Commodore George Walker (before 1700-1777)

A three-quarter length oil portrait of the famous privateersman George Walker, wearing a blue coat with gold braiding and buttons, red waistcoat, necktie and brown wig. He is shown standing in front of a rock and gesturing with his left hand towards a sea action taking place in the distance on the right. His right hand rests on a globe just above a partly legible inscription ‘F…… Gib…l…C. St. Vin’.

This portrait probably commemorates one of Walker’s successful actions capturing a Spanish treasure ship, the ‘Glorioso’, near Cape St Vincent in 1747. He had command of the ‘King George’, a 32-gun frigate which formed part of a squadron of four privateers ‘King George’, ‘Prince Frederick’, ‘Duke’, and ‘Princess Amelia’. Collectively known as the Royal Family, they had been cruising for nearly a year and had already made considerable prize money. In July 1747 they sailed from Lisbon and on 6 October sighted the 70-gun Spanish ship ‘Glorioso’ heading for Cape St Vincent. Guessing that she was laden with treasure, Walker attacked. After an action lasting several hours the ‘Glorioso’ was finally captured by another ship, the ‘Russell’, and escorted into Tagus under Walker’s guidance. It is probably this event which is shown in the painting.

Walker is generally regarded as the most successful British privateer. A resourceful and innovative seaman, he always carried musicians on board, and cared for his crews who in their turn respected him. Though he himself published 'The Voyages and Cruises of Commodore Walker' (1760; reprinted 1924), this included no detail of his life before 1739-40, when he was already an experienced and fairly successful ship's captain and merchant. Little is also known of his later years, but the syndicate which owned the Royal Family did not honour their debts to him and he was imprisoned and then declared bankrupt. He was found dead in his bed on 20 September 1777 in his lodgings at Seething Lane, in the City of London, and was buried at All Hallows Barking, Great Tower Street, London.


Walker's date and place of birth remain a mystery but it is reasonable to infer that he was born a few years either side of 1690: the opening remarks of his 'Voyages' say his main independent career began when 'a universal peace' broke out in European seas, which can only be the end of the War of the Spanish Succession in 1714 when he was probably about 20-25.