Galbraith Lowry Egerton Cole
Encyclopedia
The Honourable
Galbraith Lowry Egerton Cole (1881-1929) was a pioneer settler and farmer (1905) of the East Africa Protectorate
. Part of his Kekopey Ranch on Lake Elementaita, Kenya
, where he is buried, is preserved today as the Lake Elementaita Lodge.
(1845-1924) and his wife Charlotte Marion Baird. He entered the 10th Royal Hussars as a lieutenant
in 1900, at age 19, and went to South Africa
for the Second Boer War
. After being injured in the war, he made his way to Kenya where his sister Florence had married the prominent settler Lord Delamere
. Cole first tried farming in the area beyond Thomson's Falls
in 1905, but he eventually moved to the Lake Elementaita area where his wealthy brother-in-law gifted him 30000 acres (121.4 km²). This parcel adjoined Delamere's own 100000 acres (404.7 km²) farm, Soysambu, on the western side of the lake, between Lakes Naivasha
and Nakuru
. Cole named his farm "Kekopey Ranch"; the name is supposed to be from a Masaai word meaning "place where green turns white" (a reference to the soda (sodium salts) and diatomite around the hot springs near the lake).
In 1917, he married Lady Eleanor Balfour, niece of former British Prime Minister Lord Balfour
. Cole was deported to the German East African Protectorate
after he shot dead a farm laborer for stealing one of his favorite Marino
rams, imported from New Zealand
. He returned secretly to Kekopey dressed as a Somali
and his mother pleaded his case with the British government.
Cole's last days were spent in wretched misery. Blind in one eye, using a wheelchair, and in constant pain owing to his rheumatoid arthritis
, he shot himself in 1929 at age 48, at his favourite spot, the viewpoint where his memorial now stands.
The Honourable
The prefix The Honourable or The Honorable is a style used before the names of certain classes of persons. It is considered an honorific styling.-International diplomacy:...
Galbraith Lowry Egerton Cole (1881-1929) was a pioneer settler and farmer (1905) of the East Africa Protectorate
East Africa Protectorate
East Africa Protectorate was an area of East Africa occupying roughly the same terrain as present-day Kenya from the Indian Ocean inland to Uganda and the Great Rift Valley...
. Part of his Kekopey Ranch on Lake Elementaita, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, where he is buried, is preserved today as the Lake Elementaita Lodge.
Biography
Cole was the third son of Lowry Cole, 4th Earl of EnniskillenLowry Cole, 4th Earl of Enniskillen
Lowry Egerton Cole, 4th Earl of Enniskillen KP , known as Viscount Cole from 1850 to 1886, was an Irish peer and Conservative Member of Parliament.-Biography:...
(1845-1924) and his wife Charlotte Marion Baird. He entered the 10th Royal Hussars as a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in 1900, at age 19, and went to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
for the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
. After being injured in the war, he made his way to Kenya where his sister Florence had married the prominent settler Lord Delamere
Hugh Cholmondeley, 3rd Baron Delamere
Hugh Cholmondeley, 3rd Baron Delamere KCMG , styled The Honourable from birth until 1887, was a British peer. He was one of the first and most influential British settlers in Kenya....
. Cole first tried farming in the area beyond Thomson's Falls
Thomson's Falls
Thomson's Falls is a 74 m scenic waterfall on the Ewaso Narok river, which drains from the Aberdare Mountain Range. It is situated near the town Nyahururu in central Kenya, at 2,360 m elevation. 1883 Joseph Thomson was the first European to reach Thomson Falls, and named them for his father...
in 1905, but he eventually moved to the Lake Elementaita area where his wealthy brother-in-law gifted him 30000 acres (121.4 km²). This parcel adjoined Delamere's own 100000 acres (404.7 km²) farm, Soysambu, on the western side of the lake, between Lakes Naivasha
Lake Naivasha
Lake Naivasha is a freshwater lake in Kenya, lying north west of Nairobi, outside the town of Naivasha. It is part of the Great Rift Valley. The name derives from the local Maasai name Nai'posha, meaning "rough water" because of the sudden storms which can arise...
and Nakuru
Lake Nakuru
Lake Nakuru is one of the Rift Valley soda lakes at an elevation of 1754 m above sea level. It lies to the south of Nakuru, in the rift valley of Kenya and is protected by Lake Nakuru National Park....
. Cole named his farm "Kekopey Ranch"; the name is supposed to be from a Masaai word meaning "place where green turns white" (a reference to the soda (sodium salts) and diatomite around the hot springs near the lake).
In 1917, he married Lady Eleanor Balfour, niece of former British Prime Minister Lord Balfour
Arthur Balfour
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, KG, OM, PC, DL was a British Conservative politician and statesman...
. Cole was deported to the German East African Protectorate
German East Africa
German East Africa was a German colony in East Africa, which included what are now :Burundi, :Rwanda and Tanganyika . Its area was , nearly three times the size of Germany today....
after he shot dead a farm laborer for stealing one of his favorite Marino
Marino
Marino, Mariño or Maryino may refer to:In places:* Marino, Lazio, a town in the province of Rome, Italy* Marino, South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide* Marino, County Down in Northern Ireland...
rams, imported from New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. He returned secretly to Kekopey dressed as a Somali
Somali people
Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family...
and his mother pleaded his case with the British government.
Cole's last days were spent in wretched misery. Blind in one eye, using a wheelchair, and in constant pain owing to his rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disorder that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks synovial joints. The process produces an inflammatory response of the synovium secondary to hyperplasia of synovial cells, excess synovial fluid, and the development...
, he shot himself in 1929 at age 48, at his favourite spot, the viewpoint where his memorial now stands.
Legacy
- A large cairnCairnCairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
in the shape of an obeliskObeliskAn obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
was erected by Cole's widow on his favorite spot overlooking the lake, not far from the farmhouse. It is believed that his remains were buried nearby. Family revisit this spot every year on 10th October to remember him.
- Twenty years after his death, Cole's widow built a stone chapel, the "Church of Goodwill", on the Old Nakuru Road on what was then part of the Kekopey estate. This memorialized her husband and also served as a gesture of thanksgiving for the safe return of their two sons, David Lowry Cole (1918-1989) and Arthur Gerald Cole (b. 1920), from the Second World War.
- Arthur farmed at Kekopey for some years while David farmed at Solio RanchSolio RanchSolio Ranch or Solio Game Reserve is a privately owned wildlife conservancy located in Kenya's Rift Valley Province.The ranch is a fenced, privately-owned protected area geared toward rhino conservation. The 17,500-acre reserve, 22 km north of Nyeri Town, plays a major part in the protection...
near Naro MoruNaro MoruNaro Moru is a small market town in central Kenya, lying on the Naro Moru River, between Nyeri and Nanyuki. Its main industry is tourism, as a base for hikers ascending Mount Kenya, to its east. Solio Game Reserve lies near the town. The town is the center of the Kieni East division in the Nyeri...
. In 1977, the Kekopey Estate was sold off to a cooperative society and the land divided into small plots for individual shareholders. A brick farmhouse, the main building of Kekopey Ranch and built during 1917-18, is preserved today as the Lake Elementaita Lodge.