in Liverpool. He continued his father’s prosperous company which was located in St. Anne Street and is recorded as living in Everton and Princes Park. He was elected Mayor of Liverpool twice, first in 1816 and then in 1832.
I think something more appropriate would read as follows:
“John Naylor Wright was a shipbuilder. He inherited the thriving business from his father, William Naylor Wright, on his death in 1809. William built many ships for Liverpool’s slave traders and West India merchants, as well as investing in slaving voyages on his own account. In 1797, The Wrights built the massive slave ship “Parr” for Thomas Parr. It was the largest slaving vessel crafted in Liverpool at the time of its launch. In 1798, the Parr blew up off the coast of Africa whilst trading for enslaved people. John Naylor Wright served as Mayor of Liverpool twice, 1816-17 and 1833-34.”
