Sir Walter Roper Lawrence, 1st Baronet, (9 February 1857 – 25 May 1940), was a member of the

Council of India The Council of India (1858 – 1935) was an advisory body to the Secretary of State for India, established in 1858 by the Government of India Act 1858. It was based in London and initially consisted of 15 members. The Council of India was dissolve ...

and an English author who served in the

Indian Civil Service The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British Raj, British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947. Its members ruled over more than 3 ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

and wrote travelogues based on his experiences of travelling around the

Indian Subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

. Over the course of his travels, he developed a close affinity with

Indian people Indian people or Indians are the Indian nationality law, citizens and nationals of the India, Republic of India or people who trace their ancestry to India. While the demonym "Indian" applies to people originating from the present-day India, ...

, especially

Kashmiris Kashmiris () also known as Koshurs are an Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group speaking the Kashmiri language and originating from the Kashmir Valley, which is today located in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union terr ...

, who figure prominently in his work. His best-known books are ''

The Valley of Kashmir ''The Valley of Kashmir'' (1895) is a book on Kashmir by the English writer Sir Walter Roper Lawrence. The author served in the Indian Civil Service in British India during which he was appointed as a Settlement Commissioner of Kashmir. ''The ...

'' (1895) and ''The India we Served'' (1929). Walter Roper Lawrence was born on 9 February 1857 at his home town Moreton-on-Lugg,

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, England, the son of George Lawrence and Catherine Lewis. He married Lilian Gertrude James on 18 March 1885.

Life in British India

Lawrence served in the

Punjab (1879–1895). He was appointed as the Settlement Commissioner for Jammu and Kashmir between 1889–1894, during the rule of Maharaja Pratap Singh. While travelling in Kashmir, he recorded and produced a brief history on account of the geography, the culture of the people and the tyrannic Dogra rule over Kashmir. During his brief visit to

Kashmir Valley The Kashmir Valley, also known as the Vale of Kashmir, is an intermontane valley in northern Jammu and Kashmir, a region in Indian-administered Kashmir.(a) (subscription required) Quote: "Kashmir, region of the northwestern Indian subcont ...

, he authored the first recorded complete encyclopaedia of Kashmir, ''

''. In 1896, Lawrence left the Indian Civil Service. He was recalled by the

Viceroy of India The governor-general of India (1833 to 1950, from 1858 to 1947 the viceroy and governor-general of India, commonly shortened to viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom in their capacity as the Emperor of ...

Lord Curzon George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston (11 January 1859 – 20 March 1925), known as Lord Curzon (), was a British statesman, Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician, explorer and writer who served as Viceroy of India ...

to act as his private secretary. Lawrence served in this role during 1899–1903. He was appointed a

Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander ( GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) Appoint ...

(CIE) in 1891, and promoted Knight Commander (KCIE) in the 1903 Durbar Honours. Sir Walter Lawrence then accompanied the

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

and

Princess Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for ...

of Wales to India as Chief of Staff on their tour in 1905-06. In 1907, he served as a member of the Council of India. During the First World War, he worked on various missions for the Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener. In 1918 he was on the staff of the Indian Air Force with the rank of Major General. In 1919, Lawrence served on the British Mission to Palestine and Syria.

Writing

As an author his major works are ''The Valley of Kashmir'' (1895) and ''The India we served'' (1929). Lawrence was the first to report the miseries faced by the people of Kashmir under the rule of

Dogras The Dogras, or Dogra people, are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group living primarily in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. They speak their native Dogri language. They live predominantly in the Duggar region of the Jammu Div ...

Death

Sir Walter died at the age of 83 on 25 May 1940. His grandson, Murray Lawrence (1935–2021), was father-in-law of Rupert Elliott, Master Haberdasher (2023/24).www.haberdashers.co.uk
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrence, Walter Roper 1857 births 1940 deaths

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Walter Walter may refer to: People and fictional characters * Walter (name), including a list of people and fictional and mythical characters with the given name or surname * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–19 ...

Companions of the Order of the Bath English travel writers British people in colonial India Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order 19th-century English people Writers from British India

Life in British India

Writing

Death

See also

References