Sir Arthur Nonus Birch

KCMG KCMG may refer to * KC Motorgroup, based in Hong Kong, China * Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, British honour * KCMG-LP, radio station in New Mexico, USA * KCMG, callsign 1997-2001 of Los Angeles radio station KKLQ (FM) ...

(September 1837 – 31 October 1914) was

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

Governor of Ceylon {{Use dmy dates, date=November 2019 The governor of Ceylon can refer to historical vice-regal representatives of three colonial powers: Portuguese Ceylon * List of captains of Portuguese Ceylon (1518–1551) * List of captain-majors of Portugue ...

, Colonial Secretary for Ceylon and acting Lieutenant

Governor of Penang The Governor of Penang, officially Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Penang (') is the ceremonial head of state of the Malaysian state of Penang. The role of governor is largely ceremonial with the power vested in the executive branch of the state gov ...

and

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(1871-1872). The son of Rev. Henry William Rous Birch, rector of

Reydon Reydon is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish, north-west of Southwold and south-east of Wangford, in the East Suffolk (district), East Suffolk district and the ceremonial county of Suffolk, England. Its population of 2,567 ...

and

Bedfield Bedfield is a village and civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, ...

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

, and was baptised at

Yoxford Yoxford is a village in East Suffolk (district), East Suffolk, England, close to the Heritage Coast, Minsmere Reserve (RSPB), Aldeburgh and Southwold. It is known for its antique shops and (as "Loxford") for providing the setting for a Benjamin ...

, Suffolk on 23 Oct 1836. He joined the colonial service as clerk in the Office of the Secretary of State for the Colonies in February 1855, served as Sir

Edward Bulwer-Lytton Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton (; 25 May 1803 – 18 January 1873) was an English writer and politician. He served as a Whig member of Parliament from 1831 to 1841 and a Conservative from 1851 to 1866. He was Secr ...

's assistant private secretary in 1858, and Chichester Fortescue's private secretary from September 1859 to February 1864 when he accepted the post of colonial secretary of

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. He served in that capacity and for a time as administrator of the government until 1866 when he returned to England to resume his duties in the Colonial Office. He remained with the Colonial Office, serving as acting Lieutenant

and

, colonial secretary of Ceylon and Lieutenant Governor of Ceylon, until his retirement from the service in June 1878. After his resignation from the Colonial Office Birch joined the Bank of England where he remained until retirement in 1913. On 29 May 1873 Birch married Josephine (or "Zephine", d. 1893) at

Oundle Oundle () is a market town and civil parish on the left bank of the River Nene in North Northamptonshire, England, which had a population of 6,254 at the time of the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census. It is north of London and south-wes ...

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. She was the daughter of Jesse Watts-Russell, MP, of Biggin Hall, Northamptonshire. Their elder son and heir, Wyndham, was born in 1874, and married the only daughter of John Manners Yorke, 7th Earl of Hardwicke; younger son Arthur adopted his mother's surname and became a Captain in the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...

. Birch's daughter was the writer Dame Una Pope-Hennessy.

Legacy

Mount Birch, in the central

Camelsfoot Range The Camelsfoot Range is a sub-range of the Chilcotin Ranges subdivision of the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in British Columbia. The Fraser River forms its eastern boundary. The range is approximately 90 km at its maximum length ...

near

Lillooet, British Columbia Lillooet () is a district municipality in the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, Squamish-Lillooet region of southwestern British Columbia. The town is on the west shore of the Fraser River immediately north of the Seton River mouth. On British ...

, Canada, is named for him.Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia entry "Mount Birch"

References

*''Correspondence Between the Governor of British Columbia and the Treasurer of Vancouver Island on the Subject of the Abolition of the Office of Treasurer, 1866-1867''; by Birch, Arthur N. (Arthur Nonus), 1837-1914, Frederick Seymour, Seymour, Frederick, 1820-1869, Alexander Watson, Arthur Nonus Birch (CIMH/ICMH microfiche series; no. 14349.) , (held by the British Library according t
copac
{{DEFAULTSORT:Birch, Arthur Nonus 1837 births 1914 deaths History of Penang Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866) people Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Administrators in British Penang Chief secretaries of Ceylon Chief secretaries (British Empire) Members of the Legislative Council of British Columbia