Claudius Buchanan Whish (abt. 1827 - 1890)

Born about 5 Jan 1827 in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India

Ancestors

Husband of Annie Dow (Ker) Whish — married 16 Sep 1858 in Kirkee Poona, India

Descendants

Died 28 Feb 1890 at about age 63 in At sea, Torres Strait

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• RMS Quetta

Biography

Claudius Whish is Notable.

Claudius Buchan Whish was born at Calcutta, Bengal, India and baptised on the 10th of June 1825, the son of William Whish and Mary Dixon.^[1]

• Birth 6 October 1825 from Parish Records, Bengal, India, Volume 17. page 335 NB this DOB is incorrect and obviously transcribed backwards.

• Alumni Cantab- 1752-1900 - Whish Claudius Buchanan, son of Major General (sir) William Whish, C.B. the Bengal Horse Artillery, born 5.1.1827 at Meerut. India,
• School Cheltenham College, Matric Michs.
• 1846 went to Australia and India, then entered Madras Army.
• 1851 Cornet, 14th Light Dragoons
• 1853 Lieutenant,
• 1857 Served in the Persian War.
• 1861 Resigned and returned to Australia.

He married |Annie, daughter of Robert Dow Ker, of Clifton on the 16th of September 1858, at Poona, Bombay, India.^[2]

In 1861, the family were living at Cheltenham, England, with Annie's mother, with three maids, a cook and a visitor, Margaret.^[3]

Whish, Claudius Buchanan (1827–1890)

by G. C. Bolton^[4] Transcript Claudius Buchanan Whish (1827-1890), sugar-planter and civil servant, was born on 5 January 1827 in London, son of General Sir William Whish, Royal Artillery, and his wife Mary, née Hardwicke.

In 1851 he gained a commission in the 14th Light Dragoons, served in India, where he had family connexions, and was interpreter and bazaar master for the regiment, officer in charge of public works in one of the native states, and assistant quartermaster general of cavalry on General Jacob's staff during the Persian campaign of 1856. He became a captain and in 1857 visited New South Wales and South Australia to buy cavalry remounts for the Indian army.

Australia must have impressed him for on 15 August 1862 he arrived in Queensland in the Young Australia and established the Oaklands sugar plantation at Caboolture. Though Whish was not the pioneer of the industry in Queensland, he raised a better crop than his main competitor, Louis Hope, becoming the first sugar-planter to market commercial quantities and to produce high-quality rum. He was chairman of the local planters' association and, as he was experienced in non-European labour, he hired Pacific islanders. This made him unpopular among near-by townspeople and selectors, though after 1865 it helped to preserve his £5000 investment.

In 1867 Whish failed to win East Moreton in the Legislative Assembly, and in 1869 a select committee on Pacific island labour was told of whippings on his estate. This evidence gained little credence among the respectable. A justice of the peace and for many years an Anglican synodsman and diocesan councillor, he accepted a seat in the Legislative Council in June 1870. Though he was believed to be the first successful sugar-producer in Queensland, his estate lost money steadily and he resigned from the council in March 1872, sold his machinery and took a government position as surveyor of roads. Bankrupted in September 1873 with a deficiency of £5598, he was promoted inspector of road surveys for the southern division in 1875 and for the whole colony in 1880.

Late in 1889 Whish left for England on leave. He sailed in the Quetta which sank in Torres Strait on the night of 28 February 1890. His wife Anne, née Ker, whom he had married in Bombay about 1858, perished with him; they were survived by two sons and four daughters. He was one of the small but influential group of gentleman immigrants, such as George Dalrymple, H. M. Chester and Hope, who left India after the mutiny to seek their fortunes in the newly separated tropical colony of Queensland.

He died aboard the RMS Quetta on 28 February 1890 when it sank in the Torres Strait. He was a captain in the 14th Light Dragoons. His wife Anne Dow (nee Ker) also died. They left six children. They lived on Eildon Hill, Windsor, Brisbane.^[5]

Captain Claudius Whish of Caboolture and Cleveland, Alfred Cocksedge, in Brisbane Schemes and Dreams, Chapter 7

(There are many errors though due to the OCR process)

The RMS Quetta en route for London from Brisbane struck a rock in the Torres Strait and sank at 9.15pm on 28 February 1890. Among the passengers drowned was Captain Claudius Buchanan Whish, formerly 14‘“ Light Dragoons. His wife, Annie Dow (born Ker), died with him. They were survived by six children aged between thirty and sixteen years Their home was on Eildon Hill in the northern Brisbane suburb of Windsor. Whish was born at Meerut, thirty miles north-east of Delhi, on 5 January 1827. His father, son of a Norfolk clergyman, was Lieutenant General Sir William Sampson Whish KCS, Colonel Commandant of the Bengal Horse Artillery (1787-1853). His mother was Mary Hardwicke (born Dixon) daughter of George and Sarah Dixon of London, and Sister of two officers of the Bengal Army, The name Whish lS derived from Huish, which means a location in Devon or a measure of land sufficient to support a family. Alternatively it means a damp meadow. Mrs Annie Dow Whish of Brisbane was a granddaughter of Rev Dr Claudius Buchanan (1766-1815) after whom her husband was named Buchanan, East lndia Company chaplain, Vice-Provost of Wellesley College, Fort William. Calcutta, and translator of portions of the Bible into Asian languages, married Whish's aunt, Mary Whish (1780-1805) at Barrackpore on 3 April 1799. Buchanan was one of five famous chaplains who, with certain missionaries at serampore in Danish territory, were the mainspring of Christian activity in northern India. The other four were david Brown, Daniel Corrie, Henry Martyn and Thomas Thomason. In Calcutta Mary Buchanan developed tuberculosis. She was sent back to England but died on the voyage on 18 June 1805 and was buried on the Atlantic Island of St Helena. She had two children, Charlotte, born tn 1800 and Augusta born the following year. They were brought up by their Whish grandparents at Northwold, Norfolk. Charlotte did not marry but Augusta became the wife of Robert Dow Ker of Greenock and Manchester. Members of the Ker family served in India and the West lndies The wedding of Robert Ker and Augusta Buchanan was held on 23 February 1819 at Overton, Yorkshire, close to the Ker home Dr Buchanan and hrs second wife were already dead. Robert and Augusta Ker had seven children, the third being Anna Dow (Whish) who was born at Goa or Poona on 8 August 1831. Whish and his older sister Elizabeth (Lissy), who was born in 1823, travelled in the Royal George from India to be educated in England. On 11 May 1840, Lissy married, at Dum Dum, Edward William Smythe Scott, Bengal Staff Corps, fourth son of Rev J.M. Scott of Ballygannon, County Wicklow, and grandson of Anthony, 8‘“ Earl of Meath. Lissy's eldest daughter, another Mary, became the second wife of Robert Napier, Bengal Engineers, and bore him nine children. Napier, the future field marshal and Baron of Magdala, already had six children from his first marriage. Whish's private school Walwyns Castle rectory near Milford Haven in south-west Wales was one of those academies fairly common at that time conducted by a clergyman in order to supplement his stipend and to reduce the expense of educating his own family. Whish’s clergyman was an uncle by marriage, Rev Thomas Brigstocke, perpetual curate to the Milford Haven Church of St Katharine Virgin and Martyr of Egypt for 52 years and rector of Whitton, Radnorshire. His brother, Rev Charles Brigstocke, was the first Vicar of Yass and Gundagai from 1838-59. Mrs Thomas Brigstocke was General Whish's youngest sister, Caroline Buchanan Whish (1800-1851). Sherry mothered eleven children, the first of whom died in infancy. Her first surviving son was also a Claudius Buchanan. Two sons, Newton and Decimus, died while travelling to India by the overland route. Whish described his eight years at Briggy's academy as ‘hell on earth‘ The town had e different picture. Brigstocke’s obituary stated that he benevolence, sociability and geniality endeared him to all'. The one bright spot for Whish every year was the birthday party for his opposite number and cousin Emma Brigstocke, who could have been his first love Until the end of his life, he was to recall the party and "dear Emma" on 9 May annually. Emma did not marry and died in 1854 aged only 26 years. Her sister Emily was another of the Barrackpore brides marrying at St Bartholomew's Church on 17 October 1850. Her husband was George Lambert, probably in the Bengal civil service. A Witness to General Whish‘s will dated 16 November 1851 was a (3 P Lambert of Ham Common, Surrey. From Welwyn‘s Castle, Whish entered the new Cheltenham College in January 1843 His parents had a house in Cheltenham, as did Captain Charles Sturt. Sturt's younger brother, Richard, married l adv Whish’s eldest surviving child, fourteen year old Mary, at Meerut in 1811 The Sturts' father, a Bengal judge was from Dorset, Next in Whish's education came Caius College, Cambridge University, from 1846-48. For some reason not recorded by his college, he came down prematurely and Without graduating At the time his father and two brothers were engaged In operations against the Sikhs but, instead of going to India, he went to Australia. Whish arrived in South Australia on 17 February 1849 aged 22. Almost nine months later, he enlisted in the South Australian Mounted Police Corps. He was involved in a skirmish with Aborigines at Mt Remarkable (now Melrose) and on 16 December 1849 gave testimony in court concerning this affair. During his brief sojourn in South Australia, he may have considered that his future lay with the church, but he was also drawn to the possibility of making his fortune on the goldfields. Certainly a photograph depicted Whish dressed in hussar uniform at the diggings. The hussar uniform also suggests that he was on the strength of a British cavalry regiment waiting to fill a vacancy. This seems likely, for on 19 August 1851 Whish was commissioned into the 14‘“ Light Dragoons as a cornet. Whether he returned to England and attended one of the two cadet colleges of the East India Company or went straight to India from South Australia and obtained his commission by purchase. Since this system did not cease to be legal until 1871‘ is not clear On 11 October 1851 his father General Whish, who had commanded a Bengal division which had been stationed at Lahore, left India on sick leave, four months after his son was commissioned. He remained on leave until his death in London on 25 February 1853. Within months of being commissioned, Whish was posted to the Thomason civil engineering college, Roorkee, north of Delhi as a student. He was there from 1852-54, being appointed a lieutenant on 30 September 1853. Then he was recalled to duty when his regiment was ordered to the Crimea. The 14‘" Light Dragoons rode out of Meerut on 16 January 1855, their strength being 20 officers and 705 other ranks. They were on the road only one day when the Crimea order was cancelled and their destination changed from Bombay to Kirkee, the cavalry station for the Poona Brigade. Whish was not permitted to settle into Kirkee. Instead he was called upon to put his Roorkee training into practice in Baroda state as civil engineer for roads and bridges. He was not entirely out off from the army but found the posting a lonely one. He tried to maintain standards, including daily prayers and Bible readings but there must have been lapses because, at times, his diary reveals a troubled conscience. Whish was pleased to be recalled for overseas duty again, this time in Persia. The Bombay Expeditionary Force, commanded by Major General Sir James Outram, consisted of the 1St and 2"d divisions. The 2"d division, under Major General Sir Henry Havelock consisted of the 14’“ Light Dragoons and Jacobs Horse. They embarked at Bombay early in January 1857 and returned by May the same year, having successfully accomplished their mission. Adjutant Whish was employed as Assistant Quarter-Master General, cavalry, responsible for embarking and disembarking the horses His chief of staff, the famous Brigadier General John Jacob, mentioned Whish in despatches. ‘Lieutenant Whish is one of the most able, active and deserving staff officers l have met‘. Whish’s reward was a trip to Australia to buy remounts. ln India the waler horse was popular for its weight-carrying capacity. Whish left Bombay on 1 December 1857, transhipped at Colombo, arrived in Sydney on 11 January 1858 and found the 77th Foot garrisoned there. His first visit was to the government stud at Parramatta.

Sources

1. ↑ "India Births and Baptisms, 1786-1947", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FG3C-GRZ : 5 February 2020), Claudius Buchanan Whish, 1825.
2. ↑ "India Marriages, 1792-1948 ", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FGN6-KX3 : 5 February 2020), Claudins Buchanan Whish, 1858.
3. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1861," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M7P7-PRR : 23 September 2020), Margaret Broughton in household of Mary H Whish, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom; from "1861 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 9, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.
4. ↑ Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 6, (MUP), 1976 "Biography - Claudius Buchanan Whish - Australian Dictionary Of Biography". 2022. Adb.Anu.Edu.Au. Claudius Buchanan Whish, ADB
5. ↑ Chapter 7 Claudius Buchanan Whish, 1827-1890, soldier and agriculturalist, in Brisbane: Schemes and Dreams: Nineteenth Century Arrivals, edited by Jennifer Harrison, Barry Shaw

See Also:

• Claudius Buchanan Whish
• Oaklands Sugar Mill
• RMS Quetta, wikipedia