Lord Normanby: A study of the Governorship in the Self-governing Colonies in the Late Nineteenth Century

Abstract

<p>This dissertation is concerned with the role of the Governor in the self-governing British colonies and its main purpose is to describe and analyse the salient developments which affected his position in the early years of responsible government - broadly the period from 1850 to 1890.</p> <p>discussed generally. As essential background, the transfer of constitutional power in mid-century and its continuing devolution thereafter are sketched and the factors operating in Britain and the colonies which produced them are noted. In this framework, the changing status of the Governor both as an imperial officer and as part of the colonial constitutional system is examined. The elements which contributed to the erosion of his status are set out and assessed while the process, which varied in timing and degree from colony to colony, is further traced by means of the experiences and observations of several notable Governors of the period. Interwoven into this study, commentaries of imperial and colonial politicians and officials, of contemporary critics and journalists, and of constitutional theorists and historians serve to illustrate some of the ramifications of the process which by 1890 had reduced the Governor to a shadow of his former power.</p> <p>The second level of explanation involves a detailed examination of the colonial administrations of George Augustus Constantine Phipps, 2nd Marquis Normanby, who served as a colonial Governor in Nova Scotia, Queensland, New Zealand, and Victoria between 1858 and 1884. Interesting also in its own right, his career exemplifies many of the trends introduced in the general analysis and his clashes with-colonial politicians, his use of the prerogative powers, and his involvment in the implementation of imperial policy in the early years of his career all were common characteristics of the period. The basic contention of this dissertation, that the evolving role of the Governor depended to a large extent on the political condition of particular colonies and comparatively little on legal instruments or imperial will clearly emerges from this stUdy. For this purpose, a close investigation has been made of the political character of the colonies over which Normanby presided.</p> <p>A subsidiary theme which is developed throughout the study is the growth of the Governorship as a profession. This has again been considered first in a general sense and subsequently by using Lord Normanby's political and colonial career as an example to shed more light on the process. The conclusion reached, however, was that no one Governor could be fully representative of all the features of the new profession given the ever-evolving nature of the position, the variety of men employed in the service, and the distinctive qualities and problems of the various colonies in which they served.</p>