Legacy of the Havelocks: Navigating the Colonial Tapestry of a Storied Family Saga

Jane Carter was descended from the Langleys, a family that goes back centuries and played a vital part in the siege of Rochester Castle, after which King John met with the Barony and signed the Magna Carte. 

Born into the Havelock family on April 5, 1795, at Ford Hall, Bishop-Wearmouth, Sunderland, Major-General Sir Henry Havelock stands out as an illustrious figure in the narrative of the Indian Mutiny. Remarkably, he is the second of four brothers, all of whom chose to embark on military careers, contributing significantly to their family's legacy. His parents, William Havelock, a prosperous shipbuilder in Sunderland, and Jane, the daughter of John Carter, a solicitor at Stockton-on-Tees, provided the foundational support for his early years.

At the tender age of five, young Henry began his educational journey, accompanying his elder brother William to Mr. Bradley's school at Swanscombe. This early exposure to formal education laid the groundwork for his intellectual development. Subsequently, at the age of ten, he spent a transformative seven years at Charterhouse School, where he honed not only his academic skills but also the discipline and principles that would guide his future endeavors.

In 1813, adhering to the posthumous wishes of his mother, who passed away in 1811, Havelock entered the esteemed Middle Temple. Under the tutelage of Chitty, a distinguished special pleader, he delved into the intricacies of legal studies. However, a misunderstanding with his father curtailed his pursuit of a legal career, leading to a significant shift in his life's trajectory.

In 1815, displaying a newfound direction, Havelock accepted a second lieutenancy in the Rifle Brigade (95th), a position secured through the influential network of his brother William. The ensuing eight years of service in Britain became a crucible for Havelock's intellectual growth, marked by extensive reading and a deepening understanding of the theoretical aspects of warfare.

In 1823, seeking new horizons, Havelock orchestrated a series of strategic transfers, first into the 21st and subsequently into the 13th light infantry. This decision marked the beginning of his Indian expedition, where he would follow in the footsteps of his brothers William and Charles. Before embarking on this transformative journey, Havelock devoted himself to mastering Hindustani under the guidance of Dr. Gilchrist, a celebrated Orientalist. This linguistic proficiency would prove invaluable in navigating the cultural complexities of the Indian subcontinent.

India
With no chance of active action, he decided to go to India, and at the end of 1822 changed into the 13th (1st Somersetshire) Regiment (Light Infantry), then led by Major Robert Sale, and embarked on General Kyd for India in January 1823. Before departure, he successfully studied the Persian and Hindustani languages with John Borthwick Gilchrist. During the voyage, a brother officer, Lieutenant James Gardner, awoke in Havelock religious sentiments that had lain dormant since his mother's death and were the guiding principle of his life. Havelock distinguished himself during the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824-1826), returning to England to marry Hannah Shepherd Marshman, the daughter of prominent Christian missionaries Dr. and Mrs. Joshua Marshman. He became a Baptist at the same period, being baptized by John Mack in Serampore. He introduced the army to some of his new family's missionary ideals and began distributing bibles to all soldiers. He also conducted the first non-church services for military troops and instituted all-rank bible study sessions.

Afghan First War

Havelock had been promoted to captain by the time he fought in the First Anglo-Afghan War in 1839. He was Willoughby Cotton's aide-de-camp during the capture of Ghazni on May 23, 1839, and the occupation of Kabul. Following a brief stay in Bengal to ensure the publication of his Memoirs of the Afghan Campaign, he returned to Kabul in charge of recruits and served as an interpreter for General William George Keith Elphinstone. In 1841, he joined Sir Robert Henry Sale's force and took part in the famous passage of the Ghilzais defiles and the combat from Tezeen to Jalalabad. After a long siege, his column overcame Akbar Khan in a mass sortie on April 7, 1842. He was now appointed Deputy Lieutenant-General of the infantry division in Kabul, and in September he assisted in Jagdalak, Tezeen, and the release of British captives in Kabul, in addition to playing an important role at Istalif. He then went through the Gwalior campaign as Sir Hugh Gough's Persian interpreter and distinguished himself at Maharajpur in 1843, as well as in the Sikh Wars at the engagements of Mudki, Ferozeshah, and Sobraon in 1845.

In his spare time, he would write analytical reports on the skirmishes and fights in which he was involved. These writings were returned to Britain and were covered in the local press. He was appointed Deputy Adjutant-General in Bombay for his military services. At the beginning of 1849, he changed from the 13th Regiment of Foot to the 39th, then as second major to the 53rd, and shortly after sailed for England, where he stayed two years and became involved in the operation of the Stepney Baptist Academy, which would soon be relocated to Regent's Park. When he returned to India in 1852, he was elevated to Quartermaster-General, then to full colonel, and finally to Adjutant-General, in India, in November 1854.
1857-1859 Indian Rebellion

The Halifax Club, Nova Scotia, Sir Henry Havelock: Hero of Lucknow
Sir James Outram chose him to lead a division in the Anglo-Persian War that year, and he was present at the fight of Muhamra against Nasser al-Din Shah's soldiers under Khanlar Mirza. He was appointed to lead a column to quell disturbances in Allahabad, to help Sir Henry Lawrence at Lucknow and Wheeler at Cawnpore, and to pursue and eliminate all mutineers and insurgents. Despite being vastly outnumbered, Havelock led his army north into Oudh (modern-day Uttar Pradesh) throughout August, crushing all rebel forces in his path. Years of studying military theories and experience in previous conflicts were put to excellent advantage. Lady Canning wrote in her diary at the time, "General Havelock is not in fashion, but all the same we believe that he will do well." Despite this lukewarm endorsement, Havelock proved himself to be the man for the job and earned a reputation as a strong military leader.
He defeated superior armies at Fatehpur on the 12th of July, Aong and Pandoobridge on the 15th, Cawnpore on the 16th, Unao on the 29th, Busherutgunge on the 29th and again on the 5th of August, Boorhya on the 12th of August, and Bithur on the 16th. He advanced twice for the liberation of Lucknow, but both times caution prohibited a rash exposure of forces exhausted by battle and sickness to a virtually impossible task. With reinforcements finally arriving under Outram, he was able to seal his triumphs on the 25th of September 1857 by capturing Lucknow thanks to the generosity of his superior officer.
He marched three times for the liberation of Lucknow, but twice he drew back rather than risk fighting with forces depleted by battle and sickness. Finally, reinforcements arrived under the command of Outram. On September 25, 1857, Lucknow was relieved under the command of Havelock. A second rebel force, however, arrived and besieged the town once more. Havelock and his forces were trapped inside the barrier this time.
On the 24th of November 1857, he died of dysentery caused by the concerns and fatigues associated with his victorious march and the subsequent blockade by British forces. He lived long enough to learn that he had been appointed K.C.B. for the first three battles of the campaign, but he never learned of the major generalship that was soon bestowed upon him. On the 26th of November, before word of his death reached England, letters-patent were directed to create him a baronet, and a stipend of £1000 per year was agreed on by the gathering of parliament. The baronetcy was later bestowed upon his eldest son, while his widow was granted the position to which she would have been entitled had her husband survived and been named a baronet by royal order. Parliament granted £1000 pensions to both widows and sons.

William Havelock, KH (1793-1848) was a British Army cavalry officer who rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel.
He was the eldest son of William Havelock of Ingress Park in Kent, as well as the brother of Sir Henry Havelock and Colonel Charles Havelock of the 16th Lancers. He was born on January 23, 1793, and attended Charterhouse School as well as a private tutor. On July 12, 1810, he was commissioned ensign 43rd Light Infantry, where he rose to lieutenant in 1812.

During the Peninsular War, he carried one of the 43rd's colors at the Coa River crossing in 1810 and was present in all subsequent operations in which the Light Division was engaged, serving as aide-de-camp to Major-General Charles, Baron Alten, who commanded the division. An abattis defended by two French troops held off a Spanish force during the Battle of Vera in October 1813. Havelock, who had been despatched to check on their progress, summoned the Spanish and charged headlong into the enemy. The Spanish broke through the French, who were under fire from James Kempt's skirmishers.

During the fight of Waterloo and the occupation of Paris, Havelock served as Alten's aide-de-camp. In 1818, he joined the 32nd Foot and served with the corps in Corfu. He later transferred to the 4th Light Dragoons, with whom he traveled to India. He served as aide-de-camp to Sir Charles Colville while he was commander-in-chief in Bombay, and as military secretary to John Elphinstone, 13th Lord Elphinstone, while he was Governor of Madras.

In 1830, he was promoted to major of the 4th Light Dragoons, and in 1841, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the 14th Light Dragoons. During the Second Anglo-Sikh War, he led it in the field under Sir Charles Napier and with Bombay troops deployed to assist Lord Gough's army. On 22 November 1848, he was gravely wounded at the head of his regiment during a charge on the Sikhs in the battle of Ramnagar, on the banks of the Chenab River. He was heavily wounded and left for dead on the battlefield after eleven of his men were slaughtered alongside him.

Havelock married Caroline Elizabeth, daughter of Acton Chaplin of Aylesbury, in 1824, and they had 13 children, one of whom was the colonial governor Sir Arthur Havelock.

`Emperor's Chambermaids: The story of the 14th/20th King's Hussars.' Lt. Colonel L. B. Oatts, DSO, pub. 1973

Extract on William Havelock and the battle of Ramnuggur:
`...Colonel Havelock - brother of Henry Havelock - was like all his family a `death or glory' type of soldier. As a youth, he had served in the Peninsular War and had won distinction when fighting with Spanish Irregulars by whom he was nicknamed `El Chico Blanco' (the fair boy). On this occasion, he had been awaiting the order to advance with so much impatience that, when it came at last, he was in an absolute frenzy and could think of nothing except the chance to `win his golden spurs', as he put it. Men such as he, who are usually of a kindly and chivalrous disposition when off the battlefield, can be most useful on occasion, provided they are kept well in hand when the smell of powder is in the air. At Ramnuggur, however, he got out of control and went off at a gallop in the direction of the largest body of enemy he could see, which was the Sikh reserve of cavalry formed up on the river bed, covered by the guns and infantry fire of the main body on the north bank.
Behind Havelock rode the 14th Light Dragoons in a column of troops, all mounted on powerful Arab horses which, like the Havelocks, have an inherited liking for going into action in this manner. The 5th Native Cavalry followed the 14th in support. Cureton, the cavalry commander who had once been a Private in the 14th, and Gough both saw that Havelock was heading for destruction. The former galloped out to try to head him off but was shot through the head, while an aide-de-camp sent by Gough for the same purpose was unable to catch him up.

During their advance, the 14th were exposed to continual fire from the enemy guns and hidden infantry, but owing to their speed suffered few casualties until they got to the top of the steep bank leading down to the river. Here they had to pull up and form a line of squadrons, in obedience to the shouted orders of their officers and the confusion of trumpet blasts. The Sikh cavalry and infantry, in considerable numbers, were formed up along a sandy bank in the middle of the riverbed, behind a shallow stream. When, after the regiment had ridden down the steep bank, and the charge was sounded, it was found impossible to get up any speed, for the ground was so soft that many horses sank up to their hocks. Nevertheless, they got to the sword-point and cut down the Sikhs, who fled back across the river in confusion. Havelock sounded the rally and re-formed, taking the 5th Native Cavalry under his command. He should certainly have withdrawn, but could not bring himself to do so while there was still an unbroken enemy in front, even though these consisted of large numbers of infantry under cover, who could only be approached across the ground so soft that it was practically a bog. The advance was sounded again and followed almost immediately by the charge. A desperate engagement at the sword point followed, during which the Sikhs slowly withdrew across the river, disputing every inch of ground. Havelock fell, and command was taken over by Major Doherty, assisted by Major King, who had arrived with the reserve squadrons of the 14th, and the regiment with the 5th Native Cavalry was then led out of action.

Like the famous Charge of the Light Brigade, the charge at Ramnuggur was a `blunder'. Both attacks were made against the wrong objectives. Both, however, were successful, and although neither had any immediate decisive effect on the operations, the shock to the enemy's morale was considerable. It is at least arguable that the spirit behind such `blunders', which are not an infrequent aspect of war, may be one of the reasons for the eventual triumph of the British armed forces in nearly all the conflicts in which they have been engaged, despite the odds being heavily against them. At Ramnuggur at any rate, neither Gough nor Campbell stressed the fact that Havelock had attacked the wrong objective. Both of them knew that such a happening was nothing out of the ordinary, and both expressed their profound admiration for the conduct of Havelock and the 14th, which did contribute not a little to the eventual overthrow of the enemy. The Sikhs were natural warriors and respected above all things an opponent who did not hesitate to come to close quarters.
At Ramnuggur the 14th lost in killed their commanding officer, Lieut.-Colonel William Havelock, K.H., Sergeant John Harwood, a corporal, and 12 private men, with 37 horses. Wounded were five officers, four sergeants, and 18 private men, with 15 horses. One of the wounded officers, Captain Fitzgerald, afterward died of his wounds. Havelock's body, when recovered later, was found cut to pieces with the bodies of nine of his men around it, who had died in an attempt to save him after he had been unhorsed in the mêlée. His grey charger had been killed under him...'

Sir Arthur Elibank Havelock, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE (May 7, 1844 – June 25, 1908) was a British colonial governor who served as Governor of Sierra Leone from 1880, Natal, Madras, Ceylon from 1890 to 1895, and Tasmania from 1901 to 1904.
Havelock was born in Bath, Somerset, in 1844, as the fifth surviving son of Lieutenant-Colonel William Havelock and Caroline Elizabeth Chaplin, and as Sir Henry Havelock's nephew. His father commanded the 14th Light Dragoons in India in 1844, but he was killed in action at the Battle of Ramnagar on November 22, 1848. The Havelocks briefly returned to England before settling in Ootacamund in 1850, where Havelock attended school until finishing his schooling in London. Havelock enrolled in the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, in 1860, and was commissioned as an ensign in the 32nd (Cornwall) Light Infantry on 14 January 1862. On 10 April 1866, he was appointed lieutenant and stationed in Gibraltar (1866-7), Mauritius (1867-8), and the Cape Colony (1868-72). He returned to Mauritius in 1872 as the colony's paymaster and was promoted to captain on 1 February 1873, serving as aide-de-camp to Selby Smith, the temporary governor, and later to Sir Arthur Hamilton-Gordon, the governor of Mauritius.
From 1874 to 1875, Havelock held numerous important positions in the colonial civil service, including chief civil commissioner of the Seychelles (1874-75) and colonial secretary and receiver general of Fiji (1874-75). He returned to England in 1876 and retired as a captain from the British Army in March 1877.
After leaving the army, Havelock entered the colonial civil service and was appointed President of Nevis in 1877. In 1878, he was appointed Administrator of Saint Lucia before returning to the Seychelles as Chief Civil Commissioner. 

Sierra Leone's Governor
Havelock was appointed as the first governor of Sierra Leone and the West African settlements in February 1881. In addition, he was appointed British consul in Liberia, where he became embroiled in a major boundary dispute between Liberia and the United Kingdom. For years, the border between Sierra Leone and Liberia has been unresolved, with the disputed area known as the Gallinas territory being between the Sewa and Mano rivers. On March 20, 1882, Havelock led a flotilla of four British gunboats to Monrovia, demanding that Liberia yield all areas up to the Mafa River and pay an indemnity of £8,500 to British merchants for injuries caused by tribes inhabiting the area of the British claim.
A treaty was signed, but its ratification was refused by the Liberian Senate, and Havelock and his gunboats returned to Monrovia in September of that year, demanding immediate acknowledgment of the British claims, and ratification of the treaty. The Senate declined once more, and in March 1883, the British quietly occupied the claimed area. Despite US help, Liberia realized that opposing the British claim was useless and signed the treaty in London on November 22, 1885. A joint panel from both countries eventually fixed the border in 1903.

Governor of Trinidad and Tobago
Havelock was named Governor of Trinidad in 1885.
Natal's governorship
Havelock was appointed Governor of Natal in 1886, where he oversaw the acquisition of Zululand in 1887 and an unsuccessful uprising led by Dinuzulu kaCetshwayo in 1888. In 1889, he returned to England and joined the international anti-slavery committee in Brussels. 
Ceylon's Governor

Havelock was appointed Governor of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in March 1890,[3] where he oversaw the extension of the country's railways to Kurunegala and Bandarawela, as well as the abolition of the 'paddy tax,' a levy on rice growing.[4] He was also highly regarded by Sri Lanka's elite, with two major families naming him Godfather to their heirs. One of these godsons was Muadliya Solomnon Carolis de Fonseka's grandson, while the other was Solomon Dias Bandaranaike's son. The de Fonseka family named their estate Havelock after its former name, Katukele Greenlands, as well as numerous areas of their enormous estate (now Havelocktown), including Elibank Road and Havelock Pass (today creating the bridge).
Governor of Madras
Havelock returned to his childhood home of India as Governor of Madras from 1896 to 1900.
Governor of Tasmania
Havelock left Madras in 1901 and was offered the governorships of the Straits Settlements in Malaya and Victoria in Australia, which he declined due to ill health caused by many stressful years in tropical climates. He was then offered the post of Governor of Tasmania, which he accepted in May 1901, arriving in Hobart to be sworn in on 8 November. His health, however, continued to decline and he decided to cut short his term as governor to only two-and-a-half years. He notified the premier, William Propsting, of his resignation on 6 January 1904, and left Tasmania on 16 April.
On 15 August 1871, Havelock married Anne Grace, née Norris, who died in early 1908. Havelock himself died at Bath, Somerset less than six months later on 25 June 1908. He was survived by a daughter.[7]

Honors
CMG: Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George 1880
KCMG: Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George 1884
GCMG: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George 1895
GCIE: Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire 16 March 1896 – on appointment as Governor of Madras
GCSI: Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India 29 April 1901 – for his services as Governor of Madras
The Havelock Bridge spanning the Godavari river at Rajahmundry, India was named after him in the year 1900.

The Havelocks were descended from British, Scottish, and French royalty, however, they were originally of Danish origin. I share mutual cousins with them through my Pocock family. One of Arthur Havelock's granddaughters married into the Lyon family, again marrying into descendants of the Plantagenets and Scottish royal family, the most famous member of these being the "late" Queen Mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Please see the attached PDF to view a simplified family tree.