Thomas Stamford Raffles (Sir) (b. 6 July 1781, off Port Morant, Jamaica–d. 5 July 1826, Middlesex, England), known as the founder of modern Singapore, was born at sea off Jamaica on 6 July 1781 on board the West Indiaman Ann. The Ann was the ship captained by his father, Benjamin Raffles.1 His full name at birth was Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles, where each name had significance to people who had influence over him or his family.2
Date
Although the ship Ann had been at anchor at Port Morant, Jamaica, for some days, Ann Lyde, Benjamin Raffles’s wife, gave birth only the day after the ship had pulled out of port. Raffles was thus born at sea on 6 July 1781 (or 5 July, according to sea reckoning which calculates a full day from noon to noon rather than midnight to midnight).3
Name
The baby was named Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles at a christening ceremony on board the ship, with Stamford of Jamaica and Bingley of London as the child’s godfathers. But he was rechristened Thomas Raffles by his uncle, the Reverend John Linderman, on 4 July 1784 at Eaton Bishop, Herefordshire, during a combined christening with his sister Harriet who was born in 1783. Linderman was the brother-in-law of Anne Lyde.4 Raffles was the only surviving son of Benjamin Raffles.5
The name Thomas was a reference to his grandfather (d. 1784) who had been a clerk for nearly 40 years at the Prerogative Office, Doctors’ Commons.6 Raffles never used the name Bingley, denying that Thomas Bingley had ever been his godfather, although historians believe the wealthy Bingley had financially assisted the family during Raffles’s cash-strapped childhood years. Stamford remains a shadowy figure, although a Thomas Stamford has been identified – a merchant who traded between London and Jamaica during the same period Raffles was born. Raffles only officially used the name Stamford after his knighthood.7
Ann
The Ann was part of a convoy of 200 ships that were on the way to England and North America after a stopover in the lucrative slave trade of the Carribeans. She was a 260-tonner with 8 four-pounders. Built in 1765 in Scotland, the ship was owned by Hibberts & Co. of Glasgow with a possibility that Benjamin Raffles had a share in it.8
Author
Bonny Tan
References
1. John Bastin and Julie Weizenegger, The Family of Sir Stamford Raffles (Singapore: Editions Didier Millet, 2016), 13 (Call no. RSING 959.57030922 BAS-[HIS]); John Bastin, Letters and Books of Sir Stamford Raffles and Lady Raffles: The Tang Holdings Collection of Autograph Letters and Books of Sir Stamford Raffles and Lady Raffles (Singapore: Editions Didier Millet, 2009), 17–18 (Call no. RSING 959.5703092 BAS-[HIS]); Hugh Edward Egerton, Sir Stamford Raffles: England in the Far East (London: T.F. Unwin, 1900), 1–3, appendix 1. (Call no. RCLOS 959.570210924 RAF-[GH])
2. Egerton, England in the Far East, 2; C. E. Wurtzburg, ed., Raffles of the Eastern Isles (Singapore: Oxford University Press, 1984), 15–17 (Call no. RSING 959.570210924 RAF.W-[HIS]); Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles: Book of Days (Singapore: Antiques of the Orient, 1993), 126. (Call no. RSING 959.57021092 SIR-[HIS])
3. Egerton, England in the Far East, 2; Wurtzburg, Raffles of the Eastern Isles, 15–17; Book of Days, 126.
4. Wurtzburg, Raffles of the Eastern Isles, 15; Wurtzburg, “The Birthday of Sir Stamford Raffles,” Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society 20, no. 1 (141) (June 1947), 187. (From JSTOR via NLB’s eResources website)
5. Wurtzburg, Raffles of the Eastern Isles, 16.
6. Bastin and Weizenegger, Family of Sir Stamford Raffles, 24–25; Wurtzburg, Raffles of the Eastern Isles, appendix v.
7. Bastin and Weizenegger, Family of Sir Stamford Raffles, 24–25; Wurtzburg, Raffles of the Eastern Isles, appendix v.
8. Bastin and Weizenegger, Family of Sir Stamford Raffles, 36; Bastin, Letters and Books of Sir Stamford Raffles and Lady Raffles, 227; Wurtzburg, Raffles of the Eastern Isles, 15–17.
Further resources
Eli Solomon, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles: A Comprehensive Bibliography (Singapore: Singapore Resource Library, National Library Board, 1997). (Call no. RSING 016.95957 SIR)
Emily Hahn, Raffles of Singapore: A Biography (Kuala Lumpur: University of Malaya Press, 1968), 1–12. (Call no. RSING 959.570210924 RAF)
Maurice Collis, Raffles (Singapore: G. Brash, 1982). (Call no. RSING 959.570210924 RAF)
The information in this article is valid as of 2016 and correct as far as we can ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the library for further reading materials on the topic.
The information on this page and any images that appear here may be used for private research and study purposes only. They may not be copied, altered or amended in any way without first gaining the permission of the copyright holder.
High Street, located in the Downtown Core of the Central Region, stretches from Hill Street to North Bridge Road. Cleared from part of the jungle near the shore in 1819, it was the first street laid out in Singapore. The short street is appropriately named as it sits on high...
The Singapore Library, which grew out of the Singapore Institution Library, was established on 22 January 1845 as a library for the residents of Singapore. Initially occupying the north wing of the Singapore Institution (later renamed Raffles Institution), it was the first public library in Singapore. The library was a...
Amoy Street in Chinatown begins at the junction of McCallum Street, and Telok Ayer Street and ends at Pekin Street. Developed in the 1830s, the street was probably named after the migrants who came from Amoy in China. ...
Telok Ayer Street extends from Market Street to Anson Road. Telok Ayer was designated a Chinese district by Stamford Raffles in 1822 and gained prominence in the 1820s because it served as the landing site for early immigrants. This led to a concentration of religious buildings and Chinese clan associations...
Raffles Place is a commercial space that includes buildings such as the Arcade, Clifford Centre, Straits Trading, Hong Kong Bank and OCBC Building – all situated within five minutes’ walking distance of one another. ...
Thomas Braddell, C. M. G. (b. 30 January 1823, Rahingrany, Ireland–d. 19 September 1891, London, England) was Crown Counsel of the Straits Settlements (1864), and the first Attorney-General of the Straits Settlements (1867–82). Before joining the legal profession, he was Assistant Resident Councillor of Penang. He was made a Companion...
Seletar Reservoir was built in 1940 as the country’s third impounding reservoir, to meet a surge in water demand after World War I. The reservoir possessed an initial capacity of 150 million gallons until its expansion in 1969. It was renamed Upper Seletar Reservoir in 1992, while Sungei Seletar Reservoir...
The Ladies Lawn Tennis Club in Singapore was established in 1884. The club gained popularity soon after it was formed, but membership started falling by the 1920s and it was eventually closed in 1932. The Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) took over the club’s grounds in Dhoby Ghaut in 1933....
Lady Mary Wood was a 49-metre long paddle wheel steamer launched in 1841 and registered in 1842. It is said to be named after the wife of Charles Wood, who was England’s secretary to the Admiralty. The steamer had a gross tonnage of 556 and horsepower of 250. In...
Tan Che Sang (b.1763, Fujian, China–d. 2 April 1836, Singapore) was one of the earliest merchants from Malacca to come to Singapore when Stamford Raffles set up a British settlement in Singapore in 1819. A tycoon known for his addiction to gambling, Tan’s prominence in the early colonial period was...