Antony Beaujon also Anthony ( 1763 – 17 October 1805) was a Dutch and British civil servant and politician in Guyana. He served as Governor of Demarara from May 1795 until 5 July 1802, and as Lieutenant governor of Demerara and Essequibo from 13 August 1804 until his death.

Biography

Beaujon was born in

Sint Eustatius Sint Eustatius (, ), also known locally as Statia (), is an island in the Caribbean. It is a special municipality (officially " public body") of the Netherlands. The island lies in the northern Leeward Islands portion of the West Indies, so ...

in a family of merchants. In the 1790s, he was member of the

Court of Policy The Court of Policy was a legislative body in Dutch and British Guiana until 1928. For most of its existence it formed the Combined Court together with the six Financial Representatives. History The Court of Policy was established in 1732 by the ...

of the Dutch colonies

Demerara Demerara ( nl, Demerary, ) is a historical region in the Guianas, on the north coast of South America, now part of the country of Guyana. It was a colony of the Dutch West India Company between 1745 and 1792 and a colony of the Dutch state fro ...

and Essequibo, and served as Secretary of Demarara. On 18 January 1795,

William V, Prince of Orange William V (Willem Batavus; 8 March 1748 – 9 April 1806) was a prince of Orange and the last stadtholder of the Dutch Republic. He went into exile to London in 1795. He was furthermore ruler of the Principality of Orange-Nassau until his death in ...

fled from the Netherlands, and went into exile in Great-Britain. While in exile, Willem V started writing the

Kew Letters The Kew Letters (also known as the Circular Note of Kew) were a number of letters, written by stadtholder William V, Prince of Orange between 30 January and 8 February 1795 from the "Dutch House" at Kew Palace, where he temporarily stayed after hi ...

to the colonial governors urging them to submit to

Great-Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is d ...

. On 23 April 1795, Governor baron Willem August Sirtema van Grovestins discussed the matter with the Court of Policy, however the '' Patriots'' (Republicans) outnumbered the '' Orangists'' (traditionalists and nobility), and the colonies remained part of the

Batavian Republic The Batavian Republic ( nl, Bataafse Republiek; french: République Batave) was the successor state to the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on 19 January 1795 and ended on 5 June 1806, with the accession of Louis Bona ...

. On 4 May 1795, HMS ''Zebra'' arrived in the harbour of

Stabroek :''Georgetown, Guyana was known as Stabroek prior to 1812.'' Stabroek () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of and Stabroek proper. In 2021, Stabroek had a total population of 18,68 ...

(nowadays: Georgetown) offering British protection against a possible French attack. The Court of Policy issued a statement that they could not accept the offer. Governor Sirtema van Grovestins boarded HMS ''Zebra'' which sailed away on 6 May, and Beaujon was appointed acting Governor of Demarara. On 20 April 1796, a British fleet appeared, and on 22 April, Demerara and Essequibo surrendered to

Admiral Rodney Admiral George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, KB ( bap. 13 February 1718 – 24 May 1792), was a British naval officer. He is best known for his commands in the American War of Independence, particularly his victory over the French at the ...

without a fight. All laws and customs of the colonies could remain, and the citizens were equal to British subjects. Any government official who swore loyalty to the British crown could remain in function. Beaujon swore an

oath of allegiance An oath of allegiance is an oath whereby a subject or citizen acknowledges a duty of allegiance and swears loyalty to a monarch or a country. In modern republics, oaths are sworn to the country in general, or to the country's constitution. For ...

, and remained in function. Demerara fared well under British rule, exports increased substantially and the number of slaves more than doubled. The colonies were returned to the Netherlands by the

Peace of Amiens The Treaty of Amiens (french: la paix d'Amiens, ) temporarily ended hostilities between France and the United Kingdom at the end of the War of the Second Coalition. It marked the end of the French Revolutionary Wars; after a short peace it se ...

. On 5 July 1802, Beaujon was dismissed, and ordered to return to the Netherlands. Fearing a hostile reception, he decided to go to England instead. On 18 May 1803,

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

was declared between Great Britain and France, and on 17 September, a British fleet arrived in Demerara which capitulated the next day. Lieutenant Colonel Robert Nicholson became acting Governor. On 13 August 1804, Beaujon had returned from England, and was installed as Lieutenant governor of Demerara and Essequibo. On 17 October 1805, Beaujon died in Stabroek, at the age of 42.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beaujon, Antony 1760s births 1805 deaths Governors of Demerara Governors of Essequibo Guyanese politicians Sint Eustatius people