Edward Cornwallis (5 March 1713 in London, England [1] - 14 January 1776 in Gibraltar) was a British military officer, and the twin brother of Frederick Cornwallis.
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Early life
He was the sixth son of Charles, fourth Baron Cornwallis, and Lady Charlotte Butler, daughter of the Earl of Arran. The Cornwallis family possessed large estates at Culford in Suffolk and the Channel Islands. Edward and Frederick were made royal pages at the age of 12. They were enrolled at Eton school at 14, and at age 18, Edward entered into military service.
Military career
Cornwallis participated in the War of the Austrian Succession and the Jacobite Rising of 1745.
Role in Nova Scotia
After this the British Government appointed Cornwallis as Governor of Nova Scotia and he arrived on 21 June 1749 at Chibouctou Harbour. He was under instructions to found a colony of Protestants, which would act as a buffer between New England and Acadia. Shortly thereafter, the city of Halifax was founded. Cornwallis' term as governor ended in 1752 when he returned to Britain to resume his career as a military officer and politician.
Edward Cornwallis played an important part in the formation of Nova Scotia. Although he lived in a time when norms of behavior were different and Nova Scotia was a battleground, he has been criticized for his treatment of aboriginal people.
Cornwallis is infamous for ordering a bounty on the heads of Mi'kmaq warriors following the Oct. 1749 Sawmill attack in Dartmouth by Mi’kmaq allied with the French, which resulted in the deaths of four civilians, of whom two were scalped and two were beheaded. This action led to further escalation of hostilities between the Mi’kmaq and the English Crown that included atrocities by both sides that did not end until the 1761 Treaty of Peace and Friendship.
A statue of Edward Cornwallis stands at the center of Cornwallis Park in downtown City of Halifax. Cornwallis Junior High School in Halifax is named for him.
Later career
Cornwallis was one of the senior officers in the 1757 Raid on Rochefort which saw a failed amphibious descent on the French coastline. Cornwallis served as the Governor of Gibraltar from June 14, 1761 to January 1776 when he died at the age of 63.
His grandfather, Charles Cornwallis, 3rd Baron Cornwallis, was First Lord of the Admiralty. His nephew, Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, was a British general in the American War of Independence, and was later Governor-General of India.
References
External links
- Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
- Landy, Peter (1999)
- Centre Acadien (1996)
- Paul, Daniel N.(2008)
- The Rename Cornwallis Initiative (2008)
| Military offices | ||
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| Preceded by John Parslow |
Governor of Gibraltar 1761–1776 |
Succeeded by Sir Robert Boyd |
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