Sir James Haldane Stewart Lockhart, (25 May 1858 – 26 February 1937) was a British colonial official in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

and

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 ...

for more than 40 years. He also served as Commissioner of

British Weihaiwei British Weihaiwei or Wei-hai-wei, on the northeastern coast of China, was a leased territory of the United Kingdom from 1898 until 1930. The capital was Port Edward, China, Port Edward, which lay in what is now the centre of Huancui District in ...

from 1902 to 1921. Additionally, he was a

Sinologist Sinology, or Chinese studies, is an academic discipline that focuses on the study of China primarily through Chinese philosophy, language, literature, culture and history and often refers to Western scholarship. Its origin "may be traced to the ex ...

who made pioneering translations.

Early life

Born as James Haldane Lockhart in Ardsheal,

Argyllshire Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, his parents were Anna Rebecca Charlotte (Stewart) and Miles Lockhart of Lismore, Argyll. His grandfather was banker James Lockhart. He attended

King William's College King William's College (nicknamed KWC or King Bill's; gv, Colleish Ree Illiam) is an independent school for pupils aged 3 to 18, located near Castletown on the Isle of Man. It is a member of the International Baccalaureate and Headmasters' and ...

(1868–72),

George Watson's College George Watson's College is a co-educational Independent school (United Kingdom), independent day school in Scotland, situated on Colinton Road, in the Merchiston area of Edinburgh. It was first established as a Scottish education in the eight ...

, and the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, and attempted to enter the civil service in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Failing to do that, Lockhart took a Colonial Service cadetship in

in 1878.

Colonial service in Hong Kong

After joining the Hong Kong Government in 1882, Lockhart rose through the ranks of Hong Kong's civil service. He was Registrar General and Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong, and later became

Commissioner of Weihaiwei British Weihaiwei or Wei-hai-wei, on the northeastern coast of China, was a leased territory of the United Kingdom from 1898 until 1930. The capital was Port Edward, which lay in what is now the centre of Huancui District in the city of Weihai ...

(1902–1927), the British coastal

enclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

returned to

in 1930. He had a more positive relationship with Hong Kong Chinese due to this knowledge of

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...

and was friends with

Ho Kai Sir Kai Ho, CMG, JP, MRCS (; 21 March 1859 – 21 July 1914), better known as Sir Kai Ho Kai, born Ho Shan-kai (), was a Hong Kong barrister, physician and essayist in Colonial Hong Kong. He played a key role in the relationship between ...

. Lockhart was made a member of the Hong Kong

Legislative A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as p ...

and Executive Councils. Lockhart drafted the first English-language report on the

New Territories The New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of the population of Hong Kong. Historically, it ...

after London's acquisition in 1898. He argued that the prevalent Chinese communal culture and organization would serve as a stabilizing force in the colony. Lockhart's preference for indirect and indigenized rule was a main factor leading to the official recognition of Chinese community organizations like Tung Wah Hospital and Po Leung Kuk. He founded the Hong Kong Football Club in 1886, situated within the

Happy Valley Racecourse The Happy Valley Racecourse is one of the two racecourses for horse racing and is a tourist attraction in Hong Kong. It is located in Happy Valley on Hong Kong Island, surrounded by Wong Nai Chung Road and Morrison Hill Road. The capacity ...

. The club now plays host to the Hong Kong 10s rugby tournament.

Sinological service

While they were both training in Hong Kong, Lockhart became friends with

Reginald Johnston Sir Reginald Fleming Johnston, ( zh, s=庄士敦爵士, p=Zhuāngshìdūn juéshì, "Sir Johnston"; 13 October 1874 – 6 March 1938) was a British diplomat who served as the tutor and advisor to Puyi, the last Emperor of China. He was also the ...

, who made his reputation while serving in Weihaiwei. Both men devoted great energy to their studies of Chinese language and classical literature, and both published scholarly works. Johnston was also a great emotional support to Lockhart and his family. Johnston later wrote that, as Lockhart had had a sound training in Greek and Latin at Edinburgh University, he took easily to the study of Chinese, another classical language. ''

The China Review ''The China Review: Or, Notes and Queries on the Far East'' was an academic journal published in Hong Kong from 1872 to 1901 as an outlet for scholarly writings on China written by foreign scholars, mainly those living on the China coast. The jo ...

'', a journal for scholarly work by China coast foreigners, published Lockhart's early work, which mainly concerned linguistic questions. Lockhart was fluent in Cantonese, Johnston reported, and acquired a working knowledge of Mandarin when he was posted to Weihaiwei.

Numismatics and art collecting

Lockhart was particularly interested in collecting and studying Chinese coins, and he produced several publications on

numismatics Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also includ ...

. He also made a thorough study of Chinese art and literature, and formed a large collection of paintings, ink rubbings and decorative arts, some of which was displayed in 1928. The collection was donated by his daughter, Betty Joel, to his ''alma mater'',

, and is currently on a long-term loan to the

National Museum of Scotland The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland, was formed in 2006 with the merger of the new Museum of Scotland, with collections relating to Scottish antiquities, culture and history, and the adjacent Royal Scottish Museum (opened in ...

. Lockhart's Chinese books were purchased by Cambridge University Library; his photographs are on loan to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

Later life

After retiring from the Colonial Service, Lockhart returned to Britain. He became an honorary member of the

Royal Asiatic Society The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, commonly known as the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS), was established, according to its royal charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the en ...

and member of the

School of Oriental Studies SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury are ...

at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

Honours and legacy

His appointment of CMG was signed by Queen Victoria on 21 May 1898, while his appointment of KCMG was signed by King Edward VII on 9 November 1908. He received an honorary LLD degree from the

University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (Chinese: 香港大學) is a public research university in Hong Kong. Founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, it is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. HKU was also the fi ...

in 1918.

Lockhart Road Lockhart Road () is a street spanning the whole length of Wan Chai from east to west on the Hong Kong Island of Hong Kong. It begins at Arsenal Street in the west and ends in East Point Road in East Point. History The road is named after Sir ...

Wan Chai Wan Chai is situated at the western part of the Wan Chai District on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. Its other boundaries are Canal Road, Hong Kong, Canal Road to the east, Arsenal Street to the west and Bowen Road to th ...

Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island is an Islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong, island in the southern part of Hong Kong. Known colloquially and on road signs simply as Hong Kong, the island has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km ...

, is named after him.

Family

In 1889, Lockhart married Edith Louise Rider Hancock. They had one son and two daughters: Charles, Mary (known by her married and professional name Betty Joel), and Margaret. He returned with his family to England in 1927 and died in London in 1937.Johnston, "Obituary."

Notes

;Footnotes ;Citations

Selected publications

* Lockhart, James H. Stewart (1893).
A Manual of Chinese Quotations, Being a Translation of the Ch'êng Yü K'ao
'. Hong Kong: Kelly & Walsh. * * * *

References

*Edinburgh City Art Centre (1982). ''An Ardent Collector: An Exhibition of the Stewart Lockhart Collection''. . * * Sonia Lightfoot (2008). ''The Chinese painting collection and correspondence of Sir James Stewart Lockhart (1858-1937)''. E. Mellen Press. . * "Sir James Haldane Stewart Lockhart: Colonial Civil Servant and Scholar," {{DEFAULTSORT:Lockhart, James Stewart 1858 births 1937 deaths British Weihaiwei people Stewart-Lockhart, James Haldane Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George People educated at George Watson's College People educated at King William's College People from Argyll and Bute Scottish expatriates in Hong Kong British sinologists British numismatists Chinese numismatics