Sir Robert Brownrigg | |
|---|---|
 1810 portrait byThomas Lawrence | |
| 3rd Governor of British Ceylon | |
| In office 11 March 1812 – 1 February 1820 | |
| Preceded by | John Wilson (Acting governor) |
| Succeeded by | Edward Barnes (Acting governor) |
| 10th General Officer Commanding, Ceylon | |
| In office 1812–1812 | |
| Preceded by | John Wilson |
| Succeeded by | Alexander Cosby Jackson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 February 1758[1] County Wicklow,Ireland |
| Died | 27 April 1833(1833-04-27) (aged 75) Monmouth,Monmouthshire,Wales |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 7 |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch/service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1775–1833 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands | Military Secretary Quartermaster-General to the Forces General Officer Commanding, Ceylon Governor of Landguard Fort |
| Battles/wars | |
GeneralSir Robert Brownrigg, 1st Baronet,GCB (8 February 1758 – 27 April 1833) was anIrish-bornBritish statesman and soldier. He brought the last part ofSri Lanka under British rule.
Brownrigg wascommissioned as anensign in 1775.[2] After service with the9th (East Norfolk) Regiment of Foot, he was appointedMilitary Secretary to theDuke of York in 1795, and accompanied him toThe Helder inHolland in 1799.[2] In 1803 he was appointedQuartermaster-General to the Forces.[3] In 1805 he was made Colonel of the 9th (East Norfolk) Regiment.
July 1809, he joined theexpedition to the Schelt.[2] Brownrigg served as chief-of-staff to the commanderLord Chatham during the aborted operation to seizeAntwerp that stalled onWalcheren island. On Chatham's instructions he drew up a memorandum assessing the situation for acouncil of war at which it was decided to abandon the attempt against Antwerp.[4]
He left his post as Quartermaster-General to the Forces in 1811, and then, in 1813, he was appointedGovernor of Ceylon.[2] In 1815, he acquired theKingdom of Kandy through an agreement with the help of defecting ministers of the Kandyan King, in the central region of the island, and annexed it to the British crown. The treaty was historically known as "Kandyan Convention".[2] In recognition of his achievement, Brownrigg was created abaronet in 1816.[2]
Brownrigg fought theGreat Rebellion of 1817–18 and managed to defeat that, aided by reinforcements from India, by enacting martial law.[2] He strengthened his power in the Kandyan Kingdom by issuing a special announcement on 21 November 1818, which contains 56 statements, curtailing the power of aristocrats.
He attained the rank of fullGeneral in 1819 and left Ceylon the following year.[2]
The gilded bronze ancientStatue of Tara was reputedly found on the eastern coast of Sri Lanka. It was acquired by Brownrigg, who later donated it to theBritish Museum when he was living nearMonmouth in 1830.[5] This account however is rejected by the authorities in Sri Lanka who believe that Brownrigg took the statue from thelast King of Kandy when the British annexedKandy.[6]
Brownrigg died nearMonmouth in 1833.[2]
In 1789, Brownrigg married Elizabeth Catharine Lewis and together they went on to have six sons and a daughter.[2] Then in 1810 he married Sophia Bissett.[2] He had one more child at the age of 69.[clarification needed]
In 2011, PresidentMahinda Rajapaksa ofSri Lanka initiated, at the country's Parliament, a formal revocation of Robert Brownrigg's Gazette Notification - under which participants of theGreat Rebellion of 1817–18 had been condemned as "traitors" and their properties confiscated. Brownrigg's Gazette Notification was declared null and void, and all those he branded as "traitors" were declared to beNational Heroes of Sri Lanka. A National Declaration was awarded on their behalf to their descendants on Republic Day of Sri Lanka, 22 May.
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| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| New post | Military Secretary 1795–1803 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Quartermaster-General to the Forces 1803–1811 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | General Officer Commanding, Ceylon 1812 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Colonel of the9th (East Norfolk) Regiment of Foot 1804–1833 | Succeeded by SirJohn Cameron |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by John Wilson acting governor | Governor of Ceylon 1812–1820 | Succeeded by Edward Barnes acting governor |
| Baronetage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baronet (of London) 1816–1833 | Succeeded by Robert Brownrigg |
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