Ernest Bickham Sweet-Escott

Sir Ernest Bickham Sweet-Escott KCMG (20 August 1857 – 9 April 1941) was a British colonial administrator and governor who was in turn Governor of the Seychelles, British Honduras, Leeward Islands and Fiji.

Sir Ernest Bickham Sweet-Escott KCMG
Sir (Ernest) Bickham Sweet-Escott by Walter Stoneman, 1924
3rd Administrator of the Seychelles
In office August 1899 – November 1903
Preceded by	Henry Cockburn Stewart
Succeeded by	Himself (as Governor)
1st Governor of the Seychelles
In office November 1903 – 1904
Monarch	Edward VII
Preceded by	Himself (as Administrator)
Succeeded by	Walter Edward Davidson
4th Governor of British Honduras
In office 15 April 1904 – 1906
Monarch	Edward VII
Preceded by	David Wilson
Succeeded by	Eric John Eagles Swayne
34th Governor of the Leeward Islands
In office 1906–1912
Preceded by	Clement Courtenay Knollys
Succeeded by	Henry Hesketh Bell
9th High Commissioner for the Western Pacific
In office 25 July 1912 – 10 October 1918
Preceded by	Francis Henry May
Succeeded by	Cecil Hunter-Rodwell
10th Governor of Fiji
In office 25 July 1912 – 10 October 1918
Preceded by	Francis Henry May
Succeeded by	Cecil Hunter-Rodwell
Personal details
Born	20 August 1857 Bath
Died	9 April 1941 (aged 83)
Citizenship	British
Spouse(s)	Mary Jane Hunt
Children	3 daughters, 2 sons

Early years

Sweet-Escott was born at Bath, the fifth son of the Rev. Hay Sweet-Escott, headmaster of Somersetshire College, Bath, and Rector of Kilve, Somerset, by his wife Eliza, daughter of Rev. John Coombes Collins, Vicar of St John's Bridgwater.[1] He was educated at the Royal Somersetshire College, Bath, Bromsgrove School[2] and Balliol College, Oxford. From 1881 he was professor of classics at the Royal College of Mauritius.[3]

In 1886 he became assistant colonial secretary at Mauritius and was promoted in 1889 to acting colonial secretary. His next posting was in British Honduras from May 1893 until September 1898 when he returned to take up a post as acting government clerk at the Colonial Office[4]

Colonial administrator

Sweet-Escott then became administrator of the Seychelles in June 1899 and then Governor of the Seychelles when the post was created from 1903 to 1904.[5] He was knighted in 1904 and became Governor of British Honduras from 15 April 1904 to 13 August 1906.[6] From 1906 until 1912 he was Governor of the Leeward Islands.[7]

Sweet-Escott became Governor of Fiji on 25 July 1912 and was also High Commissioner and Consul General for the West Pacific region. During World War I a German squadron under Maximilian von Spee was a day away from Fiji. Sweet-Escott wired a message to the Australian fleet, then 2000 miles away, which the Germans intercepted and Von Spee was convinced that he was heading for a trap, turned away and laughed at the "fool of a governor for giving the show away".[7] Sweet-Escott's term of office ended on 10 October 1918.

Miscellaneous

Sweet-Escott instituted the Escott Shield as a rugby trophy in 1913, which was first won by the Pacific Club.[8]

Sweet-Escott married Mary Jane Hunt on 14 December 1881 and had five children named Kathleen, Stanley Bickham, Norah Muriel, Hugh Bevil and Leslie Wingfield.

References

1. British Census 1881 RG11 3060/122 p. 29
2. Alfred Edward Housman, Archie Burnett: The Letters of A.E. Housman, p. 272.
3. SWEET-ESCOTT Sir Ernest Bickham 1857–1941 Archived 21 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
4. London Gazette February 1, 1898
5. "Seychelles". Archived from the original on 27 October 2009. Retrieved 13 December 2008.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link).
6. Rulers. Countries Ba-Bo. rulers.org
7. "Sweet-Escott v. Von Spee". Time 5 January 1931
8. Fiji Rugby Union History.