Henry Barkly
Encyclopedia
Sir Henry Barkly, GCMG
, KCB, FRS, FRGS
(24 February 1815 – 20 October 1898) was a British politician, colonial governor and patron of the sciences.
, Middlesex
(now London
), he was the only son of Aeneas Barkly, a West India merchant. He was educated at Bruce Castle School
in Tottenham
, where the school's particular curriculum endowed him with a lifetime interest in science and statistics.
Upon completing his schooling and studies in commerce, Barkly worked for his father. The Barkly family had several connections with the West Indies: Barkly's mother, Susannah Louisa, whose maiden name was ffrith, was the daughter of a Jamaica
planter; his father's company was concerned with trade in the West Indies; and the family owned an estate in British Guiana
.
(MPs) for the borough Leominster
.
He was returned unopposed, and The Times
observed that his election address did not render voters "much wiser" about his political views.
As a Peelite
, one of the supporters of Prime Minister
Robert Peel
, Barkly found himself adrift with few political prospects when Peel was overthrown, and he gratefully accepted the governorship of British Guiana
when the post was offered by his Liberal opponents in 1848.
and the West Indies in general served him well as governor of the colony, and prompted Lord Grey
, the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies
, to refer to his "remarkable skill and ability" in addressing the colony's economic issues by widening the franchise of the College of Kiezers and introducing indentured servant
s from Asia
.
and served three years as its governor and captain-general.
, arriving in Melbourne
on 24 December 1856. He achieved one of his main goals of stable government with the appointment of the James McCulloch
ministry. He was noted for his support of philanthropic and intellectual movements. He was a founder and president of the Royal Society of Victoria
, 1860-63, and helped to found the National Gallery of Victoria
, the Acclimatization Society and the National Observatory.
In August 1870 he was sent to the Cape of Good Hope
as Governor of Cape Colony and as British High Commissioner for Southern Africa. He helped to implement self government
in the Cape and worked closely with its first Prime Minister
, Sir John C Molteno. He served in South Africa until 1877 and the South African towns of Barkly East
and Barkly West are named after him.
He was involved with the Royal Commission on Colonial Defence in 1879.
He died in Brompton, Kensington
, London on 20 October 1898 and is buried in Brompton Cemetery
.
on 18 July 1853, just prior to his appointment as Governor of Jamaica. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society
(FRS) in 1864, and of the Royal Geographic Society (FRGS) in 1870. He was made a GCMG
on 9 March 1874. The Navarre diggings, a small Victorian gold field was named Barkly
on 1 November 1861 in his honour.
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....
, KCB, FRS, FRGS
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
(24 February 1815 – 20 October 1898) was a British politician, colonial governor and patron of the sciences.
Early life and education
Born in 1815 at HighburyHighbury
- Early Highbury :The area now known as Islington was part of the larger manor of Tolentone, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Tolentone was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Road. The manor house was situated by what is now...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
(now London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
), he was the only son of Aeneas Barkly, a West India merchant. He was educated at Bruce Castle School
Bruce Castle School
Bruce Castle School, at Bruce Castle, Tottenham, was a progressive school for boys established in 1827 as an extension of Rowland Hill's Hazelwood School at Edgbaston...
in Tottenham
Tottenham
Tottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, England, situated north north east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:Tottenham is believed to have been named after Tota, a farmer, whose hamlet was mentioned in the Domesday Book; hence Tota's hamlet became Tottenham...
, where the school's particular curriculum endowed him with a lifetime interest in science and statistics.
Upon completing his schooling and studies in commerce, Barkly worked for his father. The Barkly family had several connections with the West Indies: Barkly's mother, Susannah Louisa, whose maiden name was ffrith, was the daughter of a Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
planter; his father's company was concerned with trade in the West Indies; and the family owned an estate in British Guiana
British Guiana
British Guiana was the name of the British colony on the northern coast of South America, now the independent nation of Guyana.The area was originally settled by the Dutch at the start of the 17th century as the colonies of Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice...
.
Political career
Barkly was elected to the House of Commons at a by-election on 26 April 1845 as one of the two Members of ParliamentMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MPs) for the borough Leominster
Leominster (UK Parliament constituency)
Leominster was, until 2010, a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.From 1295 to 1868, it was a parliamentary borough which elected two Members of Parliament by the bloc vote system of election. Under the Reform Act 1867 its...
.
He was returned unopposed, and The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
observed that his election address did not render voters "much wiser" about his political views.
As a Peelite
Peelite
The Peelites were a breakaway faction of the British Conservative Party, and existed from 1846 to 1859. They were called "Peelites" because they were initially led by Sir Robert Peel, who was the British Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader in 1846....
, one of the supporters of Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Robert Peel
Robert Peel
Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet was a British Conservative statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 December 1834 to 8 April 1835, and again from 30 August 1841 to 29 June 1846...
, Barkly found himself adrift with few political prospects when Peel was overthrown, and he gratefully accepted the governorship of British Guiana
British Guiana
British Guiana was the name of the British colony on the northern coast of South America, now the independent nation of Guyana.The area was originally settled by the Dutch at the start of the 17th century as the colonies of Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice...
when the post was offered by his Liberal opponents in 1848.
Governor of British Guiana
Barkly was sworn in as Governor and Commander-in-Chief of British Guiana on 12 February 1849. His family connections with British GuianaBritish Guiana
British Guiana was the name of the British colony on the northern coast of South America, now the independent nation of Guyana.The area was originally settled by the Dutch at the start of the 17th century as the colonies of Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice...
and the West Indies in general served him well as governor of the colony, and prompted Lord Grey
Henry Grey, 3rd Earl Grey
Henry George Grey, 3rd Earl Grey , known as Viscount Howick from 1807 until 1845, was an English statesman.-Background:Grey was the eldest son of Prime Minister Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, by his wife the Hon...
, the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies
Secretary of State for War and the Colonies
The Secretary of State for War and the Colonies was a British cabinet level position responsible for the army and the British colonies . The Department was created in 1801...
, to refer to his "remarkable skill and ability" in addressing the colony's economic issues by widening the franchise of the College of Kiezers and introducing indentured servant
Indentured servant
Indentured servitude refers to the historical practice of contracting to work for a fixed period of time, typically three to seven years, in exchange for transportation, food, clothing, lodging and other necessities during the term of indenture. Usually the father made the arrangements and signed...
s from Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
Governor of Jamaica
In 1853, he was transferred to JamaicaJamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
and served three years as its governor and captain-general.
Governor of Victoria
In November 1856 Barkly was appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Victoria, AustraliaGovernors of Victoria
The Governor of Victoria is the representative in the Australian state of Victoria of its monarch, Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. The Governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the Governor-General of Australia at the national level...
, arriving in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
on 24 December 1856. He achieved one of his main goals of stable government with the appointment of the James McCulloch
James McCulloch
James McCulloch is also the name of the cashier of the Baltimore branch of the Second National Bank of the United States. This James McCulloch was not involved in the McCulloch vs. Maryland U.S. Supreme Court case....
ministry. He was noted for his support of philanthropic and intellectual movements. He was a founder and president of the Royal Society of Victoria
Royal Society of Victoria
The Royal Society of Victoria is the oldest learned society in the state of Victoria in Australia.The Royal Society of Victoria was formed in 1859 from a merger between The Philosophical Society of Victoria and The Victorian Institute for the Advancement of Science , both founded...
, 1860-63, and helped to found the National Gallery of Victoria
National Gallery of Victoria
The National Gallery of Victoria is an art gallery and museum in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest and the largest public art gallery in Australia. Since December 2003, NGV has operated across two sites...
, the Acclimatization Society and the National Observatory.
Governor of Mauritius and the Cape Colony
He was appointed 10th Governor of Mauritius from 21 August 1863 to 3 June 1870.In August 1870 he was sent to the Cape of Good Hope
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
as Governor of Cape Colony and as British High Commissioner for Southern Africa. He helped to implement self government
Responsible government
Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy...
in the Cape and worked closely with its first Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
, Sir John C Molteno. He served in South Africa until 1877 and the South African towns of Barkly East
Barkly East
Barkly East is a town in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, seat of the Ukhahlamba District Municipality, and 80 miles by rail E.S.E. of Aliwal North, lying in the mountainous area just south of Lesotho. The town lies at the southern tip of the Drakensberg on the Langkloofspruit, a tributary of...
and Barkly West are named after him.
He was involved with the Royal Commission on Colonial Defence in 1879.
He died in Brompton, Kensington
Brompton, Kensington
Brompton is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is roughly defined by a triangle formed by the Brompton Cemetery, Old Brompton Road/Brompton Road and Walton Street/Fulham Road.-Development:...
, London on 20 October 1898 and is buried in Brompton Cemetery
Brompton Cemetery
Brompton Cemetery is located near Earl's Court in South West London, England . It is managed by The Royal Parks and is one of the Magnificent Seven...
.
Family
In 1840, he married Elizabeth Helen, the second daughter of J. F. Timins. She died in 1857 and Barkly remarried Anne Maria Pratt three years later.Honours
Henry Barkly was awarded a Knight of the Order of the BathOrder of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
on 18 July 1853, just prior to his appointment as Governor of Jamaica. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
(FRS) in 1864, and of the Royal Geographic Society (FRGS) in 1870. He was made a GCMG
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....
on 9 March 1874. The Navarre diggings, a small Victorian gold field was named Barkly
Barkly, Victoria
Barkly is a very small town in Victoria, Australia, about 180 kilometres northwest of Melbourne. It is located near the intersection of the road from Landsborough to Redbank, and the road from Frenchmans to St Arnaud...
on 1 November 1861 in his honour.