Hercules Robinson, 1st Baron Rosmead
Sir Henry Brougham Loch | |
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Succeeded by | Sir William Goodenough (acting) |
Ennismore Gardens | |
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Born | Hercules George Robert Robinson 19 December 1824 Rosmead, Westmeath, Ireland |
Died | 28 October 1897 London, England | (aged 72)
Buried | Brompton Cemetery, London, England |
Nationality | British |
Spouse(s) | Lady Nea Arthur Ada Rose D'Amour Annesley |
Issue | Hercules Arthur Temple Robinson (b. 10 October 1891)[1] Hon. Eleanor Frances Alti Maria Robinson (d. 24 Nov 1893)[1] |
Heir | Hercules Arthur Temple Robinson |
Parents | Admiral Hercules Robinson Frances Elizabeth Wood |
Occupation | Army officer, colonial administrator |
Hercules George Robert Robinson, 1st Baron Rosmead,
Early life and Government career
He was of
His energy in these positions, notably during the
Robinson also pushed for the introduction of a cadet scheme in the colonial administration during the similar serendipitous civil service reforms advocated by William Gladstone, the then chancellor of the exchequer. He proposed a civil service examination held in the UK that selected the successful candidates (the cadet) to learn Chinese and subsequently work in Hong Kong. The approval of the Colonial Office to this proposal resulted in the gradual expansion of the cadet and although the cadet did not fulfil the initial expectation of working as an interpreter, they provided excellent civil service in the administration and established rules in the process, emancipating the administration from ad hoc and disorganised practices.[7]
Service in St Kitts and Hong Kong
Subsequently, Robinson was appointed lieutenant-governor of Saint Kitts on 6 November 1855,[8] serving until 1859. On 17 June 1859, aged 35 Robinson was appointed as Governor of Hong Kong,[9] the youngest in Hong Kong colonial history, as which he served until March 1865. On 28 June 1859,[10] he was knighted in recognition of his services for introducing coolie labour into the territory.[citation needed]
During his tenure, Robinson secured the control of the
During Robertson's administration,
Service in Ceylon, New South Wales and New Zealand
On 6 March 1865, Robinson was appointed
During this governorship, Robinson was involved in the successful efforts to annexe the
Service in South Africa
Robinson arrived in South Africa shortly before the disaster of Majuba, and was one of the commissioners for negotiating a peace and determining the future status of Transvaal.[19] The job was known to be personally distasteful to him, for it left him with the task of conciliating, on the one hand, a Dutch party elated with victory, and on the other hand a British party almost ready to despair of the British connection.[3]
In 1883, Robinson was called home to advise the government on the terms of the new convention concluded with the Transvaal
On his return to South Africa, Robinson he found that a critical situation had arisen in
John Mackenzie[20][21] and later Cecil Rhodes were sent to secure the peaceful submission of the Boers, but without immediate result, partly owing to the attitude of the Cape ministry. Robinson's declaration that the advice of his ministers to patch up a settlement with the filibustering Boers was equivalent to a condonation of crime, led to the expedition of Major General Sir Charles Warren and the annexation of Bechuanaland early in 1885.[3] He repeatedly argued for the Bechuanaland Protectorate to be extended north, beyond 22°. The British government resisted the idea until 1890, when land north of 22° was incorporated.[22]
The difficulties of Robinson's position were illustrated by the dispute which arose between him and Warren, who declared that the high commissioner's duties to the home government were at times in conflict with the action which, as governor of
In 1886, Robinson investigated the charges brought against Sir John Pope Hennessy, Governor of Mauritius,[23] and decreed his suspension pending the decision of the home authorities, who eventually reinstated Hennessy. In 1887 Robinson was induced by Rhodes to give his consent to the conclusion of a treaty with Lobengula which secured British rights in Matabele and Mashona lands.[3]
In May 1889, Robinson retired. In his farewell speech, he declared that there was no permanent place in South Africa for direct Imperial rule. This was interpreted to mean that South Africa must ultimately become independent – an idea repugnant to him. He explained in a letter to The Times in 1895 that he had referred to the "direct rule of Downing Street over the crown colonies, as contrasted with responsible colonial government."[3]
Robinson was created a
Second term as Governor of Cape Colony
His second term of office was not fortunate. The
Robinson answered that the moment was inopportune and that he must be left to choose his own time. Alarmed at the imminent danger of war, he confined his efforts to inducing the
Personal life
Robinson married The Honourable Nea Arthur Ada Rose D'Amour Annesley, fifth daughter of The 10th Viscount Valentia, in 1846.[27] Lady Robinson was described as "a majestic-looking woman", "fond of gaiety and society".[14]
Their daughter, Nora, (born in St Kitts in 1858) married Alexander Finlay in St James' Church, Sydney on 7 August 1878. This vice-regal wedding attracted great interest from the populace and press. A crowd of up to 10,000 onlookers was reported and the guest list included many of the most important people in the colony.[28][29]
Robinson died in London on 28 October 1897,[30] and is buried in Brompton Cemetery, London. His son, Hercules Arthur Temple Robinson, succeeded to the title of Baron Rosmead.[30]
Legacy
In Hong Kong,
In South Africa, there are two Rosmead Avenues in Cape Town, one in Claremont–Kenilworth and the other in Oranjezicht, a suburb of Cape Town proper. South Africa also includes two small towns named Rosmead, one near Kimberley in the Northern Cape and one near Middelburg in the Eastern Cape.
In Australia, a building in Crown Street, Sydney, includes a couple of terraced houses named for Hercules Robinson. A monumental bust of Sir Hercules sits atop the facade. On Sydney's General Post Office at 1 Martin Place, on the Pitt Street side arches of the building, there are carvings of four of New South Wales governors including Sir Hercules.
Honours and arms
- Knight Bachelor, 1859
- Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George(KCMG), 1869
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George(GCMG), 1875
- Ennismore Gardens in the Parish of St Margaret, Westminster, in the County of London, 1891
- Westmeath and of Tafelbergin South Africa, 1896
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See also
References
- ^ a b c d Pine 1973, p. 239.
- ^ O'Byrne, William Richard (1849). John Murray – via Wikisource. . .
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Chisholm 1911.
- ^ "No. 20190". The London Gazette. 27 January 1843. p. 291.
- ^ "No. 20380". The London Gazette. 6 September 1844. p. 3077.
- ^ "No. 21521". The London Gazette. 14 February 1854. p. 427.
- ^ Tsang 2007, pp. 13–24.
- ^ "No. 21621". The London Gazette. 7 November 1854. p. 3363.
- ^ "No. 22275". The London Gazette. 17 June 1859. p. 2361.
- ^ "No. 22280". The London Gazette. 28 June 1859. p. 2514.
- ^ "No. 22946". The London Gazette. 7 March 1865. p. 1376.
- ^ "No. 23512". The London Gazette. 1 July 1869. p. 3750.
- ^ "No. 23837". The London Gazette. 5 March 1872. p. 1312.
- ^ a b "Sir Hercules Robinson". Australian Town and Country Journal. NSW. 3 February 1872. p. 9. Retrieved 5 September 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Opening of the New Post Office". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2 September 1874. p. 6. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
- ^ "No. 24175". The London Gazette. 29 January 1875. p. 347.
- ^ "No. 24684". The London Gazette. 25 February 1879. p. 932.
- ^ "No. 24876". The London Gazette. 24 August 1880. p. 4623.
- ^ "No. 24960". The London Gazette. 8 April 1881. p. 1734.
- ^ "John Mackenzie". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
- ^ Northcott, Cecil (September 1972). "John Mackenzie and Southern Africa". History Today. 22 (9). Retrieved 29 June 2016.
- ^ Malebeswa, Tendekani (12 February 2021). "Commission of inquiry: Mswazi and Makalaka (Palapye, March 1945)". Mmegi.
- ^ "No. 25630". The London Gazette. 1 October 1886. p. 4784.
- ^ "No. 26132". The London Gazette. 6 February 1891. p. 680.
- ^ "No. 26614". The London Gazette. 9 April 1895. p. 2131.
- ^ "No. 26767". The London Gazette. 11 August 1896. p. 4571.
- ^ "Robinson, Lady Nea Arthur (1823–1904)". Obituaries Australia. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
- ^ "Mr. and Mrs. Finlay". Australian Town and Country Journal. NSW. 17 August 1878. p. 17. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
- ^ "Marriage of Mr A.K. Finlay and Miss Robinson". The Queanbeyan Age. NSW. 14 August 1878. p. 1. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
- ^ a b "No. 26935". The London Gazette. 4 February 1898. p. 696.
- ^ Debrett's peerage, baronetage, knightage, and companionage. London, Oldhams Press. 1893. pp. 474–475, ROBINSON. Retrieved 17 June 2022. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "Grants and Confirmations of Arms, Vol. H". National University of Ireland. 2 October 1880. p. 224. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- Pine, Leslie Gilbert (1973). The New Extinct Peerage, 1884–1971 :bcontaining Extinct, Abeyant, Dormant & Suspended Peerages with Genealogies and Arms.
- Tsang, Steve Yui-Sang (2007). Governing Hong Kong: Administrative Officers from the Nineteenth Century to the Handover to China, 1862–1997. Hong Kong University Press. ISBN 978-962-209-874-9.
Sources
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Rosmead, Hercules George Robert Robinson, 1st Baron". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 23 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 738. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
Further reading
- ISBN 978-962-209-742-1.