John Munro, 9th of Teaninich
Encyclopedia
General John Munro of the H.E.I.C.S
, 9th of Teaninich was a Scottish/British soldier and statesman who had great success in India.
and their family home was at Teaninich Castle
in Ross-shire
.
, and was shortly afterwards appointed Adjustant of his regiment, in which office he displayed a thorough acquaintance with military duties. John Munro also became an accomplished linguist, being able to speak and write fluently in French, German, Italian, Arabic, Persian and several of the Indian dialects.
John Munro held various appointments on the Staff, and was private secretary and interpreter to successive Commanders in Chief in India. He was personally acquainted and in constant correspondence with Colonel Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington during the Mahratta War. John Munro assisted in quelling the Nellmore Mutiny and was soon afterwards appointed Quartermaster-General of the Madras army, at the early age of twenty seven years.
John Munro also served along side his distinguished distant relative Sir Thomas Munro, 1st Baronet (of Linderits). Although John Munro distinguished himself well in the field he was gifted in the singular power of handling the Indian people. His tactful handling of the people of Travancore
at a time of dangerous plots against British residents, led to his being given uncontrolled rule of the Province. With this freedom of action he won the confidence of the people as to be able to introduce the practice, in the administration of justice, of having a Christian sitting on the bench as judge beside a Brahmin. Nothing in his career so marked him as a great administrator; he saw what other men failed to see for a long time after that, the British and Indians learned the secret of true co-operation.
John Munro faced severe criticism and official censure by the methods which he was bold enough to adopt, but he proved the true wisdom of his plan, by making it work to the benefit of the governors and the governed. He lived to see Muslims and high caste Hindus appreciate the integrity and fairness of Christian judges, and he paved the way for those who since his day have tried to interpret Western Christianity to the Eastern people.
is named after this John Munro. History has recorded that John Munro was the greatest British administrator of Travancore and Cochin in 150 years of British Dominion.
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
, 9th of Teaninich was a Scottish/British soldier and statesman who had great success in India.
Early life
John Munro was born in June 1778, second son of Captain James Munro, 7th of Teaninich (Royal Navy). The Munros of Teaninich were a cadet branch of the Scottish Highland Clan MunroClan Munro
-Origins:The main traditional origin of the clan is that the Munros came from Ireland and settled in Scotland in the 11th century and that they fought as mercenary soldiers under the Earl of Ross who defeated Viking invaders in Rosshire...
and their family home was at Teaninich Castle
Teaninich Castle
Teaninich Castle is situated north of the village of Evanton and just south of the village of Alness in Ross and Cromarty, Scotland.It is not known exactly how long a castle has been on the site of Teaninich Castle but it is thought to date back to at least the 16th century. In the 16th century,...
in Ross-shire
Ross-shire
Ross-shire is an area in the Highland Council Area in Scotland. The name is now used as a geographic or cultural term, equivalent to Ross. Until 1889 the term denoted a county of Scotland, also known as the County of Ross...
.
Military career
John Munro, 9th of Teaninich entered the army at an early age and was sent to Madras where he took part in the Battle of SeringapatamBattle of Seringapatam
The Siege of Seringapatam was the final confrontation of the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War between the British East India Company and the Kingdom of Mysore. The British achieved a decisive victory after breaching the walls of the fortress at Seringapatam and storming the citadel. Tippu Sultan, Mysore's...
, and was shortly afterwards appointed Adjustant of his regiment, in which office he displayed a thorough acquaintance with military duties. John Munro also became an accomplished linguist, being able to speak and write fluently in French, German, Italian, Arabic, Persian and several of the Indian dialects.
John Munro held various appointments on the Staff, and was private secretary and interpreter to successive Commanders in Chief in India. He was personally acquainted and in constant correspondence with Colonel Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington during the Mahratta War. John Munro assisted in quelling the Nellmore Mutiny and was soon afterwards appointed Quartermaster-General of the Madras army, at the early age of twenty seven years.
John Munro also served along side his distinguished distant relative Sir Thomas Munro, 1st Baronet (of Linderits). Although John Munro distinguished himself well in the field he was gifted in the singular power of handling the Indian people. His tactful handling of the people of Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
at a time of dangerous plots against British residents, led to his being given uncontrolled rule of the Province. With this freedom of action he won the confidence of the people as to be able to introduce the practice, in the administration of justice, of having a Christian sitting on the bench as judge beside a Brahmin. Nothing in his career so marked him as a great administrator; he saw what other men failed to see for a long time after that, the British and Indians learned the secret of true co-operation.
John Munro faced severe criticism and official censure by the methods which he was bold enough to adopt, but he proved the true wisdom of his plan, by making it work to the benefit of the governors and the governed. He lived to see Muslims and high caste Hindus appreciate the integrity and fairness of Christian judges, and he paved the way for those who since his day have tried to interpret Western Christianity to the Eastern people.
Legacy
An Island named Munroe IslandMunroe Island
Munroe Island is located at the confluence of Ashtamudi Lake and the Kallada River, in Kollam district, Kerala, South India...
is named after this John Munro. History has recorded that John Munro was the greatest British administrator of Travancore and Cochin in 150 years of British Dominion.
Family
John Munro, 9th of Teaninich married in 1808, Charlotte Blacker and left issue:- James St. John Munro (born 1811 in Scotland - died 1878 in MontevideoMontevideoMontevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
, UruguayUruguayUruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, he left issue) - Charlotte Munro (1813 - 1875, married George Augustus Spencer)
- Charles Hector Hugh Munro (1816- ?)
- John Munro (1820 - 1845, served as Captain in the 10th Light Cavalry of the Bengal armyBengal ArmyThe Bengal Army was the army of the Presidency of Bengal, one of the three Presidencies of British India, in South Asia. Although based in Bengal in eastern India, the presidency stretched across northern India and the Himalayas all the way to the North West Frontier Province...
and as Aide de Camp to Lord Hardinge. After being promoted to Major, he was wounded at the Battle of Moodkee in Dec 1845 and died two days later) - Stuart Caradoc Munro (1826 - ?)
- Maxwell William Munro (1827 - 1854, died at sea)