Sir Peregrine Maitland | |
|---|---|
 Maitlandc. 1882-1883 | |
| 1stChancellor of King's College | |
| In office 1827 (1827) – 1828 (1828) | |
| President | John Strachan |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | John Colborne |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 July 1777 (1777-07-06) |
| Died | 30 May 1854(1854-05-30) (aged 76) Eaton Place, London |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | Great Britain United Kingdom East India Company |
| Branch | Foot Guards |
| Service years | 1791–1836 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands | Madras Army |
| Conflicts | |
| Other work | Lt. Governor of Upper Canada Lt. Governor of Nova Scotia Governor of Cape Colony |
GeneralSir Peregrine Maitland,GCB (6 July 1777 – 30 May 1854) was aBritish Army officer and colonial administrator. He also was acricketer from 1798 to 1808 and an early advocate for the establishment of what would become theCanadian Indian residential school system.
Maitland was born at Longparish House inLongparish, Hampshire, the eldest of five sons of Thomas Maitland of Lyndhurst, Hampshire, (d. 1797) by his spouse Jane, daughter ofEdward Mathew, General of theColdstream Guards by his wife Lady Jane (d. 21 August 1793), daughter ofPeregrine Bertie, 2nd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven.[1] His father was a plantation owner and believed to be from the Pittrichie branch of the Aberdeenshire Maitlands.[2]
After joining the1st Foot Guards at the age of 15 as anensign he went on to serve inFlanders in 1794, by which time he had achieved his promotion to lieutenant. In 1798, he took part in the unsuccessful landing at Ostend. In thePeninsular War, he served at both the Battle ofVigo, and atCorunna, for which he was awarded a medal. He took part in theWalcheren in 1809. During the later stages of the Peninsula War was second in command of his regiment at Cadiz, and later at the Battle of Seville.[3]
He served with distinction atQuatre Bras and theBattle of Waterloo. Promoted in early June (3 June 1815) to major general, he was assigned to the First Corps, under the overall command of thePrince of Orange. On 18 June, the day of Waterloo, he commanded two battalions of the1st Foot Guards, each 1000-men strong and led the Guards in repelling the final assault of theFrench Imperial Guard.[4] For his service at Waterloo, Maitland was created aKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath, (KCB) on 22 June 1815, the DutchOrder of William and the RussianOrder of St. Vladimir. For their part, the1st Foot Guards were granted the honorary title of'First or Grenadier Regiment of Foot Guards'.
He was appointedlieutenant governor of Upper Canada in 1818 and supported theFamily Compact that dominated the province. He attempted to suppress and reform pro-American tendencies in the colony and resisted demands of radicals in the government.[citation needed] In his role Maitland was the first to propose the civilizing techniques that would eventually lead to the establishment of theCanadian Indian residential school system. He believed that while a shift from hunting to agricultural pursuits would assist with civilizing Indigenous populations, it was gaining the influence of children that would lead to success. In an 1820 report to the Colonial Office he argued for the introduction of industrial schools to minimize the children's exposure to the savage influence of their families.[5]: 12–17 [6]: 55–57 His tenure in Upper Canada ended in 1828 when he was appointed lieutenant-governor ofNova Scotia serving there from 1828 until 1834.
Maitland went to India and became commander in chief of theMadras Army in 1836 serving for two years. In 1843 he was appointed Colonel of the17th (Leicestershire) Regiment and in 1844Governor of the Cape Colony, but was removed during theXhosa War. He is still highly respected in the Kingdom ofLesotho for his judgment on the border issue between theOrange RiverAfrikaners and theBasotho of KingMoshoeshoe I, which, had it been implemented, would have secured the economic future of the kingdom. He was made aKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 6 April 1852.
Maitland became theLieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia on 29 Nov. 1828, with the added responsibility of commander-in-chief of the forces in the Atlantic region. He was popular. Certainly, his strongly moral conduct influenced Halifax's society. By insisting on walking to church, he effectively ended the garrison parades on Sunday, the city's major social event, and he publicly denounced the open market that day.
Maitland was responsible for the settlement reached forPictou Academy. In dealing with immigration and settlement, he had lands laid out in Cape Breton at crown expense so that the 4,000 immigrants expected that year could be legally placed and systematically settled.
In October 1832 Maitland went to England on leave, presumably because of his health, and the government was placed in charge of Thomas Nickleson Jeffery. Though he continued to conduct official correspondence from England, he never returned to North America and he was succeeded in Nova Scotia bySir Colin Campbell in July 1834.
Maitland was an amateurcricketer who made 27 known appearances from 1798 to 1808.
He was mainly associated withMarylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and he also played forSurrey andHampshire.[7]
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Peregrine Maitland was the eldest of five sons ofThomas Maitland (died 1797) and Jane Mathew (1759-1830), daughter ofMajor GeneralEdward Mathew and Jane Bertie. He had three sisters, and his eldest sister Jane married in 1800 aLieutenant Colonel Warren of theThird Foot Guards. Maitland's maternal aunt married James Austen, brother ofJane Austen.[8]
Maitland married twice: (1) on 8 June 1803, inSt George's, Hanover Square, (Westminster), to Louisa (d. 1805), daughter ofSir Edward Crofton, 2nd Baronet,[9] and (2) at theDuke of Wellington's HQ during the occupation ofParis, 9 October 1815, Lady Sarah Lennox (1792–1873), one of the daughters of the 4thDuke of Richmond. Despite the initial opposition of her father, the marriage took place after the intervention and support of the Duke of Wellington. When the Duke of Richmond was appointed Governor-in-Chief of Canada, he appointed Maitland as Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada.
By his first wife, he had one son, Peregrine Maitland b. 1 May 1804. By his second wife, he had at least seven children:
He was buried at St Paul's Church in Tongham in Surrey.
He is a great-great-great uncle of composer and impresarioAndrew Lloyd Webber and the cellistJulian Lloyd Webber.[11]
In his novelLes Misérables,Victor Hugo credits Maitland (orColville) with asking for the surrender of theImperial Guard and receiving GeneralCambronne's reply of "Merde". (Chapter XIV. The Last Square)
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Port Maitland, Nova Scotia, is named after him,[12] as isMaitland, Nova Scotia. Maitland Street, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia is named after him, as is Maitland Street in London, Ontario.[13] Also named in his honor are Maitland Street and Maitland Terrace (inChurch and Wellesley), Maitland Place (continuation of Maitland Street east of Jarvis Street inCabbagetown) in Toronto, Ontario. The Church of St. John the EvangelistAnglican inNiagara Falls, Ontario was constructed in 1825 largely through the efforts of Lieutenant-Governor Sir Peregrine Maitland. The church remained in regular use until 1957.[14]Maitland, Ontario, on the St. Lawrence River is named after him.
In New South Wales, Australia, thetown of Maitland bears his name. It is one of a series of settlements founded in the years following Waterloo named for Wellington and his subordinate commanders, both from Waterloo and the Peninsula. These include Wellington, Orange, Picton, Grahamstown (Sir Thomas Graham), Pakenham (Sir Edward Pakenham) and Beresfield (Sir William Carr Beresford - misspelt).
In South AfricaMaitland, Cape Town, a light industrial and residential suburb, the Maitland River west ofPort Elizabeth (empties inIndian Ocean at Maitland Beach, Maitland Local Authority Nature Reserve, and numerous streets in the country are named after him.
Sir Peregrine Maitland is responsible for the naming ofLobo, Ontario,Mariposa, Ontario,Orillia, Ontario,Oro, Ontario,Oso, Ontario,Sombra, Ontario andZorra, Ontario. All names are inSpanish.
Maitland Street, named for Sir Peregrine Maitland, Lieutenant-Governor of Canada West.
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada 1818–1828 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Thomas N. Jeffrey (acting) | Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia 1828–1834 | Succeeded by Thomas N. Jeffrey (acting) |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by | C-in-C, Madras Army 1836–1838 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Colonel of17th (Leicestershire) Regiment 1843–1854 | Succeeded by Thomas James Wemyss |
| Preceded by | Colonel of76th Regiment of Foot 1834–1836 | Succeeded by |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of the Cape Colony 1844–1847 | Succeeded by |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by (new position) | Chancellor ofKing's College 1827–1828 | Succeeded by |
| Governors at Annapolis Royal (1710–1749) | |
|---|---|
| Governors at Halifax (1749–1786) | |
| Lieutenant governors of Cape Breton Island (1784–1820) | |
| Lieutenant governors of Nova Scotia before responsible government (1786–1848) | |
| Lieutenant governors between responsible government and Confederation (1848–1867) | |
| Post-Confederation (1867–present) | |
Lieutenant governors who served in the absence of governors are listed in parentheses. Acting administrators are listed initalics.  Nova Scotia portal | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
