Governors of British Ceylon explained

Post:Governor
Body:Ceylon
Flag:Flag of the Governor of Ceylon (1875–1948).svg
Flagcaption:Flag of Governor of Ceylon
Style:His Excellency
Residence:Government House
Appointer:Monarch of the United Kingdom
Precursor:Governor of Ceylon
Formation:August 1795
First:Patrick Alexander Agnew
as Military Governor
Last:Henry Monck-Mason Moore
Abolished:4 February 1948
Succession:Governor-General of Ceylon

The governor of Ceylon was the representative in Ceylon of the British Crown from 1795 to 1948. In this capacity, the governor was president of the Executive Council and Commander-in-Chief of the British Forces in Ceylon. The governor was the head of the British colonial administration in Ceylon, reporting to the Colonial Office.

With Ceylon gaining self-rule and dominion status with the creation of Dominion of Ceylon in 1948, this office was replaced by the Governor-General, who represented the British monarch as the head of state. The office of Governor-General was itself abolished in 1972 and replaced by the post of President when Sri Lanka became a republic.

Appointment

The governor, appointed by the British monarch (on the advice of the prime minister and the secretary of state for the colonies), maintained executive power in Ceylon throughout British rule.

Powers and functions

The governor was the head of the executive administration in the island. Initially limited to the coastal regions, the authority of the governor was extended to the provinces of the Kingdom of Kandy following the Kandyan Convention in 1815. The governor had absolute power in the island deriving it from the traditional powers of the Dutch governors and the king of Kandy and reporting to the secretary of state for the colonies. it was in the Colebrooke Reforms which first defined the role of the governor as "the representative of the Sovereign the Monarch who rules over the Parliament of the United Kingdom". These reforms introduced the first legislator which was expanded over the next century in the reforms that took place. Upon independence in 1948, the office of the Governor was abolished and replaced with that of the Governor-General as the representative of the sovereign.[1]

The governor was the commander-in-chief of British Forces in Ceylon, except only during World War II, when Admiral Sir Geoffrey Layton was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Ceylon with power exceeding that of the governor.

Ceremonial

In November each year, the governor would receive the annual tribute from the sultan of Maldives. The governor was the ex-officio Chancellor of the University of Ceylon and patron of the Royal College Colombo.

Council

See main article: Executive Council of Ceylon and Legislative Council of Ceylon. Following the Colebrooke Reforms the Executive Council of Ceylon and the Legislative Council of Ceylon was established with the Governor chairing both these councils. In 1931, the Legislative Council was replaced by the State Council of Ceylon with limited self-government.

Style and title

The title of the position was "Governor of Ceylon" and was styled Excellency and enjoyed precedence over all other government officials in Ceylon. He was referred to as 'His Excellency' and addressed as 'Your Excellency'. This practice as constituted to the office of President.

Privileges

Residence

The governor's main residence and office was the King's House in Colombo and secondary residence was the King's Pavilion in Kandy. The vacationing residence of the governor, Queen's Cottage, was located in the hill station of Nuwara Eliya.

Guard

The Governor's Bodyguard was a mounted guard that functioned as a ceremonial guard for the governor when attending state functions. An ceremonial native regiment of Lascoreens was maintained by the office of the governor to provide a ceremonial guard on special occasions such as the Maldivian Tribute or royal visits.

Staff

The governor's office was housed at King's House and had a permanent staff. It consisted of the secretary to the governor, a private secretary, an aide-de-camp, the maha mudaliyar, an office assistant and support staff.

List of governors

PortraitName
Term of officeSovereign
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
Military Governors (1795–1798)
1 Patrick Alexander Agnew
August 17951 March 1796George III
2James Stuart
1 March 17961 January 1797George III
3 Welbore Ellis Doyle
1 January 17972 July 1797George III
4Peter Bonnevaux
2 July 179712 July 1797 †George III
5 Pierre Frédéric de Meuron
12 July 179712 October 1798George III
Resident and Superintendent (1796–1798)
1 Robert Andrews
12 February 179612 October 1798George III
Governors (1798–1948)
1 Frederick North
12 October 179819 July 1805George III
2 Thomas Maitland
19 July 180519 March 1811George III
John Wilson
19 March 181111 March 1812George III
3 Robert Brownrigg
11 March 18121 February 1820George III
Edward Barnes
1 February 18202 February 1822George III
George IV
4 Edward Paget
2 February 18226 November 1822George IV
James Campbell
6 November 182218 January 1824George IV
5 Edward Barnes
18 January 182413 October 1831George IV
William IV
John Wilson
13 October 183123 October 1831William IV
6 Robert Wilmot-Horton
23 October 18317 November 1837William IV
Queen Victoria
7 James Alexander Stewart-Mackenzie
7 November 183715 April 1841Queen Victoria
8 Colin Campbell
15 April 184119 April 1847Queen Victoria
James Emerson Tennent
19 April 184729 May 1847Queen Victoria
9 The Viscount Torrington
29 May 184718 October 1850Queen Victoria
Charles Justin MacCarthy
18 October 185027 November 1850Queen Victoria
10 George William Anderson
27 November 185018 January 1855Queen Victoria
Charles Justin MacCarthy
18 January 185511 May 1855Queen Victoria
11 Henry George Ward
11 May 185530 June 1860Queen Victoria
Henry Frederick Lockyer
30 June 186030 July 1860Queen Victoria
Charles Edmund Wilkinson
30 July 186022 October 1860Queen Victoria
12 Charles Justin MacCarthy
22 October 18601 December 1863Queen Victoria
Terence O'Brien
1 December 186321 March 1865Queen Victoria
Hercules Robinson
21 March 186516 May 1865Queen Victoria
13 Hercules Robinson
16 May 18654 January 1872Queen Victoria
Henry Turner Irving
4 January 18724 March 1872Queen Victoria
14 William Henry Gregory
4 March 18724 September 1877Queen Victoria
15 James Robert Longden
4 September 187710 July 1883Queen Victoria
John Douglas
10 July 18833 December 1883Queen Victoria
16 Arthur Hamilton-Gordon
3 December 188328 May 1890Queen Victoria
17 Arthur Elibank Havelock
28 May 189024 October 1895Queen Victoria
Edward Noël Walker
24 October 189510 February 1896Queen Victoria
18 Joseph West Ridgeway
10 February 189619 November 1903Queen Victoria
Edward VII
Sir Everard im Thurn
19 November 19033 December 1903Edward VII
19 Henry Arthur Blake
3 December 190311 July 1907Edward VII
Hugh Clifford
11 July 190724 August 1907Edward VII
20 Henry Edward McCallum
24 August 190724 January 1913Edward VII
George V
Reginald Edward Stubbs
24 January 191318 October 1913George V
21 Robert Chalmers
18 October 19134 December 1915George V
Reginald Edward Stubbs
4 December 191515 April 1916George V
22 John Anderson
15 April 191624 March 1918 †George V
Reginald Edward Stubbs
24 March 191810 September 1918George V
23 William Henry Manning
10 September 19181 April 1925George V
Cecil Clementi
1 April 192518 October 1925George V
Edward Bruce Alexander
18 October 192530 November 1925George V
24 Hugh Clifford
30 November 1925June 1927George V
Arthur George Murchison Fletcher
June 192720 August 1928George V
25 Herbert Stanley
20 August 192811 February 1931George V
Bernard Henry Bourdillon
11 February 193111 April 1931George V
26 Graeme Thomson
11 April 193120 September 1933George V
Graeme Tyrrell
20 September 193323 December 1933George V
27 Reginald Edward Stubbs
23 December 193330 June 1937George V
Edward VIII
George VI
Maxwell MacLagan Wedderburn
30 June 193716 October 1937George VI
28 Andrew Caldecott
16 October 193719 September 1944George VI
29 Henry Monck-Mason Moore
19 September 19444 February 1948George VI

See also

References

Specific
  1. http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=52281 Evolution of Constitutional Governance in Sri Lanka.

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