Arthur Lawley, 6th Baron Wenlock
Encyclopedia
Arthur Lawley, 6th Baron Wenlock, GCIE
, KCMG
(12 November 1860 – 14 June 1932) was a British politician, soldier and administrator who served as the administrator of Matabeleland
, Governor
of Western Australia
, Lieutenant-Governor of Transvaal and Governor of Madras.
Lawley was born in 1860 to 2nd Baron Wenlock
and his wife, Lady Elizabeth (née Grosvenor). He was their seventh child to the couple and the fourth and youngest son.
He attended Eton
and Trinity College, Cambridge
. However, Lawley did not complete his studies at Cambridge. Instead, he joined the 10th Hussars and became a soldier in the British army. He rose to become a Captain in 1882 and fought in the Mahdist War
and saw action at Suakin
(1884).
Upon retiring from the army, he entered politics, serving as the private secretary to the Duke of Westminster from 1892 to 1896, after which he was appointed the acting administrator of Matabeleland
, Governor
of Western Australia
, Lieutenant-Governor of Transvaal and Governor of Madras.
was sent to Salisbury
to replace Sir Leander Starr Jameson, Lawley was appointed the Acting administrator representing the British South Africa Company
. Later, he also served as Deputy administrator of Matabeleland from 1896 to 1898. In 1898, Lawley led a mission to the court of Lewanika
, the king of Barotseland
.
Lawley later wrote a detailed account of his journey to Barotseland and his experiences. an agreement was signed at Bulawayo between Lewanika and Robert Coryndon, the resident in Barotseland, in the presence of Lawley.
The Second Matabele War
took place during Lawley's tenure leading to a decisive victory for British settlers. On 5 December 1898, Lawley succeeded Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey
as the administrator of Matabeleland and served from 5 December 1898 to March 1901. As Deputy-administrator, Lawley participated in the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Queen Victoria.
Lawley was governor for a short tenure but his tenure witnessed the rise and fall of seven governments. As soon as he took charge, Lawley received the resignation of Premier George Throssell
on 21 May 1901. This was followed by the rise and fall of five successive governments. In December 1901, Lawley toured the south-western parts of the province along with Lord Hopetown. His tenure also witnessed instability in the Perth City Council. Lady Lawley devoted herself to numerous chariotious activities. The suburb of Mount Lawley in Perth is named after Lawley.
, Lawley was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Transvaal in April 1902. Lawley arrived in Pretoria at the end of August and served as lieutenant governor of Transvaal from September 1902 to 1905 . Lawley was given the task of demarcating and allotting separate reserves in Transvaal for indigenous Africans. In the end, Lawley set aside only about 3% of Transvaal for Africans.
In 1903, due to petitions from Boer
farmers, the government of Transvaal permitted them access to Kgatla reserves in the Bechuanaland protectorate to recover their stolen cattle on the condition they reciprocate by offering the Kgatla access to their own settlements. The Kgatla responded by requesting Lawley to merge Kgatla reserves in Bechuanaland and the Crown colony into a single settlement.
The Kgatla request was framed to enable their chief Lentshwe gain complete sovereignty over all the lands occupied by the Kgatla from the Boers during the Second Boer War. The request was turned down by Lawley, who, however, permitted Lentshwe to appoint his brother Ramono as his deputy over Saulspoort.
During his tenure, Lawley strongly vouched for the continued import of cheap Chinese labour into Transvaal to work in the diamond mines. He pointed out the extent of success that had attended their work. The town of Lawley in Transvaal is named after Arthur Lawley.
. Lawley's eldest brother Beilby Lawley, 3rd Baron Wenlock
had also served as the Governor of Madras from 1891 to 1896. The Madras Legislative Council was completely reformed according to the Indian Councils Act 1909 and enlarged during his time.
Lawley undertook a number of tours to acquaint himself of the administrative machinery prevailing in the Presidency. During his tenure, the Madras Estates Land Bill was passed. In 1906, the Arbuthnot Bank of Madras crashed precipitating one of the worst financial disasters of the 20th century. Lawley, who was himself one of the stockholders, tried to raise public funds to rescue investors. The disillusioned investors eventually responded by founding the Indian Bank
. Except for frequent tours and a few reforms, Lawley's tenure was largely uneventful.
The newly constructed building housing the Government Museum, Chennai was opened by Lawley on 5 September 1906. Lawley also inaugurated the Victoria Memorial Hall in Madras on 28 March 1909 in memory of Queen Victoria. In 1910, Lawley unveiled a portrait of Queen Victoria inside the Victoria Public Hall after the building was acquired by the Suguna Vilas Sabha. On 27 October 1911, Lawley presided over the Annual Day function of the Madras Sanskrit College and presented diplomas to meritorious students.
Lawley inaugurated the Giffard School block of the Women and Children's Hospital in Egmore
in October 1911. The next year, a nurses' quarters was established opposite to the hospital and named after Lawley.
In 1927 Lawley visited the Fairbridge Farm School at Pinjarra, Western Australia, and he remained president of the Child Emigration Society until his death.
in June 1931.
, Germany
, and was interred at Escrick
, Yorkshire. As he had no surviving male children, he was the last Baron Wenlock.
Annie, Lady Wenlock was named Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
(GBE) in 1917.
Order of the Indian Empire
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:#Knight Grand Commander #Knight Commander #Companion...
, 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....
(12 November 1860 – 14 June 1932) was a British politician, soldier and administrator who served as the administrator of Matabeleland
Matabeleland
Modern day Matabeleland is a region in Zimbabwe divided into three provinces: Matabeleland North, Bulawayo and Matabeleland South. These provinces are in the west and south-west of Zimbabwe, between the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers. The region is named after its inhabitants, the Ndebele people...
, Governor
Governor of Western Australia
The Governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of Australia's Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The Governor performs important constitutional, ceremonial and community functions, including:* presiding over the Executive Council;...
of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, Lieutenant-Governor of Transvaal and Governor of Madras.
Lawley was born in 1860 to 2nd Baron Wenlock
Beilby Lawley, 2nd Baron Wenlock
Beilby Richard Lawley, 2nd Baron Wenlock was an English nobleman, eldest son of Paul Thompson, 1st Baron Wenlock and 8th Baronet...
and his wife, Lady Elizabeth (née Grosvenor). He was their seventh child to the couple and the fourth and youngest son.
He attended Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
. However, Lawley did not complete his studies at Cambridge. Instead, he joined the 10th Hussars and became a soldier in the British army. He rose to become a Captain in 1882 and fought in the Mahdist War
Mahdist War
The Mahdist War was a colonial war of the late 19th century. It was fought between the Mahdist Sudanese and the Egyptian and later British forces. It has also been called the Anglo-Sudan War or the Sudanese Mahdist Revolt. The British have called their part in the conflict the Sudan Campaign...
and saw action at Suakin
Suakin
Suakin or Sawakin is a port in north-eastern Sudan, on the west coast of the Red Sea. In 1983 it had a population of 18,030 and the 2009 estimate is 43, 337.It was formerly the region's chief port, but is now secondary to Port Sudan, about 30 miles north. The old city built of coral is in ruins...
(1884).
Upon retiring from the army, he entered politics, serving as the private secretary to the Duke of Westminster from 1892 to 1896, after which he was appointed the acting administrator of Matabeleland
Matabeleland
Modern day Matabeleland is a region in Zimbabwe divided into three provinces: Matabeleland North, Bulawayo and Matabeleland South. These provinces are in the west and south-west of Zimbabwe, between the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers. The region is named after its inhabitants, the Ndebele people...
, Governor
Governor of Western Australia
The Governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of Australia's Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The Governor performs important constitutional, ceremonial and community functions, including:* presiding over the Executive Council;...
of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, Lieutenant-Governor of Transvaal and Governor of Madras.
Matabeleland
When Albert Grey, 4th Earl GreyAlbert Grey, 4th Earl Grey
Albert Henry George Grey, 4th Earl Grey was a British nobleman and politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the ninth since Canadian Confederation....
was sent to Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
to replace Sir Leander Starr Jameson, Lawley was appointed the Acting administrator representing the British South Africa Company
British South Africa Company
The British South Africa Company was established by Cecil Rhodes through the amalgamation of the Central Search Association and the Exploring Company Ltd., receiving a royal charter in 1889...
. Later, he also served as Deputy administrator of Matabeleland from 1896 to 1898. In 1898, Lawley led a mission to the court of Lewanika
Lewanika
Lewanika was the Lozi Litunga of Barotseland from 1878 to 1916...
, the king of Barotseland
Barotseland
Barotseland is a region in the western part of Zambia, and is the homeland of the Lozi people or Barotse who were previously known as Luyi or Aluyi. Its heartland is the Barotse Floodplain on the upper Zambezi River, also known as Bulozi or Lyondo, but it includes the surrounding higher ground of...
.
Lawley later wrote a detailed account of his journey to Barotseland and his experiences. an agreement was signed at Bulawayo between Lewanika and Robert Coryndon, the resident in Barotseland, in the presence of Lawley.
The Second Matabele War
Second Matabele War
The Second Matabele War, also known as the Matabeleland Rebellion and in Zimbabwe as the First Chimurenga, was fought in 1896–97 between the British troops and the Ndebele people....
took place during Lawley's tenure leading to a decisive victory for British settlers. On 5 December 1898, Lawley succeeded Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey
Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey
Albert Henry George Grey, 4th Earl Grey was a British nobleman and politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the ninth since Canadian Confederation....
as the administrator of Matabeleland and served from 5 December 1898 to March 1901. As Deputy-administrator, Lawley participated in the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Queen Victoria.
Governor of Western Australia
Lawley was appointed Governor of Western Australia in 1901 and arrived in Albany aboard the ship Ophir along with the Duke and Duchchess of York. Lawley served as Governor of Western Australia from 1 May 1901 to 14 August 1902. As governor, he represented Western Australia at the opening of the federal parliament.Lawley was governor for a short tenure but his tenure witnessed the rise and fall of seven governments. As soon as he took charge, Lawley received the resignation of Premier George Throssell
George Throssell
George Lionel Throssell, CMG was the second Premier of Western Australia. He served for just three months, from 15 February 1901 until 27 May 1901 during a period of great instability in Western Australian politics....
on 21 May 1901. This was followed by the rise and fall of five successive governments. In December 1901, Lawley toured the south-western parts of the province along with Lord Hopetown. His tenure also witnessed instability in the Perth City Council. Lady Lawley devoted herself to numerous chariotious activities. The suburb of Mount Lawley in Perth is named after Lawley.
Transvaal Republic
On the recommendation of Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount MilnerAlfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner
Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner KG, GCB, GCMG, PC was a British statesman and colonial administrator who played an influential leadership role in the formulation of foreign and domestic policy between the mid-1890s and early 1920s...
, Lawley was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Transvaal in April 1902. Lawley arrived in Pretoria at the end of August and served as lieutenant governor of Transvaal from September 1902 to 1905 . Lawley was given the task of demarcating and allotting separate reserves in Transvaal for indigenous Africans. In the end, Lawley set aside only about 3% of Transvaal for Africans.
In 1903, due to petitions from 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,...
farmers, the government of Transvaal permitted them access to Kgatla reserves in the Bechuanaland protectorate to recover their stolen cattle on the condition they reciprocate by offering the Kgatla access to their own settlements. The Kgatla responded by requesting Lawley to merge Kgatla reserves in Bechuanaland and the Crown colony into a single settlement.
The Kgatla request was framed to enable their chief Lentshwe gain complete sovereignty over all the lands occupied by the Kgatla from the Boers during the Second Boer War. The request was turned down by Lawley, who, however, permitted Lentshwe to appoint his brother Ramono as his deputy over Saulspoort.
During his tenure, Lawley strongly vouched for the continued import of cheap Chinese labour into Transvaal to work in the diamond mines. He pointed out the extent of success that had attended their work. The town of Lawley in Transvaal is named after Arthur Lawley.
As Governor of Madras
While serving as Lieutenant-Governor of Transvaal, Lawley was appointed Governor of Madras on 28 December 1905 at a monthly pay of Rs. 10,000. He took office on 28 March 1906 succeeding The Lord AmpthillArthur Russell, 2nd Baron Ampthill
Oliver Villiers Russell, 2nd Baron Ampthill, GCSI, GCIE, DL, JP was a British peer, rower and administrator who served as the Governor of Madras from October 1900 to February 1906 and acted as the Viceroy of India from April to December 1904.Oliver Russell was born on February 19, 1869 to Odo...
. Lawley's eldest brother Beilby Lawley, 3rd Baron Wenlock
Beilby Lawley, 3rd Baron Wenlock
Beilby Lawley, 3rd Baron Wenlock GCSI, GCIE, KCB, VD, PC was a British soldier, Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1880 and administrator who was the Governor of Madras from 1891 to 1896.-Early life:...
had also served as the Governor of Madras from 1891 to 1896. The Madras Legislative Council was completely reformed according to the Indian Councils Act 1909 and enlarged during his time.
Lawley undertook a number of tours to acquaint himself of the administrative machinery prevailing in the Presidency. During his tenure, the Madras Estates Land Bill was passed. In 1906, the Arbuthnot Bank of Madras crashed precipitating one of the worst financial disasters of the 20th century. Lawley, who was himself one of the stockholders, tried to raise public funds to rescue investors. The disillusioned investors eventually responded by founding the Indian Bank
Indian Bank
Indian Bank is a major Indian Commercial Bank headquartered in Chennai , India. It has 22,000 employees, 1923 branches and is one of the big public sector banks of India. It has overseas branches in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Singapore, and 229 correspondent banks in 69 countries...
. Except for frequent tours and a few reforms, Lawley's tenure was largely uneventful.
The newly constructed building housing the Government Museum, Chennai was opened by Lawley on 5 September 1906. Lawley also inaugurated the Victoria Memorial Hall in Madras on 28 March 1909 in memory of Queen Victoria. In 1910, Lawley unveiled a portrait of Queen Victoria inside the Victoria Public Hall after the building was acquired by the Suguna Vilas Sabha. On 27 October 1911, Lawley presided over the Annual Day function of the Madras Sanskrit College and presented diplomas to meritorious students.
Lawley inaugurated the Giffard School block of the Women and Children's Hospital in Egmore
Egmore
-Main places:* Chennai Egmore railway station.* Office of the commissioner of Greater Chennai Police department.* Government Museum, Chennai.* Connemara Public Library, one of the biggest libraries in India.* National Art Gallery...
in October 1911. The next year, a nurses' quarters was established opposite to the hospital and named after Lawley.
Later life
In his later life, Lawley served as the director of numerous London-based companies. During the First World War, he served as the President of the British Red Cross Society in Boulogne, France.In 1927 Lawley visited the Fairbridge Farm School at Pinjarra, Western Australia, and he remained president of the Child Emigration Society until his death.
Baron Lawley
Arthur Lawley succeeded his brother, Reverend Algernon George Lawley, who died without an heir, as the 6th Baron WenlockBaron Wenlock
Baron Wenlock is a title that has been created three times, once in the Peerage of England and twice in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation came in 1461 when the soldier Sir John Wenlock was summoned to Parliament as Lord Wenlock...
in June 1931.
Death
Arthur Lawley, 6th Baron Wenlock, died on 14 June 1932 at Freiberg, SaxonyFreiberg, Saxony
Freiberg is a city in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, administrative center of the Mittelsachsen district.-History:The city was founded in 1186, and has been a center of the mining industry in the Ore Mountains for centuries...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and was interred at Escrick
Escrick
Escrick is a village and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England. It is equidistant between Selby and York on what is now the A19 road....
, Yorkshire. As he had no surviving male children, he was the last Baron Wenlock.
Family
On 15 October 1885, he married Annie Allen Cunard, a daughter of Sir Edward Cunard, 2nd Baronet; they had three children:- Hon. Margaret Cecilia Lawley (d. 1969)
- Hon. Richard Edward Lawley (9 May 1887 – 4 September 1909); killed in IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, aged 22, in a hunting accident. - Ursula, Lady Wraxall (8 June 1888 – 16 October 1979)
Annie, Lady Wenlock was named Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(GBE) in 1917.