Sir Chaloner Grenville Alabaster (1838–1898) was an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
administrator in
China.
Early life
He was born in
Bournemouth and was the son of Mr. J.C. Alabaster. He attended
King's College London and matriculated at
London University
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree- ...
in 1852.
Career in China
In 1855, he went to China as a
student interpreter, remaining there during the
Second Opium War and the
Taiping Rebellion
The Taiping Rebellion, also known as the Taiping Civil War or the Taiping Revolution, was a massive rebellion and civil war that was waged in China between the Manchu-led Qing dynasty and the Han, Hakka-led Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. It laste ...
.
Between 1869 and 1873, he was British
Vice-Consul
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 ...
in
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 ...
and subsequently became
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 ...
at
Hankow
Hankou, alternately romanized as Hankow (), was one of the three towns (the other two were Wuchang and Hanyang) merged to become modern-day Wuhan city, the capital of the Hubei province, China. It stands north of the Han and Yangtze Rivers whe ...
,
Wuhan
Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei Province in the People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the ninth-most populous Chinese city an ...
from 1880 to 1886 then at Canton from 1886 until 1891. He retired in 1892 was made knight commander in the
Order of St Michael and St George.
Marriage and family
In 1875, Chaloner married Laura, daughter of Dr. D. J. MacGowan of
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. He was also a
freemason. His son, also called
Chaloner Grenville Alabaster became
Attorney General in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
from 1930 to 1945. His son went by the first name Grenville.
Chaloner Alabaster's elder brother,
Henry Alabaster, also entered the consular service, serving as acting consul in
Siam
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
before leaving his position to act as an advisor to King
Chulalongkorn.
["Personal Correspondence of Henry Alabaster and Palacia Alabaster"](_blank)
from the archives of the University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
Death
Alabaster died on 28 June 1898 at
Boscombe
Boscombe is a suburb of Bournemouth, England. Historically in Hampshire, but today in Dorset, it is located to the east of Bournemouth town centre and west of Southbourne.
Originally a sparsely inhabited area of heathland, from around 1865 B ...
,
Bournemouth, England.
He was buried in East Cemetery, Bournemouth, England.
Papers relating to his official work in China are held at SOAS Archives.
SOAS Archives
/ref>
References
1838 births
1898 deaths
British diplomats in China
People from Bournemouth
Alumni of King's College London
Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Consuls-General of the United Kingdom in Guangzhou
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