Sir George Hilaro Barlow, 1st Baronet, (20 January 1763 – 18 December 1846) served as Acting Governor-General of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

from the death of

Lord Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805) was a British Army officer, Whigs (British political party), Whig politician and colonial administrator. In the United States and United Kingdom, he is best kn ...

in 1805 until the arrival of Lord Minto in 1807.

Career

He was appointed to the Bengal Civil Service in 1778, and in 1788 carried into execution the permanent settlement of

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

. When the Marquess of Cornwallis died in 1805, Sir George Barlow was nominated provisional governor-general, and his passion for economy and retrenchment in that capacity has caused him to be known as the only governor-general who diminished the area of

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

territory; but his nomination was rejected by the home government, and Lord Minto was appointed. Subsequently, Barlow was created governor of

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

, where his want of tact caused a

mutiny Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military or a crew) to oppose, change, or remove superiors or their orders. The term is commonly used for insubordination by members of the military against an officer or superior, ...

of the

officers of the Madras Army in 1809, similar to that which had previously occurred under Clive. The main cause of the discontent was the abolition of certain purchase contracts for camping equipment which involved some money being embezzled by the officers. In 1812 he was recalled, and lived in retirement until his death in

Farnham Farnham is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a tributary of the ...

, Surrey, in December 1846. George Hilaro Barlow 2023

He was created a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

in 1803. In October 1806 he was appointed a

Knight Companion of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

(KB), which on the reconstitution of the Order in 1815 became

Knight Grand Cross A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

(GCB). He was portrayed in a bust by

Bertel Thorvaldsen Albert Bertel Thorvaldsen (; sometimes given as Thorwaldsen; 19 November 1770 – 24 March 1844) was a Danes, Danish-Icelanders, Icelandic Sculpture, sculptor and medallist, medalist of international fame, who spent most of his life (1797–183 ...

when he visited the sculptor in Rome Spring 1828.

Personal life

He married Elizabeth, daughter of Burton Smith, in Calcutta on 16 April 1789 and had fifteen children. They returned to England in 1813. Not long after, Miss Page, the children's governess, surprised Lady Barton in a compromising position with Major George Pratt Barlow, a young kinsman who had been Sir George's aide-de-camp. Miss Page later intercepted love letters, and faced with the evidence, Lady Barlow admitted that one of their children had in fact been fathered by her lover. The marriage was dissolved in 1816.

Career

Personal life

References

Further reading