Sir Edward Marsh Merewether, (9 September 1858 – 28 December 1938) was a British

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 a ...

administrator.

Early life and background

Merewether was born in

Meriden, Warwickshire Meriden is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, West Midlands, England. Historically, it is part of Warwickshire and lies between the cities of Birmingham and Coventry. It is located close to the Warwickshire borde ...

, England on 9 September 1858, the second son of British Indian Army officer Major General Sir William Merewether (1825–1880) and Harriett Dale. His grandfather was the

Serjeant-at-law A Serjeant-at-Law (SL), commonly known simply as a Serjeant, was a member of an order of barristers at the English and Irish Bar. The position of Serjeant-at-Law (''servientes ad legem''), or Sergeant-Counter, was centuries old; there are w ...

and

Town Clerk of London The Town Clerk of London is an important position that has existed since the 13th century in the City of London, England. Originally the role was to take the minutes of London council meetings, but over the years the holder's role has gathered re ...

, Henry Alworth Merewether (1780–1864). His uncle, Edward Christopher Merewether (1820–1893), was a prominent civil servant and businessman in the

Colony of New South Wales The Colony of New South Wales was a colony of the British Empire from 1788 to 1901, when it became a State of the Commonwealth of Australia. At its greatest extent, the colony of New South Wales included the present-day Australian states of New ...

and for whom the suburb of

Merewether Merewether () is a former Municipality and today a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, located from Newcastle's central business district with a population of around 11,000. The suburb stretches from Merewether Beach in the east ...

was named. Merewether was educated at

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (sc ...

Colonial career

Straits Settlements

After passing the civil service exam, Merewether was accepted as a cadet in the

Straits Settlements The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Headquartered in Singapore for more than a century, it was originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Co ...

Civil Service (SSCC) in 1880 and rose to become Superintendent of the Census in 1891 and Inspector of Prisons in 1893. As Assistant Colonial Secretary and Clerk of Councils from 1897, he acted on two occasions as resident Councillor and Colonial Treasurer in

Malacca Malacca ( ms, Melaka) is a state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Strait of Malacca. Its capital is Malacca City, dubbed the Historic City, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site s ...

. In 1901 he was appointed as Resident Minister to the Sultan of

Selangor Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east ...

, Alauddin Sulaiman Shah. For his service in the colony he was made a Companion of the

Order of Saint Michael and Saint George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honou ...

(CMG) in the November

1902 Birthday Honours The 1902 Birthday Honours were announced on 10 November 1902, to celebrate the birthday of Edward VII the previous day. The list included appointments to various orders and honours of the United Kingdom and the British Empire. The list was publi ...

list. In 1883 he married Honoria Clementina Mary Braddell, the daughter of the first

Attorney-General of Singapore The attorney-general of Singapore is the public prosecutor of Singapore, and legal adviser to the Government of Singapore. The functions of the attorney-general are carried out with the assistance of the deputy attorney-general and the solic ...

, Sir Thomas Braddell.

Malta

Merewether was appointed Lieutenant Governor and Chief Secretary to the Government of

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

in May 1902, serving until 1911. He arrived in

on 21 August 1902 to take up the position. On the occasion of King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...

's visit to the island the following year, he was made a

Commander of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, ...

(CVO) on 21 April 1903. When the King visited Malta again in April 1907, Merewether was promoted to Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO).

Sierra Leone

In March 1911, Merewether was appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief of

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

. One of his Private Secretaries was the colonial administrator

Paul Shuffrey Paul Shuffrey (1889–1955) was a British colonial administrator, editor and publisher. Early life Born in Ealing, London, in 1889, Paul Shuffrey was the son of Leonard Shuffrey, the leading architect and architectural designer. His mother was ...

. In the

1916 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1916 were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by members of the British Empire. They were announced on 1 January 1916. A number of the honours were gazetted as being ...

, he was made a Knight Commander of the

(KCMG). Merewether's term expired in early 1916 and was due to return to England on board the British and African Steamer, '' SS Appam'', but was taken prisoner when the ship was captured by the Imperial German Navy raider on 15 January 1916. He and his wife were released when the Appam arrived under control of its German prize crew in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 cen ...

, in early February.

Later life

Merewether was lastly appointed as

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of the Leeward Islands, serving from 1916 to 1921. In September 1920, he entertained Edward, Prince of Wales at Government House, Antigua on the occasion of his visit to the West Indies. He died in Kensington, London, on 28 December 1938.

Honours

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merewether, Edward 1858 births 1938 deaths People educated at Harrow School Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Governors of the Leeward Islands Governors of Sierra Leone Burials at Brompton Cemetery 19th-century Australian public servants British people in British Malaya Crown Colony of Malta people