Captain Gualterus Schneider (23 November 1772 - 10 September 1841) was the third Surveyor General of Ceylon. He was appointed in 1811, succeeding George Atkinson, and held the office until 1833. He was succeeded by F. B. Norris. Gualterus Schneider was born on 23 November 1772, in

Jaffna Jaffna (, ) is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a peninsula of the same name. With a population of 88,138 in 2012, Jaffna is Sri Lanka's 12th most ...

, Ceylon, the son of Lieutenant Johann Hendrich Schneider (1753-?)and Christina Elizabeth née Schoorman (1749-1779). Schneider was 23 and employed in the engineering service of the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...

as a landmeter (land surveyor), when the maritime provinces of Ceylon were ceded to the British. He accepted service under the British Government as

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...

and was placed in charge of the Royal Engineers and the Ceylon Pioneer

Lascars A lascar was a sailor or militiaman from the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, the Arab world, British Somaliland, or other land east of the Cape of Good Hope, who was employed on European ships from the 16th century until the middle of the 2 ...

, a labour corps officered by Europeans, which was engaged in the construction of roads and bridges. He was appointed as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 3rd Ceylon Rifles, in 1806 and promoted to captain in 1808. When the Survey Department was formed in August 1800, Schneider was appointed principal surveyor,

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

. He acted as

Surveyor-General A surveyor general is an official responsible for government surveying in a specific country or territory. Historically, this would often have been a military appointment, but it is now more likely to be a civilian post. The following surveyor gen ...

for a brief period when

Atkinson Atkinson may refer to: Places *Atkinson, Nova Scotia, Canada * Atkinson, Dominica, a village in Dominica *Atkinson, Illinois, U.S. * Atkinson, Indiana, U.S. *Atkinson, Maine, U.S. *Atkinson Lake, a lake in Minnesota, U.S. *Atkinson, Nebraska, U. ...

left the colony on leave, in preparation for his retirement. Schneider continued in an acting capacity following Atkinson's retirement for seven years before his appointment was made permanent 1818. In 1832, following extensive reforms to the Engineer, and Surveyor's Department he was pensioned off, after 22 years, on 18 March 1833. He was an ardent Freemason and held the high rank of 32°, and Grand Inspector. Schneider married twice, first to Sophia Statts (1780-1830) on 5 February 1797, and five months after her death, on 19 May 1831, to Elizabeth Katherina Stewart Titterton (1813-1839), daughter of James Titterton,

apothecary ''Apothecary'' () is a mostly archaic term for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses '' materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons, and patients. The modern chemist (British English) or pharmacist (British and North Ameri ...

of the colonial armed forces. He had two daughters, Johana Gertruida (1797-1822) and Maria Henrietta (1805-1834) by his first marriage and a son, Gualterus Fredrik (1833-1871), by the second. Schneider died on 10 September 1841 in

and was buried at

Wolvendaal Church Wolvendaal Church (''Wolvendaalse Kerk'') is located in Pettah, a neighbourhood of Colombo. It is one of the most important Dutch Colonial era buildings in Sri Lanka, and is one of the oldest Protestant churches still in use in the country. Hi ...

. His grandson, Sir Gualterus Stewart Schneider served as the 7th

Solicitor General of Ceylon The Solicitor General of Sri Lanka is a post subordinate to the Attorney General of Sri Lanka. The Solicitor General of Sri Lanka assists the Attorney General, and is assisted by four Additional Solicitors General. Note that the post was Solicit ...

(1917).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schneider, Gualterus Surveyors General of Ceylon Sri Lankan people of German descent People from Jaffna People of Dutch Ceylon 18th-century people of the Dutch Empire 19th-century people of the Dutch Empire 1772 births 1841 deaths Dutch East India Company people