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| honorific-suffix = [[Order of the Bath|GCB]] [[His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council|PC]] | | honorific-suffix = [[Order of the Bath|GCB]] [[His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council|PC]] | ||
| image = Charles Theophilus Metcalfe, 1st Baron Metcalfe by George Chinnery.jpg | | image = Charles Theophilus Metcalfe, 1st Baron Metcalfe by George Chinnery.jpg | ||
| imagesize = | | imagesize = 220 | ||
| caption = Portrait by [[George Chinnery]], early 1820s | | caption = Portrait by [[George Chinnery]], early 1820s | ||
| order1 = [[Governor General of Canada|Governor General of the Province of Canada]] | | order1 = [[Governor General of Canada|Governor General of the Province of Canada]] | ||
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| predecessor3 = Office created | | predecessor3 = Office created | ||
| successor3 = [[Thomas Campbell Robertson]] | | successor3 = [[Thomas Campbell Robertson]] | ||
| order4 = [[Governor-General of India]] <br | | order4 = [[Governor-General of India]] <br />Acting | ||
| term_start4 = 20 March 1835 | | term_start4 = 20 March 1835 | ||
| term_end4 = 4 March 1836 | | term_end4 = 4 March 1836 | ||
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| successor5 = [[William Blunt]] | | successor5 = [[William Blunt]] | ||
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1785|1|30}} | | birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1785|1|30}} | ||
| birth_place = [[Kolkata|Calcutta]], [[Bengal Presidency | | birth_place = [[Kolkata|Calcutta]], [[Bengal Presidency]] | ||
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|1846|09|5|1785|01|30}} | | death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|1846|09|5|1785|01|30}} | ||
| death_place = Malshanger, [[Oakley, Hampshire|Oakley]], [[Hampshire]] | | death_place = Malshanger, [[Oakley, Hampshire|Oakley]], [[Hampshire]] | ||
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| spouse = | | spouse = | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''Charles Theophilus Metcalfe, 1st Baron Metcalfe''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|GCB|PC}} (30 January 1785 – 5 September 1846), known as '''Sir Charles Metcalfe, Bt''' between 1822 and 1845, was a | '''Charles Theophilus Metcalfe, 1st Baron Metcalfe''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|GCB|PC}} (30 January 1785 – 5 September 1846), known as '''Sir Charles Metcalfe, Bt''' between 1822 and 1845, was a British colonial administrator. He held appointments including acting [[Governor-General of India]], [[Governor of Jamaica]] and [[Governor General of the Province of Canada]].<ref>{{cite ODNB|first=C. A.|last=Bayly|title = Metcalfe, Charles Theophilus, Baron Metcalfe (1785–1846)|id = 18617}}</ref><ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle = Metcalfe, Charles Theophilus Metcalfe, Baron|volume=18 |pages=257–258}}</ref> | ||
==Early life and background== | ==Early life and background== | ||
Metcalfe was born on 30 January 1785 in Lecture House, [[Kolkata|Calcutta]] then part of the [[Bengal Presidency]]. | Metcalfe was born on 30 January 1785 in Lecture House, [[Kolkata|Calcutta]] then part of the [[Bengal Presidency]]. | ||
He was the second son of [[Sir Thomas Metcalfe, 1st Baronet|Thomas Metcalfe]] and Susannah Selina Sophia. His father first went to India in 1767 as a cadet in the [[British Army]], and at the time of Metcalfe's birth was serving as a major in the [[Bengal Army]]. He later became a [[Member of Parliament]], director of the [[British East India Company]] and was created a [[baronet]] on 21 December 1802.<ref>[http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/indiaofficeselectpd/FullDisplay.aspx?RecordId=015-000008945 Sir Thomas Theophilus Metcalfe, 1st Baronet (1745–1813).] [[British Library]].</ref><ref>[http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/indiaofficeselectpd/FullDisplay.aspx?RecordId=015-000014831 Prints & Drawings full record display for shelfmark P2204] [[British Library]].</ref> Thomas Metcalfe married Susannah in Calcutta in 1782. She was the daughter of merchant John Debonnaire, a trader at [[Fort St. George, India|Fort St. George]], [[Madras]], who subsequently settled at the [[Cape of Good Hope]]. It was her second marriage, her first being with Major John Smith in [[Madras]] from 1776 until his death. His parents returned to England shortly after the birth of their son.<ref>[http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/indiaofficeselectpd/FullDisplay.aspx?RecordId=015-000008942 Lady Susannah Selina Sophia Metcalfe (nee Debonnaire) (1756–1815)] [[British Library]].</ref><ref>[http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/indiaofficeselectpd/FullDisplay.aspx?RecordId=015-000008941 Lady Susannah Selina Sophia Metcalfe (1756–1815). Married.] [[British Library]].</ref> | He was the second son of [[Sir Thomas Metcalfe, 1st Baronet|Thomas Metcalfe]] and Susannah Selina Sophia Debonnaire. His father first went to India in 1767 as a cadet in the [[British Army]], and at the time of Metcalfe's birth was serving as a major in the [[Bengal Army]]. He later became a [[Member of Parliament]], director of the [[British East India Company]] and was created a [[baronet]] on 21 December 1802.<ref>[http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/indiaofficeselectpd/FullDisplay.aspx?RecordId=015-000008945 Sir Thomas Theophilus Metcalfe, 1st Baronet (1745–1813).] [[British Library]].</ref><ref>[http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/indiaofficeselectpd/FullDisplay.aspx?RecordId=015-000014831 Prints & Drawings full record display for shelfmark P2204] [[British Library]].</ref> Thomas Metcalfe married Susannah in Calcutta in 1782. She was the daughter of merchant John Debonnaire, a trader at [[Fort St. George, India|Fort St. George]], [[Madras]], who subsequently settled at the [[Cape of Good Hope]]. It was her second marriage, her first being with Major John Smith in [[Madras]] from 1776 until his death. His parents returned to England shortly after the birth of their son.<ref>[http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/indiaofficeselectpd/FullDisplay.aspx?RecordId=015-000008942 Lady Susannah Selina Sophia Metcalfe (nee Debonnaire) (1756–1815)] [[British Library]].</ref><ref>[http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/indiaofficeselectpd/FullDisplay.aspx?RecordId=015-000008941 Lady Susannah Selina Sophia Metcalfe (1756–1815). Married.] [[British Library]].</ref> | ||
Metcalfe's elder sister was Emily Theophila, later becoming the [[Viscountess Ashbrook]].<ref>[http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/indiaofficeselectpd/FullDisplay.aspx?RecordId=015-000011851 Emily Theophila, Viscountess Ashbrook (1791–1885)] [[British Library]].</ref> A younger brother, [[Sir Thomas Metcalfe, 4th Baronet|Thomas]], also went on to achieve distinction as a civil servant with the East India Company. | Metcalfe's elder sister was Emily Theophila, later becoming the [[Viscountess Ashbrook]].<ref>[http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/indiaofficeselectpd/FullDisplay.aspx?RecordId=015-000011851 Emily Theophila, Viscountess Ashbrook (1791–1885)] [[British Library]].</ref> A younger brother, [[Sir Thomas Metcalfe, 4th Baronet|Thomas]], also went on to achieve distinction as a civil servant with the East India Company. | ||
==Education== | ==Education== | ||
Metcalfe spent four years at [[Eton College]] in [[Berkshire]], before arriving in Bengal on 1 January 1801, a month before his sixteenth birthday.<ref name="Caribbean Quarterly">Hall, D. G. "Sir Charles Metcalfe: Governor of Jamaica, Sept., 1839 to May, 1842". Caribbean Quarterly, vol. 3, no. 2, 1953, pp. 90–100. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40652570. Accessed 14 February 2021.</ref> | Metcalfe spent four years at [[Eton College]] in [[Berkshire]], before arriving in Bengal on 1 January 1801, a month before his sixteenth birthday.<ref name="Caribbean Quarterly">Hall, D. G. "Sir Charles Metcalfe: Governor of Jamaica, Sept., 1839 to May, 1842". Caribbean Quarterly, vol. 3, no. 2, 1953, pp. 90–100. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40652570. Accessed 14 February 2021.</ref> He then studied Oriental languages as the first student at Lord Wellesley's [[Fort William College]]. | ||
==India== | ==India== | ||
===Early career=== | ===Early career=== | ||
[[File:Portrait of Akbar II with Sir Charles Theophilus Metcalf and court dignitaries.jpg|thumb|upright|150px|Portrait of Akbar II with Sir Charles Theophilus Metcalf [sic] and court dignitaries]] | [[File:Portrait of Akbar II with Sir Charles Theophilus Metcalf and court dignitaries.jpg|thumb|upright|150px|Portrait of [[Akbar II]] with Sir Charles Theophilus Metcalf [sic] and court dignitaries]] | ||
At the age of nineteen, Metcalfe was appointed political assistant to [[Gerard Lake, 1st Viscount Lake|General Lake]], who was then conducting the final campaign of the [[Second Anglo-Maratha War]] against [[Yashwantrao Holkar]]. | At the age of nineteen, Metcalfe was appointed political assistant to [[Gerard Lake, 1st Viscount Lake|General Lake]], who was then conducting the final campaign of the [[Second Anglo-Maratha War]] against [[Yashwantrao Holkar]].<ref name="EB1911"/> | ||
In 1808 he was selected by [[Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of Minto|Lord Minto]] for the responsible post of envoy to the court of [[Ranjit Singh]] at [[Lahore]]; here, on 25 April 1809, he concluded the important [[Treaty of Amritsar (1809)|Treaty of Amritsar]] securing the independence of the [[Sikh]] states between the [[Sutlej]] and the [[Jumna]]. | In 1808 he was selected by [[Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of Minto|Lord Minto]] for the responsible post of envoy to the court of [[Ranjit Singh]] at [[Lahore]]; here, on 25 April 1809, he concluded the important [[Treaty of Amritsar (1809)|Treaty of Amritsar]] securing the independence of the [[Sikh]] states between the [[Sutlej]] and the [[Yamuna River|Jumna]].<ref name="EB1911"/> | ||
His first tenure as Resident at [[Delhi]] began on 25 February 1811 for the East India Company | His first tenure as Resident at [[Delhi]] began on 25 February 1811 for the East India Company (from 1813 for the British Government), and in 1819 he received from [[Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings|Lord Hastings]] the appointment of secretary in the secret and political department. From 1820 to 1825 Sir Charles (who succeeded his brother in the baronetcy in 1822) was resident at the court of the [[Nizam]], and afterwards was summoned in an emergency to his former post at Delhi.<ref name="EB1911"/> | ||
===Agra=== | ===Agra=== | ||
[[File:Charles T. Metcalfe.jpg|thumb|150px|upright|Baron Metcalfe, Charles Theophilus, 1846.]] | [[File:Charles T. Metcalfe.jpg|thumb|150px|upright|Baron Metcalfe, Charles Theophilus, 1846.]] | ||
On 14 November 1834 | On 14 November 1834 Metcalfe was posted as [[List of Governors of Agra|Governor]] of the [[Presidency of Agra]] where he served for over four months till 20 March 1835.<ref name="books.google.com">[https://books.google.com/books?id=b2NPAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA118 The India list and India Office list for 1905 By Great Britain, India Office #130]</ref> | ||
===Acting Governor-General=== | ===Acting Governor-General=== | ||
In 1827 he obtained a seat in the supreme council, and in March 1835, after he had acted as the first governor of the proposed new presidency of [[Agra]], he provisionally succeeded [[Lord William Bentinck]] as the [[List of Governors of Bengal#List of Governors-General Governors (1758–1947)|Governor-General of Bengal]] (1835–36). During his brief tenure of office (it lasted for only one year) he carried out several important measures, including that for the liberation of the press, which, while almost universally popular, complicated his relations with the directors at home to such an extent that he resigned the service of the Company in 1838. In 1835 he was also appointed a [[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]] (GCB).<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=19310 |date=25 September 1835 |page=1791}}</ref> | In 1827 he obtained a seat in the supreme council, and in March 1835, after he had acted as the first governor of the proposed new presidency of [[Agra]], he provisionally succeeded [[Lord William Bentinck]] as the [[List of Governors of Bengal#List of Governors-General Governors (1758–1947)|Governor-General of Bengal]] (1835–36). During his brief tenure of office (it lasted for only one year) he carried out several important measures, including that for the liberation of the press, which, while almost universally popular, complicated his relations with the directors at home to such an extent that he resigned the service of the Company in 1838.<ref name="EB1911"/> In 1835 he was also appointed a [[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]] (GCB).<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=19310 |date=25 September 1835 |page=1791}}</ref> | ||
===North-Western Provinces=== | ===North-Western Provinces=== | ||
Metcalfe was [[List of Lieutenant Governors of the North-Western Provinces|Lieutenant-Governor of the North-Western Provinces]] from 1 June 1836 to 1 June 1838.<ref name="books.google.com"/> | |||
In 1838 he retired from service with the East India Company and settled in England.<ref name="Caribbean Quarterly"/> | In 1838 he retired from service with the East India Company and settled in England.<ref name="Caribbean Quarterly"/> | ||
==Jamaica== | ==Jamaica== | ||
[[File:Metcalfe kingston.jpg|thumb|150px|upright| Monument of Charles Metcalfe in [[St. William Grant|St. William Grant Park]] in [[Kingston, Jamaica]]]] | [[File:Metcalfe kingston.jpg|thumb|150px|upright| Monument of Charles Metcalfe in [[St. William Grant|St. William Grant Park]] in [[Kingston, Jamaica]]]] | ||
In 1839 | In 1839, Metcalfe accepted an appointment by the [[Second Melbourne ministry]] to the governorship of [[Jamaica]], where labour difficulties created by the recent passing of the [[Slavery Abolition Act 1833|Slavery Abolition Act]] called for a high degree of tact and ability.<ref name="EB1911"/> Metcalfe's administration was successful in addressing the complaints of both labourers and their employers and bringing a greater sense of unity amongst the different factions. Ill health hastened his resignation and on 24 May 1842 he left Jamaica for England.<ref name="Caribbean Quarterly"/> | ||
==Canada== | ==Canada== | ||
| Line 89: | Line 88: | ||
==Final years== | ==Final years== | ||
Metcalfe's success in Canada carrying out the policy of the home government was rewarded with a [[peerage]] shortly after his return to England, with the title Baron Metcalfe, of [[ | Metcalfe's success in Canada carrying out the policy of the home government was rewarded with a [[peerage]] shortly after his return to England, with the title Baron Metcalfe, of [[Fernhill Park, Berkshire|Fern Hill]] in the [[County of Berkshire]] in 1845.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=20433 |date=17 January 1845 |page=137}}</ref> But his success did not endure and [[responsible government]] would be conceded by his successor [[James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin]]. Metcalfe died of skin cancer at Malshanger in [[Oakley, Hampshire|Oakley]], near [[Basingstoke]], on 5 September 1846.<ref name="Caribbean Quarterly"/> His residence was however at Fernhill Park in [[Winkfield]], near [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]] and it was in the [[Church of England parish church|parish church]] there that he was buried. | ||
==Personal life== | ==Personal life== | ||
| Line 95: | Line 94: | ||
==Honorific eponyms== | ==Honorific eponyms== | ||
* {{flagicon|Ontario}} [[Ontario]]: [[Metcalfe, Ontario|Metcalfe]] | * {{flagicon|Ontario}} [[Ontario]]: [[Metcalfe, Ontario|Metcalfe]] | ||
* {{flagicon|Victoria}} [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]]: [[Metcalfe, Victoria|Metcalfe]] | * {{flagicon|Victoria}} [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]]: [[Metcalfe, Victoria|Metcalfe]] | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
| Line 106: | Line 101: | ||
==Further reading== | ==Further reading== | ||
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090826004135/http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~adgedge/Research/Metcalfe,%20John/english%20metcalfe/pafg06.htm Genealogy of Metcalfes] | |||
*[[J. W. Kaye]], ''Life and Correspondence of Charles Lord Metcalfe'' (London, 1854) | *[[J. W. Kaye]], ''Life and Correspondence of Charles Lord Metcalfe'' (London, 1854) | ||
* E. Thompson, ''The life of Charles, Lord Metcalfe'' (London, 1937). | * [[Edward John Thompson|E. Thompson]], ''[https://india.vardill.org/thompson/metcalfe The life of Charles, Lord Metcalfe]'' (London, 1937). | ||
*{{cite DNB|wstitle=Metcalfe, Charles Theophilus |volume=37}} | *{{cite DNB|wstitle=Metcalfe, Charles Theophilus |volume=37}} | ||
== External links == | == External links == | ||
| Line 146: | Line 141: | ||
{{s-end}} | {{s-end}} | ||
{{GovsGenProvCanada}} | {{GovsGenProvCanada}} | ||
{{Chancellors of the University of Toronto}} | |||
{{Authority control}} | {{Authority control}} | ||
| Line 152: | Line 148: | ||
[[Category:1785 births]] | [[Category:1785 births]] | ||
[[Category:1846 deaths]] | [[Category:1846 deaths]] | ||
[[Category:Governors-general of the Province of Canada]] | |||
[[Category:Governors- | [[Category:Governors-general of India]] | ||
[[Category:Governors- | |||
[[Category:Governors of Agra]] | [[Category:Governors of Agra]] | ||
[[Category:Lieutenant- | [[Category:Lieutenant-governors of the North-Western Provinces]] | ||
[[Category:Governors of Jamaica]] | [[Category:Governors of Jamaica]] | ||
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]] | [[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]] | ||
[[Category:People from Winkfield]] | [[Category:People from Winkfield]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:British people in British India]] | ||
[[Category:British East India Company people]] | [[Category:British East India Company people]] | ||
[[Category:Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom]] | [[Category:Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom]] | ||
[[Category:Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom]] | [[Category:Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom]] | ||
[[Category:Peers of the United Kingdom created by Queen Victoria]] | [[Category:Peers of the United Kingdom created by Queen Victoria]] | ||
[[Category:Younger sons of baronets]] | |||
Latest revision as of 19:12, 5 March 2026
The Lord Metcalfe | |
|---|---|
 Portrait by George Chinnery, early 1820s | |
| Governor General of the Province of Canada | |
| In office 1843–1845 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | Sir Charles Bagot |
| Succeeded by | The Earl Cathcart |
| Governor of Jamaica | |
| In office 1839–1842 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | Sir Lionel Smith, Bt |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Elgin |
| Lieutenant-Governor of the North-Western Provinces | |
| In office 1 June 1836 – 1 June 1838 | |
| Governor General | The Lord Auckland |
| Preceded by | Office created |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Campbell Robertson |
| Governor-General of India Acting | |
| In office 20 March 1835 – 4 March 1836 | |
| Monarch | William IV |
| Preceded by | Lord William Bentinck |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Auckland |
| Governor of Agra | |
| In office 14 November 1834 – 20 March 1835 | |
| Governor General | Lord William Bentinck |
| Preceded by | Office created |
| Succeeded by | William Blunt |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 January 1785 Calcutta, Bengal Presidency |
| Died | 5 September 1846 (aged 61) Malshanger, Oakley, Hampshire |
Charles Theophilus Metcalfe, 1st Baron Metcalfe, GCB PC (30 January 1785 – 5 September 1846), known as Sir Charles Metcalfe, Bt between 1822 and 1845, was a British colonial administrator. He held appointments including acting Governor-General of India, Governor of Jamaica and Governor General of the Province of Canada.[1][2]
Early life and background[edit | edit source]
Metcalfe was born on 30 January 1785 in Lecture House, Calcutta then part of the Bengal Presidency.
He was the second son of Thomas Metcalfe and Susannah Selina Sophia Debonnaire. His father first went to India in 1767 as a cadet in the British Army, and at the time of Metcalfe's birth was serving as a major in the Bengal Army. He later became a Member of Parliament, director of the British East India Company and was created a baronet on 21 December 1802.[3][4] Thomas Metcalfe married Susannah in Calcutta in 1782. She was the daughter of merchant John Debonnaire, a trader at Fort St. George, Madras, who subsequently settled at the Cape of Good Hope. It was her second marriage, her first being with Major John Smith in Madras from 1776 until his death. His parents returned to England shortly after the birth of their son.[5][6]
Metcalfe's elder sister was Emily Theophila, later becoming the Viscountess Ashbrook.[7] A younger brother, Thomas, also went on to achieve distinction as a civil servant with the East India Company.
Education[edit | edit source]
Metcalfe spent four years at Eton College in Berkshire, before arriving in Bengal on 1 January 1801, a month before his sixteenth birthday.[8] He then studied Oriental languages as the first student at Lord Wellesley's Fort William College.
India[edit | edit source]
Early career[edit | edit source]
At the age of nineteen, Metcalfe was appointed political assistant to General Lake, who was then conducting the final campaign of the Second Anglo-Maratha War against Yashwantrao Holkar.[2]
In 1808 he was selected by Lord Minto for the responsible post of envoy to the court of Ranjit Singh at Lahore; here, on 25 April 1809, he concluded the important Treaty of Amritsar securing the independence of the Sikh states between the Sutlej and the Jumna.[2]
His first tenure as Resident at Delhi began on 25 February 1811 for the East India Company (from 1813 for the British Government), and in 1819 he received from Lord Hastings the appointment of secretary in the secret and political department. From 1820 to 1825 Sir Charles (who succeeded his brother in the baronetcy in 1822) was resident at the court of the Nizam, and afterwards was summoned in an emergency to his former post at Delhi.[2]
Agra[edit | edit source]
On 14 November 1834 Metcalfe was posted as Governor of the Presidency of Agra where he served for over four months till 20 March 1835.[9]
Acting Governor-General[edit | edit source]
In 1827 he obtained a seat in the supreme council, and in March 1835, after he had acted as the first governor of the proposed new presidency of Agra, he provisionally succeeded Lord William Bentinck as the Governor-General of Bengal (1835–36). During his brief tenure of office (it lasted for only one year) he carried out several important measures, including that for the liberation of the press, which, while almost universally popular, complicated his relations with the directors at home to such an extent that he resigned the service of the Company in 1838.[2] In 1835 he was also appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB).[10]
North-Western Provinces[edit | edit source]
Metcalfe was Lieutenant-Governor of the North-Western Provinces from 1 June 1836 to 1 June 1838.[9] In 1838 he retired from service with the East India Company and settled in England.[8]
Jamaica[edit | edit source]
In 1839, Metcalfe accepted an appointment by the Second Melbourne ministry to the governorship of Jamaica, where labour difficulties created by the recent passing of the Slavery Abolition Act called for a high degree of tact and ability.[2] Metcalfe's administration was successful in addressing the complaints of both labourers and their employers and bringing a greater sense of unity amongst the different factions. Ill health hastened his resignation and on 24 May 1842 he left Jamaica for England.[8]
Canada[edit | edit source]
Six months afterwards he was appointed by the Peel ministry to the post of Governor General of the Province of Canada with instructions to resist further development of responsible government. A clash soon emerged between Metcalfe and the leaders of the legislative assembly, Robert Baldwin and Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine. Despite suffering from worsening cancer, he fought to preserve the prerogatives of the Crown and the governor's control over the administration and patronage. He nonetheless had to make some concessions to win support, and the most notable of these was persuading the Colonial Office to grant amnesty to the rebels of 1837-38, and to abandon forced anglicization of the French-speaking population.
Final years[edit | edit source]
Metcalfe's success in Canada carrying out the policy of the home government was rewarded with a peerage shortly after his return to England, with the title Baron Metcalfe, of Fern Hill in the County of Berkshire in 1845.[11] But his success did not endure and responsible government would be conceded by his successor James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin. Metcalfe died of skin cancer at Malshanger in Oakley, near Basingstoke, on 5 September 1846.[8] His residence was however at Fernhill Park in Winkfield, near Windsor and it was in the parish church there that he was buried.
Personal life[edit | edit source]
When in Lahore, Metcalfe began a relationship with a Punjabi Sikh woman who bore him three sons.[12] Metcalfe was open about this relationship, and sent all three sons to England to be educated.[8] One of his sons, James Metcalfe, became a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Bengal Army.
Honorific eponyms[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Bayly, C. A. "Metcalfe, Charles Theophilus, Baron Metcalfe (1785–1846)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/18617. Template:ODNBsub
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Metcalfe, Charles Theophilus Metcalfe, Baron". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 18 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 257–258.
- ↑ Sir Thomas Theophilus Metcalfe, 1st Baronet (1745–1813). British Library.
- ↑ Prints & Drawings full record display for shelfmark P2204 British Library.
- ↑ Lady Susannah Selina Sophia Metcalfe (nee Debonnaire) (1756–1815) British Library.
- ↑ Lady Susannah Selina Sophia Metcalfe (1756–1815). Married. British Library.
- ↑ Emily Theophila, Viscountess Ashbrook (1791–1885) British Library.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Hall, D. G. "Sir Charles Metcalfe: Governor of Jamaica, Sept., 1839 to May, 1842". Caribbean Quarterly, vol. 3, no. 2, 1953, pp. 90–100. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40652570. Accessed 14 February 2021.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 The India list and India Office list for 1905 By Great Britain, India Office #130
- ↑ "No. 19310". The London Gazette. 25 September 1835. p. 1791.
- ↑ "No. 20433". The London Gazette. 17 January 1845. p. 137.
- ↑ Sita Anantha Raman 2009 Women in India: a social and cultural history, volume 2. Praeger, p. 87.
Further reading[edit | edit source]
- Genealogy of Metcalfes
- J. W. Kaye, Life and Correspondence of Charles Lord Metcalfe (London, 1854)
- E. Thompson, The life of Charles, Lord Metcalfe (London, 1937).
- Lee, Sidney, ed. (1894). . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 37. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
External links[edit | edit source]
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| New creation | Governor of Agra 1834–1835 |
Succeeded by W. Blunt |
| Preceded by Lord William Bentinck |
Governor-General of India, acting 1835–1836 |
Succeeded by The Lord Auckland |
| Preceded by A. Ross as Governor of Agra |
Lieutenant Governor of the North-Western Provinces 1836–1838 |
Vacant Title next held by Sir George Frederick Edmonstone
|
| Preceded by Sir Lionel Smith |
Governor of Jamaica 1839–1842 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Elgin and Kincardine |
| Preceded by Sir Charles Bagot |
Governor General of the Province of Canada 1843–1845 |
Succeeded by The Earl Cathcart |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by Sir Charles Bagot |
Chancellor of King's College 1843–1845 |
Succeeded by The Earl Cathcart |
| Baronetage of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by Theophilus John Metcalfe |
Baronet (of Chilton) 1822–1846 |
Succeeded by Thomas Theophilus Metcalfe |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baron Metcalfe 1845–1846 |
Extinct |
Template:GovsGenProvCanada Template:Chancellors of the University of Toronto