Governor of Ceylon
Encyclopedia
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
) during the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
colonial
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
period between 1798 and 1948.
Upon the end of British rule and the creation of Dominion of Ceylon
Dominion of Ceylon
The Dominion of Ceylon, known today as Sri Lanka, was a dominion, in the British Empire between 1948 and 1972. In 1948, British Ceylon was granted independence as the Dominion of Ceylon. In 1972, the Dominion of Ceylon became a republic within the Commonwealth, and its name was changed to Sri Lanka...
in 1948, this office was replaced by the Governor-General
Governor-General of Ceylon
The Governor-General of Ceylon was the representative of the Ceylonese monarch, and head of state, who held the title of Queen of Ceylon from 1948 when the country became independent as a Dominion until the country became the republic of Sri Lanka in 1972.-Role:The monarch, on the advice of the...
, who represented the British Monarch and not the Government of the United Kingdom as did the Governor. The office of Governor-General was itself abolished in 1972 and replace by the post of President
President of Sri Lanka
The President of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the elected head of state and the head of government. The President is a dominant political figure in Sri Lanka. The office was created in 1978 but has grown so powerful there have been calls to restrict or even eliminate its power...
when Sri Lanka became a Republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
.
The Governor
The Governor, appointed by the British monarchBritish monarchy
The monarchy of the United Kingdom is the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories. The present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has reigned since 6 February 1952. She and her immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial and representational duties...
(on the advice of the prime minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
), maintained executive power in Ceylon throughout British rule. He was head of the executive council
Executive Council (Commonwealth countries)
An Executive Council in Commonwealth constitutional practice based on the Westminster system is a constitutional organ which exercises executive power and advises the governor or governor-general. Executive Councils often make decisions via Orders in Council.Executive Councillors are informally...
and the pre-independence government of Ceylon
British Ceylon
British Ceylon refers to British rule prior to 1948 of the island territory now known as Sri Lanka.-From the Dutch to the British:Before the beginning of the Dutch governance, the island of Ceylon was divided between the Portuguese Empire and the Kingdom of Kandy, who were in the midst of a war for...
.
The Governor was the most powerful official in Ceylon and only during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
when Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Sir
Sir
Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
Geoffrey Layton
Geoffrey Layton
Admiral Sir Geoffrey Layton GBE, KCB, KCMG, DSO , was a British Royal Navy officer.-Early life and career:...
was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Ceylon with power exceeding the Governor. The Governor was the ex-offico Chancellor of the University of Ceylon
University of Ceylon
The University of Ceylon was the only university in Sri Lanka from 1942 until 1972. It had several constituent campuses at various locations around Sri Lanka. The University of Ceylon Act No. 1 of 1972, replaced it with the University of Sri Lanka which existed from 1973 to 1978. In 1978 it was...
.
List of Governors (1798–1948)
Between 1796, when British forces first arrived on the island and the appointing of the first Governor of Ceylon in 1798, Ceylon was governed by the Governor of Madras.- Frederick NorthFrederick North, 5th Earl of GuilfordFrederick North, 5th Earl of Guilford , known as the Honourable Frederick North until 1817, was a British politician and colonial administrator....
, 12 October 1798–19 July 1805 - Sir Thomas Maitland 19 July 1805–19 March 1811
- Robert BrownriggRobert BrownriggGeneral Sir Robert Brownrigg, 1st Baronet GCB was a British statesman and soldier.-Military career:Brownrigg was commissioned as an ensign in 1775...
, 11 March 1812–1 February 1820 - Edward PagetEdward PagetGeneral Sir Edward Paget GCB was a British Army officer.-Career:Born the fourth son of Henry Paget, 1st Earl of Uxbridge, Edward Paget became a cornet in the 1st Regiment of Life Guards in 1792...
, 2 February 1822–6 November 1822 - Edward BarnesEdward Barnes (British Army officer)Lieutenant General Sir Edward Barnes, GCB was a British soldier who became governor of Ceylon.-Military career:Barnes joined the 47th Regiment of Foot in 1792, and quickly rose to field rank. He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in 1807, serving in the Invasion of Martinique in 1809, and colonel...
, 18 January 1824–13 October 1831 - Robert Wilmot-HortonSir Robert John Wilmot-Horton, 3rd BaronetSir Robert John Wilmot-Horton, 3rd Baronet GCH, PC, FRS was a British politician, pamphleteer and colonial administrator during the first third of the 19th century...
, 23 October 1831–7 November 1837 - James Alexander Stewart-MackenzieJames Alexander Stewart-MackenzieJames Alexander Stewart-Mackenzie , was a Scottish politician and British colonial administrator.Born James Alexander Stewart, the son of Vice Admiral Keith Stewart , he assumed the surname Stewart-Mackenzie after his marriage on 21 May 1817 to Mary Elizabeth Frederica Mackenzie , daughter...
, 7 November 1837–15 April 1841 - Sir Colin CampbellColin Campbell (politician)Lieutenant-General Sir Colin Campbell KCB was a British Army officer and colonial governor.-Military career:In February 1792, at the age of 16, Campbell ran away from Perth Academy to join a vessel bound for the West Indies...
, 15 April 1841–19 April 1847 - The Viscount TorringtonGeorge Byng, 7th Viscount TorringtonGeorge Byng, 7th Viscount Torrington , was a British colonial administrator and courtier.Torrington was the son of Vice-Admiral George Byng, 6th Viscount Torrington, and succeeded his father in the viscountcy in 1831 at the age of eighteen. In 1847 he was appointed Governor of Ceylon, a post he...
, 29 May 1847–18 October 1850 - Sir George William AndersonGeorge William AndersonGeorge William Anderson was the officiating governor of Bombay during the British Raj from 28 April 1841 to 9 June 1842....
, 27 November 1850–18 January 1855 - Henry George WardHenry George WardSir Henry George Ward GCMG was an English diplomat and politician. The son of politician and, in his retirement, writer Robert Ward and his first wife Catherine Julia Maling, and the cousin of William Ward and William George Ward, he entered the diplomatic service in 1816...
, 11 May 1855–30 June 1860 - Charles Justin MacCarthy, 22 October 1860–1 December 1863
- Sir Hercules RobinsonHercules Robinson, 1st Baron RosmeadHercules George Robert Robinson, 1st Baron Rosmead, GCMG, PC was a British colonial administrator who became the 5th Governor of Hong Kong...
, 21 March 1865–4 January 1872, acting to 16 May 1865 - William Henry GregoryWilliam Henry GregorySir William Henry Gregory PC was an Anglo-Irish writer and politician.The only child of Robert Gregory and Elizabeth O'Hara Gregory, he was born at the Castle, in Dublin's Phoenix Park. From 1830 to 1835 he attended Harrow, where he was an award-winning student...
, 4 March 1872–4 September 1877 - Sir James Robert Longden, 4 September 1877–10 July 1883
- Sir Arthur Hamilton-Gordon, 3 December 1883–28 May 1890
- Arthur Elibank Havelock, 28 May 1890–24 October 1895
- Joseph West RidgewayJoseph West RidgewayColonel Sir West Ridgeway GCB, GCMG, KCSI, PC was a British civil servant and colonial governor.-Military career:...
, 10 February 1896–19 November 1903 - Sir Henry Arthur BlakeHenry Arthur BlakeSir Henry Arthur Blake GCMG, DL was a British colonial administrator, Governor of Hong Kong from 1898 to 1903.-Early life and career:...
, 3 December 1903–11 July 1907 - Sir Henry Edward McCallumHenry Edward McCallumSir Henry Edward McCallum colonial governor born Yeovil, Somersetshire, England and died in England....
, 24 August 1907–24 January 1913 - Robert ChalmersRobert Chalmers, 1st Baron ChalmersRobert Chalmers, 1st Baron Chalmers GCB PC , was a British civil servant.-Background and education:Chalmers was born in Stoke Newington, Middlesex, the son of John Chalmers and his wife Julia...
, 18 October 1913–4 December 1915 - Sir John Anderson, 15 April 1916–24 March 1918
- Sir William Henry Manning, 10 September 1918–1 April 1925
- Sir Hugh CliffordHugh CliffordSir Hugh Charles Clifford, GCMG, GBE was a British colonial administrator.-Early life:Clifford was born in Roehampton, London, the sixth of the eight children of Major-General Sir Henry Hugh Clifford and his wife Josephine Elizabeth, née Anstice; his grandfather was Hugh Clifford, 7th Baron...
, 30 November 1925–1927 - Sir Herbert StanleyHerbert StanleySir Herbert James Stanley, GCMG was a leading British administrator, who served at different times as Governor of Northern Rhodesia, Ceylon and Southern Rhodesia....
, 20 August 1928–11 February 1931 - Sir Graeme ThomsonGraeme ThomsonSir Graeme Thomson G.C.M.G. K.C.B. was a British Civil Servant in the Admiralty, who served as a colonial civil servant and then governor in several British colonies.-Civil Servant:...
, 11 April 1931–20 September 1933 - Sir Reginald Edward StubbsReginald Edward StubbsSir Reginald Edward Stubbs, GCMG was a British colonial governor, who was once the Governor of Hong Kong...
, 23 December 1933–30 June 1937 - Sir Andrew CaldecottAndrew CaldecottSir Andrew Caldecott, GCMG, KBE was a British colonial administrator.-Early Life, Education:Sir Andrew Caldecott was born on 26 October 1884 in Kent, England. His father was a cleric...
, 16 October 1937–19 September 1944 - Sir Henry Monck-Mason MooreHenry Monck-Mason MooreSir Henry Monck-Mason Moore GCMG, KStJ , was British Governor of Sierra Leone, Kenya and Ceylon.The son of Rev. Edward William Moore, he was educated at King's College School, Wimbledon and Jesus College, Cambridge, graduating in 1909....
, 19 September 1944–4 February 1948
Acting Governors
- John Wilson, 19 March 1811–11 March 1812, acting, first time
- Edward BarnesEdward Barnes (British Army officer)Lieutenant General Sir Edward Barnes, GCB was a British soldier who became governor of Ceylon.-Military career:Barnes joined the 47th Regiment of Foot in 1792, and quickly rose to field rank. He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in 1807, serving in the Invasion of Martinique in 1809, and colonel...
, 1 February 1820–2 February 1822 - James Campbell, 6 November 1822–18 January 1824
- John Wilson, 13 October 1831–23 October 1831, acting, second time
- Sir James Emerson TennentJames Emerson TennentSir James Emerson Tennent, 1st Baronet FRS , born James Emerson, was an Irish politician and traveller. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society on 5 June 1862....
, 19 April 1847–29 May 1847 - Charles Justin MacCarthy, 18 October 1850–27 November 1850, acting, first time
- Charles Justin MacCarthy, 18 January 1855–11 May 1855, second time
- Henry Frederick Lockyer, 30 June 1860–30 July 1860
- Charles Edmund Wilkinson, 30 July 1860–22 October 1860
- Terence O'Brien, 1 December 1863–21 March 1865
- Sir Hercules RobinsonHercules Robinson, 1st Baron RosmeadHercules George Robert Robinson, 1st Baron Rosmead, GCMG, PC was a British colonial administrator who became the 5th Governor of Hong Kong...
, 21 March 1865–4 January 1872, acting to 16 May 1865 - Henry Turner IrvingHenry Turner IrvingSir Henry Turner Irving was a British Civil Servant.He was Governor of British Guiana from 4 May 1882 to 1887.-References:...
, 4 January 1872–4 March 1872 - John DouglasJohn Douglas (governor)Sir John Douglas KCMG, born 1835 in Ireland, was the son of Lt Gen Sir James Dawes Douglas and Marianne Bullock.He was in the Civil Service of Mauritius 1859-1869 when he tranferred to Ceylon where he was Auditor-General between 1869-1876...
, 10 July 1883–3 December 1883 - Edward Noël Walker, 24 October 1895–10 February 1896
- Everard F. im ThurnEverard F. im ThurnEverard Ferdinand im Thurn was an author, explorer, botanist, photographer and Governor of Fiji. He was educated at Oxford University, Edinburgh University, and Sydney University...
, 19 November 1903–3 December 1903 - Hugh CliffordHugh CliffordSir Hugh Charles Clifford, GCMG, GBE was a British colonial administrator.-Early life:Clifford was born in Roehampton, London, the sixth of the eight children of Major-General Sir Henry Hugh Clifford and his wife Josephine Elizabeth, née Anstice; his grandfather was Hugh Clifford, 7th Baron...
, 11 July 1907–24 August 1907 - Reginald Edward StubbsReginald Edward StubbsSir Reginald Edward Stubbs, GCMG was a British colonial governor, who was once the Governor of Hong Kong...
, 24 January 1913–18 October 1913, acting, first time - Reginald Edward StubbsReginald Edward StubbsSir Reginald Edward Stubbs, GCMG was a British colonial governor, who was once the Governor of Hong Kong...
, 4 December 1915–15 April 1916, acting, second time - Reginald Edward StubbsReginald Edward StubbsSir Reginald Edward Stubbs, GCMG was a British colonial governor, who was once the Governor of Hong Kong...
, 24 March 1918–10 September 1918, acting, third time - Cecil ClementiCecil Clementi-Early life and education:Born in Cawnpore, India, Clementi was the son of Colonel Montagu Clementi, Judge Advocate General in India, and his wife, Isabel Collard. He attended St Paul's School and Magdalen College, Oxford, where he studied Sanskrit and the classics. In 1895, he won the Hertford...
, 1 April 1925–18 October 1925 - Edward Bruce Alexander, 18 October 1925–30 November 1925
- Bernard Henry BourdillonBernard Henry BourdillonSir Bernard Henry Bourdillon was a British colonial administrator who was Governor of Uganda and of Nigeria .-Early years:Bourdillon was born on 3 December 1883 at Emu Bay, Tasmania....
, 11 February 1931–11 April 1931 - Francis Graeme Tyrrell, 20 September 1933–23 December 1933
- Maxwell MacLagan Wedderburn, 30 June 1937–16 October 1937
See also
- Dutch governors of ZeylanDutch governors of ZeylanThe following is a list of Dutch governors of Zeylan. The Dutch arrived on the island of Sri Lanka on 2 May 1639 and parts of the island were incorporated as a Dutch colony by the name of Zeylan on 12 May 1656...
- Governor-General of CeylonGovernor-General of CeylonThe Governor-General of Ceylon was the representative of the Ceylonese monarch, and head of state, who held the title of Queen of Ceylon from 1948 when the country became independent as a Dominion until the country became the republic of Sri Lanka in 1972.-Role:The monarch, on the advice of the...
- History of Sri LankaHistory of Sri LankaThe History of Sri Lanka begins around 30,000 years ago when the island was first inhabited. Chronicles, including the Mahawansa, the Dipavamsa, the Culavamsa and the Rajaveliya, record events from the beginnings of the Sinhalese monarchy in the 6th century BC; through the arrival of European...