John Sinclair, 1st Baron Pentland
Encyclopedia
John Sinclair, 1st Baron Pentland, GCSI
, GCIE
(July 7, 1860 – January 11, 1925) was a Scottish Liberal Party
politician, soldier, peer, administrator and Privy Councillor who served as the Secretary of Scotland from 1905 to 1912 and the Governor of Madras from 1912 to 1919.
Baron Pentland was born John Sinclair to Sir John Sinclair, 6th baronet of Dunbeath
. He studied in the United Kingdom and in 1892, entered the House of Commons as an elected Member of Parliament
(MP) for Dunbartonshire
. He was elected for a second term from Forfar
in 1897 and served in the British Parliament from 1892 to 1895 and 1897 to 1909. He also served as an Aide-de-Camp
and secretary to Lord Aberdeen. Sinclair was appointed to the Privy Council
in 1905. He served as the Secretary for Scotland from 1905 to 1912 and as the Governor of Madras from 1912 to 1919. Baron Pentland died in 1925.
During his tenure as Governor of Madras, Pentland became popular in India for the interest he showed in the indigenous tradition and culture. At the same time, he is also remembered for his crackdown on Annie Besant
and leaders of the Home Rule Movement.
to Captain John Sinclair (1826–1871), an officer in the Bengal Army
and Agnes Sinclair, daughter of John Learmonth of Dean who constructed the Dean Bridge of Edinburgh, on July 7, 1860. John Sinclair was the eldest of three sons.
Captain John Sinclair of Lyth was the grandson of Sir John Sinclair of Barrock, 6th baronet
of Dunbeath
, and descended from George Sinclair of Mey
(himself third son of the 4th Earl of Caithness
), who died 1616. He was thus a distant cousin of the contemporary Earls of Caithness who were descended from the 7th Baronet, of Mey.
and Wellington College
. He left Wellington in 1878 and finished fifth from Sandhurst
in 1879. On completion of the course, Sinclair was commissioned in the 5th Royal Irish Lancers. He served in the Sudan expedition and returned as captain in 1887.
along with Samuel Augustus Barnett
where he strived to promote education and sport. He was one of the founders of the London Playing Fields Society, a sports ground established for the sake of the poor.
He joined the Liberal Party in the 1880s and contested the elections to the House of Commons from Ayr's Burgh's, Scotland on the promise of Home Rule for Ireland but lost.
Pentland served as Aide-de-Camp
and Official Secretary to Lord Aberdeen in Ireland (while serving as Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland in 1886) and in Canada (while Lord Aberdeen was Governor-General
).
Member of Parliament for Dunbartonshire
from 1892 to 1895 and for Forfarshire
from 1897 to 1909. He then acted as Parliamentary Secretary
to Sir Henry Campbell Bannerman for many years.
He was appointed a Privy Councillor
on December 11, 1905 and was He was created Baron Pentland
of Lyth, Caithnessshire on 15 February 1909.
(7 December 1880–26 July 1970), elder daughter of his former patron the 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair
.
They had two children
was introduced in the councils and Lavinia Malcolm was elected as provost
of Dollar, Clackmannanshire
, being both the first lady provost and first lady town councilor in Scotland. Numerous resolutions were passed to implement greater autonomy for Scotland but all of them failed when put to vote.
Pentland introduced the Taxation of Land Values (Scotland) Bill which recommended the creation of a new Board of Agriculture for Scotland to implement a sweeping land settlement programme. However, though the bill was approved by the House of Commons it was defeated by the House of Lords. A second government bill by Pentland was also defeated by the House of Lords.
Pentland was a favorite of the Prime Minister, Campbell-Bannerman. Pentland's Agriculture Act made the Secretary of Scotland answerable to the House of Commons for issues relating to agriculture. In 1907, he assured Scottish MPs in the House of Commons that the Government is aware of issues that plague Scotland.
Pentland was Secretary of State for Scotland during the Oscar Slater
miscarriage of justice in 1909. Although he commuted Slater's death penalty to life imprisonment he did not investigate concerns, raised by many including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, that the Glasgow Police, James Neil Hart (the Procurator Fiscal) and the Lord Advocate Ure conspired to protect the then influential Charteris and Birrell families of Glasgow. Slater's appeal was upheld in 1928.
In February 1912, Pentland retired as the Secretary for Scotland and was succeeded by T. McKinnon Wood
.
from 1912 to 1919. For the most part of his tenure as Governor of Madras, British India was embroiled in the First World War.
with the Indian mainland. The existing railway line ended with the town of Ramanathapuram
and it was felt that its extension to Pamban island would boost trade and tourism. It would also make it easier for pilgrims to travel to the sacred Hindu shrine
of Rameswaram. The construction of the 2.06 km long cantilever railway bridge was undertaken by the German engineer Scherzer and completed in 2 years at a cost of Rs. 2,000,000 by 600 workers with no loss of life. The bridge was opened by Lord Pentland for traffic on February 24, 1914.
The Pamban bridge is India's largest sea bridge and an UNESCO World Heritage monument.
to conduct an exhibition on town-planning in Madras city. He reached Madras on December 20, 1914 after journeying overland from Calcutta through Vizagapatam, Guntur and Bellary. Pentland had been interacting with Geddes and was fascinated with his models since 1890.
Geddes had prepared for a detailed exhibition at Madras with a series of illustrations and maps. However, the ship by which they were slated to arrive in Madras, the "Clan Grant", was sunk to the south of Cape Comorin by the German ship Emden. This calamity delayed Geddes' visit to Madras by a couple of months and he had to recreate his presentations and illustrations.
The Cities and Town Planning Exhibition opened in the senate of the Madras University on January 17, 1915 and was inaugurated by the Governor who also gave an introductory speech. Patrick Geddes, then, gave a detailed lecture on cost-effective town planning and sanitation with the aid of real-life examples and a presentation with detailed illustrations and maps. Geddes spent the next few months in Madras touring the countryside and making reports and illustrations of the different towns in the Presidency. He persuaded Pentland to appoint a town planning advisor and suggested the name of H. V. Lancaster who was a Vice-President of the Royal Institute of British Architects. Accordingly, in October 1915, Lancaster joined the service of the Madras government.
and India and then, between India and the Middle East
, caring for sailors injured at sea and treating them. This hospital ship was paid for and maintained by some of the prominent citizens of Madras.
In 1914, the Department of Industries, which had earlier been disbanded in face of protests from the Madras Chamber of Commerce, was re-established. This department commenced the rapid industrialization of the province to cater to the economic and industrialization needs of the war. Factories manufacturing soap, ink, adhesives, paper-making, oil-pressing, food processing and decoration of groundnuts were established all over the province. Industries were also set for manufacturing military equipment for the British army.
Shelling of Madras by SMS Emden
On September 22, 1914, the German cruiser Emden which was patrolling the Bay of Bengal launched a surprise attack on Madras shelling the oil tanks of the Burmah Oil Company that we set up on the shore. Five tanks were hit out of which two caught fire. Nearly, 425,000 gallons of oil were lost in the attack. Three Indians were killed and the Indian liner Chupra was damaged in the attack. The battle lasted fifteen minutes and Emden sailed away towards Pondicherry when the coastal defenses of Madras started to retaliate.
Though the casualties due to the attack were minimal, there was a great deal of material damage caused by the shelling. The people of Madras were terrified by these attacks that SMS Emden has carved out a place for itself in local folklore.
Home Rule Movement
In 1915, the Home Rule Movement was started in order to demand home rule for India. In Madras, it was led by the Irishwoman Annie Besant
and Sir S. Subramania Iyer. As the movement gathered strength, Pentland responded with Annie Besant's arrest in June 1917 for hoisting the provisional flag of free India and a crackdown on the leaders of the movement. Other freedom-fighter as George Arundale
and B. P. Wadia were subsequently arrested. These arrests were strongly condemned and her case argued by Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
at Rameswaram which he visited during the inauguration of Pamban Bridge and recommended to the Viceroy to establish a committee to conduct a detailed undersea exploration at the site.
In 1917, he is believed to have told Lord Montagu
, the Secretary of State for India
,
Lord Pentland is also remembered for having assisted the Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan
make his journey to England
.
On the general poverty of the masses, Pentland remarked that laborers of Madras city had the habit of frequenting cinema halls to watch movies and suggested that this could be one of the possible reasons for their poverty. Pentland's statement also hints at the possibility of a drastic increase in the number of cinema goers during his Governorate.
in 1912 and a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India
in 1918.
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
, GCIE
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...
(July 7, 1860 – January 11, 1925) was a Scottish Liberal Party
Scottish Liberal Party
The Scottish Liberal Party was the dominant political party of Victorian Scotland, and although its importance declined with the rise of the Labour and Unionist parties during the 20th century, it was still a significant force when it finally merged with the Social Democratic Party in Scotland, to...
politician, soldier, peer, administrator and Privy Councillor who served as the Secretary of Scotland from 1905 to 1912 and the Governor of Madras from 1912 to 1919.
Baron Pentland was born John Sinclair to Sir John Sinclair, 6th baronet of Dunbeath
Dunbeath
Dunbeath is a village in south-east Caithness, Scotland on the A9 road.It was the birthplace of Neil Gunn , author of The Silver Darlings, Highland River etc., many of whose novels are set in Dunbeath and its Strath...
. He studied in the United Kingdom and in 1892, entered the House of Commons as an elected Member of Parliament
Member 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,...
(MP) for Dunbartonshire
Dunbartonshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Dunbartonshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1950...
. He was elected for a second term from Forfar
Forfar (UK Parliament constituency)
Forfarshire was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of Great Britain of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1708 until 1800, and then in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom until 1950....
in 1897 and served in the British Parliament from 1892 to 1895 and 1897 to 1909. He also served as an Aide-de-Camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
and secretary to Lord Aberdeen. Sinclair was appointed to the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
in 1905. He served as the Secretary for Scotland from 1905 to 1912 and as the Governor of Madras from 1912 to 1919. Baron Pentland died in 1925.
During his tenure as Governor of Madras, Pentland became popular in India for the interest he showed in the indigenous tradition and culture. At the same time, he is also remembered for his crackdown on Annie Besant
Annie Besant
Annie Besant was a prominent British Theosophist, women's rights activist, writer and orator and supporter of Irish and Indian self rule.She was married at 19 to Frank Besant but separated from him over religious differences. She then became a prominent speaker for the National Secular Society ...
and leaders of the Home Rule Movement.
Early life and ancestry
John Sinclair was born at 6 Moray Place, EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
to Captain John Sinclair (1826–1871), an officer in the Bengal Army
Bengal Army
The Bengal Army was the army of the Presidency of Bengal, one of the three Presidencies of British India, in South Asia. Although based in Bengal in eastern India, the presidency stretched across northern India and the Himalayas all the way to the North West Frontier Province...
and Agnes Sinclair, daughter of John Learmonth of Dean who constructed the Dean Bridge of Edinburgh, on July 7, 1860. John Sinclair was the eldest of three sons.
Captain John Sinclair of Lyth was the grandson of Sir John Sinclair of Barrock, 6th baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
of Dunbeath
Dunbeath
Dunbeath is a village in south-east Caithness, Scotland on the A9 road.It was the birthplace of Neil Gunn , author of The Silver Darlings, Highland River etc., many of whose novels are set in Dunbeath and its Strath...
, and descended from George Sinclair of Mey
Mey
Mey or Mei may refer to:People*Cornelius Jacobsen Mey, early 17th century Dutch explorer*Lev Mei , Russian dramatist and poet*Marie-Anett Mey , French musician*Melis Karin Mey , Turkish long jumper...
(himself third son of the 4th Earl of Caithness
Earl of Caithness
Earl of Caithness is a title that has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland, and has a very complex history. Its first grant, in the modern sense as to have been counted in strict lists of peerages, is now generally held to have taken place in favor of Maol Íosa V, Earl of...
), who died 1616. He was thus a distant cousin of the contemporary Earls of Caithness who were descended from the 7th Baronet, of Mey.
Education and military career
Sinclair was educated at Edinburgh AcademyEdinburgh Academy
The Edinburgh Academy is an independent school which was opened in 1824. The original building, in Henderson Row on the northern fringe of the New Town of Edinburgh, Scotland, is now part of the Senior School...
and Wellington College
Wellington College, Berkshire
-Former pupils:Notable former pupils include historian P. J. Marshall, architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, impressionist Rory Bremner, Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge, author Sebastian Faulks, language school pioneer John Haycraft, political journalist Robin Oakley, actor Sir Christopher...
. He left Wellington in 1878 and finished fifth from Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
in 1879. On completion of the course, Sinclair was commissioned in the 5th Royal Irish Lancers. He served in the Sudan expedition and returned as captain in 1887.
Early political career
Sinclair participated in politics and political activities right from an early age. He was amongst those who moved to Toynbee HallToynbee Hall
Toynbee Hall is a building in Tower Hamlets, East London which is the home of a charity working to bridge the gap between people of all social and financial backgrounds, with a focus on eradicating poverty and promoting social inclusion....
along with Samuel Augustus Barnett
Samuel Augustus Barnett
Samuel Augustus Barnett was an Anglican clergyman and social reformer particularly associated with the establishment of the first university settlement, Toynbee Hall in east London in 1884....
where he strived to promote education and sport. He was one of the founders of the London Playing Fields Society, a sports ground established for the sake of the poor.
He joined the Liberal Party in the 1880s and contested the elections to the House of Commons from Ayr's Burgh's, Scotland on the promise of Home Rule for Ireland but lost.
Pentland served as Aide-de-Camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
and Official Secretary to Lord Aberdeen in Ireland (while serving as Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland in 1886) and in Canada (while Lord Aberdeen was Governor-General
Governor-General
A Governor-General, is a vice-regal person of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.- Current uses...
).
In the Parliament of the United Kingdom
In 1892, he was elected LiberalLiberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
Member of Parliament for Dunbartonshire
Dunbartonshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Dunbartonshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1950...
from 1892 to 1895 and for Forfarshire
Forfar (UK Parliament constituency)
Forfarshire was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of Great Britain of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1708 until 1800, and then in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom until 1950....
from 1897 to 1909. He then acted as Parliamentary Secretary
Parliamentary Secretary
A Parliamentary Secretary is a member of a Parliament in the Westminster system who assists a more senior minister with his or her duties.In the parliamentary systems of several Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, it is customary for the prime minister to...
to Sir Henry Campbell Bannerman for many years.
He was appointed a Privy Councillor
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
on December 11, 1905 and was He was created Baron Pentland
Baron Pentland
Baron Pentland, of Lyth in the County of Caithness, was title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1909 for the Scottish Liberal politician John Sinclair. He later served as Governor of Madras...
of Lyth, Caithnessshire on 15 February 1909.
Marriage and family
On 12 July 1904 he married Lady Marjorie Adeline GordonMarjorie Sinclair, Baroness Pentland
Marjorie Adeline Gordon Sinclair, Baroness Pentland was the daughter of Sir John Campbell Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair and Ishbel Hamilton-Gordon, Marchioness of Aberdeen and Temair....
(7 December 1880–26 July 1970), elder daughter of his former patron the 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair
John Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair
John Campbell Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair, KT, GCMG, GCVO, PC , known as The Earl of Aberdeen from 1870 to 1916, was a Scottish politician...
.
They had two children
- Henry John Sinclair, 2nd Baron PentlandHenry John Sinclair, 2nd Baron PentlandHenry John Sinclair, 2nd Baron Pentland was a Scottish peer. He inherited the title from his father, John Sinclair, 1st Baron Pentland, in 1925.- Family :...
, (b. 6 June 1907 d. 1984); succeeded his father 1925, also known as a former president of The Gurdjieff Foundation of New York; married 11 September 1941 Lucy Elisabeth Smith; they had issue 1 daughter, who is married, and lives in New York. - Hon. Margaret Ishbel Sinclair (b. October 1906)
As Secretary for Scotland
Pentland served as the Secretary for Scotland from 1905 to 1912. During his tenure, women's suffrageWomen's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
was introduced in the councils and Lavinia Malcolm was elected as provost
Provost (civil)
A provost is the ceremonial head of many Scottish local authorities, and under the name prévôt was a governmental position of varying importance in Ancien Regime France.-History:...
of Dollar, Clackmannanshire
Dollar, Clackmannanshire
Dollar is a small town in Clackmannanshire, Scotland. It is one of the Hillfoots Villages, situated between the Ochil Hills range to the north and the River Devon to the south. Dollar is on the A91 road, which runs from Stirling to St. Andrews. The town is around 3 miles east of Tillicoultry...
, being both the first lady provost and first lady town councilor in Scotland. Numerous resolutions were passed to implement greater autonomy for Scotland but all of them failed when put to vote.
Pentland introduced the Taxation of Land Values (Scotland) Bill which recommended the creation of a new Board of Agriculture for Scotland to implement a sweeping land settlement programme. However, though the bill was approved by the House of Commons it was defeated by the House of Lords. A second government bill by Pentland was also defeated by the House of Lords.
Pentland was a favorite of the Prime Minister, Campbell-Bannerman. Pentland's Agriculture Act made the Secretary of Scotland answerable to the House of Commons for issues relating to agriculture. In 1907, he assured Scottish MPs in the House of Commons that the Government is aware of issues that plague Scotland.
Pentland was Secretary of State for Scotland during the Oscar Slater
Oscar Slater
Oscar Joseph Slater was a victim of British miscarriage of justice. He was born Oscar Leschziner in Oppeln, Upper Silesia, Germany to a Jewish family. Around 1893, to evade military service, he moved to London where he worked as a bookmaker using various names, including Anderson, before settling...
miscarriage of justice in 1909. Although he commuted Slater's death penalty to life imprisonment he did not investigate concerns, raised by many including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, that the Glasgow Police, James Neil Hart (the Procurator Fiscal) and the Lord Advocate Ure conspired to protect the then influential Charteris and Birrell families of Glasgow. Slater's appeal was upheld in 1928.
In February 1912, Pentland retired as the Secretary for Scotland and was succeeded by T. McKinnon Wood
Thomas McKinnon Wood
Thomas McKinnon Wood PC was a British Liberal politician. He was a member of H. H. Asquith's cabinet as Secretary for Scotland between 1912 and 1916 and as Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster between July and December 1916...
.
As Governor of Madras
Pentland served as the Governor of MadrasGovernors of Madras
-English Agents:In 1639, the grant of Madras to the English was finalized between the factors of the Masulipatnam factory, represented by Francis Day, and the Raja of Chandragiri. In 1640, Andrew Cogan, the chief of the Masulipatnam factory, made his way to Madras in the company of Francis Day and...
from 1912 to 1919. For the most part of his tenure as Governor of Madras, British India was embroiled in the First World War.
Construction of the Pamban Bridge
In June 1911, Arthur Lawley had commissioned the construction of a railway bridge connecting Pamban IslandPamban Island
Pamban Island , also known as Rameswaram Island, is an island located between peninsular India and Sri Lanka. The island is a part of India and is governed by the administration of Ramanathapuram district of the state of Tamil Nadu...
with the Indian mainland. The existing railway line ended with the town of Ramanathapuram
Ramanathapuram
Ramanathapuram , also known as Ramnad, is a city and a municipality in Ramanathapuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Ramanathapuram district.-Tourism:...
and it was felt that its extension to Pamban island would boost trade and tourism. It would also make it easier for pilgrims to travel to the sacred Hindu shrine
Ramanathaswamy Temple, Rameswaram
- External links :* *...
of Rameswaram. The construction of the 2.06 km long cantilever railway bridge was undertaken by the German engineer Scherzer and completed in 2 years at a cost of Rs. 2,000,000 by 600 workers with no loss of life. The bridge was opened by Lord Pentland for traffic on February 24, 1914.
The Pamban bridge is India's largest sea bridge and an UNESCO World Heritage monument.
Pentland and Geddes
In 1914, Pentland invited the Scottish botanist and architect Patrick GeddesPatrick Geddes
Sir Patrick Geddes was a Scottish biologist, sociologist, philanthropist and pioneering town planner. He is known for his innovative thinking in the fields of urban planning and education....
to conduct an exhibition on town-planning in Madras city. He reached Madras on December 20, 1914 after journeying overland from Calcutta through Vizagapatam, Guntur and Bellary. Pentland had been interacting with Geddes and was fascinated with his models since 1890.
Geddes had prepared for a detailed exhibition at Madras with a series of illustrations and maps. However, the ship by which they were slated to arrive in Madras, the "Clan Grant", was sunk to the south of Cape Comorin by the German ship Emden. This calamity delayed Geddes' visit to Madras by a couple of months and he had to recreate his presentations and illustrations.
The Cities and Town Planning Exhibition opened in the senate of the Madras University on January 17, 1915 and was inaugurated by the Governor who also gave an introductory speech. Patrick Geddes, then, gave a detailed lecture on cost-effective town planning and sanitation with the aid of real-life examples and a presentation with detailed illustrations and maps. Geddes spent the next few months in Madras touring the countryside and making reports and illustrations of the different towns in the Presidency. He persuaded Pentland to appoint a town planning advisor and suggested the name of H. V. Lancaster who was a Vice-President of the Royal Institute of British Architects. Accordingly, in October 1915, Lancaster joined the service of the Madras government.
During the First World War
Pentland set up a hospital ship which plied regularly between AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and India and then, between India and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, caring for sailors injured at sea and treating them. This hospital ship was paid for and maintained by some of the prominent citizens of Madras.
In 1914, the Department of Industries, which had earlier been disbanded in face of protests from the Madras Chamber of Commerce, was re-established. This department commenced the rapid industrialization of the province to cater to the economic and industrialization needs of the war. Factories manufacturing soap, ink, adhesives, paper-making, oil-pressing, food processing and decoration of groundnuts were established all over the province. Industries were also set for manufacturing military equipment for the British army.
Shelling of Madras by SMS Emden
On September 22, 1914, the German cruiser Emden which was patrolling the Bay of Bengal launched a surprise attack on Madras shelling the oil tanks of the Burmah Oil Company that we set up on the shore. Five tanks were hit out of which two caught fire. Nearly, 425,000 gallons of oil were lost in the attack. Three Indians were killed and the Indian liner Chupra was damaged in the attack. The battle lasted fifteen minutes and Emden sailed away towards Pondicherry when the coastal defenses of Madras started to retaliate.
Though the casualties due to the attack were minimal, there was a great deal of material damage caused by the shelling. The people of Madras were terrified by these attacks that SMS Emden has carved out a place for itself in local folklore.
Home Rule Movement
In 1915, the Home Rule Movement was started in order to demand home rule for India. In Madras, it was led by the Irishwoman Annie Besant
Annie Besant
Annie Besant was a prominent British Theosophist, women's rights activist, writer and orator and supporter of Irish and Indian self rule.She was married at 19 to Frank Besant but separated from him over religious differences. She then became a prominent speaker for the National Secular Society ...
and Sir S. Subramania Iyer. As the movement gathered strength, Pentland responded with Annie Besant's arrest in June 1917 for hoisting the provisional flag of free India and a crackdown on the leaders of the movement. Other freedom-fighter as George Arundale
George Arundale
Dr. George Sidney Arundale was a theosophist, freemason, president of the Theosophical Society Adyar and bishop of the Liberal Catholic Church...
and B. P. Wadia were subsequently arrested. These arrests were strongly condemned and her case argued by Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
Pentland and Rameswaram
Lord Pentland and Lady Pentland were deeply interested in Hindu religion and philosophy. He appeared captivated by the Hindu shrineRamanathaswamy Temple, Rameswaram
- External links :* *...
at Rameswaram which he visited during the inauguration of Pamban Bridge and recommended to the Viceroy to establish a committee to conduct a detailed undersea exploration at the site.
Pentland's policy
Pentland was one of the classical British Indian politicians who shared their views on appeasing Indians and that words were more important than actions. The half-measures at industrial development were primarily undertaken to sustain the wartime economy of the First World War.In 1917, he is believed to have told Lord Montagu
Edwin Samuel Montagu
Edwin Samuel Montagu PC was a British Liberal politician. He notably served as Secretary of State for India between 1917 and 1922.-Background and education:...
, the Secretary of State for India
Secretary of State for India
The Secretary of State for India, or India Secretary, was the British Cabinet minister responsible for the government of India and the political head of the India Office...
,
Lord Pentland is also remembered for having assisted the Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan
Srinivasa Ramanujan
Srīnivāsa Aiyangār Rāmānujan FRS, better known as Srinivasa Iyengar Ramanujan was a Indian mathematician and autodidact who, with almost no formal training in pure mathematics, made extraordinary contributions to mathematical analysis, number theory, infinite series and continued fractions...
make his journey to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
On the general poverty of the masses, Pentland remarked that laborers of Madras city had the habit of frequenting cinema halls to watch movies and suggested that this could be one of the possible reasons for their poverty. Pentland's statement also hints at the possibility of a drastic increase in the number of cinema goers during his Governorate.
Honours
Pentland was made a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian EmpireOrder 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...
in 1912 and a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
in 1918.
Sources
- Biography of Lord Aberdeen, father-in-law to Lord Pentland
- Descendants of Mary Tudor, Princess of England, Queen of France
- Some Sinclair peers
- Sir John Sinclair of Barrock, 6th Bt, of Dunbeath is Lord Pentland's ancestor
- Torrance, David, The Scottish Secretaries (Birlinn 2006)