James Robert Longden Explained

Sir James Robert Longden
Order:15th
Office:Governor of British Ceylon
Term Start:4 September 1877
Term End:10 July 1883
Predecessor:William Henry Gregory
Successor:John Douglas
(Acting governor)
Birth Date:7 July 1827[1]
Birth Place:Fitzroy Square, London
Death Place:Longhope, Watford
Restingplace:Brookwood Cemetery

Sir James Robert Longden (7 July 1827 – 4 October 1891) was an English colonial administrator.

Longden was born as the youngest son of John R. Longden, proctor, of Doctors' Commons, London. In 1844, two years after the establishment of a civil government, he was appointed government clerk in the Falkland Islands, and became acting colonial secretary the year after. In 1861 he was appointed President of the Virgin Islands, in 1865 Governor of Dominica, in 1867 Governor of British Honduras, in 1870 Governor of Trinidad, Governor of British Guiana in 1874, and in December 1876 Governor of Ceylon, which post he held until his retirement in 1883. Most notable of his tenure in Ceylon was his grant of land that established the Borella General Cemetery, that has since interred the names of many great Ceylonese over the centuries. He was made CMG in 1871, in 1876, in the 1883 Birthday Honours.

After his retirement he resided at Longhope, near Watford, Hertfordshire, and took a very active part in county affairs. He was a J.P. and alderman for the county under the Local Government Act. He died at Longhope on 4 October 1891. His funeral took place at Brookwood Cemetery on 9 October 1891.

Family

On 22 September 1864[2] on the island of Saint Kitts, he married Alice Emily Berridge (1846–1910), younger daughter of James Samuel Berridge (1806–1885), a local landowner and businessman, and his wife Jane Chapman (1803–1888). They had six children, including:

External links

References

Notes and References

  1. Book: Miscellanea Genealogica Et Heraldica. 1900. Hamilton, Adams, and Company. 107. 2 September 2016. en.
  2. Gloucestershire Notes and Queries. Reprint. London: Forgotten Books, 2013. 245-6 http://www.forgottenbooks.com/readbook_text/Gloucestershire_Notes_and_Queries_1000743797/271 . Retrieved 2 December 2015
  3. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/68926953. Retrieved 2 December 2015
  4. Web site: Longden, Vice-Adm. Horace Walker, (1877–4 Jan. 1953) . oxfordindex.oup.com . 2007. 10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U239967. 2 December 2015.
  5. Marriages. 24 February 1900 . 1 . 36074 .