Barnes Ratwatte (''known as Barnes Ratwatte Dissawa '') (1883 – 20 September 1957) was a
Ceylonese
Sri Lankan or Ceylonese may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Sri Lanka
* A person from Sri Lanka, see Demographics of Sri Lanka
** Sinhalese people, the ethnic majority
** Sri Lankan Tamils, an ethnic minority
** Sri L ...
colonial-era legislator and a
headman. He was a member of the
State Council State Council may refer to:
Government
* State Council of the Republic of Korea, the national cabinet of South Korea, headed by the President
* State Council of the People's Republic of China, the national cabinet and chief administrative auth ...
and the
Senate of Ceylon
The Senate was the upper chamber of the parliament of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) established in 1947 by the Soulbury Commission. The Senate was appointed and indirectly elected rather than directly elected. It was housed in the old Legislative Counci ...
. He was appointed to the posts of
Rate Mahatmaya
Rate Mahatmaya was a traditional office and title from the Kandian Kingdom which became part of the British colonial administration within the Kandian and central region of Ceylon.
History
Persons were appointed to the title and office by the Ki ...
of
Balangoda
Balangoda is a large town in Ratnapura District, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an urban council located away from Colombo and from Ratnapura on Colombo - Batticaloa Highway(A4). It is one of the largest towns of the Sabaragamuw ...
and
Dissawa
The Mahâ Dissâvas was a Great Officer in the Amātya Mandalaya, or Sinhalese Council of State, in the Sinhalese Kingdoms of monarchical Sri Lanka. Like many of the existing high offices at the time it had combined legislative and judicial ...
by the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
. He was the father of
Sirimavo Bandaranaike
Sirima Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike ( si, සිරිමා රත්වත්තේ ඩයස් බණ්ඩාරනායක; ta, சிறிமா ரத்வத்தே டயஸ் பண்டாரநாயக்கே; 17 April 191 ...
, the first female Prime Minister in the world.
Early life
Born to the Ratwatte family, which was an old
Radala
Radala refers to a small minority group in Sri Lanka in the former provinces of the Kingdom of Kandy, who are either descendants of chiefs and courtiers of the King of Kandy of Nayaks of Kandy or descendants of native headmen appointed by the ...
family hailing from the
Kingdom of Kandy
The Kingdom of Kandy was a monarchy on the Sri Lanka, island of Sri Lanka, located in the central and eastern portion of the island. It was founded in the late 15th century and endured until the early 19th century.
Initially a client kingdom ...
, who were
courtier
A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the official r ...
s in the courts of Nayakkar monarchs, and one, Ratwatte, Dissawa of Matale was a signatory of to the
Kandyan Convention
The Kandyan Convention ( Sinhala: උඩරට ගිවිසුම ''Udarata Giwisuma'') was a treaty signed on 2 March 1815 between the British Governor of Ceylon Sir Robert Brownrigg and the chiefs of the Kandyan Kingdom, British Ceylon (no ...
. His father was Abeyratne Banda Ratwatte, Basnayake Nilame of the Maha Vishnu Devale and
Shroff of the
Mercantile Bank of India
The Mercantile Bank of India, London and China, later Mercantile Bank Ltd (), was an Anglo-Indian bank with business focus in the Far East. It was founded in Bombay in 1853 as the Mercantile Bank of Bombay; and later in 1857 was renamed to Mer ...
in Kandy and mother Thalgahagoda Lewke Punchi Kumarihamy, daughter of Thalgahagoda Rate Mahatmaya of
Matale
Matale ( Sinhala: මාතලේ, ta, மாத்தளை, translit=Māttaḷai) is the administrative capital city of the Matale District. It is the most urbanised and populated centre in the district. Matale is also the second largest muni ...
. He had two brothers
Sir
''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...
Cuda Ratwatte
Sir Jayatilaka Cudah Ratwatte Adigar (15 March 1880 – 27 March 1940) was a Ceylonese colonial-era politician and headman. He was a member of the State Council of Ceylon (1931–1933), the first elected Mayor of Kandy (1939–40), the first pers ...
Adigar
The Mahâ Adigâr ( si, මහා අධිකාරම්) (also known as Adikārama, Adikār) was a Great Officer in the Amātya Mandalaya, or Sinhalese Council of State, in the Sinhalese Kingdoms of monarchical Sri Lanka. The office was sec ...
who served as
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
of
Kandy
Kandy ( si, මහනුවර ''Mahanuwara'', ; ta, கண்டி Kandy, ) is a major city in Sri Lanka located in the Central Province. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills ...
and
Harris Leuke Ratwatte
Wijewardena Seneviratne Panditha Abeykoon Bandaranayake Wahala Mudiyanselage Harris Leuke Ratwatte (known as ''Harris Leuke Ratwatte'') (1900–1964) was a Ceylonese legislator. He was a member of the State Council of Ceylon, Parliament and the S ...
who was former
Diyawadana Nilame
Diyawadana Nilame is the office of the chief lay custodian of the Temple of the Tooth, Kandy, Sri Lanka. Formerly an office of the royal household, at present it is the trustee for the Temple of the Tooth as defined by the ''Buddhist Temporal ...
of Sri Dalada Maligawa, Kandy.
Educated at
Trinity College, Kandy
"Look to the End"
, mottoes =
, founder = John Ireland Jones
, established =
, type = Independent Private
, affiliation = Church of Ceylon, Anglican
, grade ...
; Ratwatte married Rosalind Mahawelatenne Kumarihamy, daughter of Mahawalatenne
Rate Mahatmaya
Rate Mahatmaya was a traditional office and title from the Kandian Kingdom which became part of the British colonial administration within the Kandian and central region of Ceylon.
History
Persons were appointed to the title and office by the Ki ...
of
Balangoda
Balangoda is a large town in Ratnapura District, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an urban council located away from Colombo and from Ratnapura on Colombo - Batticaloa Highway(A4). It is one of the largest towns of the Sabaragamuw ...
. Married under the ''Binna marriage'' tradition of the
Kandyan law
Kandyan law is the customary law that originates from the Kingdom of Kandy, which is applicable to Sri Lankans who are Buddhist and from the former provinces of the Kandyan Kingdom. It is one of three customary laws which are still in use in Sri ...
, Ratwatte became the executor of his wife's properties inherited from his father-in-law and also succeeded his father-in-law's government post of
Rate Mahatmaya
Rate Mahatmaya was a traditional office and title from the Kandian Kingdom which became part of the British colonial administration within the Kandian and central region of Ceylon.
History
Persons were appointed to the title and office by the Ki ...
of Balangoda.
Career
He was later given the title of
Dissawa
The Mahâ Dissâvas was a Great Officer in the Amātya Mandalaya, or Sinhalese Council of State, in the Sinhalese Kingdoms of monarchical Sri Lanka. Like many of the existing high offices at the time it had combined legislative and judicial ...
by the British Governor of Ceylon. He was elected as member of the
State Council State Council may refer to:
Government
* State Council of the Republic of Korea, the national cabinet of South Korea, headed by the President
* State Council of the People's Republic of China, the national cabinet and chief administrative auth ...
for
Kegalle
Kegalle ( si, කෑගල්ල; ta, கேகாலை) is a large town in Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka. It is located on the Colombo–Kandy road, approximately from Colombo and from Kandy. It is the main town in the Kegalle District ...
form 1936 to 1947 was elected
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
for
Mawanella
Mawanella is a town which belongs to the Kegalle district in the Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka. It lies between Kegalle and Kadugannawa along the Colombo-Kandy road. The area consists of four administrative areas, namely Mawanella, Aranayak ...
from the
United National Party
The United National Party, often abbreviated as UNP ( si, එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂය, translit=Eksath Jāthika Pakshaya, ta, ஐக்கிய தேசியக் கட்சி, translit=Aikkiya Tēciyak Kaṭci), ...
from 1947 to 1952.
Sirimavo created world history
Family
Barnes Ratwatte and his wife who was known as Ratwatte Kumarihamy had six children including four sons Barnes Ratwatte II Justice Barnes Shelton Carlye Ratwatte II (1918 or 1919–2004) was a Sri Lankan lawyer and judge. He was a former Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Ceylon and Public Trustee.
Ratwatte was born to a prominent Radala family, who were descended ...
, Dr Seevali Ratwatte, Dr Mackie Ratwatte Dr Mackie Ratwatte was a Sri Lankan physician. He was a former Private Secretary to the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka and Director General and Secretary of the Fifty Summit Conference of Non-Aligned Countries.
Ratwatte was born to a prominent Radala ...
and Clifford Ratwatte
Clifford Senaka Ratwatte (19 March 1927 – 10 February 2009) was a Sri Lankan politician. He was a former Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture, Food, Co-operatives and Fisheries in 1964 Member of Parliament for Balangoda, ...
, former Member of Parliament for Balangoda and Chairman of the State Plantations and Sri Lanka Tea Board. Of their two daughters; the eldest Sirimavo Ratwatte was married to , son of Sir Solomon Dias Bandaranaike
Sir Solomon Dias Abeywickrema Jayatilleke Senewiratna Rajakumaruna Kadukeralu Bandaranaike, ( Sinhala: සොලමන් ඩයස් අබේවික්රම ජයතිලක සෙනෙවිරත්න රාජකුමාරු ...
, the Maha Mudaliyar
The Maha Mudaliyar ( ''Head Mudaliyar'' or මහ මුදලි) was a colonial title and office in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Head Mudaliyar functioned as the head of the low country native headmen and native aide-de-camp to the Governor of Ceyl ...
(chief native interpreter and advisor to the Governor), who became the third Prime Minister of Ceylon. The youngest daughter, Patsy Ratwatte was married to Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
Edward James Divitotawela, who founded the Central Command of the Ceylon Army
ta, இலங்கை இராணுவம்
, image = File:Sri Lanka Army Logo.png
, image_size = 180px
, caption = Emblem of the Sri Lanka Army
, start_date ...
. His grand daughter Chandrika Kumaratunga
Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga ( si, චන්ද්රිකා බණ්ඩාරනායක කුමාරතුංග, ta, சந்திரிகா பண்டாரநாயக்க குமாரதுங்க; born 29 Ju ...
was President of Sri Lanka and his grandson Anura Bandaranaike
Anura Priyadarshi Solomon Dias Bandaranaike (15 February 1949 – 16 March 2008) was a Sri Lankan politician, served as Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka (2000-2001) and Leader of the Opposition (1983–1988). He held several cabinet min ...
, was a former speaker and cabinet minister.
See also
*List of political families in Sri Lanka
This is a partial listing of prominent political families in Sri Lanka.
Abdul Majeed
* A. L. Abdul Majeed (15 November 1933 – 13 November 1987) also known as Mutur Majeed, former Deputy Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Member Par ...
External links & References
The Ratwatte Ancestry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ratwatte, Barnes
1883 births
1957 deaths
Sri Lankan Buddhists
Dissava
Alumni of Trinity College, Kandy
Members of the 2nd State Council of Ceylon
Members of the Senate of Ceylon
Bandaranaike family
Barnes
Barnes may refer to:
People
* Barnes (name), a family name and a given name (includes lists of people with that name)
Places
United Kingdom
*Barnes, London, England
**Barnes railway station
** Barnes Bridge railway station
** Barnes Railway Bri ...
Sinhalese politicians