Gilbert Thomas Carter
Sir Gilbert Thomas Carter KCMG | |
---|---|
Personal details | |
Born | Topsham, Devon | 14 January 1848
Died | 18 January 1927 Barbados | (aged 79)
Spouses |
|
Awards | Third Anglo-Ashanto War |
Joined Navy (Assistant Clerk) | 14 December 1864[2] |
Promoted to Clerk | 4 July 1866[2] |
Placed on Navy List (Promoted to Assistant Paymaster) | 1 December 1869[2] |
Placed on Retired List | 16 August 1875[2] |
Sir Gilbert Thomas Carter (also Gilbert-Carter)
Starting as a Collector of
His next post was as Governor for the Lagos Colony where he negotiated treaties with the local chiefs which protected Christian missionaries and ending human sacrifies. He later served as the Governor for The Bahamas and Barbados and finally as the Governor for Trinidad and Tobago.
Carter was born in Topsham, Devon in 1848.[4] He was the only son of Commander Thomas Gilbert Carter (R.N.).[3] He was educated at the Royal Hospital School in Greenwich.[3] Carter joined the Royal Navy in 1864, serving as an Assistant Clerk on HMS Frederick William, being transferred in 1866 to HMS Malacca.[2] On 5 July 1866, Carter was promoted to Clerk, while still serving on HMS Malacca.[2] Between 1867 and 1869, he served on a variety of ships as a clerk, until 1 December 1869 (while serving on HMS Pembroke), when he was promoted to Assistant Paymaster (being added to the Navy Directory).[5]
Following a posting to
Leeward Islands, the Gold Coast and the Gambia
Carter became the private secretary to Sir
In 1891, the native King of Gambia had been organising abusive acts towards the British colonists.[12] Carter (from his official residence in Bathurst) sent an envoy with a message that if the abuses continued, "he might expect a visit of a disciplinary nature from the marine forces of the Queen of England [sic]."[12] The King sent the envoy back mutilated, with a message: "This is the King's answer."[12] In response, Carter sent three British gunboats to avenge the outrage upon the envoy.[12]
Lagos (Nigeria)
Carter was appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Colony of Lagos on 3 February 1891.[13] Carter ordered an attack on the Ijebu "in the interest of civilization" in 1892.[14] Afterwards, he continued to justify this attack as a war to end slavery and promote civilization.[14]
Carter travelled to various parts of
However, in January 1893 the Egba chiefs signed a Treaty of Independence with the British Government.[15] It was agreed that freedom of trade between the Egba Nation and Lagos was to be guaranteed by the British Government,[16] in return for which no road would be closed without the approval of the Governor.[15] They further agreed that complete protection and "every assistance and encouragement" would be afforded to all Christian ministers.[15] The Crown agreed that "no annexation on any portion of Egba Nation shall be made by her Majesty's Government without the consent of the lawful authorities of the nation, no aggressive action shall be taken against the said nation and its independence shall be fully recognized."[15] The Egba chiefs further promised to abolish human sacrifices.[15]
He was promoted
Carter was given
While serving in Lagos, Lady Carter, his first wife, died on 13 January 1895, shortly after arriving in Lagos.[7]
The Carter Bridge, first built in 1901 and linking Lagos Island with Iddo Island, was named after him.[19]
Later life, retirement and death
Carter was transferred to Bahamas as Governor and Commander-in-Chief in 1898,[20] and after a temporary transfer to Trinidad,[3] in July 1904 he was transferred to the Barbados as Governor and Commander-in-Chief.[21]
Carter met an American artist (see Stamp) from Boston,
Carter continued working in senior colonial positions — being appointed the
In 1919, he changed his surname to Gilbert-Carter.[3] In the early 1920s, he moved back to Barbados, and lived at Ilaro Court, which had been designed and built by Lady Gilbert Carter. He died there on 18 January 1927.[3] When his will was probated on 22 March of that year, the total value of his effects was £6859 9s 11d.[26]
References
- ^ "No. 24238". The London Gazette. 20 August 1875. p. 4187.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "RN Officer's Service Records—Image details—Carter, Gilbert Thomas—Officers' Service Records (Series III)—Paymasters" (fee normally required to view full pdf of original service record). DocumentsOnline. Kew, London, England: The National Archives. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Sir G. T. Gilbert-Carter". Obituaries. The Times. No. 44483. London. 19 January 1927. col B, p. 9.
- ^ "Sir Gilbert Thomas Gilbert-Carter (1848–1927)" by Bob Maddocks in Cameo, Journal of the West Africa Study Circle, Vol. 13, No. 2, June 2012, p. 117.
- ^ "All England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index 1837–1915 Results". Provo, Utah, USA: Ancestry.com. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
- ^ a b ILN 1895.
- OCLC 1759937.
- ^ "No. 24742". The London Gazette. 11 July 1879. p. 4404.
- ^ a b "No. 25880". The London Gazette. 4 December 1888. p. 6940.
- ^ "No. 26008". The London Gazette. 1 January 1890. p. 2.
- ^ a b c d "Imprudent King of Gambia.; British Gunboats to Avenge an Outrage on an Envoy" (PDF). The New York Times. New York, USA. 23 April 1891. p. 1. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
- ^ "No. 26131". The London Gazette. 3 February 1891. p. 615.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7146-4884-2. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Ordinances, and orders and rules thereunder, in force in the colony of Lagos, on April 30th, 1901. Vol. 2. London, England: Stevens and Sons Limited. 1902. p. 1082. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
- ^ Appletons' Annual Cyclopaedia and Register of Important Events. Vol. 18. New York, USA: D. Appleton & Company. 1894. p. 367. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
- ^ "No. 26409". The London Gazette. 3 June 1893. p. 3253.
- JSTOR 3050958.
- ^ Adeniji, Oluwaseun (28 October 2019). "8 questions to test your knowledge about Carter Bridge in Lagos". Naijauto. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ "No. 26921". The London Gazette. 21 December 1897. p. 7646.
- ^ a b "No. 27700". The London Gazette. 29 July 1904. p. 4908.
- ^ a b Stamp Art 2014.
- ^ Burke, Arthur Meredyth (1975). The prominent families of the United States of America. New York, USA: Heraldic Publishing Co. p. 406. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
- ^ a b "Marries an American Girl" (PDF). The New York Times. New York, USA. 26 April 1903. p. 7. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
- ^ "No. 28018". The London Gazette. 3 May 1907. p. 2991.
- ^ "England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858–1966". Provo, Utah, USA: Ancestry.com. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
Bibliography
- Carter, Gilbert Thomas (1987). The Colony of Lagos. London, England: Royal Colonial Institute.
- Hughes, Arnold; Gailey, Harry A, eds. (1999). Historical dictionary of the Gambia. African historical dictionaries. Vol. 79 (3 ed.). ISBN 978-0-8108-3660-0.
- ILN (19 January 1895). "The Arrival And Subsequent Death of Lady Carter at Lagos". Illustrated London News. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
- "Lady Carter". Stamp Art. 16 November 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2016.