Sir Frederick Samuel August Bourne (1854–1940) was a British judge, diplomat and botanist who served in China. His last positions before retirement were concurrently as Assistant
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...
of the
British Supreme Court for China
The British Supreme Court for China (originally the British Supreme Court for China and Japan) was a court established in the Shanghai International Settlement to try cases against British subjects in China, Japan and Korea under the principles o ...
and Judge of the High Court of
Weihaiwei
Weihai (), formerly called Weihaiwei (), is a prefecture-level city and major seaport in easternmost Shandong province. It borders Yantai to the west and the Yellow Sea to the east, and is the closest Chinese city to South Korea.
Weihai's popula ...
.
Early life
Bourne was born on 3 October 1854. He was the son of Rev. S. W. Bourne, Rector of
Winfarthing
Winfarthing is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is located 6 km north of the town of Diss, 20 km east of the town of Thetford, and 30 km south of the city of Norwich.
The civil parish has an area of and in the ...
,
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
, and Mary Caroline, daughter of late Henry Cassin, M.D. His father had died leaving "a widow and six children in reduced circumstances." At the age of 18, Bourne commenced work as a clerk in the
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...
.
Consular career
![1896 Blackburn Commercial Mission to China](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/1896_Blackburn_Commercial_Mission_to_China.png)
He had been advised that "pay and prospects were better in China" and started studying for the
Foreign Office
Foreign may refer to:
Government
* Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries
* Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries
** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government
** Foreign office and foreign minister
* Unit ...
exam. He passed a competitive exam on 14 February 1876 and was appointed a
student interpreter Student interpreter was, historically, an entry-level position in the British and American diplomatic and consular service, principally in China, Japan, Siam and, in the case of the United States, Turkey. It is no longer used as a title. A number o ...
in China on 10 March 1876.
Bourne served all over China, including
Guangzhou
Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...
,
Chongqing
Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...
Pagoda Island(near
Fuzhou
Fuzhou (; , Fuzhounese: Hokchew, ''Hók-ciŭ''), alternately romanized as Foochow, is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian province, China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute t ...
),
Wuhu
Wuhu () is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Anhui province, China. Sitting on the southeast bank of the Yangtze River, Wuhu borders Xuancheng to the southeast, Chizhou and Tongling to the southwest, Hefei city to the northwest, Ma'anshan ...
and
Tamsui
Tamsui District (Hokkien POJ: ''Tām-chúi''; Hokkien Tâi-lô: ''Tām-tsuí''; Mandarin Pinyin: ''Dànshuǐ'') is a seaside district in New Taipei, Taiwan. It is named after the Tamsui River; the name means "fresh water". The town is popula ...
(near
Taipei
Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...
). While in
Chongqing
Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...
he had gone on a six-month tour through modern-day
Sichuan
Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...
,
Yunnan
Yunnan , () is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Southwest China, the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is ...
,
Guangxi
Guangxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the People's Republic ...
and
Guizhou
Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to t ...
to report on the potential for trade. His report was presented to both Houses of the
British Parliament
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative supremacy ...
in June 1888. From 1896 to 1898, Bourne was consul in charge of a mission by the Blackburn Chamber of Commerce to investigate trade with China.
Botanist
Bourne was also a keen botanist. He collected various botanical samples when in China and has two species of plants named after him, the Bournea sinensis and Bournea leiophylla.
Judicial career
Bourne was called to the bar of
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...
in 1890 during long leave at home in England.
In 1898, he was appointed Judge of the
British Supreme Court for China and Japan
The British Supreme Court for China (originally the British Supreme Court for China and Japan) was a court established in the Shanghai International Settlement to try cases against British subjects in China, Japan and Korea under the principles ...
based 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 flow ...
replacing
George Jamieson, and serving under Chief Justice
Nicholas John Hannen
Sir Nicholas John Hannen (24 August 1842 – 27 April 1900) was a British barrister, diplomat and judge who served in China and Japan. He was the Chief Justice of the British Supreme Court for China and Japan from 1891 to 1900 and also served c ...
. Following Hannen's death,
Hiram Shaw Wilkinson
Sir Hiram Shaw Wilkinson, JP, DL (1840–1926) was a leading British judge and diplomat, serving in China and Japan. His last position before retirement was as Chief Justice of the British Supreme Court for China and Corea.
Early life
Hiram ...
was appointed Chief Justice. In 1901 the position was renamed
Assistant Judge. Bourne served as Acting Chief Justice of the court in 1900 and between 1902 and 1903 when Wilkinson was on long leave and as Acting Judge between 1908 and 1909 and in 1911 and 1914 when the then Chief Judge
Havilland de Sausmarez was on leave.
In 1904, Bourne was appointed
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...
of the High Court of
Weihaiwei
Weihai (), formerly called Weihaiwei (), is a prefecture-level city and major seaport in easternmost Shandong province. It borders Yantai to the west and the Yellow Sea to the east, and is the closest Chinese city to South Korea.
Weihai's popula ...
. He held the position concurrently with his position as judge in Shanghai.
He was made a
Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III.
...
in 1909
Bourne retired in 1916.
Skinner Turner
Sir Skinner Turner (2 June 1868 – 5 July 1935) was a British judge who served in Kenya, Uganda, Siam and China. His last position was as the Chief Judge of the British Supreme Court for China from 1921 to 1927.
Early life
Turner was bo ...
was appointed as the Assistant Judge in his place. Bourne was knighted just before his retirement.
Death
![Stained glass window, St Dunstan's church, Mayfield in memory of Sir Frederick Bourne](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Stained_glass_window%2C_St_Dunstan%27s_church%2C_Mayfield_in_memory_of_Sir_Frederick_Bourne.jpg)
Sir Frederick Bourne died on 23 August 1940 at the Firs,
Mayfield, Sussex
Mayfield and Five Ashes is a civil parish in the High Weald of East Sussex, England. The two villages making up the principal part of the parish lie on the A267 road between Royal Tunbridge Wells and Eastbourne: Mayfield, the larger of the two ...
England.
A stained glass window, designed by Christopher Webb, in
St Dunstan's Church, Mayfield, Surrey has been dedicated to the memory of Bourne and his wife, Alice.
St Dunstan Parish Church, Mayfield, Sussex - 31 December 2003
an
TQ5827 : Stained glass window, St Dunstan's church, Mayfield
/ref>
Publications
Bourne published the following books:
The Lo-fou Mountains: An Excursion
Gardening in Shanghai for Amateurs
Further reading
* , Vol. 1: ; Vol. 2: ; Vol. 3:
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bourne, Frederick Samuel Augustus
1854 births
1940 deaths
British diplomats in China
British Supreme Court for China judges
British Weihaiwei people
Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
People from Mayfield, East Sussex