CAPTAIN JOHN BULL 1771–1851
John Bull, known colloquially as the ‘Commodore’, encapsulates the wealthy, gallant packet captain. He was the son of another experienced packet master, which he passed down to John. This lineage secured his ascent, and like his father John Bull was involved in countless skirmishes, further bolstering his notoriety. In one such fracas, he survived despite being “almost wholly incapacitated by a rifle bullet which had pierced both cheeks”, before being thrown – in his own words – into “the most horrible dungeon that can be conceived”.
