Charles Canning, 1st Earl Canning
Postmaster General | |
|---|---|
| In office 5 January 1853 – 30 January 1855 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Prime Minister | The Earl of Aberdeen |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Hardwicke |
| Succeeded by | The Duke of Argyll |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 December 1812 Brompton, London |
| Died | 17 June 1862 (aged 49) Grosvenor Square, London |
| Political party | Conservative Peelite |
| Spouse |
Hon. Charlotte Stuart (m. 1835; died 1861) |
| Parent(s) | George Canning Joan Canning, 1st Viscountess Canning |
| Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
Charles Canning, 1st Earl Canning,
Canning is credited for ensuring that the administration and most departments of the government functioned normally during the rebellion and took major administrative decisions even during the peak of the Rebellion in 1857, including establishing the first three modern Universities in India, the
After the rebellion he presided over a smooth transfer and reorganisation of government from the East India company to the crown,[9] the Indian Penal Code was drafted in 1860 based on the code drafted by Macaulay and came into force in 1862.[10] Canning met the rebellion '"with firmness, confidence, magnanimity and calm" as per his biographer, Sir George Dunbar.[11] Canning was very firm during the rebellion but after that he focused on reconciliation and reconstruction rather than retribution and issued a clemency proclamation.[12][13][14]
Background
Born at Gloucester Lodge,
Charles Canning was educated at Christ Church, Oxford, where he graduated B.A. in 1833, as first class in classics and second class in mathematics.[16]
Political career
In 1836 he entered
He served on the
According to the Encyclopædia Britannica of 1911, "In the year following his accession to office, the deep-seated discontent of the people broke out in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Fears were entertained, and even the friends of the Governor-General to some extent shared them, that he was not equal to the crisis. But the fears proved groundless. He had a clear eye for the gravity of the situation, a calm judgment, and a prompt, swift hand to do what was really necessary. ... He carried the Indian empire safely through the stress of the storm, and, what was perhaps a harder task still, he dealt wisely with the enormous difficulties arising at the close of such a war. ... The name of Clemency Canning, which was applied to him during the heated animosities of the moment, has since become a title of honour."[19] He was derisively called "Clemency" on account of a Resolution dated 31 July 1857, which distinguished between sepoys from regiments which had mutinied and killed their officers and European civilians, and those Indian soldiers who had disbanded and dispersed to their villages, without being involved in violence. While subsequently regarded as a humane and sensible measure, the Resolution made Canning unpopular at a time when British popular opinion favoured collective and indiscriminate reprisals.[20][13]
The Encyclopædia Britannica of 1911 continues, "While rebellion was raging in
.jpg)
The Encyclopædia Britannica of 1911 adds, "In April 1859 he received the thanks of both Houses of Parliament for his great services during the rebellion. He was also made an extra civil grand cross of the Order of the Bath, and in May of the same year he was raised to the dignity of an Earl, as Earl Canning. ...By the strain of anxiety and hard work his health and strength were seriously impaired, while the death of his wife was also a great shock to him; in the hope that rest in his native land might restore him, he left India, reaching England in April 1862. But it was too late. He died in London on 17 June. About a month before his death he was created a Knight of the Garter. As he died without issue the titles became extinct."[19]
Prior to the rebellion, Canning and his wife, Charlotte, had desired to produce a photographic survey of Indian people, primarily for their own edification. This project was transformed into an official government study as a consequence of the rebellion, after which it was seen as useful documentation in the effort to learn more about native communities and thereby better understand them. It was eventually published as an eight-volume work, The People of India, between 1868 and 1875.[21]
Places named after Canning
- Canning Town in London
- Fort Canning Hill, a hill in Singapore, is named after Viscount Charles Canning, although many people mistakenly believe that it is named after his father, George Canning,
- Canning Street [ Kolkata]
- Canning Street in Kemptown, Brighton is named after Viscount Canning
- Cannington, a neighbourhood in Prayagraj (Allahabad), Uttar Pradesh, India, now known as Civil Lines
- Canning, South 24 Parganas in West Bengal, India
- University of Lucknow, India, was formerly named Canning College
- Canning Street in Melbourne, Australia
- Rua Canning in Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
See also
- Charlotte Canning, Countess Canning
- Canning in West Bengal
References
- ^ Raman, Praveen (2017). Canning. Praveenraman.
- ^ "Proclamation by the Queen in Council to the Princes, Chiefs and people of India". British Library. 1 November 1858. Archived from the original on 5 October 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
- ISBN 978-81-7156-804-8. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
- ISBN 978-1-78308-075-5. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
- ISBN 978-1-62032-315-1. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
- ^ Mohammad Arshad; Hafiz Habibur Rahman (1966). History of Indo-Pakistan. Ideal Publications. p. 316. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- ^ Nusantara. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. 1972. p. 233. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- ISBN 978-1-108-42620-6. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
- ISBN 978-0-85229-400-0. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- ^ O. P. Singh Bhatia (1968). History of India, 1857 to 1916. S. Amardeep Publishers. pp. 27–28. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- ^ Sir George Dunbar (1939). A History of India from the Earliest Times to the Present Day. Nicholson & Watson, limited. p. 528. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- ISBN 978-1-317-70450-8. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-85109-355-7. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- ISBN 978-0-313-29366-5. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- ^ "Charles John Canning, Earl Canning". Community Trees. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
- ^ Chisholm 1911, p. 185.
- ^ Chisholm 1911, pp. 185–186.
- ^ The Life of Sir Anthony Panizzi, Volume 1, by Louis Alexander Fagan, p257
- ^ a b c d Chisholm 1911, p. 186.
- ^ Michael Maclagan (1962). "Clemency" Canning: Charles John, 1st Earl Canning, Governor-General and Viceroy of India, 1856-1862. Macmillan. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- ISBN 978-0-521-58937-6. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Canning, Charles John". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 185–186.
Further reading
- Hinde, Wendy - George Canning (Collins, 1973)
- Metcalf, Thomas R. (2008) [2004]. "Canning, Charles John (1812–1862)". doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/4554. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- Maclagan, Michael (1963). "Clemency" Canning: Charles John, 1st Earl Canning, Governor-General and Viceroy of India, 1856–1862. London: Macmillan.
External links
- "Archival material relating to Charles Canning, 1st Earl Canning". UK National Archives.
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Charles Canning
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |