George William Stewart Explained
| Honorific-Prefix: | Major |
| George William Stewart |
| Birth Date: | 25 September 1793 |
| Death Place: | Boulogne-sur-Mer, France |
| Nationality: | British |
| Occupation: | military officer |
| Office: | Postmaster General of Ceylon |
| Term: | 1826 - 1833 |
| Predecessor: | Louis Sansoni |
| Successor: | George Lee |
| Spouse: | Maria Wilhelmina Sophia née Tranchell (m.1807) |
| Children: | Sophia |
| Relations: | James (brother); William (brother) |
Major George William Stewart (25 September 1793 - 20 April 1841), was the third Postmaster General of Ceylon, serving from 1826 to 1833.[1]
Stewart was a lieutenant in the 19th Regiment of Foot, who were stationed in Ceylon between 1796 and 1820, during which time they were involved in the Kandyan Wars. In 1810 he was promoted to captain.[2] He was appointed as the Postmaster General of Ceylon in 1826. During his tenure he was instrumental in extending the postal services to major towns in the colony.[3] [4] He went on to be commissioned in 1830 as a major in the Ceylon Rifle Regiment.[5] After his retirement he became an oil merchant and had a chekku mill, and was known as 'Vanniya Stewart'.
On 9 February 1807 Stewart married Maria Wilhelmina Sophia Tranchell (1791-1867), the daughter of Carl Jonas Tranchell (1754-1807), the Consul for Sweden in Ceylon.[6] [7] [8] They had one daughter, Sophia (1824-1906).
Stewart died on 20 April 1841 in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, at the age of 48.[9]
External links
- Book: Liyanage, Michael . The History of the Sri Lanka Post Office: 1815-1987 . Colombo . Union of Post & Telecommunication Officers, Sri Lanka . 1987.
- Sri Lanka Post
Notes and References
- Book: Ferguson's Ceylon Directory. 1968. Associated Newspapers of Ceylon. Colombo. 351.
- The Asiatic Annual Register or A View of the History of Hindustan, and of the Politics, Commerce and Literature of Asia. 12. Campbell, Lawrence Dundas. Samuel, E.. J. Debrett. 1812. 173.
- Web site: Our History. Sri Lanka Post. 19 January 2021.
- News: Modern technology for post offices. Naalir. Jamaldeen. Sunday Observer. 6 October 2013. 19 January 2021.
- Book: A List of the Officers of the Army and of the Corps of Royal Marines. War Office. War Office. 1833. 56.
- Book: List of inscriptions on tombstones and monuments in Ceylon, of historical or local interest, with an obituary of persons uncommemorated. Lewis, John Penry. Dalcassian Publishing Company. 1913. 207.
- Book: People Inbetween: The Burghers and the middle class in the transformations within Sri Lanka, 1790s-1960s. Roberts, Michael. Raheem, Ismeth. Colin-Thomé, Percy. Sarvodaya Book Publishing Services. 1989. 51. 9789555990134.
- Book: De Navorscher: Een middel tot gedachtenwisseling en letterkundig verkeer tuschen allen, die iets weten, iets te vragen hebben of iets kunnen oplossen. 50. Fuldauer, G. Leendertz, P. Anspach, Jacobus. van Someren, Jan Frederik. 1900. 499.
- Web site: Will of George Stewart, Major of the British Ceylon Rifle Regiment of Boulogne sur Mer, Kingdom of France. 1840. The National Archives. 18 January 2021.
