Robert Ibbetson (4 May 1789 – 4 November 1880) was a colonial

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of the

Straits Settlements The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Headquartered in Singapore for more than a century, it was originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Comp ...

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...

Malacca Malacca ( ms, Melaka) is a state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Strait of Malacca. Its capital is Malacca City, dubbed the Historic City, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site si ...

, and

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

from 1832 to 1834.

History

Born on 4 May 1789. Little is known of his parents, in 1804 his father took him to the offices of the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

in Leadenhall Street,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

to thank the directors for giving Robert a cadet-ship with their company, in Penang. Steadily climbed the ranks within the company. Robert Ibbetson joined the service in 1804 as a writer. In 1807 he was appointed an assistant in the Secretary's Office. In 1808 he was appointed to assistant in the Collector's Office. In 1810 he was made Deputy Collector at Malacca and promoted in 1810 to Collector and his responsibilities expanded to include

Paymaster A paymaster is someone appointed by a group of buyers, sellers, investors or lenders to receive, hold, and dispense funds, commissions, fees, salaries (remuneration) or other trade, loan, or sales proceeds within the private sector or public secto ...

and

Commissary A commissary is a government official charged with oversight or an ecclesiastical official who exercises in special circumstances the jurisdiction of a bishop. In many countries, the term is used as an administrative or police title. It often c ...

of Provisions, at Malacca. In 1811 he was Factor, Paymaster and Storekeeper. In 1814 he was Junior Merchant and Commissary for the Recovery of Small Debts. In 1817 Ibbetson married a widow, Harriet Georgina Hutchings Bennett, in Penang; she was a daughter of the late

George Caunter George Caunter (c. June 1758 – 25 December 1811) was a British administrator who governed Prince of Wales Island (Penang Island) as Acting Superintendent from 1797 to 1798 and again from 1798 to 1800. As First Assistant under Lieutenant-Gove ...

, acting superintendent of Penang. That same year Ibbetson was promoted to Senior Merchant and Sheriff. In 1820 he was Paymaster and Storekeeper and Suptd of the company's Law Suits. In 1824 he was Secretary and acting Accountant. By the time from 3 February 1825, he was Provisional Member of Council for the Straits Settlements in

. In 1826 he was Fourth in Council and Resident Councillor at Malacca, Ibbetson had been Resident Councillor at Penang from 1826, In 1827 his responsibilities expanded to include Suptd of Landed Tenures, Collector of Quit Rents, and Civil & Marine Warehouse Keeper. In 1828 he was made Second in Council. In 1829 he was assisted by

James William Salmond James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

, Second Assistant to the Resident Councillor at Penang. Prior to Governor Fullerton's move of the seat of the Straits Government from Penang to Singapore on 12 November 1829, after which time Ibbetson assumed the role of governor of Penang, as the sole survivor of the officials appointed to the new Penang Presidency in 1805. The departure of the last Governor

Robert Fullerton Sir Robert Fullerton (16 January 1773 – 6 June 1831) was a Scottish colonial administrator who served as the first Governor of the Straits Settlements, appointed by the East India Company. Early life He was born in Edinburgh the son of William ...

is also recorded in the Gazette. The issue of 29 August 1829 carries the following notification: On 12 November 1830, he became the 2nd

Governor of the Straits Settlements The governor of the Straits Settlements was appointed by the British East India Company until 1867, when the Straits Settlements became a Crown colony. Thereafter the governor was appointed by the Colonial Office. The position existed from 1826 ...

and Treasurer of the Presidency of the

and Malacca for three years. Not much is known about his influence on the history of the Straits Settlements, but it is said that at that time Government business there was performed in a slovenly manner, with property registration being as impenetrable as the jungle which surrounded many properties, and with Government accounts being very casually audited.

Retirement and death

About 1841, he returned to England, In 1848 he was living in

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An Civil parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish and latterly a ...

, but later returned to Penang where he would remained till well into his eighties. At some point his nutmeg plantations were converted to cocoa, after the price of nutmeg fell, and the trees became plagued with disease. There are several records of him during the 1860s, dining with the then Lieutenant Governor of Penang, Major-General Archibald Edward Harbord Anson. Around April 1874 he returned to England for the last time and settled in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

. He died on 4 November 1880 and was buried at Highland Road Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ibbetson, Robert 1789 births 1880 deaths Administrators in British Penang Governors of Penang History of Penang Governors of the Straits Settlements Administrators in British Singapore Administrators in British Malaya