Sidney Godolphin Alexander Shippard
Encyclopedia
Sir Sidney Godolphin Alexander Shippard KCMG
(1838 - 29 March 1902), British
colonial administrator, was the eldest son of Captain William Shippard, 29th Regiment (son of Rear Admiral Alexander Shippard), and Elizabeth Lydia Peters (daughter of Captain Joseph Peters).
He was educated at King's College School
and Oxford
. Taking his degree in 1863, he was called to the bar as a member of the Inner Temple
in 1867. He then entered upon a long career in South Africa
. He was attorney-general of Griqualand West
from 1873 until 1877, when he was made acting recorder of the High Court of Griqualand. From 1880 to 1885 he sat as a judge of the Supreme Court of Cape Colony; and he was British commissioner on the Anglo-German commission in 1884-1885 for settling the claims of British subjects at Angra Pequeña
(German: Lüderitzbucht) and other parts of the south-west coast.
Shippard, while at Oxford in 1878, had discussed with Cecil Rhodes the plan of the projected British advance in south central Africa. He saw in the German annexation of Damaraland
and Namaqualand
the first step in a design to secure for Germany territory stretching from ocean to ocean--a design which if executed would have been fatal to the British position in South Africa. Consequently when after the Warren
expedition of 1885 he was chosen to organize the newly acquired British possessions in Bechuanaland he saw in his appointment an opportunity for forestalling the Germans, and also the Boer
adventurers who likewise sought to be beforehand with Britain in the countries north of the Limpopo
.
From his first establishment in Bechuanaland he kept up a friendly correspondence with the Matabele king Lobengula
with the object of attaching him to the British cause. At the end of 1887 he went to Graham's Town with the hope of inducing the high commissioner (Sir Hercules Robinson afterwards Lord Rosmead
) to sanction the conclusion of a treaty with Lobengula binding that ruler not to cede any part of his territory to any other power than England. "I used all my power of persuasion," Sir Sidney writes, "but failed to induce Lord Rosmead either to act on his own responsibility in the matter or to approach Her Majesty's government on the subject. As a last resource I telegraphed to Mr Rhodes, who was then busily engaged at Kimberley, to come down at once to Graham's Town and try the effect of his eloquence. He came, and by taking upon himself all pecuniary responsibility succeeded in obtaining the requisite sanction" (see article "Bechuanaland," by Sir S Shippard, in British Africa, London,1899). The treaty was signed and British interests secured.
Shippard was thenceforth freer to devote himself to the special interests of Bechuanaland, which he governed with conspicuous success. He held the chief official position there from 1885 to 1895, being administrator, chief magistrate and president of the Land Commission for British Bechuanaland, and resident-commissioner for the Bechuanaland Protectorate and the Kalahari. He was created Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG)
in 1887. In 1896 he played an unofficial part in the negotiations between Sir Hercules Robinson and the Johannesburg
reformers after the Jameson Raid
. He then returned to England, where he died on the 29 March 1902.
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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....
(1838 - 29 March 1902), British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
colonial administrator, was the eldest son of Captain William Shippard, 29th Regiment (son of Rear Admiral Alexander Shippard), and Elizabeth Lydia Peters (daughter of Captain Joseph Peters).
He was educated at King's College School
King's College School
King's College School, commonly referred to as KCS, King's, or KCS Wimbledon, is an independent school for day pupils in Wimbledon in south-west London. The school was founded as the junior department of King's College London and occupied part of its premises in Strand, before relocating to...
and Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. Taking his degree in 1863, he was called to the bar as a member of the Inner Temple
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
in 1867. He then entered upon a long career in 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...
. He was attorney-general of Griqualand West
Griqualand West
Griqualand West is an area of central South Africa with an area of 40,000 km² that now forms part of the Northern Cape Province. It was inhabited by the Griqua people - a semi-nomadic, Afrikaans-speaking nation of mixed-race origin, who established several states outside the expanding frontier...
from 1873 until 1877, when he was made acting recorder of the High Court of Griqualand. From 1880 to 1885 he sat as a judge of the Supreme Court of Cape Colony; and he was British commissioner on the Anglo-German commission in 1884-1885 for settling the claims of British subjects at Angra Pequeña
Angra Pequena
Angra Pequena was a small coastal area in what is now known as Lüderitz, Namibia.First discovered by Europeans in 1487 by the Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias. On April 10, 1883 Heinrich Vogelsang first landed at Angra Pequena...
(German: Lüderitzbucht) and other parts of the south-west coast.
Shippard, while at Oxford in 1878, had discussed with Cecil Rhodes the plan of the projected British advance in south central Africa. He saw in the German annexation of Damaraland
Damaraland
Damaraland was a name given to the north-central part of what later became Namibia, inhabited by the Damaras. It was bounded roughly by Ovamboland in the north, the Namib Desert in the west, the Kalahari Desert in the east, and Windhoek in the south....
and Namaqualand
Namaqualand
Namaqualand is an arid region of Namibia and South Africa, extending along the west coast over and covering a total area of 170,000 square miles/440,000 km². It is divided by the lower course of the Orange River into two portions - Little Namaqualand to the south and Great Namaqualand to the...
the first step in a design to secure for Germany territory stretching from ocean to ocean--a design which if executed would have been fatal to the British position in South Africa. Consequently when after the Warren
Charles Warren
General Sir Charles Warren, GCMG, KCB, FRS was an officer in the British Royal Engineers. He was one of the earliest European archaeologists of Biblical Holy Land, and particularly of Temple Mount...
expedition of 1885 he was chosen to organize the newly acquired British possessions in Bechuanaland he saw in his appointment an opportunity for forestalling the Germans, and also the Boer
Boer
Boer is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer, which came to denote the descendants of the Dutch-speaking settlers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 18th century, as well as those who left the Cape Colony during the 19th century to settle in the Orange Free State,...
adventurers who likewise sought to be beforehand with Britain in the countries north of the Limpopo
Limpopo
Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. The capital is Polokwane, formerly named Pietersburg. The province was formed from the northern region of Transvaal Province in 1994, and initially named Northern Transvaal...
.
From his first establishment in Bechuanaland he kept up a friendly correspondence with the Matabele king Lobengula
Lobengula
Lobengula Khumalo was the second and last king of the Ndebele people, usually pronounced Matabele in English. Both names, in the Sindebele language, mean "The men of the long shields", a reference to the Matabele warriors' use of the Zulu shield and spear.- Background :The Matabele were related to...
with the object of attaching him to the British cause. At the end of 1887 he went to Graham's Town with the hope of inducing the high commissioner (Sir Hercules Robinson afterwards Lord Rosmead
Hercules Robinson, 1st Baron Rosmead
Hercules George Robert Robinson, 1st Baron Rosmead, GCMG, PC was a British colonial administrator who became the 5th Governor of Hong Kong...
) to sanction the conclusion of a treaty with Lobengula binding that ruler not to cede any part of his territory to any other power than England. "I used all my power of persuasion," Sir Sidney writes, "but failed to induce Lord Rosmead either to act on his own responsibility in the matter or to approach Her Majesty's government on the subject. As a last resource I telegraphed to Mr Rhodes, who was then busily engaged at Kimberley, to come down at once to Graham's Town and try the effect of his eloquence. He came, and by taking upon himself all pecuniary responsibility succeeded in obtaining the requisite sanction" (see article "Bechuanaland," by Sir S Shippard, in British Africa, London,1899). The treaty was signed and British interests secured.
Shippard was thenceforth freer to devote himself to the special interests of Bechuanaland, which he governed with conspicuous success. He held the chief official position there from 1885 to 1895, being administrator, chief magistrate and president of the Land Commission for British Bechuanaland, and resident-commissioner for the Bechuanaland Protectorate and the Kalahari. He was created Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG)
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....
in 1887. In 1896 he played an unofficial part in the negotiations between Sir Hercules Robinson and the Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
reformers after the Jameson Raid
Jameson Raid
The Jameson Raid was a botched raid on Paul Kruger's Transvaal Republic carried out by a British colonial statesman Leander Starr Jameson and his Rhodesian and Bechuanaland policemen over the New Year weekend of 1895–96...
. He then returned to England, where he died on the 29 March 1902.
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