The acquisition of Penang by Francis Light on 11 August 1786 is a traumatic point in the nation's history because it marks the starts of British influence in Malay states.As the result,Penang was separated from the Kedah Sultanate and became a British colony. Penang was not widely known before 1786 until Sultan Muhammad Jiwa Zainal Adilin Muazam Shah II began to offer the Kuala Kedah coast as far south as Penang to the British East India Company in November 1771 in exchange for military aid against the Bugis in Selangor. Before the acquisition,Penang was merely an island under the Kedah Sultanate. The Sultan was impressed with the British East India Company which was indeed well-known for its military power in India. The Sultan wanted the Company to be protector of Kedah. At that time, Sultan Muhammad Jiwa had to contend with not only the threat of invasion by Siam but also the treachery of his own for entrusting the rulership of Kedah to Tunku Abdullah. As a result, the Sultan needed military protection by an external power while helping him to reinforce his own position an authority,would not interfere in Kedah's internal affairs.
George Town was so named by Francis Light on August 10th 1786, and is thus as old as the Settlement itself. Francis Light had occupied the island on July 17th,clearing the jungle of Penaga Point and going on to mark out waht are still the central. Light Street,Beach Street,Chulia Street and Pitt Street, the first two converging on the stockade which was to be named Fort Cornwallis. Having named the island after the Prince of Wales,Light evidently made amends by naming the town after George III,quickly adding names to commemorate and conciliate the Prime Minister William Pritt, and the Governer-General Cornwallis. The naming was more regular than the layout and the arrival of the settlers prevented any second thoughts on the subject.
Sources:
-Early History of Penang by editor Muhammad Haji Salleh
- Penang Past and Present 1786-1963: A Historical Account of the City of George Town Since 1786
-Penang: An Inside Guide to Its Historic Homes,Buildings,Monuments and Parks by Keith Hockton and Howard Tan
-Penang Through Gilded Doors by Julia De Bierre
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