Richard Bourke, 6th Earl of Mayo

Parliamentary offices

Member of Parliament for Cockermouth
In office 1857–1868Serving with John Steel Andrew Green Thompson
Preceded by	Henry Wyndham John Steel
Succeeded by	Isaac Fletcher
Member of Parliament for Coleraine
In office 1852–1857
Preceded by	John Boyd
Succeeded by	John Boyd
Member of Parliament for Kildare
In office 1847–1852Serving with Marquess of Kildare
Preceded by	Richard More O'Ferrall Robert Archbold
Succeeded by	Willian Cogan Marquess of Kildare

Personal details

Born

Richard Southwell Bourke
(1822-02-21)21 February 1822
Dublin, Ireland

Died

8 February 1872(1872-02-08) (aged 49)
Port Blair, Andaman Islands, India

Manner of death

Assassination

Nationality

British

Political party

Conservative

Spouse

Hon. Blanche Wyndham (m. 1848)

Children

Dermot Robert Wyndham Bourke, 7th Earl of Mayo

Parents

Robert Bourke, 5th Earl of Mayo
Anne Charlotte Jocelyn

Relatives

Robert Bourke, 1st Baron Connemara (brother)

Alma mater

Trinity College, Dublin
(BA MA LLD)

Richard Southwell Bourke, 6th Earl of Mayo, (English: /bɜːrk/; BURK; 21 February 1822 – 8 February 1872) styled Lord Naas (/neɪs/; NAYSS) from 1842 to 1867 and Lord Mayo in India, was a British statesman and prominent member of the British Conservative Party who served as Chief Secretary for Ireland (1852, 1858–9, 1866–8) and Viceroy of India (1869–72).

Background and education

Mayo was born in Dublin, Ireland, the eldest son of Robert Bourke, 5th Earl of Mayo (the son of Hon. Richard Burke, Bishop of Waterford and Lismore), and his wife, Anne Charlotte, daughter of the Hon. John Jocelyn. His younger brother the Hon. Robert Bourke was also a successful politician. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin (attaining BA in 1844, MA in 1851, and LLD in 1852). He and his brothers were accomplished horsemen and enjoyed fox hunting.

Political career

After travelling in Russia, Mayo was elected MP for Kildare (1847–52), Coleraine (1852–7) and Cockermouth (1857–68). He was thrice appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland – in 1852, 1858 and 1866 – and in 1869 he became the fourth Viceroy of India where he was locally often referred to as "Lord Mayo". He consolidated the frontiers of India and reorganised the country's finances; he also did much to promote irrigation, railways, forests and other useful public works. To solve local problems he established local boards. During his tenure the first census took place in 1872. He founded Mayo College at Ajmer for the education of young Indian chiefs, with £70,000 being subscribed by the chiefs themselves.

Assassination

Main article: Assassination of Richard Bourke, 6th Earl of Mayo

While visiting the convict settlement at Port Blair in the Andaman Islands in 1872 for the purpose of inspection, he was assassinated by Sher Ali Afridi, a former Afghan soldier who had been convicted for murdering a relative. He vowed to kill two British officials to avenge the suffering he had to undergo. Mayo's body was brought home to Ireland and buried at the medieval ruined church in Johnstown, County Kildare, near his home at Palmerstown House. Afridi was hanged on March 11, 1872.

Memorials

Lord Mayo March

The traditional Irish march "Lord Mayo" (Tiagharna Mhaighe-eo) was named after him; according to tradition, it was composed by his harper David Murphy to appease Mayo after Murphy angered him.

Papilio mayo Butterfly

In 1873, the newly discovered swallowtail butterfly Papilio mayo from the Andaman Islands was named in his honour.

St Paul's Cathedral

A Memorial to Lord Mayo is in the third recess of the South Wall at St Paul's Cathedral, London.

Statue in Cockermouth, Cumbria

On 19 August 1875, a statue of Lord Mayo was unveiled in the centre of the main street in the town of Cockermouth. The 800-guinea cost of the statue (made by Messrs. Willis of London) had been raised by public subscription. The unveiling was attended by Mayo's son, the 7th Earl; Lord Napier and Ettrick; Harvey Goodwin, Bishop of Carlisle; and the Earl of Lonsdale. The statue, carved in Sicilian marble, depicts Lord Mayo in his viceregal garb, and still stands today.

Mayo Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan

Mayo Hospital is one of the oldest and biggest hospitals in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The hospital is named after then Viceroy of British India, "Richard Bourke, 6th Earl of Mayo" also locally known as Lord Mayo.

Statue at Albert Hall Museum, Jaipur, India

A statue of Lord Mayo had been installed in the premises of Mayo Hospital (currently known as the Mahilya Chikatsalya, Jaipur). The 9-foot-tall (2.7 m) cast-iron statue, weighing around 3 tons, was ordered sculpted by the Maharaja Ram Singh ji of Jaipur, as a tribute to Lord Mayo after his assassination. The sculptors were J. Forsyth and R. Monti. The company's name as inscribed on the statue was R. Masefield & Co., London.

This statue of Lord Mayo had been buried in the premises of the Albert Hall Museum of Jaipur at the time of the independence of India in 1947 to prevent vandalism. After six decades, this statue was unearthed by the Jaipur Mayo Alumni Chapter on 29 May 2007. It was later removed from the Albert Hall Museum in Jaipur and sent to Mayo College, in Ajmer, India, where it is now installed.

Mayo College, Ajmer, India

Mayo College, Ajmer, India, was founded after the death of Lord Mayo in 1875. The College, named in honour of Lord Mayo, already had a full life-size statue of him sculpted in white marble installed in front of its famous main building since inception and a marble sculpted bust of him in its school museum. The College accepted the statue of Lord Mayo which was unearthed at Mayo Hospital, Jaipur in 2007.

Marriage and children

Mayo married Hon Blanche Julia Wyndham (1826–1918), daughter of George Wyndham, 1st Baron Leconfield, in 1848. Lady Mayo served as Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria from 1872, and was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE).

Lord and Lady Mayo had six children:

Lady Eva Constance Aline Bourke (died 19 January 1940), married Windham Wyndham-Quin, 5th Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl
Dermot Robert Wyndham Bourke, 7th Earl of Mayo (2 July 1851 - 31 December 1927)
Captain Hon Sir Maurice Archibald Bourke (22 December 1853 - 16 September 1900)
Hon Algernon Henry Bourke (31 December 1854 - 7 April 1922)
Lady Florence Blanche Bourke (16 August 1861 - 1953)
Hon Terence Theobald Bourke, OBE (2 April 1865 - 13 May 1923)

Following his assassination in 1872, Lord Mayo was succeeded in the Earldom and other titles by his eldest son, Dermot.

Honours and Arms

Honours

Country	Date	Appointment	Post-nominals
United Kingdom	1852–1872	Privy Council	PC
United Kingdom	1852–1872	Privy Council of Ireland	PC (Ire)
United Kingdom	1868–1872	Knight of the Most Illustrious Order of St Patrick	KP
United Kingdom	1869–1872	Knight Grand Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India	GCSI

Arms

Coat of arms of Richard Bourke, 6th Earl of Mayo
	Crest A Cat-a-Mountain sejant guardant proper, collared and chained Or. Escutcheon Party per fess Or and Ermine, a cross gules the first quarter charged with a lion rampant sable and the second with a dexter hand couped at the wrist and erect gules Supporters On either side a Chevalier in complete Armour, holding in the exterior hand a Pole-Axe, all proper. Motto A CRUCE SALUS (Salvation from the Cross) Orders Order of St Patrick Order of the Star of India

Ancestry

Ancestors of Richard Bourke, 6th Earl of Mayo

8. Joseph Bourke, 3rd Earl of Mayo

4. Hon. Richard Bourke

9. Elizabeth Meade

2. Robert Bourke, 5th Earl of Mayo

5. Frances Fowler

1. Robert Bourke, 1st Baron Connemara

12. Robert Jocelyn, 1st Earl of Roden

6. Hon. John Jocelyn

13. Lady Anne Hamilton

3. Anne Charlotte Jocelyn

14. Richard FitzGerald

7. Margaret FitzGerald

References

Citations

Hunter, W. W. (1876). The Life of the Earl of Mayo – Fourth Viceroy of India. Read Books. ISBN 978-1-84664-774-1. Retrieved 1 February 2006.
Burtchaell, George Dames; Sadleir, Thomas Ulick (1935). Alumni Dublinenses: A Register of the Students, Graduates, Professors and Provosts of Trinity College in the University of Dublin (1593–1860). Dublin: Alex Thom and Co. p. 84.
^ Cokayne, G. E. (1893). The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom Extant, Extinct, or Dormant. Vol. 5 (1st ed.). London: George Bell & Sons. pp. 281.
Whyte-Melville, G. J. (George John); Giberne, Edgar (8 March 2011). Riding Recollections, 5th ed.
Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1886). "Bourke, Richard Southwell" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 6. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
"Executed Today: 1872: Sher Ali Afridi, Assassin of the Viceroy". executedtoday.com. 11 March 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
Fitzgerald, Shafto Justin Adair (1898). Stories of Famous Songs. London: John C. Nimmo. p. 380.
Atkinson, W. S. (1873). "Descriptions of two new species of butterflies from the Andaman Islands". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 1873: 736.
Sinclair, W. (1909). Memorials of St Paul's Cathedral. London: Chapman & Hall, Ltd. p. 462.
^ Annual Register: A Review of Public Events at Home and Abroad for the Year 1875. London: Rivingtons. 1875. pp. 74–75.
Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003
Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood (107 ed.). Burke's Peerage & Gentry. pp. 2653–2655. ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.
Burke, Bernard (1884). The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales; comprising a registry of armorial bearings from the earliest to the present time. University of California Libraries. London: Harrison & Sons.

Bibliography

Annual Register: A Review of Public Events at Home and Abroad for the Year 1875. London: Rivingtons. 1875.
Atkinson, W. S. (1873). "Descriptions of two new species of butterflies from the Andaman Islands". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 1873: 736.
"Bourke, Richard Southwell". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/2998. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
Burke, Bernard (1884). The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales; comprising a registry of armorial bearings from the earliest to the present time. University of California Libraries. London: Harrison & Sons.
Cokayne, G. E. (1893). The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom Extant, Extinct, or Dormant (1st ed.). London: George Bell & Sons.
Fitzgerald, Shafto Justin Adair (1898). Stories of Famous Songs. London: John C. Nimmo. p. 380.
Hunter, W. W. (1876). The Life of the Earl of Mayo – Fourth Viceroy of India. Read Books. ISBN 978-1-84664-774-1. Retrieved 1 February 2006.
James, Helen (2009). "The Assassination of Lord Mayo: The 'first' jihad?" (PDF). International Journal of Asia Pacific Studies (IJAPS). 5 (2): 1–19.
Kidd, Charles; Williamson, David, eds. (1990). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 ed.). New York: St Martin's Press.
Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood (107 ed.). Burke's Peerage & Gentry. ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.
Pottinger, George (1990). Mayo: Disraeli's Viceroy. Wilby: Michael Russell Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85955-164-9.
Sinclair, W. (1909). Memorials of St Paul's Cathedral. London: Chapman & Hall, Ltd.
Whyte-Melville, G. J. (George John); Giberne, Edgar (8 March 2011). Riding Recollections, 5th ed.
Encyclopædia Britannica Article on Richard Southwell Bourke, 6th earl of Mayo

External links

Media related to Richard Bourke, 6th Earl of Mayo at Wikimedia Commons

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded byRichard More O'Ferrall Robert Archbold	Member of Parliament for Kildare 1847 – March 1852 With: Marquess of Kildare	Succeeded byWillian Cogan Marquess of Kildare
Preceded byJohn Boyd	Member of Parliament for Coleraine 1852–1857	Succeeded byJohn Boyd
Preceded byHenry Wyndham John Steel	Member of Parliament for Cockermouth 1857–1868 With: John Steel to April 1868 Andrew Green Thompson from April 1868	Succeeded byIsaac Fletcher
Political offices
Preceded bySir William Somerville, Bt	Chief Secretary for Ireland 1852	Succeeded bySir John Young, Bt
Preceded byHenry Arthur Herbert	Chief Secretary for Ireland 1858–1859	Succeeded byEdward Cardwell
Preceded byChichester Parkinson-Fortescue	Chief Secretary for Ireland 1866–1868	Succeeded byJohn Wilson-Patten
Government offices
Preceded bySir John Lawrence, Bt	Viceroy of India 1869–1872	Succeeded bySir John Strachey (acting)
Peerage of Ireland
Preceded byRobert Bourke	Earl of Mayo 1867–1872	Succeeded byDermot Bourke

v t e Viceroys of India
East India Company (1773–1858)	Warren Hastings (1774–85) The Earl Cornwallis (1786–93) The Lord Teignmouth (1793–98) The Marquess Wellesley (1798–1805) The Marquess Cornwallis (1805) The Earl of Minto (1807–13) The Marquess of Hastings (1813–23) The Earl Amherst (1823–28) Lord William Bentinck (1828–35) The Earl of Auckland (1836–42) The Earl of Ellenborough (1842–44) The Viscount Hardinge (1844–48) The Marquess of Dalhousie (1848–56) The Viscount Canning (1856–58)
British Government (1858–1947)	The Earl Canning (1858–62) The Earl of Elgin (1862–63) The Lord Lawrence (1864–69) The Earl of Mayo (1869–72) The Earl of Northbrook (1872–76) The Earl of Lytton (1876–80) The Marquess of Ripon (1880–84) The Marquess of Dufferin and Ava (1884–88) The Marquess of Lansdowne (1888–94) The Earl of Elgin (1894–99) The Lord Curzon of Kedleston (1899–1905) The Earl of Minto (1905–10) The Lord Hardinge of Penshurst (1910–16) The Lord Chelmsford (1916–21) The Earl of Reading (1921–26) The Lord Irwin (1926–31) The Earl of Willingdon (1931–36) The Marquess of Linlithgow (1936–43) The Viscount Wavell (1943–47) The Viscount Mountbatten of Burma (1947)
Governors General after Indian independence	The Earl Mountbatten of Burma (1947–48) Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari (1948–50)
Governors General after Pakistani independence	Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1947–48) Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin (1948–51) Ghulam Muhammad (1951–55) Iskander Mirza (1955–56)
Following the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny. As representatives of George VI in his role as King of India (1947–50). As representatives of George VI and then Elizabeth II in their roles as King and Queen of Pakistan, respectively.