Sir Walter Joseph Sendall (24 December 1832 – 16 March 1904) was a British colonial governor.

Early life

Sendall was born in

Langham, Suffolk Langham is a village and civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern 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 Iris ...

and attended

King Edward VI School, Bury St Edmunds King Edward VI School is a co-educational comprehensive secondary school in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England. The school in its present form was created in 1972 by the merging of King Edward VI Grammar School, with the Silver Jubilee Girls Sch ...

. He then entered Christ's College, Cambridge in 1854. Here he became friends of

Walter Besant Sir Walter Besant (14 August 1836 – 9 June 1901) was an English novelist and historian. William Henry Besant was his brother, and another brother, Frank, was the husband of Annie Besant. Early life and education The son of wine merchant Willi ...

, John Peile,

John Robert Seeley Sir John Robert Seeley, KCMG (10 September 1834 – 13 January 1895) was an English Liberal historian and political essayist. A founder of British imperial history, he was a prominent advocate for the British Empire, promoting a concept of Grea ...

, and Charles Stuart Calverley. He later married Sophie Calverley, his sister. Dictionary of National Biography, 1912 supplement: Sendall, Walter Joseph

Career as a colonialist

As Director of Public Instruction in Ceylon, he expanded the system of schools, teaching in English and the vernacular. He was Governor-in-Chief of the Windward Islands, from 1885 to 1889. There he promoted road construction in Grenada, and founded a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

. He suspended the Legislative Council on St. Vincent, rather than appoint black members he felt were unqualified. After some hesitation, he supported finance for the Grenada Boys' Secondary School. He was

Governor of Barbados This article contains a list of viceroys in Barbados from its initial colonisation in 1627 by England until it achieved independence in 1966. From 1833 to 1885, Barbados was part of the colony of the Windward Islands, and the governor of Barbad ...

from 1889 to 1891. He was High Commissioner of Cyprus, from 1892 to 1898. He was Governor of British Guiana, from 1898 to 1901. He was the brother-in-law of the English poet and wit Charles Stuart Calverley.

Honours

He was Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1887, knighted in 1889, and

GCMG The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

in 1899. In July 1902 he received an honorary degree

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

from 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 ...

Notes

External links

Bust by Edward Lanteri, National Portrait Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sendall, Walter Joseph 1832 births 1904 deaths Colonial Education Service officers Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Governors of the Windward Islands Governors of Barbados Governors of British Cyprus Governors of British Guiana