Evelyn Baring, 1st Earl of Cromer
Encyclopedia
Evelyn Baring, 1st Earl of Cromer, GCB
, OM
, GCMG
, KCSI
, CIE
, PC, FRS
(26 February 1841 – 29 January 1917), was a British statesman, diplomat and colonial administrator.
He was British controller-general in Egypt during 1879, part of the international Control which oversaw Egyptian finances after the khedives' mismanagement, and during the British occupation prompted by the Urabi revolt
, agent and consul-general in Egypt from 1883 to 1907. Far from the centre of the Empire, Cromer ran the territory with great drive and his effective governance balked British wishes to withdraw from Egypt.
and his second wife, Cecilia Anne (Windham). The English Baring family descends from John (born Johan) Baring, who emigrated from Germany in 1717. John's son Sir Francis was the founder of Barings Bank
. Henry was the third son of Sir Francis. When he died in 1848, young Evelyn, then seven years old, was sent to boarding school. At fourteen, he entered the Royal Military Academy, graduating at seventeen with a lieutenant's commission in the Royal Artillery
. He was initially posted to a battery on the island of Corfu
.
While on Corfu, Baring became aware of his own lack of education, and began a campaign of self-education, learning Greek and fluent Italian. He also took a mistress, and fathered an illegitimate daughter, Louisa Sophia. In 1862, he accepted a position as aide-de-camp
to Sir Henry Storks, High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands. This position ended in 1864, with the union of Corfu to Greece. Later in 1864, Storks was appointed governor of Malta
, again employing Baring as an aide-de-camp. The next year Baring accompanied Storks to Jamaica
, where Storks headed the official inquiry into the Morant Bay rebellion
. In 1868, Baring was selected to attend the Army's Staff College
; he graduated in late 1869. He then worked for two years in the War Office
, helping to implement post-Crimean War
reforms.
Baring went to India in 1872 as private secretary to his cousin Lord Northbrook
, Viceroy of India. With Northbrook's resignation in 1876, Baring returned to England. He received the C.S.I., and was promoted to major. Baring married Ethel Errington in 1876. In 1877 he retired from the army.
, his personal use, and to cover persistent tax shortfalls. His finances depended on money obtained from Egypt's cotton industry, which flourished during the American Civil War
. Yet, after the war, as American cotton entered European markets once again, the price of cotton fell dramatically. As a result, Egypt's cotton was no longer the cash crop it used to be. Ismail Pasha found himself unable to even pay off the interest on his debts.
At first, Ismail attempted to call on his parliament to raise more tax money, but parliament resisted, as it made up mostly of large landowners, who were lightly taxed. In desperation, Ismail turned to the European powers to help him out of his financial troubles. After some rocky negotiations the Dual Control system was instituted, whereby a French and a British controller were appointed to oversee Egypt's finances. Sir Evelyn Baring was appointed as the British Controller. Egyptian historian Al-Sayyid Marsot considers this desperate attempt on Ismail's part to obtain European help to have opened the floodgates for the British control of Egypt's finances, and eventual incorporation into their empire.
As the British Controller-General, Baring was enormously successful in serving British interests. He and his fellow controller's de facto control of Egypt's finances meant they wielded considerable influence in both the Egyptian and British governments. Owning a large proportion of Egypt's debt himself, when Ismail refused to declare bankruptcy, Baring pressured his government to depose Ismail, which they did in 1879. This came with little fuss from the general populace as most of the country blamed Ismail for the country's financial struggles. Ismail was succeeded by his son Tawfiq
, who cooperated with the European consuls.
, led by Ahmed Urabi
, a rising Egyptian colonel, endangered the Khedivate
. After the subsequent intervention by the British in Alexandria
(the 1882 Anglo-Egyptian War), Baring returned from India in Egypt as the British agent and consul-general, "with a mandate for minor reforms and a prompt withdrawal of British troops". Baring's requests to withdraw were thwarted by British public outcry when the 1881 uprising of the Madhi
Muhammad Ahmad
and the ensuing Mahdist War
caused the successive defeats & deaths of the popular Colonel William Hicks
and General Chinese Gordon.
Baring’s first act as Consul-General was to approve of the Dufferin Report, which essentially called for a puppet parliament with no power. In addition, the report asserted the need for British supervision of reforms deemed necessary for the country. Furthermore, it stated the interests of the Suez Canal
zone should always be maintained. Baring believed that because of Egyptian administrative incompetence, a long occupation was essential to any sort of reform. Moreover, he established a new guiding principle for Egypt known as the Granville Doctrine (named for the Foreign Secretary, Lord Granville
). The doctrine enabled Baring and other British officials to dismiss Egyptian ministers who refused to accept British directives. Under Baring, British officials were positioned in key ministries and a new system, known as the Veiled Protectorate, was introduced. Essentially, the government was a façade. Egyptians ministers were the outward form, yet British officials held the actual power. Despite these measures, the Khedive
sanctioned the system. The Egyptian army, which Baring considered utterly untrustworthy due to its previous mutinies against the Khedive, was disbanded and a new army organized along with British lines (much like in India).
Afaf Lutfi Sayyid-Marsot contends that under Baring, Egyptian nationalists were inert and many Egyptians believed in Britain’s policy of "rescue and retire", but that Baring had no intention of doing so as, Marsot says, "Baring believed that 'subject races' were totally incapable of self-government, that they did not really need or want self-government, and that what they really needed was a 'full belly' policy which kept it quiescent and allowed the elite to make money and so cooperate with the occupying power."
In 1906, Baring was made a Member of the Order of Merit
by King Edward VII
.
Baring was embroiled in controversy in both Egypt and Britain in the wake the severe punishments meted out to Egyptian peasants following the 1906 Denshawai Incident
. In April 1907, he resigned office, having held the post of British agent in Egypt for twenty-four years. The official reason given for his resignation was his poor health. In July 1907, parliament awarded him £50,000 in recognition of his "eminent services" in Egypt.
supported the Ottomans, and was deposed by the British. This freed Baring to publish his impressions of the Khedive, Abbas II, in 1915.
Baring was active in politics. Having been raised to the peerage
as Lord Cromer in 1892, Baring was entitled to sit in the House of Lords
. He joined the free-trade wing of the Unionist party
. Baring was a leader of the anti-suffragette cause, serving as the president of the Men's League for Opposing Woman Suffrage
in 1908, then in 1910–12, the subsequent National League for Opposing Woman Suffrage
. In 1916, Baring was appointed to the Dardanelles Commission
but died before the signing of the first report.
. Evelyn Baring, 1st Baron Howick of Glendale
was his son.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, OM
Order of Merit
The Order of Merit is a British dynastic order recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture...
, GCMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, KCSI
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
, CIE
Order of the Indian Empire
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:#Knight Grand Commander #Knight Commander #Companion...
, PC, FRS
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
(26 February 1841 – 29 January 1917), was a British statesman, diplomat and colonial administrator.
He was British controller-general in Egypt during 1879, part of the international Control which oversaw Egyptian finances after the khedives' mismanagement, and during the British occupation prompted by the Urabi revolt
Urabi Revolt
The Urabi Revolt or Orabi Revolt , also known as the Orabi Revolution, was an uprising in Egypt in 1879-82 against the Khedive and European influence in the country...
, agent and consul-general in Egypt from 1883 to 1907. Far from the centre of the Empire, Cromer ran the territory with great drive and his effective governance balked British wishes to withdraw from Egypt.
Early Life and Military career
Evelyn Baring (1841–1917) was the ninth son of Henry BaringHenry Baring
Henry Baring , of Cromer Hall, Norfolk, was a British banker and politician. He was the third son of Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet, the founder of the family banking firm that grew into Barings Bank His grandfather John Baring emigrated from Germany and established the family in...
and his second wife, Cecilia Anne (Windham). The English Baring family descends from John (born Johan) Baring, who emigrated from Germany in 1717. John's son Sir Francis was the founder of Barings Bank
Barings Bank
Barings Bank was the oldest merchant bank in London until its collapse in 1995 after one of the bank's employees, Nick Leeson, lost £827 million due to speculative investing, primarily in futures contracts, at the bank's Singapore office.-History:-1762–1890:Barings Bank was founded in 1762 as the...
. Henry was the third son of Sir Francis. When he died in 1848, young Evelyn, then seven years old, was sent to boarding school. At fourteen, he entered the Royal Military Academy, graduating at seventeen with a lieutenant's commission in the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
. He was initially posted to a battery on the island of Corfu
Corfu
Corfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the edge of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality. The...
.
While on Corfu, Baring became aware of his own lack of education, and began a campaign of self-education, learning Greek and fluent Italian. He also took a mistress, and fathered an illegitimate daughter, Louisa Sophia. In 1862, he accepted a position as aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to Sir Henry Storks, High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands. This position ended in 1864, with the union of Corfu to Greece. Later in 1864, Storks was appointed governor of Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, again employing Baring as an aide-de-camp. The next year Baring accompanied Storks to Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, where Storks headed the official inquiry into the Morant Bay rebellion
Morant Bay rebellion
The Morant Bay rebellion began on October 11, 1865, when Paul Bogle led 200 to 300 black men and women into the town of Morant Bay, parish of St. Thomas in the East, Jamaica. The rebellion and its aftermath were a major turning point in Jamaica's history, and also generated a significant political...
. In 1868, Baring was selected to attend the Army's Staff College
Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army from 1802 to 1997, with periods of closure during major wars. In 1997 it was merged into the new Joint Services Command and Staff College.-Origins:...
; he graduated in late 1869. He then worked for two years in the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
, helping to implement post-Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
reforms.
Baring went to India in 1872 as private secretary to his cousin Lord Northbrook
Thomas Baring, 1st Earl of Northbrook
Thomas George Baring, 1st Earl of Northbrook PC, GCSI, FRS , was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
, Viceroy of India. With Northbrook's resignation in 1876, Baring returned to England. He received the C.S.I., and was promoted to major. Baring married Ethel Errington in 1876. In 1877 he retired from the army.
Baring as the British Controller-General of Egypt
Ismail Pasha, Khedive of Egypt, borrowed millions of pounds from European financiers for projects to build the Suez CanalSuez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
, his personal use, and to cover persistent tax shortfalls. His finances depended on money obtained from Egypt's cotton industry, which flourished during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Yet, after the war, as American cotton entered European markets once again, the price of cotton fell dramatically. As a result, Egypt's cotton was no longer the cash crop it used to be. Ismail Pasha found himself unable to even pay off the interest on his debts.
At first, Ismail attempted to call on his parliament to raise more tax money, but parliament resisted, as it made up mostly of large landowners, who were lightly taxed. In desperation, Ismail turned to the European powers to help him out of his financial troubles. After some rocky negotiations the Dual Control system was instituted, whereby a French and a British controller were appointed to oversee Egypt's finances. Sir Evelyn Baring was appointed as the British Controller. Egyptian historian Al-Sayyid Marsot considers this desperate attempt on Ismail's part to obtain European help to have opened the floodgates for the British control of Egypt's finances, and eventual incorporation into their empire.
As the British Controller-General, Baring was enormously successful in serving British interests. He and his fellow controller's de facto control of Egypt's finances meant they wielded considerable influence in both the Egyptian and British governments. Owning a large proportion of Egypt's debt himself, when Ismail refused to declare bankruptcy, Baring pressured his government to depose Ismail, which they did in 1879. This came with little fuss from the general populace as most of the country blamed Ismail for the country's financial struggles. Ismail was succeeded by his son Tawfiq
Tewfik Pasha
HH Muhammed Tewfik Pasha ' was Khedive of Egypt and Sudan between 1879 and 1892, and the sixth ruler from the Muhammad Ali Dynasty.-Early life:...
, who cooperated with the European consuls.
Baring as the British Consul-General of Egypt
The Urabi RevoltUrabi Revolt
The Urabi Revolt or Orabi Revolt , also known as the Orabi Revolution, was an uprising in Egypt in 1879-82 against the Khedive and European influence in the country...
, led by Ahmed Urabi
Ahmed Urabi
Colonel Ahmed Orabi or Ahmed Urabi was an Egyptian army general, and nationalist who led a revolt in 1879 against Tewfik Pasha, the Khedive of Egypt and Sudan, and the increasing European domination of the country. The revolt was ultimately crushed in 1882 when the United Kingdom invaded at the...
, a rising Egyptian colonel, endangered the Khedivate
Khedivate of Egypt
The Khedivate of Egypt was an autonomous tributary state of the Ottoman Empire.- Rise of Muhammad Ali :The Egypt Eyalet was an eyalet of the Ottoman Empire. The eyalet was ruled locally by the Mamluk military caste and their various beys , who started to fight amongst themselves for control of...
. After the subsequent intervention by the British in Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
(the 1882 Anglo-Egyptian War), Baring returned from India in Egypt as the British agent and consul-general, "with a mandate for minor reforms and a prompt withdrawal of British troops". Baring's requests to withdraw were thwarted by British public outcry when the 1881 uprising of the Madhi
Madhi
Madhi is a village in Pathardi taluka of Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra.- Importance :Samādhi place of Shri Kanifnath one of Navnaths.The Kanifnath fair is held on Phalguna Vadya 5 to Chaitra Shuddha 1 for 15 days in honour of the saint Kanifnath. The nomadic tribe-Gopal enjoys the honour of...
Muhammad Ahmad
Muhammad Ahmad
Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah was a religious leader of the Samaniyya order in Sudan who, on June 29, 1881, proclaimed himself as the Mahdi or messianic redeemer of the Islamic faith...
and the ensuing Mahdist War
Mahdist War
The Mahdist War was a colonial war of the late 19th century. It was fought between the Mahdist Sudanese and the Egyptian and later British forces. It has also been called the Anglo-Sudan War or the Sudanese Mahdist Revolt. The British have called their part in the conflict the Sudan Campaign...
caused the successive defeats & deaths of the popular Colonel William Hicks
William Hicks
Colonel William Hicks , British soldier, entered the Bombay army in 1849, and served through the Indian mutiny, being mentioned in despatches for good conduct at the action of Sitka Ghaut in 1859....
and General Chinese Gordon.
Baring’s first act as Consul-General was to approve of the Dufferin Report, which essentially called for a puppet parliament with no power. In addition, the report asserted the need for British supervision of reforms deemed necessary for the country. Furthermore, it stated the interests of the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
zone should always be maintained. Baring believed that because of Egyptian administrative incompetence, a long occupation was essential to any sort of reform. Moreover, he established a new guiding principle for Egypt known as the Granville Doctrine (named for the Foreign Secretary, Lord Granville
Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville
Granville George Leveson Gower, 2nd Earl Granville KG, PC FRS , styled Lord Leveson until 1846, was a British Liberal statesman...
). The doctrine enabled Baring and other British officials to dismiss Egyptian ministers who refused to accept British directives. Under Baring, British officials were positioned in key ministries and a new system, known as the Veiled Protectorate, was introduced. Essentially, the government was a façade. Egyptians ministers were the outward form, yet British officials held the actual power. Despite these measures, the Khedive
Khedive
The term Khedive is a title largely equivalent to the English word viceroy. It was first used, without official recognition, by Muhammad Ali Pasha , the Wāli of Egypt and Sudan, and vassal of the Ottoman Empire...
sanctioned the system. The Egyptian army, which Baring considered utterly untrustworthy due to its previous mutinies against the Khedive, was disbanded and a new army organized along with British lines (much like in India).
Afaf Lutfi Sayyid-Marsot contends that under Baring, Egyptian nationalists were inert and many Egyptians believed in Britain’s policy of "rescue and retire", but that Baring had no intention of doing so as, Marsot says, "Baring believed that 'subject races' were totally incapable of self-government, that they did not really need or want self-government, and that what they really needed was a 'full belly' policy which kept it quiescent and allowed the elite to make money and so cooperate with the occupying power."
In 1906, Baring was made a Member of the Order of Merit
Order of Merit
The Order of Merit is a British dynastic order recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture...
by King Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
.
Baring was embroiled in controversy in both Egypt and Britain in the wake the severe punishments meted out to Egyptian peasants following the 1906 Denshawai Incident
Denshawai Incident
The Denshawai Incident is the name given to a dispute which occurred in 1906 between British military officers and locals in Egypt, believed to mark a turning point in the British presence in that country...
. In April 1907, he resigned office, having held the post of British agent in Egypt for twenty-four years. The official reason given for his resignation was his poor health. In July 1907, parliament awarded him £50,000 in recognition of his "eminent services" in Egypt.
Later years
Baring returned to Britain at the age of 66, and spent a year regaining his health. In 1908, he published, in two volumes, Modern Egypt (Vol 1 & Vol 2), a narrative of events in Egypt and the Sudan since 1876. In 1910, he published Ancient and Modern Imperialism, an influential comparison of the British and Roman Empires. In 1914, World War I broke out. The Khedive Abbas IIAbbas II of Egypt
HH Abbas II Hilmi Bey was the last Khedive of Egypt and Sudan .-Early life:...
supported the Ottomans, and was deposed by the British. This freed Baring to publish his impressions of the Khedive, Abbas II, in 1915.
Baring was active in politics. Having been raised to the peerage
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
as Lord Cromer in 1892, Baring was entitled to sit in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. He joined the free-trade wing of the Unionist party
Unionist Party
-United Kingdom:In the United Kingdom the term "unionist' may indicate support for either;* the 1707 Act of Union between Scotland and England or,* the 1800 Act of Union between Ireland and Great Britain....
. Baring was a leader of the anti-suffragette cause, serving as the president of the Men's League for Opposing Woman Suffrage
Men's League for Opposing Woman Suffrage
The Men's League for Opposing Woman Suffrage was founded on 19 January 1909 with Lord Cromer as President, replacing the Men's Committee for Opposing Woman Suffrage, which had been founded in December 1908...
in 1908, then in 1910–12, the subsequent National League for Opposing Woman Suffrage
National League for Opposing Woman Suffrage
The National League for Opposing Woman Suffrage was founded in London in December 1910 to oppose the extension of the voting franchise to women in the United Kingdom. It was formed as an amalgamation of the Women's National Anti-Suffrage League and the Men's League for Opposing Woman Suffrage...
. In 1916, Baring was appointed to the Dardanelles Commission
Dardanelles Commission
The Dardanelles Commission was an investigation into the disastrous 1915 Dardanelles Campaign. It was set up under the Special Commissions Act 1916....
but died before the signing of the first report.
Family
His brother was Edward Baring, 1st Baron RevelstokeEdward Baring, 1st Baron Revelstoke
Edward Charles Baring, 1st Baron Revelstoke , was a British banker.-Biography:A member of the famous Baring banking family, "Ned" Baring was the second son of Henry Baring from his second marriage, to Cecilia Anne . Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet, was his grandfather and Evelyn Baring, 1st Earl of...
. Evelyn Baring, 1st Baron Howick of Glendale
Evelyn Baring, 1st Baron Howick of Glendale
Evelyn Baring, 1st Baron Howick of Glendale, KG, GCMG, KCVO was Governor of Southern Rhodesia from 1942 to 1944 and Governor of Kenya from 1952 to 1959....
was his son.