History

On 28 November 1785 Sir James Wright was buried in the north transept. The inscription on his gravestone is now rather faint but reads:

“Sir James Wright, Bart. Died 20th Novbr. 1785, aged 71 years”

He was born on 8 May 1716, a son of Robert Wright and his wife Isabella (Pitts). The family moved to Charlestown, South Carolina and Robert was a chief justice of the colony. James later became Attorney General there and in 1760 he was appointed Lt.Governor of Georgia. In 1772 he was created a baronet. After the American War of Independence he resumed his post in 1779 but it was short-lived as Savannah was surrendered in 1782 and James returned to London. His wife Sarah (Maidman) had been drowned on a voyage to England in 1763. Their children were James (who became the 2nd baronet), Alexander, Mary, Charles, Ann, Isabella, Elizabeth and Charlotte. Sir James lived in Fludyer Street, Westminster, near to the Abbey, and died there on 20 November 1785.

Further reading:

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2004