The Sri Lankan Burghers
Links to interesting articles
about the Burghers in Ceylon from the Thuppahi’s Blog:-
https://thuppahis.com/2021/11/23/dutch-burghers-and-portuguese-mechanics-eurasian-ethnicity-in-sri-lanka/
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https://thuppahis.com/2021/01/24/the-dutch-burghers-in-sri-lanka-today/
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https://thuppahis.com/2019/07/12/the-goyigama-lansiyaas/
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https://thuppahis.com/2022/05/23/portuguese-creole-in-sri-lanka-faint-traces-remnants/
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https://thuppahis.com/2021/10/19/presenting-the-portuguese-burghers-of-sri-lanka-today-and-yesterday/
*
https://thuppahis.com/2017/11/07/about-the-portuguese-burghers-and-kaffirs/
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The Dutch Burger Union of Ceylon - its founding and growth
by Deloraine Brohier
Many Sri Lankans pass and re-pass the
round-about from where several roads radiate, which has given to the junction
the colloquial term – thun-mulla. Few though, in
their motor vehicles or as pedestrians, in their hurry, pause to look up at a
tall building of unique architectural design which stands at this point. It is
conspicuous and has remained so, for many years. Fortunately
it has not yet been hidden away or crowded in by structures more modern of
style and unimaginative in shape, as trends have developed in the passing
years.
Significant of façade, it stands deep in a
lawn front and a triangle of garden. From the porch it rises to an upper storey, with glass-fronted windows. But the most striking
feature of the facade and one which stands out to the eye, is the step-gabled
ends of its two wings. This feature is what makes it unique and identifies with
many buildings in Holland's old towns and quarters, which date back to the
periods of the 17th and 18th centuries.
The building at the intersection of Havelock
Road, Reid Avenue and Bullers Road, now Baudhaloka Mawatha - and which
has led to the name thun mulla,
does not go back so far in the centuries. It came up only in the early years of
the present century. The prominent building we have so
high-lighted is the Dutch Burgher Union Hall - library and social meeting place
of a small community who are identified in the polyglottal
mix of peoples in Sri Lanka as - Burghers.
From many a pen of an older generation, as
also by this writer, have flowed explanations of - who are the Burghers. It is
not therefore my intention to elucidate on the subject here, be it to say that
the term came to be associated with a group of people who originally came out
to Sri Lanka, under the flag of Holland and who chose to settle in the island
over the period from the mid-seventeenth century to the closing of the
eighteenth century.
Largely of Dutch and Flemish origin, some
were also from the more northern European countries, and quite a few others who
called themselves Huguenots - French Protestants. Collectively, this was the
"Hollandsche Natie"
who served officially under the United Dutch East Indies Company - the Veerinde Oost Indische Compagnie (VOC) in the years known in Sri Lanka's history
as the Dutch period.
The year 1802 which marked the signing of the
treaty of Amiens, saw a change of colonial occupation of the island when Ceylon
was made a Crown Colony of Great Britain. With the switch of power there
emerged a new life and status for those who officially had served under the
Dutch Company, in their varying capacities and others, private emigres who had
come out as merchants and traders. For reasons personal and those determined by
the terms of the hand-over of power, it has been estimated that about 900
families of the Hollandsche Natie
opted to remain in Ceylon. They took an oath of allegiance to George III of
England and accommodated themselves to changes that developed under the British.
This small overflow of people who had moved
with the history of Ceylon from one colonial regime to another were now
designated "the Dutch and Burgher inhabitants of Ceylon." With time
the term came to be abbreviated to - Burghers. Let me now digress briefly to
qualify the term Burgher. In this we have no better authority than Mr. R.L. Brohier, who has stated:
"Burgher is not an ethnographic name and
has nothing to do with race. The term is of historic origin and refers to a
political community which had a distinctive character when it entered under the
sway of the British Government." (R. L. Brohier:
footnote in Changing Face of Colombo)
Brohier elucidates that the community known as the Burghers,
came to be so designated on a "generic basis" - the term signifying a
conferment of citizenship on a group of peoples. And some have retained the
identity of their origin to this day.
The Burghers, like many other groups of
peoples who came to live under the British colonial system did so by a common
community of interests. As an eminent writer of the past has described:
"...they passed their days in peaceful co-existence and purposefully
linked by common interests, blended freely on terms of racial amity with neighbour and friend" - moving freely on occasions of
sadness and gladness -" in the common object of promoting the most easy and friendly terms of inter-communal
fellowship."
After roughly one hundred years of British
colonial rule if was however felt that the time had come when the Dutch Burgher
descendants associate together - for a recognition of themselves, as having
"an origin, history and character of their own." R. G. Anthonisz, a leading member of the community at the time
however voiced the sentiment that "a union among the Dutch Burghers was
not going to disturb any of the existing friendly relations they had with
members of other communities."
An informal meeting was first held at the
Lindsay Hall, Bambalapitiya on November 12, 1907 men
and women of the Dutch Burgher community, distinguished each in their own right , by professional achievement and of social standing ment to air opinion. In the outcome, a resolution was
carried unanimously which read: "That this meeting is of opinion that a
union of the Dutch Burghers of Ceylon, with the object of promoting the moral,
social and intellectual well-being of the community is very desirable."
Hector van Cuylenburg,
called to the chair on the occasion, said in his inaugural address that he felt
the time had come for them, as a community to "coalesce". If there
was an association of the kind proposed the members of it would frequently meet
and there would be a bond amongst all the Dutch Burghers in Colombo and the
outstations."
To the present generation of readers the names of those who were then appointed as a
Committee, to frame rules, enrol members and carry
out the preliminary, arrangements for the formation of such a union, will
signify little relevance. There was F.C. Loos (member of the legislative
Council) R. G. Anthonisz who rose to be head of the
Archives Department, J. R. Toussaint of the Ceylon Civil service. There were
medical men, surgeons and physicians like Drs. W. A. van Dort, L. A. Prins and Andreas Nell, legal luminaries like Allan Drieberg and F. H. de Vos; senior
officers in the government's technical departments, engineers and surveyors. P.
D. Siebel was a successful businessman and the first florist in Ceylon, A. R.
Koch a leading photographer in society and there was, Ceylon's first woman
doctor, Dr. Alice de Boer. In the months that followed discussions and informal
meetings of the core group took place and the burning of much midnight oil in
formulating drafts of the Rules and Registrations of the union.
The first meeting of the Dutch Burgher union
took place on Saturday January 18, 1908, at the Pettah
library Hall. A large gathering was present, for 267 persons had already enroled as members. Elected as the first president was
Frederick Charles Loos M. L. C; honorary secretary was R. G. Anthonisz and a committee of 45 members, of which 15 were
residing in the outstations. The draft Constitution having been passed the
Dutch Burgher union could be said to have been established. The records of this
first meeting and the early meetings of the union can be found well-documented
in a worthy publication which, from March 31, 1908, came out on a regular
basis. This is known as the Journal of the Dutch Burgher of Ceylon.
The DBU journals are a rich source of
information - archival chronicle and memoir - which scholars and academicians,
writers and journalists of the present generation may well be advised to
consult.
Committees were formed for purposes ethical
and literary, for genealogical research, for social services, entertainment and
sport. The feast of St. Nikolaas, December 5, beloved
by Dutch children was introduced to the Union in its first year and was held in
the Public Hall, Colombo. The tradition of this festival continues to this day.
The need of an office and committee rooms was
felt as urgent for in its initial months Dr. Andreas Nell sublet to the DBU,
two rooms at Sea View, Kollupitiya, also used as a
Reading Room for members. Thus we soon find in the DBU's records that a
"Building Committee" is mentioned for the raising of funds for a
permanent house.
There can be seen to this day set into the
wall in the foyer of the hall, a copper plaque inscribed, which gives
acknowledgement to:
"William Edward Vandersmagt
de Rooy through whose exemplary zeal and unswerving
persistency, the erection of this hall, in the year 1913 became possible."
A building company was formed and shares were
made available to members. Planners and architects, engineers and designers
then went into industry as a block of land was found in an area in the city
which was opening out at the time - pre First World War.
More salubrious was Colombo as it reached out
beyond the Fort and Pettah in the early years of this
century.
The Borella burial
site or Kanatte and the Havelock race course in the
Cinnamon plantations, had come into use shortly before the turn into the 20th
century and Buller's Road cut through scrub jungle and was a gravel road.
The populace of the older city of Colombo
were moving to the littoral strip along the Galle Road, the inlets of the Beira
Lake or to the Cinnamon Gardens. Today's city zones - three, seven, five and
four reflected quite a different geographic picture. Airy residential homes
encircled by large gardens were linked by sandy tracks and foot-paths lined
with spreading flowering trees. Buller's Road, now the Bauddhaloka
Mawatha was lonely and little used, made more
forbidding by the fact that half-way along it was the Asylum for those mentally
disturbed.
My mother, when a timid teenager, described in
later years her fear to take a carriage ride along this stretch, while my
father recalled boyhood rambles with his uncle in koombi
kalle where they hunted hare and thalagoya
in what is known today as Jawatte Road. Reid Avenue
was then named Serpentine Road and there was no broad thoroughfare to connect
Buller's Road with the Galle Road.
The Dutch Burgher Union Buildings Company
purchased an extensive extent of land in the area we have described - and a
building soon reared up, at the junction of Buller's Road and Serpentine Road.
The hall, as it was to be called was in elegant setting, handsome in style.
From the two gates, a drive swung round a carpet of lawn, bordered in flowers,
to a front porch. There was provision of ample, space at the rear of building
for horses and carriages, which gave way in a later era to the motor car.
Tennis courts and a netball court provided activity for the younger members -
and gives the reader an idea of the extent of land originally owned. A
vestibule on the ground floor led on to a spacious public room for lectures and
for dancing in that it had well-sprung teak flooring. A beautifully carved,
wooden staircase led to the upper floor - to billiard and card rooms, a drawing
room arranged with comfortable chairs for informal entertaining, a bar and a
reading room lined with a well-chosen collection of books; residential quarters
for outstation members with a rear staircase for their convenience, had also
been thought of.
The years went by and the Dutch Burgher Union
took on a character of its own. It was inevitable that there were changes in
the surroundings in which it stood. Blocks of residential buildings came up all
around and a link with the Galle Road, which came to be known as New Buller's
Road, found that the DBU lost large strips of garden in acquisition, whilst
escalating property rates saw the Buildings Company selling off its outer
peripheries.
Through the war years, the First and Second
World Wars, and especially in the conflict 1939 to 1945, troops of Dutch forces
serving in the Asian war zones, sailors and airmen, found release in festive
events in the Hall. The lovely mosaic floor in the foyer, depicting a Dutch
sailing ship riding the waves, is a token of their appreciation.
Down the years men
who made outstanding contribution to the country and to the community took
office as Presidents. Their names, inscribed on polished brass, is a record, as
also early paintings and portrait photographs in a later era which keep them in
memory.
The generation who saw the birth of the Dutch
Burgher Union and the building of the Hall have, with time, faded away - their
names forgotten by the present younger generation. But the traditions and
standards they set live on with their sons and daughters. To these, such as the
writer, and with a few others, old scenes of happier days
surface in memory. The laughter of children at play every December 5th; St. Nikolaas, dressed in Bishop's regalia, riding in on a tall
white horse, black pete by his side who dispensed
sweets and toys. A young girl's "coming out" dance, the band playing
the old-waltz or fox-trot as she stepped out with her first beaux watched by
fond "mamas" who sat through the night stiff-backed chairs arranged
around the ball room. Then there were those grand occasions when Ceylon
attained Independence and our first Prime Minister D. S. Senanayake
was honoured, or Lord Soulbury,
Governor General graced a reception.
Unforgettable too were those afternoons when
special Dutch Teas were served. The Hall was arranged with little square tables
covered in crisp white linen: poffertjest hot off the
pan came served with cooled sugar syrup, bolo-fiadho
oozing treacle and fogutte filled with minced cashew
and pumpkin preserve, while not forgetting the thick slices of broeder spread with butter and a slice of Edam cheese with
its deep red rind.
As a school girl the writer with other Dutch
Burgher friends, enjoyed the novelty and importance, dressed as traditional
Dutch girls in bright skirts and starched organdy aprons, wearing quaint
lace-edged pointed bonnets and wooden clogs. Yes, days gone away are ever sweet
to linger upon - as we contemplate that the Dutch Burgher Union has notched
ninety years of history.
DN - Fri July 15 2005
Burghers:
they add "spice" to Lankan "rice"
THE well-known
Burgher authoress, Maureen Milhuisen Seneviratne once talked at a public forum of "the
indefinable mosaic that's in me" referring to her ineffaceable Burgher
genetic and ethnic heritage-near impossible to define because of the many
European bits and pieces that go back millennia and then the Asian and African
bits that were fitted into the pattern of the eventual mosaic later on.
What the British
termed 'Burgher' was essentially a 'political community' [their definition, not
our's of Portuguese, Dutch and other European
settlers, many of whom had married into the local populace and produced a
hybrid people of mixed descent.
The British, too,
married into this already highly heterogeneous community, and as time went by,
with both the indigenous population and also Indian women brought hither to
work on the plantations.
The offspring of
this more recent blend were referred to as 'Eurasians' even though all those of
European ancestry and mixed descent were in fact 'Eurasians' in the biological
sense as they were a fusion of European and Asian ethnic elements.
Therefore, any
distinction is, to say the least, condescending, extremely conceited and
utterly arrogant.
The people who
constitute the Burgher Community in Sri Lanka have arrived here from all parts
of Europe: Lithuania and Poland, Russia and the Ukraine, Pomerania, Prussia,
Jutland, Sweden, Denmark, the Frisian Islands, all parts of Germany,
Switzerland, Italy, Sardinia and Corsica, France, Flanders, Austria, Bohemia,
Hungary, Walloonia, Holland, the British Isles, Eire,
the Channel Islands, Spain, Greece and other Mediterranean. Islands.
There were also
Sephardic Jews fleeing the dreaded Inquisition and it is quite possible that
many of those who hailed from the southern parts of the Iberian Peninsula had
Arab, Berber and West African Negro blood.
During the
expansion of the Roman Empire when its imperium extended from the Rhine to the
Atlantic coast of Portugal and Spain, from Hadrian's Wall in Britain to the far
reaches of Arabia Felix, and from Carthage to the shores around the Black Sea,
the legions of Rome were in fortified towns and cities throughout the
Continent.
These legions were
recruited from all parts of the Empire and consisted of Arabs, Jews, Cretans,
Armenians, Greeks, Illyrians, Macedonians, Carthaginians, Circassians,
and every ethnicity one could name from the area spanned by the Empire.
Doubtless this
multi-ethnic soldiery left their genetic imprint upon the basic Celtic
rootstock of Europe so that the hybrid character of the 'European' far
antedated their arrival on these shores.
The process of
mixing was further augmented by their meeting and cohabiting with the
indigenous peoples made up of Sinhalese, Malayalees,
Tamils, Moors, and Malays.
The Portuguese and
Dutch also brought African Negro slaves to these shores; the Portuguese brought
Chinese, and people from the East Indian archipelago, especially Malays, Ambionese, Bandanese; the Dutch
exiled many families of the Javanese nobility who eventually settled here
permanently.
Many Portuguese
and Dutch married high-ranking Japanese and Malay women. There were also some
Anglo-Chinese, Anglo-Burman, and Dutch-Siamese families who settled in the Island.
Therefore any claims to being 'pure' Burgher, (whatever that
means), is pure nonsense and utter garbage as a 'white' skin does not denote
unmixed ancestry-there are brothers and sisters where one is fair and the other
dark-skinned.
Then, of course,
race itself is a hollow and totally unscientific concept that has no validity
whatsoever. If anything, what defines a community is its culture, mores,
traditions, customs, way-of-life, and belief/value system and not 'race'
however defined.
The true Burgher,
then, is an unbelievably exotic amalgam of various racial strains and truly
represents the three sons of Noah-Shem, Ham and Japheth-fused within a singular
community on this other Eden-the island of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean.
Because of this
heterogeneous ancestry the Burgher is a strong individualist without a trace of
the 'herd instinct' characteristic of some ethno-social and religio-cultural
communities.
The mixed
bloodlines also make the Burgher an extremely intelligent, quick witted person who,
when properly educated is brilliant in the true sense of that word. This means
that he does not show off and draw attention to himself or her, preferring
rather that his or her work or service be noticed and commended for its worth.
The heterogeneity
also produced a person who could get on in any situation as that was a survival
technique perfected in the crucible of oppression, war, and persecution that
persuaded his ancestors to pull up roots and plant themselves somewhere far
from their native lands.
'Getting-on' also
engendered an insightful sense of humour and the
uncertainty of the future compelled him to live as fully as possible for the
moment, one day at a time.
Perhaps it was a
misperception of this trait that provoked the more securely settled indigenous
people to look upon the Burghers as a 'kapalla, beepalla, jolly-kerapalla' [eat,
drink and make merry] type of people who never thought of 'tomorrow.' Indeed,
for a refugee hounded from country to country and exploited at every turn,
there was no such thing as 'tomorrow.'
The ability to
'get on,' the sense of humour, and the strong
tendency for partying at the drop of a hat made the Burgher a very
companionable and gracious person-full of good manners and courtesies, helpful
to a fault and an excellent, house-proud neighbour.
If he had any
rough edges (and they certainly had some) these were smoothed away by the
tolerant culture of the local people who were more inclined to peace and
harmony than confrontation and war.
The serenity
produced by the Buddhist ethos rubbed off and took a lot of natural aggression
that these Europeans came with, out of them, mellowing their characters and
shaping a person who became peaceful, kind, and very lovable (as any local
woman will vow to over and over again!).
It is also true
that the Burgher is the least bigoted about 'race,' has never recognized caste
distinctions, being extremely egalitarian because of his ancestor's usually
humble beginnings, and is the least criminally inclined of the communities that
inhabit this space.
He is also seldom
a religious fanatic, quite tolerant of other's beliefs and practices as long as
they do not become a nuisance that destroys his peace of mind.
When it comes to
politics he's completely turned off because he sees at once the opportunism,
greed, and the love of wielding power for its own sake that drives those who
participate, and all those are all absolutely anathema to him.
There is also a
dark side: Burghers easily get addicted to alcohol and end up drunkards; there
are others who'll get into a fight at the slightest excuse because they enjoy
bashing people up.
Becoming poor is
unbearable and some take to begging on a permanent basis whilst others indulge
in what is termed 'white collar crimes.'
Some women take to
prostitution because of the lack of a proper education. Fortunately, the ones
who are on the 'other side of the tracks' are few and far between.
Maintaining
personal integrity and self-respect is very important and any Burgher will
bristle if these are impugned for any reason whatsoever.
The Burghers (who
now include the Eurasians) and number less than 45,000 persons are a unique
ethno-socio-cultural community.
They are the only
people on this Island that could claim direct recent European ancestry and that
makes them unique because they are neither fully European nor are they entirely
Asian but a truly delightful blending of both that has produced an unusual
hybrid.
Sri Lanka can be
proud that it has such a variety within its shores and especially the Burghers
who have added so much 'spice' to the Sri Lankan 'rice.'
Proud to be a
Burgher? Yes, I am proud to be a member of the Burgher Community and a fully
co-equal citizen of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka which is my
Motherland.
Burgher
Names from the Dutch period
Sent in by
Jackie Anthonisz
Those
names listed below with an asterisk * against them indicates that a genealogy
for that name has been published in the DBU journals
The
Dutch Reformed Churches maintained registers of baptism, marriages and deaths
from the date of arrival of the earliest ancestors in Ceylon. The Anglican
churches maintained similar records from about the 1980’s or 1870’s The roman
catholic churches did not maintain full or complete records of baptism,
marriages and deaths until the early 20th century
The
DBU journal vol XII (1920) reported that a few family
histories of Dutch descendants could not be fully authenticated due to loss or
damage to a few
Jaffna,
Trincomalee, Batticoloa, Mannar, and Kalpitiya church
records from the Dutch period.
The
DBU journal vol LVIII (Jan-Dec 1968 pp. 53-58)
contained a complete list of family genealogies that had been published up to
that date. A few genealogies were added later.
417
(Dutch) Burgher Family Names
*Albrecht
*Aldons
*Altendorff
*Alvis
*Anderson
*Andree
*Andriesen
*Andriez
*Anthoniz
*Armstrong
*Arndt
*Austin
*Auwardt
*Baillie
*Baines
*Balmondt
*Balthazaar
*Baptist
*Barber
*Barbut
*Barsenbach
*Bartels
*Barthelot
*Bartholomeusz
*Beekmeyer
*Beling
*Bennett
*Berenger
*Bertus
*Beven
*Bilsborough
*Blaz
*Blom
*Bogaars
*Bogstra
*Boucher
*Brohier
Bulner
*Buultjens
*Carron
*Caspersz
*Christoffelsz
*Claasz
*Claessen
*Clementi-Smith
*Colin-Thom
*Collette
*Colomb
*Conderlag
*Conradi
*Cooke
*Cordiner
*Corteling
*Cramer
*Crowe
*Crozier
*daSilva
*Daniels
*Danielsz
*Daviot
*delaHarpe
*deBruin
*deMoor
deKretser
*deBoer
*deBreard
*deCaan
*DeZilva
*deWitte
*deNiese
*deNeys
*deVos
*deHeer
*deRooy
*deHoedt
*defry
*deHaan
*deJong
*dejonk
*deVries
*Dekker
*Demmer
*deSong
*Deutrom
*Dickman
*Dirckze
*Dornhorst
*Drieberg
*Eagar
*Eaton
*Ebell
*Ebert
*Edema
Elders
*Ephrums
*Ernst
*Felsinger
*Ferdinands(Ferndinand)
*Foenander
*Franciscus
*Franck
*Fretz
*Frevin
*Fryer
*Garnier
*Garvin
*Gauder
*Giessler
*Gerreyn
*Giffening
*Gilles
*Ginger
*(Geanger)
*Godlieb
*Gogerly
*Grabau
*Gratiaen
*Grenier
*Hasselmeyer
*Hay
*Henricus
*Heponstall
*Herft
*Hess
*Heyn
*Heynsberg
*Hayzer
Hingert
*Hoffman
*Hole
*Holsinger
*Honter
*Horan
Hughes
*Hulft
*Hunter
*Huybertsz
*Ingleton
*Jan
*Jansen
*Jansz
*Jansz
*Jennings
*Jensen
*Joachim
*Jobsz
*Jonklas
*Joseph
*Juriansz
*Kal
*Kalenberg
*Keegel
*Keith
*Kelaart
*Kellar
*Kemp
*Kerfbyl
*Keuneman
*Keyt
*Koch
*Koelman
*Koelmeyer
*Koertsz
*Kreltszheim
*Kirekenbeek
*Lalmon
*Landsberger
*LaBrooy
*LeMercier
*Leembruggen
*Lemphers
*Loftus
*Loos
*Lorensz
*Lorenz
*Lourensz
*Ludekens
*Ludovici
*Ludowyke
*Lutersz
*Maartensz
*Mack
*Marcus
*Margenout
*Martensteyn
*Martensz
*Martin
*Martinus
*McHayzer
*Meewald
*Meier
*Melder
*Mellonius
*Metzeling
*Meurling
*Meynert
*Melhui'sen
*Misso
*Modder
*Moldrich
*Mooyaart
*Morgan
*Mottau
*Muller
*Nagel
*Nell
*Nicholas
*Ohlmus
*Oorloff
*Oppenheimer
*Orr
*Oudtschoorn
*Passe
*Paulusz
*Peglotte
*Perkins
*Piachaud
*Pietersz
*Pompeus
*Poppenbeck
*Potger
*Poulier
*Prigge
*Prins
*Pritchett
*Raffel
*Rankine
*Raymond
*Redlich
*Reimers
*Reyhardt
*Rod
*Roeloffsz
*Runtsdorff
*Roosmalecocq
*Rooy
*Rose
*Rudolph
*Rukach
*Sansoni
*Sauer
*Scharenguivel
*Schneider
Schofield
*Schokman
Schoorman
*Schrader
Schriver
*Schroter
Schuiling
*Schumacher
*Sela
*Siebel
Siegertsz
*Sissouw
*Smit
*Smith
Soertsz
Solomonsz
*Spaar
*Speldewinde
*Spittel
*Sproule
*Staples
*Stewart
*Steyn
*Stork
*Struys
*Swan
*Thiedeman
*Thomasz
*Thomet/Thom
*Thuring
*Toussaint
*Tranchell
*Uhlenbeck
*Underwood
*vanArkadie
*vanBuren
*vanBuuren
*vanCuylenberg
*vanDort
*VanEstrop
*vanEyck
*vanGranberg
*vanGeyzel
*vanHoff
*vanHuyzen
*vanTwest
*vanHouten
*vanLangenberg
*vanRanzow
*vanReyk
*vanRooyen
*vanSanden
*vanSchoonbeck
*vanStarrex
*vanZyl
*vandenDriesen
*vandenBerg
*vanderGert
*vanderGucht
*vanderHeyden
*vanderHoeven
*vanderPooten
*vanderSay
*vabderSpaar
*vanderSmagt
*vanderStraaten
*vanderWall*
*vanderwal
*vanderWert
*vanderZeil
*Vollenhoven
*vonDrieberg
*vonHagt
*vonMeybrink
*Walbeoff
*Wambeck
*Weinman
*Wendt
*Werkmeister
*Will
*Willenberg
*Williamsz
*Wittebron
*Wittensleger
*Woutersz
*Weight
*Wydeman
455 Burgher
Family Names from the British Period
‘Burgher’ as an ethnic label.
Commenced only after the arrival of the British. During the British period the
word was extended to refer to the descendants of Portuguese, British and other
Europeans. The word became a generic term to classify the mixed European/Asian
community. Eventually to all or most of the following.
(A) Portuguese, Dutch, British and other
European descendants.
(B) Persons who thought of themselves as
‘Burghers’.
(C) Persons who were thought of as ‘Burghers’ by
the Burgher community.
(D) Persons who were thought of as ‘Burghers’ by
the other communities in Ceylon.
(E) Eurasians and unions between British males
and Asian females.
‘Burghers’
eventually became a generic term for those who spoke English, did not think of
themselves as belonging to any other ethnic community, wore western dress, were
‘westernised’ in their life-style, ate their food
with cutlery, had a European name and were Christians. The ‘Burgher’ community
boundaries continually widened during the 150 years of British hegemony but shrank
after political independence and becaus e it then
became socially, politically and economically disadvantageous to be classified
as a ‘Burgher’.
Certain
persons with names in this section and of Ceylonese origin may not have
considered themselves ‘Burghers’ or ‘Eurasians’ in Ceylon. Some names may not
be spelled correctly here, in others the spelling of the name may have been
changed over time or been ‘Anglicised’ and could have
had Dutch origins.
Abel
Achilles
Adolphus
Adriansz
Alexander
Allen
Allon
Andrews
Aley
Alphonso
Ambrose
Andrado
Aponso
Arendst
Arendtsz
Armitage
Armer
Arnolda
Ashe
Assauw
Atkinson
Atwell
Augustine
Bagot
Baldsing
Ball
Balmond
Barrow
Bastiaensz
Bayley
Berman
Bernard
Blacker
Blake
Blok
Bocks
Booy
Boulton
Boustead
Bowen
Breckenridge
Brooy
Brown
Buttery
Byrd
Caldera
Cameron
Campbell
Cannon
Capper
Chapman
Christiansz
Clarke
Cockburn
Cole
Collinson
Coopman
Corfield
Corner
Cowley
Craggs
Crake
Croner
Croos
Crusz
Crutchley
D'Silva
D'Witt-Barbut
D'Abrera
D'Olivera
D'Zylva
D'
Costa
D'Cruz
Daniel
Davidson
Dawson
de
la Zilwa
de
la Motte
de
Motte
de
Ley
de
Lisle
de
Waas
de
Zilva
de
Alwis
de
Andrado
de
Costa
de
Fransz
de
Kauwe
de
Pinto
de
Run
de
Silva
de
Rosairo
de
Souza
de
Rozario
de
Soysa
de
Saram
de
Joedt
de
Jong
de
Joodt
De
Bond
De
Lima
De
Koning
De
Slefa
De
Crusz
Dekker
Dender
Denlow
Dias
Dickson
Direckz
Dirksze
Dixon
Dobbs
Dolay
Don
Paul
Don
Duckworth
Dunsford
Durrant
Edwards
Elhart
Elias
Enright
Erfson
Evarts
Ewaet
Faber
Fairweather
Felsianes
Feltham
Ferdinando
Ferdinandus
Fernand
Fernandsz
Fernando
Fernands
Ferreira
Flamer-Caldera
Flanderka
Floor
Forbes
Forster
Fox
Francisco
Frank
Ferdericks
Friskin
Frugtneit
Furlong
Garth
Geddes
Georgesz
Gerhard
Gerreyn
Gibson
Gonsal
Goodacre
Goodchild
Gomes
Gomesz
Gomez
Graham
Gramberg
Gray
Grebe
Greet
Greeves
Gregory
Grigson
Guinan
Gurney
Greeve
Grieve
Hall
Halliday
Hamer
Hamilton
Hannibalsz
Hardy
Harmer
Harpe
Harridence
Harridge
Harris
Hart
Harvie
Hatch
Heliams
Helsham
Henderling
Henry
Hensman
Herman
Hermon
Herrick
Hill
Hindle
Holms
Hopman
Houten
Inch
Ingram
Isaacs
Isaacson
Jackson
Jacobs
Jacotine
Jenkins
Johnson
Jones
Josef
Kaule
Kelly
Kennedy
Kenny
Kerkoven
Kern
Kerner
Kiel
Kleyn
Knower
Koertsz
Krasse
Krause
Kronenberg
La
Faber
Lamont
Lawrence
Leonard
Lewis
Lieversz
Lindsay
Livera
Lobendhan
Lobo
Lord
Lucas
Lynch
Maas
Macky
Maloney
Manricks
Mant
Marks
Marschner
Marshall
Martil
Martinesz
Mason
Mathias
Mathiasz
Mathysz
Matthews
Matthiesz
Mc
Carthy
Meares
Miller
Moldrecht
Moreira
Morel
Moreno
Morrison
Mortier
Mortimer
Moses
Mulholland
Murcon
Murray
Muster
Nathanielsz
Nazareth
Nelson
Newman
Neydorf
Nicholson
Nicol
Nicollé
Nielson
Nugara
O'Conner
Ockers
Offen
Ondaatje
Oosthmuller
Orchard
Osborne
Othen
Overlunde
Owen
Palmer
Pate
Paternott
Patterson
Paul
Peck
Peiris
Peries
Pendegrast
Pereira
Perera
Peter
Peterson
Petronelli
Phoebus
Pinder
Pinto
Plunket
Pollocks
Rabot
Ragel
Raux
Rayen
Rebeira
Rebera
Reginald
Reid
Reith
Rezel
Richards
Richardson
Roberts
Robertson
Rodrigo
Rodrigoe
Rodriguesz
Roofe
Rosayro
Rowlands
Rozairo
Rozayrio
Ruston
Salgado
Salvador
Schafter
Scheepens
Seilman
Senaris
Senn
Sepion
Serpanchy
Shaw
Shedden
Shoecroft
Sicket
Singanetti
Silva
Simmons
Simmonsz
Simms
Simon
Simons
Slegers
Slemmerman
Solomons
South
Souza
Speering
Spencer
St.
George
St.John
Stanislaus
Stephens
Stephenson
Stonehewer
Stouter
Strange
Stonach
Symons
Syms
Taylor
Templer
Thompson
Thurgood
Tiley
Titus
Todd
Tucker
Tyler
Vincent
Vandergreft
VanderHoff
van
Heer
van
der Laan
Varney
Vaz
von
Bergheim
Vergis
Wagenaar
Wait
Walker
Wallace
Walles
Warkus
Weber
Webster
Wilson
Winn
Winslow
Winter
Wise
Witham
Wolfe
Wyman
Young
Ziegelaar
Zimsen
Some Early
Burgher names.
The
great majority of the names are of Dutch, German, Belgian and Scandinavian
origin but there are also a number of well-known Portuguese names
Pereira
de
Silva
d'Almeda
Perera
de
Mist
Theunis
D'Eerbare
Fernandus
Fernando
Rosairo
Pieris
Salgado
Rodrigo
Rodrigos
Rozayro
Ludewykse
Dias
Caldera
Gomes
Correa
Tissera
Francisca
de
Costa
Vass
List of
Burgher marriages in Jaffna between 1843 – 1854 Included among the names are.
Anderson
Adriaansz
Alexander
Augustyn
Bartholomeusz
Beekmayer
Britto
Brechman
de
Hoedt
de
Niese
Ebell
Frynsbergh
Grenier
Gratiaen
Garnier
Hanibalsz
Heynsbergh
Hardy
Jansz
Janszjie
Kreltzheim
Kriekenbeek
Koch
Keegel
Leembruggen
Lopez
Melder
Margenout
Maartensz
Martinesz
Moses
Nolan
Peterson
Philipsz
Pietersz
Roelofsz
Slemmerman
Speldewinde
Theile
Toussaint
Thiedeman
Van
Zyl
Vanderhoven
Vander
Straaten
Wittebron
Weber
The
DBU journals for 1908 contain a list of some of the founders of families who
arrived from Europe and settled in Ceylon during the period of the Dutch
administration between 1640 and 1796. There are 134 names and about 85 of the
names were still current in the 1960’s.
Dutch inhabitants in Galle at the
time of capitulation had to sign an undertaking that they would not leave Galle
and/or directly or indirectly correspond, aid or assist the enemies of the
English. Among the Dutch names are many that are well known in the Burgher
community of the 1950’s some of those names are.
Fretz
van
der Spar
de
Ly
Roosmale
Cocq
Rabinel
van
Geyer
Brechman
Kleyn
Booy
Huybertsz
de
Vos
Anthonisz
Forbus
Martensz
von
Bergheim
Moltrecht
Reyhardt
van
Hoven
Deutrom
Poulier
Meyer
Meurling
Vollenhoven
Piertersz
Baptist
Smitz
de
Moore
van
Geyzel
Engelbrecht
Aldons
Gratiaen
van
den Broek
Cadenski
Hollenbeck
Hingert
Ludovici
Prins
Huybertsz
Buultjens
A
similar undertaking was signed by the Dutch in Jaffna on the capitulation of
that city. Here are some of the names.
Williamsz
Kellens
Toussaint
Kats
Verwyk
Driemond
Heynsburgh
Mom
de
Niese
Hesler
Keegel
Bartholomeusz
van
Hoorn
Dgranier
Kwesius
Cadenski
van
der Gucht
de
Hoedt
de
Wolff
Modder
Schneider
van
Schoonbeek
de
Rooy
Scheffer
Grieve
Otto
Marcus
Dirksz
Kruis
Claasz
Smith
Koch
Schrader
Corteling
Sonnenberg
Specht
de
Bondt
de
Vos
van
der Putt
A
list of Dutch ‘company servants’ who had been granted temporary allowances by
the British in 1796 in terms of the capitulation. Among the names are.
van
Dort
Martensz
Andriesz
de
Jong
Spoor
van
Buuren
Dirksz
Fretz
Aldons
Le
Dulx
Woutersz
Loos
Gerhard
van
Geyzel
Brinkman
van
Hagt
Spittel
Hoffman
Singer
de
Vos
Maas
Felsinger
Mack
de
Run
Kalenberg
Heer
Pompeus
Burgher is the name of a Eurasian
people and, less commonly, a Creole language based on Portuguese
. In Sri Lanka the term is used to identify people of this community.
English is the mother tongue of the
Burghers of Sri Lanka. See Portuguese Creole.
For the most part, the Burgher
people of Sri Lanka are the Eurasian descendents of
Portuguese, Dutch and British colonists from the 16th to 20th centuries.
Burghers were legally defined by law
in 1883, by the then Chief Justice of Ceylon, Sir Richard Ottley,
given before the Commission which was appointed in connection with the
establishment of a legislative Council in Ceylon.
It was decided that in order to be
defined as a Burgher, one's father had to have been born in Sri Lanka, with at
least one European ancestor on one's direct paternal side, regardless of the
ethnic origin of one's mother, or what other ethnic groups may be found on the
father's side.
Most Burghers are Christian, the
majority being Catholics or Presbyterians.
Because of how a Burgher is legally
defined, Burghers always have European surnames (mostly of Portuguese, Dutch
and British origin, although it is not uncommon to also find
German, French, or even Flemish
surnames).
Burghers are not physically homogeneous.
It is possible to have a blond,
fair-skinned Burgher, as well as a Burgher with a very dark complexion and
black hair.
Fair-skinned and dark-skinned
children can even appear as brother and sister in the same family of the same
parents.
Burghers
share a common culture rather than a common ethnicity.
While
the older generations of Burghers tried to dismiss the obvious Asian side of
their ancestry, many younger Burghers today highly value this variety in their
heritage.
In the census of 1981, the Burgher
population of Sri Lanka was enumerated at 39,374 persons.
The current percentage of Burghers
in the Sri Lankan population is less than 1%.
The highest concentration of
Burghers is in Colombo (0.72%) and Gampaha (0.5%).
There are also similar, significant
communities in Trincomalee and Batticaloa,
but due to conflict in those areas during the 2001 census, figures are not
available. The world population (mostly in Sri Lanka, Australia, the USA and
the UK) is probably no more than 100,000.
History
The Portuguese arrived in what was then
known by outsiders as Ceylon, in 1505.
Since there were no women in the
Portuguese navy, the Portuguese sailors raped local Sinhalese women.
This practice of intermarriage with local
people was encouraged by the Portuguese, not only in Ceylon, but also in other
Portuguese colonies, such as Macau in China and Malacca in Malaysia. Their mestiço children were often called 'micos'
(a corruption from the Portuguese word for 'mechanic').
When the Dutch took over in 1653,
they expelled all the Portuguese.
However, they permitted stateless
persons of Portuguese-Jewish (Marrano) descent, and of mixed
Portuguese-Sinhalese ancestry to stay.
As a result, Burghers with
Portuguese names are likely to be of either Jewish or mixed
Portuguese-Sinhalese ancestry.
During the Dutch period, all Dutch
colonial operations were overseen by the VOC, ('Vereenigde
Ost-Indische Compagnie').
Virtually all Burghers from this
period were employees of the VOC.
The VOC employed not only Dutch
nationals, but also enlisted men from Belgium, Friesland, Germany, Sweden,
Denmark and Austria.
It is therefore not unusual to find
ancestors from these countries in many Burgher family trees.
It was during the Dutch period that
the term 'Burgher' was first coined to denote people of mixed European, and
European-Asian descent.
It comes from the Dutch word
'Burger', meaning 'citizen' or 'resident'.
People of mixed ancestry were not
allowed citizenship of the country of their European fathers, nor of their
Asian mothers, so a compromise was found whereby they would be citizens
('Burghers') of the towns of their birth.
When the British took over in 1796,
many Dutch people chose to leave.
However, a significant number chose
to stay, mostly those of mixed descent.
One condition of their being allowed
to stay, was that they had to sign a Treaty of Capitulation to the British.
Many Burghers can find their
ancestors' names in this treaty.
At the time of the British conquest,
there were about 900 Burgher families residing in Ceylon, concentrated in
Colombo, Galle, Matara and Jaffna.
Until the early 1900s, as well as
English, many Burghers also spoke a form of Portuguese Creole, even those of
Dutch descent.
It is now only spoken in parts of
the coastal towns of Trincomalee and Batticaloa. Most of its vocabulary is from Portuguese, but
its grammar is based on that of Tamil and Sinhalese.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s,
many Burghers left the island and emigrated to Australia (where there is an
area of Melbourne known as ' Little Ceylon'), the USA and Great Britain.
Culture
Burgher
culture is a rich mixture of east and west, reflecting their ancestry.
They
are the most western of the ethnic groups in Sri Lanka.
Most
of them wear western clothing, although it is not uncommon for a man to be seen
wearing a sarong, or for a woman to wear a sari.
A
number of elements in Burgher culture have actually extended to become part of
the cultures of other ethnic groups in Sri Lanka.
For
example, baila music, which has its origin in the
music of 16th century Portugal, has found its way into mainstream popular
Sinhalese music.
Lacemaking,
which began as a domestic pastime of Burgher women, is now a part of Sinhalese
culture too.
Even
certain foods, such as Love Cake, Bol Fiado (layered cake), Ijzer Koekjes and Frikkadels (savoury meatballs), have become an integral part of Sri
Lankan national cuisine.
Burghers
have a very strong interest in their family histories.
Many
old Burgher families kept stamboeks (from the Dutch
for ‘Clan Books’).
These
recorded not only dates of births, marriages and deaths, but also significant
events in the history of a family, such as details of moving house, illnesses,
school records, even major family disputes.
An
extensive, multi-volume stamboek of many family
lineages is kept by the Dutch Burgher Union.
Individual
families have traditions which reflect their specific family origins.
Burghers of Dutch origin sometimes
celebrate the Feast of St Nicholas in December, and those of Portuguese-Jewish
origin observe customs such as the separation time of a woman after childbirth
(see Leviticus 12:2-5), the redemption of the Firstborn (Pidyon
ha-Ben), and the purification bath (taharah) after a daughter’s first period (see niddah).
Most
of the latter Burgher families, being unaware of the Jewish origins of these
customs, have given them a Catholic slant.
Some
would even say that a certain attitude has become part of Burgher culture, that
of tolerance.
While
inter-communal strife has sadly become a feature of modern Sri Lankan life,
Burghers have on the whole worked to maintain good relations with other ethnic
groups.
It
is safe to say that racial and religious tolerance is an integral part of
Burgher culture too...............................