Sir Sidney Barton (26 November 1876 – 20 January 1946) was a British barrister and diplomat, serving as consul-general in Shanghai and as minister to Ethiopia.

Early life

Sidney Barton was born in

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal c ...

, Devonshire, England on 26 November 1876, the fourth son of Captain James Barton and Mary Barbara Barclay. The Bartons were a distinguished Anglo-Irish family that came to Ireland from

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a Historic counties of England, historic county, Ceremonial County, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significa ...

in 1599 with the

Earl of Essex Earl of Essex is a title in the Peerage of England which was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title has been recreated eight times from its original inception, beginning with a new first Earl upon each new cre ...

, gaining lands in

County Fermanagh County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the six counties of Northern Ireland. The county covers an area of 1,691 km2 (653 sq mi) and has a population of 61,805 a ...

. Barton was descended through his mother from the

Barclay baronets The Barclay Baronetcy, of Pierston in the County of Ayr, is a title in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia. It was created on 22 October 1668 for Robert Barclay. The eighth Baronet sat as Member of Parliament for Newtown. The eleventh Baronet was a ...

, a title in the

Baronetage of Nova Scotia Baronets are a rank in the British aristocracy. The current Baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier but existing Baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland, and Great Britain. Baronetage of England (1611–1705) King James ...

, his grandfather being the 10th Baronet, Sir David William Barclay of Pierston. Sir Colville Barclay, a fellow diplomat and third son of the twelfth Baronet, was a cousin. Barton was educated at

St Paul's School, London St Paul's School is a Selective school, selective Independent school (United Kingdom), independent Day school, day and boarding school for boys aged 13–18, founded in 1509 by John Colet and located on a 43-acre site by River Thames, the Thames i ...

Career in China

Barton entered the

Diplomatic Service Diplomatic service is the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country to communicate with the governments of other countries. Diplomatic personnel obtains diplomatic immunity when they are accredited t ...

in the Chinese Consular Service on 16 September 1895 and was posted to the legation in

Peking } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...

as a

student interpreter Student interpreter was, historically, an entry-level position in the British and American diplomatic and consular service, principally in China, Japan, Siam and, in the case of the United States, Turkey. It is no longer used as a title. A number o ...

. From 1899 to 1901 he was posted on special service to the British territory of

Weihaiwei Weihai (), formerly called Weihaiwei (), is a prefecture-level city and major seaport in easternmost Shandong province. It borders Yantai to the west and the Yellow Sea to the east, and is the closest Chinese city to South Korea. Weihai's popul ...

. When the

Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, the Boxer Insurrection, or the Yihetuan Movement, was an anti-foreign, anti-colonial, and anti-Christian uprising in China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, b ...

erupted in 1900 culminating in the siege of the foreign legations, Barton took part in the

Eight-Nation Alliance The Eight-Nation Alliance was a multinational military coalition that invaded northern China in 1900 with the stated aim of relieving the foreign legations in Beijing, then besieged by the popular Boxer militia, who were determined to remove f ...

relief efforts as an interpreter and assistant political officer and was awarded the China War Medal for his actions. On 14 November 1901 he was appointed Vice-Consul to the Consul in Tienstin, Lionel Charles Hopkins. In 1910 he was admitted as a barrister-at-law to

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn ...

. Returning to China, on 12 May 1911 Barton was appointed Chinese Secretary to the Minister to China Sir John Jordan at the Legation in Peking. For his service in Peking, on 6 June 1913 he was made a Companion of the

Order of St Michael and St 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 hono ...

(CMG). In 1922 he was appointed

Consul-General A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

. Shanghai was a difficult posting, involving managing the British government's approach to the

Shanghai Municipal Council The Shanghai International Settlement () originated from the merger in the year 1863 of the British and American enclaves in Shanghai, in which British subjects and American citizens would enjoy extraterritoriality and consular jurisdiction ...

and the significant ' Shanghailander' British community and Barton was known as being "notoriously pro-settler", despite being awarded the Knight Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(KBE) on 3 July 1926 following his efforts to calm tensions after the May 30 Movement of 1925. As a consequence, the

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United S ...

was keen to replace Barton with someone more amenable to better relations with

Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

's new government.

Career in Ethiopia

In June 1929 Barton was formally appointed

Minister Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

to the Empire of Ethiopia. Barton attended the Coronation of the Emperor

Haile Selassie Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...

on 2 November 1930 in

St. George's Cathedral, Addis Ababa Saint George's Cathedral (Amharic: የቅዱስ ጊዮርጊስ ካቴድራል) is an Ethiopian Orthodox church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The cathedral is noted for its distinctive octagonal form. It is located at the northern end of Churchill ...

and for his assistance to the HRH Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, who was

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Q ...

's representative at the coronation, was made a Knight 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, ...

(KCVO) on 30 October 1930. Barton was also presented by the Emperor with his Coronation Medal and the Grand Cross of the

Order of the Star of Ethiopia The Order of the Star of Ethiopia was established as an order of knighthood of the Ethiopian Empire, founded by the Negus of Shoa and later Emperor of Ethiopia Menelik II in 1884–1885. It is currently awarded as a house order by the Crown Coun ...

. Barton was British minister in

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, ...

during the

Second Italo-Ethiopian War The Second Italo-Ethiopian War, also referred to as the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, was a war of aggression which was fought between Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Italy and Ethiopian Empire, Ethiopia from October 1935 to February 1937. In Ethio ...

and ordered a detachment of British Indian Army troops from the

14th Punjab Regiment The 14th Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to the Pakistan Army on independence in 1947, and amalgamated with the 1st, 15th and 16th Punjab Regiments in 1956, to form the Punjab Reg ...

to defend the legation during this period while providing space for 2000 refugees. Barton found himself frustrated by the lack of assistance given to Ethiopia in the face of Italian aggression and worked to ensure that the Emperor and his family were able to safely escape to exile. For his efforts during the war Foreign Secretary

Sir Anthony Eden Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, (12 June 1897 – 14 January 1977) was a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1955 until his resignation in 195 ...

stated to the House of Commons on 4 May 1936 that his "conduct of affairs throughout has been beyond all praise" and on 7 May

King Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire and Emperor of India from 20 January 1 ...

sent a personal message to Barton expressing his "appreciation of the manner in which he discharged his responsibilities for the interests of British nationals and other foreign nationals in Abyssinia, who have sought his protection during the period of difficulty and trying experiences of recent days."

Retirement

After returning safely to London, Barton retired and thereafter spent time working for the exiled Haile Selassie and his family. He was appointed as a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) on 1 January 1936, while Lady Barton was made a Companion of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) on 11 May 1937. He died in January 1946 and is buried at Muckross Church near the family home at The Waterfoot, Pettigo.

Family

Barton married Mary Ethel Winifred MacEwen, daughter of Alexander Palmer MacEwen, on 23 July 1904 and had two sons, James Alexander Barclay Barton (1905–1940) and Hugh David MacEwen Barton (1911–1989), and two daughters, Marion Barton and Barbara Esmé Barton. His youngest son went on to be chairman and managing director of Jardine, Matheson & Co. in Hong Kong.Sir Sydney Barton 1876–1946
– Association for the Development of Pettigo & Tullyhommon

Honours

Order of the British Empire (Civil) Ribbon

Knight Grand Cross of the

(GBE; 1936) * Royal Victorian Order UK ribbon

Knight Commander of the

(KCVO; 1930) * UK Order St-Michael St-George ribbon

Companion of the

(CMG; 1913) * Third China War Medal BAR

China War Medal (1900) *

King George V Silver Jubilee Medal ribbon

King George V Silver Jubilee Medal The King George V Silver Jubilee Medal is a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the accession of King George V. Issue This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir by King George V to commemorate his Silver J ...

(1935) *

King George VI Coronation Medal The King George VI Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Issue This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir of King George VI's coronation. It was awarded to th ...

(1937) *

ETH Order of the Star of Ethiopia - Member BAR

Haile Selassie Coronation Medal Haile ( Ge'ez "the power of") may refer to: ;People with the given name Haile * Haile Selassie of Ethiopia (1892–1975), Emperor of Ethiopia * Haile Gerima (born 1946), Ethiopian filmmaker * Haile Gebrselassie (born 1973), Ethiopian distance runne ...

(1930) *

ETH Order of the Star of Ethiopia - Grand Cross BAR

Grand Cross of the

References

External links

*
Various portraits of Barton from the National Portrait Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barton, Sidney 1876 births 1946 deaths Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Ethiopia People of Anglo-Irish descent British barristers British diplomats in China Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Members of the Middle Temple People educated at St Paul's School, London Recipients of orders, decorations, and medals of Ethiopia