Richard Clement Moody
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Military Merit of France (13 February 1813 – 31 March 1887) was a British governor, engineer, architect and soldier. He is best known for being the founder and the first
Lieutenant-Governor
A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
of
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
, being the
Commanding Executive Officer of Malta during the
Crimean War
The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia.
Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...
and being the first British
Governor of the Falkland Islands
The governor of the Falkland Islands is the representative of the British Crown in the Falkland Islands, acting "in His Majesty's name and on His Majesty's behalf" as the islands' ''de facto'' head of state in the absence of the British monarch ...
.
Moody, who is considered to be the founding father of
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
,
founded the
Colony of British Columbia The Colony of British Columbia refers to one of two colonies of British North America, located on the Pacific coast of modern-day Canada:
*Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866)
*Colony of British Columbia (1866–1871)
See also
*History of Br ...
, after he was selected to 'found a second
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
on the shores of the Pacific'
by
Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton, who desired to send to the nascent colony 'representatives of the best of
British culture
British culture is influenced by the combined nations' history; its historically Christian religious life, its interaction with the cultures of Europe, the traditions of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland and the impact of the British Empire. ...
' who had 'courtesy, high breeding, and urbane knowledge of the world'. The
British Government
ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd
, image = HM Government logo.svg
, image_size = 220px
, image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg
, image_size2 = 180px
, caption = Royal Arms
, date_es ...
considered Moody to be the definitive 'English
gentleman and British Officer'. Moody's official title was Commander of the
Royal Engineers, Columbia Detachment The Columbia Detachment of the Royal Engineers was a contingent of the Royal Engineers of the British Army that was responsible for the foundation of British Columbia as the Colony of British Columbia (1858–66). It was commanded by Colonel Richar ...
, Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works for British Columbia, and first
Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia
The lieutenant governor of British Columbia () is the viceregal representative of the , in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The office of lieutenant governor is an office of the Crown and serves as a representative of the monarchy in ...
. Moody founded the capital of
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
,
New Westminster
New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the capi ...
, and has been described as 'the real father of New Westminster'.
He also established the
Cariboo Road and
Stanley Park
Stanley Park is a public park in British Columbia, Canada that makes up the northwestern half of Vancouver's Downtown Peninsula, surrounded by waters of Burrard Inlet and English Bay. The park borders the neighbourhoods of West End and ...
, and named
Burnaby Lake
Burnaby Lake is a lake located in Burnaby, British Columbia and is the focal geographic feature and namesake of Burnaby Lake Regional Park. The lake occupies of land, and is home to a large variety of wildlife. At least 70 species of birds make ...
after his secretary
Robert Burnaby
Robert Burnaby (November 30, 1828 – January 10, 1878) was an English merchant, politician and civil servant in British Columbia, where he served as private secretary to Richard Clement Moody, the founder and first Lieutenant-Governor of Briti ...
and
Port Coquitlam's 400-foot 'Mary Hill' after his wife,
Mary Hawks. He also designed the first
Coat of Arms of British Columbia
The coat of arms of British Columbia is the heraldic symbol representing the Canadian province of British Columbia. The arms contains symbols reflecting British Columbia's British heritage along with local symbols. At the upper part of the shie ...
.
Port Moody
Port Moody is a city in British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It envelops the east end of Burrard Inlet and is the smallest of the Tri-Cities, bordered by Coquitlam on the east and south an ...
in British Columbia, and Moody Park and Moody Square in New Westminster, are named after him.
He was also the first
Governor of the Falkland Islands
The governor of the Falkland Islands is the representative of the British Crown in the Falkland Islands, acting "in His Majesty's name and on His Majesty's behalf" as the islands' ''de facto'' head of state in the absence of the British monarch ...
, and founded their settlements, including their capital
Port Stanley
Stanley (; also known as Port Stanley) is the capital city of the Falkland Islands. It is located on the island of East Falkland, on a north-facing slope in one of the wettest parts of the islands. At the 2016 census, the city had a popula ...
.
Moody Brook
Moody Brook is a small watercourse that flows into Stanley Harbour on East Falkland, Falkland Islands. It is near Stanley, Falkland Islands, Stanley, just to the north west, and was formerly the location of the town barracks, which were attac ...
in the Falkland Islands is named after him.
Moody Point in
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...
is also named after him.
Moody was a
polymath
A polymath ( el, πολυμαθής, , "having learned much"; la, homo universalis, "universal human") is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific pro ...
who excelled in engineering, and in architecture, and in music, and in science. He planned the restoration of
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age, although the nature of the early settlement is unclear. ...
using musical
chords
Chord may refer to:
* Chord (music), an aggregate of musical pitches sounded simultaneously
** Guitar chord a chord played on a guitar, which has a particular tuning
* Chord (geometry), a line segment joining two points on a curve
* Chord ( ...
, for which he was summoned to
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history.
The original cast ...
for commendation by
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
and
Prince Albert.
He has been described as 'a visionary in a plain land' and 'a man who could conceive of Edinburgh Castle in terms of a musical score'.
Birth and ancestry
Richard Clement Moody was born, on 13 February 1813,
at
St. Ann's Garrison,
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...
. He was the third of ten children
of
Colonel Thomas Moody, Kt., who was of an influential British family,
and of Martha Clement (1784 - 1868), who was the daughter of the Dutch landowner Richard Clement (1754 - 1829),
after whom Richard Clement Moody was named,
and through whom he was related to the cricketers
Reynold Clement
Major Reynold Alleyne Clement (3 March 1834 – 2 October 1905) was an English cricketer who played in three first-class matches. He was a member of Queen Victoria's personal bodyguard, and was also Clerk of the Course at Ascot Racecourse from ...
and
Richard Clement.
Richard Clement Moody's siblings included
Major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
Thomas Moody (1809 - 1839);
and
James Leith Moody
James Leith Moody (1816–1896) was a British clergyman who served as Chaplain to the Royal Navy in China, and to the British Army in the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Malta, and Crimea. He was the brother of Major-General Richard Clement Mood ...
(1816 -1896),
who was Chaplain to
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, and to the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
in the
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouzet ...
, and
Gibraltar
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
, and
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
, and
Crimea
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...
; and
Colonel Hampden Clement Blamire Moody CB (1821 - 1869),
who was Commander of the
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...
in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
during the
Second Opium War
The Second Opium War (), also known as the Second Anglo-Sino War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a colonial war lasting from 1856 to 1860, which pitted the British Empire and the French Emp ...
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 lasted fr ...
; and Shute Barrington Moody (b. 1818)
.
His paternal grandmother was Barbara Blamire of
Cumberland
Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...
who was a cousin of the MP
William Blamire
William Blamire (13 April 1790 – 12 January 1862) was a British landowner, civil servant, and Whig politician.
Background and education
Blamire was born at The Oaks, Dalston, England, to a family that originated in Cumberland. He was the el ...
and of the poet
Susanna Blamire
Susanna Blamire (12 January 1747 – 1794) was an English Romantic poet, sometimes known as 'The Muse of Cumberland' because many of her poems represent rural life in the county and, therefore, provide a valuable contradistinction to those am ...
.
Education
Richard Clement Moody was
educated by private tutors before he enrolled, when he was aged 14 years, in the
Royal Military Academy, Woolwich
The Royal Military Academy (RMA) at Woolwich, in south-east London, was a British Army military academy for the training of commissioned officers of the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers. It later also trained officers of the Royal Corps of Sig ...
, at which he was a Gentleman Cadet
who became Head of School in his second year and graduated in his third year. Like his father,
and like his brother Hampden Clement Blamire Moody, Richard Clement Moody was a
polymath
A polymath ( el, πολυμαθής, , "having learned much"; la, homo universalis, "universal human") is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific pro ...
who excelled in engineering, and in architecture, and in music, and in science. He planned the restoration of
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age, although the nature of the early settlement is unclear. ...
using musical
chords
Chord may refer to:
* Chord (music), an aggregate of musical pitches sounded simultaneously
** Guitar chord a chord played on a guitar, which has a particular tuning
* Chord (geometry), a line segment joining two points on a curve
* Chord ( ...
.
[Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Volume 90, Issue 1887, 1887, pp. 453-455, OBITUARY. MAJOR-GENERAL RICHARD CLEMENT MOODY, R.E., 1813-1887.]
Overview of military and civil career
Richard Clement trained on the
Ordnance Survey
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, nativename_r =
, logo = Ordnance Survey 2015 Logo.svg
, logo_width = 240px
, logo_caption =
, seal =
, seal_width =
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, picture_width =
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, preceding1 =
, di ...
in 1829,
and he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...
in 1830.
He was promoted to Lieutenant 1835, to Second Captain in 1844, to Captain in 1847, to Lieutenant-Colonel in 1855, to Colonel in 1858, and to
Major-General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
in 1866.
Moody served with the Ordnance Survey in Ireland from 1832
to 1833.
He served on St. Vincent from October 1833
to September 1837,
and, subsequently, on a tour the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, with
Sir Charles Felix Smith, from 1837
to 1838.
On his return from the USA, Moody was stationed at Devonport.
Moody served as Professor of Fortifications at
Royal Military Academy, Woolwich
The Royal Military Academy (RMA) at Woolwich, in south-east London, was a British Army military academy for the training of commissioned officers of the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers. It later also trained officers of the Royal Corps of Sig ...
from July 1838
to October 1841.
Moody was in October 1841 appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the Falkland-Islands: this office was renamed Governor of the Falkland Islands in 1843, when he also became Commander-in-Chief of the Falkland Islands. He served in these offices until July 1848, when he left Stanley, and arrived in England in February 1849.
Moody in 1848 received the
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Military Merit of France.
He served as an
aide-de-camp to the British Colonial Office, on special service, from August 1849.
He served at
Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham (at its most extensive, in the early 20th century, ...
and at Plymouth during 1851.
Moody was appointed Commanding Royal Engineer of
Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1852, as which he served until 1854.
Moody was Executive Officer at
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
, during 1854, during the
Crimean War
The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia.
Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...
, but was compelled to resign from this post in May 1855
as a consequence of insufficient health.
He toured
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
before his appointment as Commander of the Royal Engineers in Scotland in November 1855.
Moody was appointed the Commander of the
Royal Engineers, Columbia Detachment The Columbia Detachment of the Royal Engineers was a contingent of the Royal Engineers of the British Army that was responsible for the foundation of British Columbia as the Colony of British Columbia (1858–66). It was commanded by Colonel Richar ...
; the Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works for British Columbia; and the first
Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia
The lieutenant governor of British Columbia () is the viceregal representative of the , in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The office of lieutenant governor is an office of the Crown and serves as a representative of the monarchy in ...
, from December 1858 to July 1863.
Moody arrived in England, from British Columbia, in December 1863.
He was Commanding Royal Engineer at
Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham (at its most extensive, in the early 20th century, ...
between March 1864 and 1866.
as which he served until January 1866.
On 25 January 1866, he was promoted to
Major-General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
, and he retired from the British Army, on full pay, later that month.
Moody then served as a Municipal Commissioner,
and expended his time between the learned societies of which he was a member.
Moody was elected an Associate of the
Institution of Civil Engineers
The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association for civil engineers and a charitable body in the United Kingdom. Based in London, ICE has over 92,000 members, of whom three-quarters are located in the UK, whi ...
on 23 April 1839, and was therefore one of its oldest members. He was also a
Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star.
Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...
, and a Member of the
Royal Agricultural Society, and an Honorary Associate of the
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...
.
Moody in 1848 received the
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Military Merit of France.
Moody during his retirement lived at
Caynham Court, Ludlow, Shropshire and later at Fairfield House,
Charmouth
Charmouth is a village and civil parish in west Dorset, England. The village is situated on the mouth of the River Char, around north-east of Lyme Regis. Dorset County Council estimated that in 2013 the population of the civil parish was 1,31 ...
,
Lyme Regis
Lyme Regis is a town in west Dorset, England, west of Dorchester and east of Exeter. Sometimes dubbed the "Pearl of Dorset", it lies by the English Channel at the Dorset–Devon border. It has noted fossils in cliffs and beaches on the Heri ...
.
His friends included the politician and novelist
Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton,
and the biologist
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker.
Richard Clement Moody died at the Royal Bath Hotel, Bournemouth on 31 March 1887,
whilst visiting Bournemouth with his daughter,
and was buried at
St Peter's Church, Bournemouth.
He was not able to fulfil his intention to return to British Columbia. He left over £24,000 in money, a vast sum in the Victorian age, in addition to his estates.
Governor of the Falkland Islands (October 1841 – July 1848)
Settlement
In 1833 the United Kingdom asserted authority over the Falkland Islands. In 1841, Moody, aged only 28 years, was appointed, on the recommendation of
Lord Vivian, to be the first Lieutenant-Governor of the Falkland Islands.
It is likely that the illustrious reputation, at the Colonial Office, of Richard Clement Moody's father,
Colonel Thomas Moody, Kt., contributed to the Office's decision to appoint him to such an important position at an unprecedentedly young age,
and, furthermore, to grant him powers that were exceptional even relative to those possessed by other colonial Governors.
Richard Clement Moody departed England, for Falkland, on 1 October 1841.
This post was renamed
Governor of the Falkland Islands
The governor of the Falkland Islands is the representative of the British Crown in the Falkland Islands, acting "in His Majesty's name and on His Majesty's behalf" as the islands' ''de facto'' head of state in the absence of the British monarch ...
in 1843, when Richard Clement also became Commander-in-Chief of the Falkland Islands.
Moody was directed by
Lord John Russell
John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, (18 August 1792 – 28 May 1878), known by his courtesy title Lord John Russell before 1861, was a British Whig and Liberal statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1852 and a ...
to exercise an authority of 'influence, persuasion, and example'.
Moody left England, for Falkland, on 9 October 1842.
When Moody arrived, on board the Hebe,
at
Port Louis
Port Louis (french: Port-Louis; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Polwi or , ) is the capital city of Mauritius. It is mainly located in the Port Louis District, with a small western part in the Black River District. Port Louis is the country's e ...
on 16 January 1842,
the Falklands was 'almost in a state of anarchy', but he used his powers 'with great wisdom and moderation'
to develop the Islands' infrastructure.
During his first years on the Islands, Moody's only social equal was his secretary, Murrell Robinson Robinson
ic a surveyor and engineer, who was the nephew of one of Moody's tutors.
Moody appointed Robinson as a JP in 1843. However, Moody and Robinson had an altercation in March 1845 in which Moody banished Murrell from the Islands, telling Robinson to set out 'axe in hand' for some other colony.
Moody completed a comprehensive General Report of the Falkland Islands for the British Government: it was completed on 14 April 1842 and was sent to London on 3 May.
In his General Report, Moody recommended that the Government encourage settlers and promote extensive sheep farming. He estimated the population of sheep to be 40,000 in 1842 and encouraged the Government to import quality stock from Britain to be crossed with the local breeds: this policy was implemented to considerable success and was adopted by future settlers.
The botanist
Joseph Dalton Hooker
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker (30 June 1817 – 10 December 1911) was a British botanist and explorer in the 19th century. He was a founder of geographical botany and Charles Darwin's closest friend. For twenty years he served as director of t ...
, who arrived on the Islands with the expedition of
Sir James Clark Ross
Sir James Clark Ross (15 April 1800 – 3 April 1862) was a British Royal Navy officer and polar explorer known for his explorations of the Arctic, participating in two expeditions led by his uncle John Ross, and four led by William Edwa ...
, described Moody as 'a very active and intelligent young man, most anxious to improve the colony and gain every information
icrespecting its products'. Moody granted Hooker full use of his personal library, which Hooker described as 'excellent',
and the two developed a close friendship.
Moody's refusal to acquiesce to George Thomas Whitington's attempt to force Moody to travel to the Falkland Islands in Whitington's brig ''Alarm'' provoked a feud between the Moody family and the Whitington family (the latter of which included John Bull Whitington in the Falkland Islands) that continued throughout Moody's tenure as Governor of the Falkland Islands. Whitington criticised Moody in the Colonial Magazine of November 1844.
The Foundation of Stanley
Almost directly after Moody's arrival in 1842 the
Antarctic
The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and other ...
Expedition of
Sir James Clark Ross
Sir James Clark Ross (15 April 1800 – 3 April 1862) was a British Royal Navy officer and polar explorer known for his explorations of the Arctic, participating in two expeditions led by his uncle John Ross, and four led by William Edwa ...
sailed into Port Louis. Ross advised Moody that he should choose for his capital a site that was more easily accessible to sailing ships than Port Louis. Moody followed his advice and investigated the suitability of Port William, which had been recommended by
Lord John Russell
John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, (18 August 1792 – 28 May 1878), known by his courtesy title Lord John Russell before 1861, was a British Whig and Liberal statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1852 and a ...
,
which Moody concluded to be the best site for the new capital of the
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouzet ...
. He renamed the site
Port Stanley
Stanley (; also known as Port Stanley) is the capital city of the Falkland Islands. It is located on the island of East Falkland, on a north-facing slope in one of the wettest parts of the islands. At the 2016 census, the city had a popula ...
after
Lord Stanley
Earl of Derby ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the en ...
, Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, and founded and developed the city, to which he moved his administration moved in 1845.
Moody designed Government House in Stanley, although his design was only completed in 1850, one year after he had returned to England.
Sir James Ross subsequently named
Moody Point, off
Joinville Island
Joinville Island is the largest island of the Joinville Island group, about long in an east-west direction and wide, lying off the northeastern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, from which it is separated by the Antarctic Sound. Joinville Isla ...
in
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...
, after Richard Clement Moody.
In Falkland, Moody levied a tax on alcohol, without any authorisation from London, and, because there was a lack of currency on the island, issued his own currency, of promissory notes, also without authorisation from London. Both measures resolved immediate problems on the Islands, but Moody was criticized in Parliament, by
Sir William Molesworth, 8th Baronet
Sir William Molesworth, 8th Baronet, (23 May 181022 October 1855) was a Radical British politician, who served in the coalition cabinet of The Earl of Aberdeen from 1853 until his death in 1855 as First Commissioner of Works and then Secret ...
, for the latter.
In June 1843, when Moody's office was renamed 'Governor' (from Lieutenant-Governor), Moody was instructed by the Colonial Office to establish a colonial administration with a Legislative Council and an Executive Council.
The records of Moody’s 'conscientious' and 'impressive' administration of Falkland are held in the Jane Cameron National Archives in Stanley.
Moody enacted laws, collected duties and taxes, and enforced order. He asked the British authorities for a doctor, a magistrate, and a chaplain: all three were dispatched, the latter being Richard Clement’s brother,
James Leith Moody
James Leith Moody (1816–1896) was a British clergyman who served as Chaplain to the Royal Navy in China, and to the British Army in the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Malta, and Crimea. He was the brother of Major-General Richard Clement Mood ...
,
who arrived in October 1845, proved himself to be 'querulous and eccentric', and engaged in a feud with his brother.
Richard Clement established residences, Government offices, a barracks, a new road system, docks, a court of law, a gaol, a school, a church, a graveyard, and a police force.
He established the requested Executive Council and a Legislative Council in 1845, each consisting of British officials, merchants, and local landowners.
Moody's activities were impeded by the incompetence of several members of his administration, and he dismissed several of them.
When during 1846 Moody's father Thomas was posted, from the Colonial Office, to Guernsey, and
Henry Grey, 3rd Earl Grey
Henry George Grey, 3rd Earl Grey (28 December 18029 October 1894), known as Viscount Howick from 1807 until 1845, was an English statesman.
Background
Grey was the eldest son of Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, who served as Prime Minister in the ...
became
Secretary of State for War and the Colonies
The Secretary of State for War and the Colonies was a British cabinet-level position responsible for the army and the British colonies (other than India).
The Secretary was supported by an Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies.
Hist ...
, the Colonial Office became less sympathetic to Moody.
Moody repudiated the original settlers of the Islands, but praised his Royal Engineers: he wrote, ''our community... chiefly composed of men of the lowest class, formerly seamen in whale ships & sealers, foreigners and Spanish gauchos... the only persons opposed to such wretched material for the formation of a colony are the 5 or 6 gentlemen and the detachment of Royal Sappers and Miners.''
Militia
In 1845, animosity on the
River Plate between the British and the French fleets and the
Argentine Government
The government of Argentina, within the framework of a federal system, is a presidential representative democratic republic. The President of Argentina is both head of state and head of government. Executive power is exercised by the Presiden ...
of
Juan Manuel de Rosas
Juan Manuel José Domingo Ortiz de Rosas (30 March 1793 – 14 March 1877), nicknamed "Restorer of the Laws", was an Argentine politician and army officer who ruled Buenos Aires Province and briefly the Argentine Confederation. Althoug ...
provoked Moody to request an artillery contingent from Britain and to raise his own militia using his Royal Engineers to train the local population. In 1891, the militia founded by Moody was renamed the Falkland Islands Volunteer Force: it was later renamed again to the
Falkland Islands Defence Force
The Falkland Islands Defence Force (FIDF) is the locally maintained volunteer defence unit in the Falkland Islands, a British Overseas Territory. The FIDF works alongside the military units supplied by the United Kingdom to ensure the security ...
, and it saw action in both World Wars and during the
Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands in 1982,
when, coincidentally, one of the focal points of the Argentine offensive was
Moody Brook
Moody Brook is a small watercourse that flows into Stanley Harbour on East Falkland, Falkland Islands. It is near Stanley, Falkland Islands, Stanley, just to the north west, and was formerly the location of the town barracks, which were attac ...
, named after Richard Clement.
Permanent infrastructure
Moody’s authority provoked antipathy in his subordinates, especially his inequable brother James Leith, the Chaplain to the British Force in the Islands. However, from the perspective of the British Government, Richard Clement Moody's tenure was a success, the consequence of which has been 180 years of
British administration of the islands.
In 1994, to mark the 150th anniversary of the founding of Stanley, Moody, together with James Clark Ross and Lord Stanley, was commemorated on the Falkland Islands stamps issued.
Government House in Stanley, which was designed by Moody, featured on the stamps issued in 1933, to commemorate the Centenary, on those issued in 1983, to commemorate 150 years of British administration of the Islands, and on those issued in 1996 to commemorate the visit, in January of that year, by
Princess Anne
Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of K ...
.
Moody Brook
Moody Brook is a small watercourse that flows into Stanley Harbour on East Falkland, Falkland Islands. It is near Stanley, Falkland Islands, Stanley, just to the north west, and was formerly the location of the town barracks, which were attac ...
is named after Richard Clement.
In 1845 Moody introduced
tussock grass
Tussock grasses or bunch grasses are a group of grass species in the family Poaceae. They usually grow as singular plants in clumps, tufts, hummocks, or bunches, rather than forming a sod or lawn, in meadows, grasslands, and prairies. As perennial ...
into Great Britain from Falkland, for which he received the gold medal of the
Royal Agricultural Society.
Moody wrote an account of tussock grass in the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society (IV.17, V.50,VII.73).
The
Coat of arms of the Falkland Islands
The coat of arms of the Falkland Islands is the heraldic device consisting of a shield charged with a ram on tussock grass in a blue field at the top and a sailing ship on white and blue wavy lines underneath. Adopted in 1948, it has been the ...
notably includes an image of tussock grass.
Moody left the Falkland Islands, for England, on HM Transport Nautilus, in July 1848.
Moody arrived in England in February 1849.
Britain and Malta (February 1849 - October 1858)
Moody in 1848 received the
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Military Merit of France.
He served as an
aide-de-camp to the British Colonial Office, on special service, from August 1849.
During this period, Richard Clement tended to his father,
Colonel Thomas Moody, Kt.
Richard Clement Moody served at
Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham (at its most extensive, in the early 20th century, ...
and at Plymouth during 1851.
Moody was appointed Commanding Royal Engineer of
Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1852, as which he served until 1854.
During Moody's appointment in this position, a great reservoir at Holmfirth, Yorkshire, burst, on 5 February 1852, and destroyed life and property, and Moody was employed to direct the relief effort and to inspect the other reservoirs in the district.
Moody was promoted to
Regimental Colonel on 8 December 1853.
Moody was appointed Executive Officer of
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
, during 1854, during the
Crimean War
The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia.
Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...
. Whilst at Malta, his eldest son,
Richard Stanley Hawks Moody
Colonel Richard Stanley Hawks Moody, (23 October 1854 – 10 March 1930) was a distinguished British Army officer, and historian, and Military Knight of Windsor. He was the eldest son of Major-General Richard Clement Moody, Kt. (who was the fo ...
, later a distinguished Colonel in the British Army, was born, on 23 October 1854, at
Strada Reale,
Valletta
Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...
.
However, Richard Clement Moody was compelled by his
Yellow Fever
Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...
to resign from his post in May 1855.
He toured Germany
before his appointment as
Commander of the Royal Engineers in Scotland in November 1855, as which he served until October 1858.
Moody was in Scotland involved in architectural projects,
and enjoyed the intellectual society of Edinburgh
where he met some of the most learned men of Scotland in science and in the arts.
Musical Plan for Edinburgh Castle and Queen Victoria
Whilst in Germany, after his resignation from his office at Malta, Moody composed plans for the restoration of
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age, although the nature of the early settlement is unclear. ...
that were based on a musical architectural principle in which measurements were made 'drawn to musical
chords'.
He has been described as 'a visionary in a plain land' and 'a man who could conceive of Edinburgh Castle in terms of a musical score'.< His plans so impressed
Lord Panmure that he was invited to Windsor Castle to present them to
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
and
Prince Albert, both of whom were talented musicians and both of whom were delighted.
The implementation of Moody's plans was disrupted by the retirement of
Lord Panmure and they were never implemented. They are retained at 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 ...
, where 'they still remain a memorial to Moody's talent'.
Founder and first Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia (October 1858 - July 1863)
Selection
When news of the
Fraser Canyon Gold Rush
The Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, (also Fraser Gold Rush and Fraser River Gold Rush) began in 1858 after gold was discovered on the Thompson River in British Columbia at its confluence with the Nicoamen River a few miles upstream from the Thompson's c ...
reached London,
Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Secretary of State for the Colonies, requested that War Office recommend a field officer who were 'a man of good judgement possessing a knowledge of mankind' to lead a Corps of 150 (later increased to 172) Royal Engineers who had been selected for their 'superior discipline and intelligence'.
The War Office chose Moody: and Lord Lytton, who described Moody as his 'distinguished friend',
accepted their nomination, as a consequence of Moody's military record, his success as Governor of the Falkland Islands, and the distinguished record of his father,
Colonel Thomas Moody, Knight, at the Colonial Office.
Moody was charged to establish British order and to transform the new
Colony of British Columbia (1858–66) The Colony of British Columbia refers to one of two colonies of British North America, located on the Pacific coast of modern-day Canada:
*Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866)
*Colony of British Columbia (1866–1871)
See also
*History of Br ...
into the British Empire's 'bulwark in the farthest west' and 'found a second England on the shores of the Pacific'.
Lytton desired to send to the colony 'representatives of the best of British culture, not just a police force': men who possessed 'courtesy, high breeding and urbane knowledge of the world' such as Moody, whom the Government considered to be the archetypal 'English gentleman and British Officer' to command the
Royal Engineers, Columbia Detachment The Columbia Detachment of the Royal Engineers was a contingent of the Royal Engineers of the British Army that was responsible for the foundation of British Columbia as the Colony of British Columbia (1858–66). It was commanded by Colonel Richar ...
. Moody's brother,
Colonel Hampden Clement Blamire Moody, had already served with the
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...
in British Columbia, from 1840 to 1848,
to such success that he was subsequently granted command of the Regiment across the entirety of
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
.
Richard Clement Moody and his wife Mary Hawks (of the
Hawks industrial dynasty and of the Boyd
merchant banking
A merchant bank is historically a bank dealing in commercial loans and investment. In modern British usage it is the same as an investment bank. Merchant banks were the first modern banks and evolved from medieval merchants who traded in commod ...
family) and their four children left England, for British Columbia, in October 1858, and arrived in
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
in December 1858,
with the 172 Royal Engineers of the
Royal Engineers, Columbia Detachment The Columbia Detachment of the Royal Engineers was a contingent of the Royal Engineers of the British Army that was responsible for the foundation of British Columbia as the Colony of British Columbia (1858–66). It was commanded by Colonel Richar ...
, and his secretary the
freemason
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
Robert Burnaby
Robert Burnaby (November 30, 1828 – January 10, 1878) was an English merchant, politician and civil servant in British Columbia, where he served as private secretary to Richard Clement Moody, the founder and first Lieutenant-Governor of Briti ...
(after whom he subsequently named
Burnaby Lake
Burnaby Lake is a lake located in Burnaby, British Columbia and is the focal geographic feature and namesake of Burnaby Lake Regional Park. The lake occupies of land, and is home to a large variety of wildlife. At least 70 species of birds make ...
), under his command.
The original Columbia Detachment consisted of 150 Royal Engineers, both sappers and officers, before it was increased to 172. Moody had three Captains:
Robert Mann Parsons,
John Marshall Grant, and
Henry Reynolds Luard. The contingent included two Lieutenants, both of
British landed gentry, namely
Lieutenant Arthur Reid Lempriere (of Diélament, Jersey) and
Lieutenant Henry Spencer Palmer, and
Doctor John Vernon Seddall, and
Captain William Driscoll Gosset (who was to be Colonial Treasurer and Commissary Officer), and
The Rev. John Sheepshanks (who was to be Chaplain of the Columbia Detachment).
Moody was sworn in as the first
Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia
The lieutenant governor of British Columbia () is the viceregal representative of the , in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The office of lieutenant governor is an office of the Crown and serves as a representative of the monarchy in ...
and appointed Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works for British Columbia.
Ned McGowan's War
Moody had hoped to begin immediately the foundation of a capital city, but on his arrival at Fort Langley, he learned of an insurrection, at the settlement of Hill's Bar, by a notorious outlaw, Ned McGowan, and some restive gold miners.
Moody repressed the rebellion, which became popularly known as '
Ned McGowan's War', without loss of life.
Moody described the incident:
''The notorious Ned McGowan, of Californian celebrity at the head of a band of
Yankee Rowdies defying the law! Every peaceable citizen frightened out of his wits!—Summons & warrants laughed to scorn! A Magistrate seized while on the Bench, & brought to the Rebel's camp, tried, condemned, & heavily fined! A man shot dead shortly before! Such a tale to welcome me at the close of a day of great enjoyment.''
Moody described the response to his success: 'They gave me a Salute, firing off their loaded Revolvers over my head—Pleasant—Balls whistling over one's head! as a compliment! Suppose a hand had dropped by accident! I stood up, & raised my cap & thanked them in the Queen's name for their loyal reception of me'.
The Foundation of New Westminster
In British Columbia, Moody 'wanted to build a city of beauty in the wilderness' and planned his city as an iconic visual metaphor for British dominance, 'styled and located with the objective of reinforcing the authority of the Crown and of the robe'. Subsequent to the enactment of the Pre-emption Act of 1860, Moody settled the
Lower Mainland. He founded the new capital city,
New Westminster
New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the capi ...
,
at a site of dense forest of Douglas pine
that he selected for its strategic excellence including the quality of its port. He, in his letter to his friend Arthur Blackwood of the Colonial Office that is dated 1 February 1859, described the majestic beauty of the site:
''"The entrance to the Frazer is very striking--Extending miles to the right & left are low marsh lands (apparently of very rich qualities) & yet
fr the Background of Superb Mountains- Swiss in outline, dark in woods, grandly towering into the clouds there is a sublimity that deeply impresses you. Everything is large and magnificent, worthy of the entrance to the Queen of England's dominions on the Pacific mainland.
..My imagination converted the silent marshes into
Cuyp The surname Cuyp (sometimes spelled Kuyp) is shared by three painters who lived during the Dutch Golden Age:
* Jacob Gerritsz. Cuyp (1594–1651 or 1652)
* his half-brother Benjamin Gerritsz Cuyp (1612–1652)
* Jacob's son Aelbert Cuyp
...
-like pictures of horses and cattle lazily fattening in rich meadows in a glowing sunset.
..The water of the deep clear Frazer was of a glassy stillness, not a ripple before us, except when a fish rose to the surface or broods of wild ducks fluttered away"''.
Moody designed the roads and the settlements of New Westminster,
and his Royal Engineers, under Captain John Marshall Grant,
built an extensive road network, including that which became
Kingsway, which connected New Westminster to
False Creek
False Creek (french: Faux ruisseau) is a short narrow inlet in the heart of Vancouver, separating the Downtown and West End neighbourhoods from the rest of the city. It is one of the four main bodies of water bordering Vancouver, along with Eng ...
; and the North Road between
Port Moody
Port Moody is a city in British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It envelops the east end of Burrard Inlet and is the smallest of the Tri-Cities, bordered by Coquitlam on the east and south an ...
and New Westminster; and the Pacific terminus, at Burrard's Inlet, of Port Moody, of the Canadian and Pacific Railway (which subsequently was extended to the mouth of the Inlet and terminates now at Vancouver);
and the
Cariboo Road; and
Stanley Park
Stanley Park is a public park in British Columbia, Canada that makes up the northwestern half of Vancouver's Downtown Peninsula, surrounded by waters of Burrard Inlet and English Bay. The park borders the neighbourhoods of West End and ...
, which was an important strategic area for invaluable the eventuality of an invasion by America. He named
Burnaby Lake
Burnaby Lake is a lake located in Burnaby, British Columbia and is the focal geographic feature and namesake of Burnaby Lake Regional Park. The lake occupies of land, and is home to a large variety of wildlife. At least 70 species of birds make ...
after his secretary Robert Burnaby, and he named Port Coquitlam's 400-foot 'Mary Hill' after his wife Mary Hawks. Moody designed the first
Coat of arms of British Columbia
The coat of arms of British Columbia is the heraldic symbol representing the Canadian province of British Columbia. The arms contains symbols reflecting British Columbia's British heritage along with local symbols. At the upper part of the shie ...
.
Richard Clement Moody established
Port Moody
Port Moody is a city in British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It envelops the east end of Burrard Inlet and is the smallest of the Tri-Cities, bordered by Coquitlam on the east and south an ...
, which was subsequently named after him, at the end of the trail that connected New Westminster with Burrard Inlet, to defend New Westminster from potential attack from the United States.
Moody also established a town at Hastings which was later incorporated into Vancouver.
The British designated multiple tracts as government reserves. The Pre-emption Act did not specify conditions for the distribution of the land, and, consequently, large areas were bought by speculators.
Moody requisitioned 3,750 acres (sc. 1,517 hectares) for himself,
and, on this land, he subsequently built for himself, and owned, Mayfield, a model farm near New Westminster.
Moody was criticised by journalists for
land grabbing,
but his requisitions were ordered by the Colonial Office,
and Moody throughout his tenure in British Columbia received the approbation of the British authorities in London,
and was in British Columbia described as 'the real father of New Westminster'.
However, Lord Lytton, then Secretary of State for the Colonies, 'forgot the practicalities of paying for clearing and developing the site and the town' and the efforts of Moody's Engineers were continually impeded by insufficient funds, which, together with the continuous opposition of Governor Douglas, 'made it impossible for
oody'sdesign to be fulfilled'.
Moody's 5th, 6th, and 7th children, all daughters, were born at Government House in New Westminster. He is thought to have also fathered at least two illegitimate children with his Native American housekeeper.
The Feud with Governor Douglas
Throughout his tenure in British Columbia, Moody feuded with
Sir James Douglas Governor of Vancouver Island, whose jurisdiction overlapped with his own. Moody's offices of Chief Commissioner and Lieutenant-Governor were of 'higher prestige
ndlesser authority' than that of Douglas, despite Moody's superior social position in the judgement of the Royal Engineers and of the British Government which had selected Moody to 'out manoeuvre the old Hudson's Bay Factor
overnor Douglas.
Moody had been selected by Lord Lytton for his qualities of the archetypal 'English gentleman and British Officer', and because his family was 'eminently respectable': he was the son of
Colonel Thomas Moody, Kt., who owned land in the islands in which Douglas's father owned less land and from which Douglas's 'a half-breed' mother originated. Governor Douglas's ethnicity was 'an affront to Victorian society', whereas Mary Moody was a member of the
Hawks industrial dynasty and of the Boyd
merchant banking
A merchant bank is historically a bank dealing in commercial loans and investment. In modern British usage it is the same as an investment bank. Merchant banks were the first modern banks and evolved from medieval merchants who traded in commod ...
family.
Mary Moody wrote, on 4 August 1859, 'it is not pleasant to serve under a Hudson's Bay Factor', and that the 'Governor and Richard can never get on'. John Robson, who was the editor of the ''British Columbian'', wanted Richard Clement Moody's office to include that of Governor of British Columbia, and to thereby make obsolete Douglas.
In letter to the Colonial Office of 27 December 1858, Richard Clement Moody states that he has 'entirely disarmed
ouglasof all jealously'. Douglas repeatedly insulted the Royal Engineers by attempting to assume their command and refusing to acknowledge their contribution to the nascent colony.
Margaret A. Ormsby, who was the author of the Dictionary of Canadian Biography entry for Moody (2002), unpopularly censures Moody for the abortive development of the New Westminster.
However, most significant historians commend Moody's contribution and exonerate Moody from culpability for the abortive development of New Westminster, especially with regard to the perpetual insufficiency of funds and of the personally motivated opposition by Douglas that continually retarded the development of British Columbia.
Robert Burnaby
Robert Burnaby (November 30, 1828 – January 10, 1878) was an English merchant, politician and civil servant in British Columbia, where he served as private secretary to Richard Clement Moody, the founder and first Lieutenant-Governor of Briti ...
observed that Douglas proceeded with 'muddling
oody'swork and doubling his expenditure'
and with employing administrators to 'work a crooked policy against Moody' to 'retard British Columbia and build up... the stronghold of
Hudson's Bay interests' and their own 'landed stake'.
Therefore, Robert Edgar Cail, Don W. Thomson, Ishiguro, and Scott commended Moody for his contribution, and Scott accused Ormsby of being 'adamant in her dislike of Colonel Moody' despite the majority of evidence, and almost all other biographies of Moody, including that by the Institution of Civil Engineers, and that by the Royal Engineers, and that by the British Columbia Historical Association, commend Moody's achievements in British Columbia.
The
Royal Engineers, Columbia Detachment The Columbia Detachment of the Royal Engineers was a contingent of the Royal Engineers of the British Army that was responsible for the foundation of British Columbia as the Colony of British Columbia (1858–66). It was commanded by Colonel Richar ...
was disbanded in July 1863. The Moody family (which now consisted of Moody, and his wife, and seven legitimate children)
and the 22 Royal Engineers who wished to return to England, who had 8 wives between them, departed for England.
130 of the original Columbia Detachment decided to remain in British Columbia.
Scott contends that the dissolution of the Columbia Detachment, and the consequent departure of Moody, 'doomed' the development of the settlement and the realisation of Lord Lytton's dream. A vast congregation of New Westminster citizens gathered at the dock to bid farewell to Moody as his boat departed for England. Moody wanted to return to British Columbia, but he died before he was able to do so. Moody left his library behind, in New Westminster, to become the public library of New Westminster.
In April 1863, the Councillors of New Westminster decreed that 20 acres should be reserved and named Moody Square after Richard Clement Moody. The area around Moody Square that was completed only in 1889 has also been named Moody Park after Moody. Numerous developments occurred in and around Moody Park, including Century House, which was opened by
Princess Margaret
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth ...
on 23 July 1958. In 1984, on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of New Westminster, a monument of Richard Clement Moody, at the entrance of the park, was unveiled by Mayor Tom Baker. For Moody's achievements in the Falkland Islands and in British Columbia,
British diplomat David Tatham CMG, who served as Governor of the Falkland Islands, described Moody as an 'Empire builder'.
In January 2014, with the support of the Friends of the British Columbia Archives and of the Royal British Columbia Museum Foundation, The Royal British Columbia Museum purchased a photograph album that had belonged to Richard Clement Moody. The album contains over 100 photographs of the early settlement of British Columbia, including some of the earliest known photographs of First Nations peoples.
Marriage and issue
On 6 July 1852, at
St Andrew's Church, Newcastle upon Tyne
St Andrew's Church, Newcastle upon Tyne is a Grade I listed parish church in the Church of England in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England.
History
The church dates from the 12th century, but is mainly of 13th and 14th century constructi ...
, Moody married Mary Susannah Hawks of the
Hawks industrial dynasty, who was the daughter of the merchant banker
Joseph Hawks JP DL Sheriff of Newcastle,
and of Mary Boyd of the Boyd
merchant banking
A merchant bank is historically a bank dealing in commercial loans and investment. In modern British usage it is the same as an investment bank. Merchant banks were the first modern banks and evolved from medieval merchants who traded in commod ...
family. Mary Hawks's maternal uncles included Admiral
Benedictus Marwood Kelly
Benedictus Marwood Kelly (3 February 1785 – 26 September 1867) was an officer of the Royal Navy. He rose to the rank of Admiral (Royal Navy), admiral after service in the French Revolutionary Wars, French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars ...
and industrialist
Edward Fenwick Boyd
Edward Fenwick Boyd (30 August 1810 – 31 August 1889) was an English industrialist who became the fourth President of the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers (NEIMME). He held a leading role in the Mining Institute ...
.
After their marriage, Richard and Mary Moody embarked on a
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tuto ...
of Europe, including of
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, and of
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, and of
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
.
Richard Clement Moody named the 400-foot hill in
Port Coquitlam
Port Coquitlam ( ) is a city in British Columbia, Canada. Located east of Vancouver, it is on the north bank of the confluence of the Fraser River and the Pitt River. Coquitlam borders it on the north, the Coquitlam River borders it on the west, ...
, British Columbia, 'Mary Hill', after his wife. However, Mary Moody disliked British Columbia, and described living there as 'roughing it in the bush' relative to living in England. The Royal British Columbia Museum has 42 letters written by Mary Moody from the
British Empire
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
, mostly from the
Colony of British Columbia (1858–66) The Colony of British Columbia refers to one of two colonies of British North America, located on the Pacific coast of modern-day Canada:
*Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866)
*Colony of British Columbia (1866–1871)
See also
*History of Br ...
, to her mother and to her sister, Emily Hawks, who were in England. Mary Moody was highly erudite in English and in French literature, and her letters were of interest to scholars of British families during the Victorian period.
Moody and Mary Hawks had 13 children.
Moody is thought to have also fathered at least two illegitimate children with his Native American housekeeper whom he left in British Columbia.
The 13 children of Moody and Mary Hawks were:
# Josephine ('Zeffie')
Mary (b. 1853, Newcastle, d. 1923). A fabric embroiderer of
Fisherton de la Mere. Married Arthur Newall, who was a son of
Robert Stirling Newall
Robert Stirling Newall FRS FRAS (27 May 1812 – 21 April 1889) was a Scottish engineer and astronomer.
Life and work
Born at Dundee on 27 May 1812, Newall began work in a local mercantile office before leaving for London, where, in the emplo ...
, in 1883, by whom she had two sons: namely Robert Stanley (b. 1884),
who was an archaeologist for the
Commissioners of Woods and Forests
The Commissioners of Woods, Forests and Land Revenues were established in the United Kingdom in 1810 by merging the former offices of Surveyor General of Woods, Forests, Parks, and Chases and Surveyor General of the Land Revenues of the Crown in ...
, and who made excavations at
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around high, wide, and weighing around 25 tons, topped by connectin ...
with
William Hawley; and Basil (b. 1885).
#
Colonel Richard S. Hawks Moody CB Military Knight of Windsor (b. 1854,
Valetta
Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 was ...
, Malta - d. 1930,
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history.
The original cast ...
). Married Mary Latimer, 1881, by whom he had four children. His eldest daughter, Mary Latimer, married the military surgeon
Major-General James Fitzgerald Martin KStJ. His youngest daughter, Barbara Bindon, married the choral conductor
James W. Webb-Jones.
# Charles Edmund (b. 1856,
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
). Attended
Cheltenham College
("Work Conquers All")
, established =
, closed =
, type = Public schoolIndependent School Day and Boarding School
, religion = Church of England
, president =
, head_label = Head
, head = Nicola Huggett
...
. Businessman. Married Kate Ellershaw in 1885, by whom he had three daughters, the eldest of whom, Kathleen (b. 1886) married
Sir Donald Kingdon, Chief Justice of the Gold Coast.
# Walter Clement (b. 1858, Edinburgh, d. 1936). Married Laura Rynd in 1888.
# Susan (b. 1860, Government House,
New Westminster
New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the capi ...
, British Columbia, d. 1940).
# Mary (b. 1861 Government House, New Westminster, British Columbia, d. 1938).
# Margaret (b. 1863, Government House, New Westminster, British Columbia). Married The Rev. Richard Lowndes in 1887, with whom she had two sons and two daughters.
#
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Henry de Clervaux (b. 1864, d. 13 December 1900,
killed in action at
Battle of Nooitgedacht,
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...
). He was named after his ancestor William Clervaux of Croft, from whom he descended through
Sir William Chaytor. He attended
Rugby School
Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England.
Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. ...
and
Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer training centre. It is located in the town ...
. He served, between 1885 and 1887, in the
Burmese Expedition with the
2nd Battaltion the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment, for which he received the medal with clasp. He served in the
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...
as
aide-de-camp to
Major-General Clements, who was the Commander of the
12th Infantry Brigade, and he was
mentioned in despatches
To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...
on 10 September 1901. Married Daisy Leighton by whom he did not have issue. He is buried at
Krugersdorp
Krugersdorp (Afrikaans for ''Kruger's Town'') is a mining city in the West Rand, Gauteng Province, South Africa founded in 1887 by Marthinus Pretorius. Following the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand, a need arose for a major town in the west ...
Garden of Remembrance, in South Africa, and commemorated at
Hereford Cathedral
Hereford Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of Hereford in Hereford, England.
A place of worship has existed on the site of the present building since the 8th century or earlier. The present building was begun in 1079. S ...
.
# Grace (b. 1865, d. 1947).
# Gertrude (b. 1869, d. 1914).
#
Major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
George Robert Boyd (b. 1865, d. 1936). Married Dorothy Wingfield. His daughter Rosemary Moody (1903 - 1982) married Richard Edward Holford (1909 - 1983), who was the son of
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Charles Frederick Holford , on 10 August 1935.
# Ruth and Rachel (Twins b. 20 April 1870, d. (both) 21 April 1870).
References
Notes
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Moody, Richard
1813 births
1887 deaths
Academics of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich
Burials in Dorset
People from Bridgetown
Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich
Royal Engineers officers
Recipients of the Order of Military Merit (France)
British Army generals
Governors of the Falkland Islands
Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866) people
Lieutenant Governors of British Columbia
English explorers
English surveyors
British explorers of North America
Explorers of British Columbia
History of the Pacific Northwest
Interior of British Columbia
Edinburgh Castle
British colonial governors and administrators in the Americas
Fellows of the Institution of Civil Engineers
Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society