Lewis Pelly
Encyclopedia
Sir Lewis Pelly, KCSI
, (14 November 1825, Minchinhampton
– 22 April 1892, Falmouth
), was Conservative
Member of Parliament
for Hackney North
from 1885 to 1892 and an East India Company
officer.
. Sir John Henry Pelly
, Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company and Governor of the Bank of England
, was his uncle.
prior to its annexation. Appointed to the regimental staff in 1842, he was promoted to Lieutenant in 1843.
In 1852, he acted as Assistant Reader at the Court of Guicowar and then he transferred to the Civil Service of Sind
until 1856, being promoted to Captain in 1855. As aide-de-camp
to General John Jacob
in 1857, he commanded a troop of cavalry in that year's Persian expedition. He was secretary to Sir James Outram during the occupation of Bushire and Kharack and was in the Frontier Force of the Sind Irregular Horse in 1858, before being a Judge in Kurrachee in 1859.
He was Secretary of Legation at the Court of Persia from 1859 to 1860, before being appointed chargé d'affaires
there. During his time in this post, he was sent on a special mission through Eastern Persia, Oman
, Herat
, Afghanistan
and Balochistan
in 1860 and to the Comoros Islands and Mozambique
in 1861. In May 1861, he was part of the expedition which eventually placed Bahrain
under British rule.
Promoted to Major in 1861, he was appointed Political Agent and Consul at Zanzibar
, from where he visited and reported on the Seychelle Islands in 1862.
Next he was transferred back to Persia as Political Resident (1862 to 1872). He travelled to Riyadh
in 1865, publishing an account of his journey and, on 12 September 1868, he signed a treaty with Mohammed bin Thani which recognised the independence of Qatar
. In 1872-73, he accompanied Sir Bartle Frere in the Anti-Slavery Mission to the East Coast of Africa. During his time as Political Resident he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1866 and then Colonel in 1871.
On 21 June 1873, he was appointed Agent to the Governor General of Rajpootana and, ex-officio, Chief Commissioner of Baroda, remaining in this post until 1878.
Returning to England, in 1878 he married Amy Henrietta Lowder who was born in 1847 at Calne
in Wiltshire
. In 1881 they were living at 1, Eaton Square
, London
.
In 1885, by now a Lieutenant General, he was elected as Conservative
Member of Parliament
for the newly-created North Hackney constituency
. He died in Falmouth
on 22 April 1892, and is buried at Merstham
in Surrey.
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...
, (14 November 1825, Minchinhampton
Minchinhampton
Minchinhampton is an ancient market town, located on a hilltop south-south-east of Stroud, Gloucestershire, England, in the Cotswolds. The town is twinned with Nkokoto, in Tanzania....
– 22 April 1892, Falmouth
Falmouth, Cornwall
Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,635.Falmouth is the terminus of the A39, which begins some 200 miles away in Bath, Somerset....
), was Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Hackney North
Hackney North (UK Parliament constituency)
Hackney North was a parliamentary constituency in the "The Metropolis" . It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.- History :...
from 1885 to 1892 and an East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
officer.
Early years
He was the son of John Hinde Pelly of Hyde House, Gloucestershire and was educated at Rugby SchoolRugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
. Sir John Henry Pelly
Sir John Pelly, 1st Baronet
Sir John Henry Pelly, 1st Baronet, DL was an English businessman. During most of his career, he was an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company , serving as Governor of the HBC for three decades. He held other noteworthy offices, including Governor of the Bank of England...
, Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company and Governor of the Bank of England
Governor of the Bank of England
The Governor of the Bank of England is the most senior position in the Bank of England. It is nominally a civil service post, but the appointment tends to be from within the Bank, with the incumbent grooming his or her successor...
, was his uncle.
Career
He entered the East India Company service in 1840 and served in SindHistory of Sindh
Sindh is one of the provinces of Pakistan. Sindh was home to one of the world's oldest civilizations, the Indus Valley civilization.-Paleolithic and Mesolithic era:...
prior to its annexation. Appointed to the regimental staff in 1842, he was promoted to Lieutenant in 1843.
In 1852, he acted as Assistant Reader at the Court of Guicowar and then he transferred to the Civil Service of Sind
Sind Division
The Sind Division was the name of Sindh after being annexed by the Bombay Presidency province of British India in 1843 , following a British Indian conquest led by then Major-General Charles Napier. The region separated from the Bombay Presidency to become the Sind Province on 1936-04-01....
until 1856, being promoted to Captain in 1855. 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 General John Jacob
John Jacob (soldier)
Brigadier-General John Jacob CB was an officer of the British East India Company who served in colonial India for the major portion of his career...
in 1857, he commanded a troop of cavalry in that year's Persian expedition. He was secretary to Sir James Outram during the occupation of Bushire and Kharack and was in the Frontier Force of the Sind Irregular Horse in 1858, before being a Judge in Kurrachee in 1859.
He was Secretary of Legation at the Court of Persia from 1859 to 1860, before being appointed chargé d'affaires
Chargé d'affaires
In diplomacy, chargé d’affaires , often shortened to simply chargé, is the title of two classes of diplomatic agents who head a diplomatic mission, either on a temporary basis or when no more senior diplomat has been accredited.-Chargés d’affaires:Chargés d’affaires , who were...
there. During his time in this post, he was sent on a special mission through Eastern Persia, Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
, Herat
Herat
Herāt is the capital of Herat province in Afghanistan. It is the third largest city of Afghanistan, with a population of about 397,456 as of 2006. It is situated in the valley of the Hari River, which flows from the mountains of central Afghanistan to the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and Balochistan
Balochistan (region)
Balochistan or Baluchistan is an arid, mountainous region in the Iranian plateau in Southwest Asia; it includes part of southeastern Iran, western Pakistan, and southwestern Afghanistan. The area is named after the numerous Baloch tribes, Iranian peoples who moved into the area from the west...
in 1860 and to the Comoros Islands and Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
in 1861. In May 1861, he was part of the expedition which eventually placed Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
under British rule.
Promoted to Major in 1861, he was appointed Political Agent and Consul at Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
, from where he visited and reported on the Seychelle Islands in 1862.
Next he was transferred back to Persia as Political Resident (1862 to 1872). He travelled to Riyadh
Riyadh
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau, and is home to 5,254,560 people, and the urban center of a...
in 1865, publishing an account of his journey and, on 12 September 1868, he signed a treaty with Mohammed bin Thani which recognised the independence of Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
. In 1872-73, he accompanied Sir Bartle Frere in the Anti-Slavery Mission to the East Coast of Africa. During his time as Political Resident he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1866 and then Colonel in 1871.
On 21 June 1873, he was appointed Agent to the Governor General of Rajpootana and, ex-officio, Chief Commissioner of Baroda, remaining in this post until 1878.
Returning to England, in 1878 he married Amy Henrietta Lowder who was born in 1847 at Calne
Calne
Calne is a town in Wiltshire, southwestern England. It is situated at the northwestern extremity of the North Wessex Downs hill range, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty....
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
. In 1881 they were living at 1, Eaton Square
Eaton Square
Eaton Square is a residential garden square in London's Belgravia district. It is one of the three garden squares built by the Grosvenor family when they developed the main part of Belgravia in the 19th century, and is named after Eaton Hall, the Grosvenor country house in Cheshire...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
In 1885, by now a Lieutenant General, he was elected as Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the newly-created North Hackney constituency
Hackney North (UK Parliament constituency)
Hackney North was a parliamentary constituency in the "The Metropolis" . It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.- History :...
. He died in Falmouth
Falmouth, Cornwall
Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,635.Falmouth is the terminus of the A39, which begins some 200 miles away in Bath, Somerset....
on 22 April 1892, and is buried at Merstham
Merstham
Merstham is a village in the Reigate and Banstead borough of Surrey, England, in the London commuter belt. It is just north of Redhill, near the intersection of the M25 and M23 motorways, on the edge of the North Downs and on the North Downs Way.-History:...
in Surrey.
Honours
- C. S. I.Order of the Star of IndiaThe 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...
, 1867 - K. C. S. I.Order of the Star of IndiaThe 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...
, 1874