One of Ipswich’s leading citizens, Francis Wainwright, came to Massachusetts from Chelmsford, England in 1635. Arriving as a young man, he soon enlisted in the militia during the hostilities of the Pequot War, the culmination of an escalating series of reprisal killings between the indigenous Pequot and the colonizing enterprises of Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay. After bludgeoning two enemy combatants to death with his ammo-less firearm (and returning with their scalps) Francis was rewarded for his military service with land. His situation would only improve from there, acquiring considerably more land and income as one of Ipswich’s preeminent merchants. His wealth and social standing allowed him to build the first family pew in the corner of the Ipswich church, although his frequent government service did not protect him from being formally censured by the Massachusett government after he advocated for surrendering the colony’s Charter to the King. He would fight again, as a Major, during King Philip’s War and the disastrous colonial defeat known as the Battle of Bloody Brook. Accounts vary as to whether he died in 1692 or 1699, although the 1699 date would put his age at the time of his militia service at 14.
The visible portion of the tomb is relatively recent, having been almost completely lost by the end of the 19th century. By 1835 the tomb was in bad condition, according to a Board of Health statement listing it as the tomb of ‘___ Wainwright’. By the late 1800s the tomb was nowhere to be seen, only being rediscovered during heavy restoration work on the cemetery in 1894. The tomb was apparently found during this work and restored along with what remained of the tablet, found in another part of the cemetery during the same project.
Francis’ son, Col Francis Wainwright Jr, is listed on the tomb lid as well, although this is somewhat suspect. While Francis Sr. did die while on business in Salem, Francis Jr died in Ipswich, a few days before he was to marry, and is described as being buried in a tomb built by him. That tomb still exists in Ipswich, emblazoned with the Wainwright family crest and containing the bodies of Francis Jr’s first wife and children. While tombs such as Wainwright’s usually held more than one person, it is unknown based on current records who is buried within it and whether Francis Jr is one of them.