Charles Henry de Soysa Dharmagunawardana Vipula Jayasuriya Karunaratna Disanayaka popularly known as Charles Henry de Soysa, JP (3 March 1836 – 29 September 1890) was a Ceylonese entrepreneur and philanthropist. He was a pioneering planter, industrialist and the wealthiest Ceylonese of the 19th century.The Story of Ceylon Tea, by Maxwell Fernando (book review), Retrieved 5 December 2014Ceylon Tea: The Trade that Made a Nation, Richard Simon, pp. 24 & 97 (Colombo Tea Traders' Association, 2017), He was instrumental in the establishment of the first Ceylonese bank, the Moratuwa carpenters guild, the Ceylon Agricultural and National Associations. He is widely regarded as the greatest philanthropist of the island for contributions which includes the De Soysa Maternity Hospital, the Prince and Princess of Wales Colleges, the Model Farm Experimental Station and many other institutions and acts of charity,Great Lives From History: Incredibly Wealthy , Howard Bromberg, pp. 263-5 (Salem Pr Inc), Charles Henry de Soysa's 176th birth anniversary: Philanthropist par excellence, Daily News (Sri Lanka), 1 December 2014 establishing infant-maternal healthcare and secular education for girls in the country.The baby hospital by Nadeera Seneviratne and Nimna Edirisinghe The Island (Sri Lanka) Retrieved 3 November 2015De Soysa Maternity Hospital (Official Website) Retrieved 22 December 2014Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon, by Arnold Wright, pp. 117-8 & 552 (Lloyd's Greater Britain Publishing Company) He would have been the island's first Knight Bachelor, but having died prior, his widow was given the rare honor of the use of the style and dignity of wife of the Knight Bachelor and was known as Catherine, Lady de Soysa.
Early life and education Charles de Soysa was born at the humble abode of his maternal grandfather in Moratuwa on 3 March 1836.The De Soysa Charitaya, by C. Don Bastian Jayaweera Bandara and V. S. M. De Mel, pp.iii, 1, 14, 17, 75-6, 89, 93-102, 109 (University of California) ASIN B00H1CYGL4 He was the only son of Mudliyar Jeronis de Soysa Dissanayake and Francesca de Soysa Lamaethani (née Cooray). Jeronis de Soysa, an Ayurveda doctor, was one of the most successful merchants in Ceylon and established the largest native commercial enterprise of the era.Charles Henry De Soysa; The Anepindu Sitano of Lanka, by Buddhika Kurukularatne The Island (Sri Lanka) Retrieved 1 December 2015Philanthropist and Patriot: Charles Henry de Soysa, by Wimalasiri A. Fernando The Island (Sri Lanka) Retrieved 5 December 2014Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon, by Arnold Wright, pp.256-7,260,313,538-54 (Lloyd's Greater Britain Publishing Company) His grandfather Warusahennadige Joseph Soysa (1764-1839), an Ayurveda practitioner, great grandfather Bastian Soysa and earlier ancestors; Don Francisco, Juan and Manual Soysa Muhandiram were salt and grain merchants having interests in the transportation, boat building and the agricultural sector.THE GREATEST VISIONARY AND PHILANTHROPIST OF MORATUWA, Tribute to Jeronis de Soysa, by B. R. Oclen. Fernando The Island (Sri Lanka) Retrieved 23 December 2014The De Soyas of Alfred House by Rupa de Soysa, p.10, 13, 34, 38, 51-9, 71, 74-5 & 95 (Karunaratne & Sons) Their ancestor was the lay custodian of the Devinuwara Temple Matara at the time of its destruction in 1587.Holy Emmanuel Church: Seventy-fifth Jubilee Memorials, G.O.C. Coorey, et al. (D.P. Dodangoda & Co) "The vivid picture of the de Soysas’ painted against the background of their past, harks back to the days of their social and political relationship to the sovereign power of Lanka as evidenced by the fact that the Prince of Devi Nuwara, Manikku Nila Artha Deva Nanuru Thuniyar was originally State Secretary to His Imperial Majesty King Parakrama Bahu VI of Jayawardenapura Kotte"The Buddhist Vishnu: Religious Transformation, Politics, and Culture, By John C. Holt, p. 99 (Columbia University Press) Having his primary education at the Palliyagodella Buddhist Temple in Moratuwa, de Soysa went on to gain his secondary education at the Colombo Academy and then became one of the first students of S. Thomas' College, Mutwal before completing his education at home with a tutor. He became an apprentice under his father and uncle Susew de Soysa (1809–1881) in managing the large estates and trading network of the family, starting at Hanguranketha. From a young age De Soysa had displayed a benevolent nature.Charles Henry De Soysa A rare Ceylonese, his philanthropy reached far beyond our shores, by Ilica Malkanthi Karunaratne, The Daily Mirror, Retrieved 30 May 2015112th death anniversary of C. H. de Soysa – philanthropist unequalled, Dr. K. N. M. D. Cooray Daily News (Sri Lanka) Retrieved 23 December 2014
Marriage De Soysa, a devout Anglican, sought the hand of Catherine (1845–1914), the daughter of Chevalier Jusey de Silva Deva Aditya (1816–1889) and Weerahennadige Weerabala Jayasuriya Patabendi Anna Fernando (1825–1877) who were staunch Catholics. De Silva hailed from the traditional nindagam land holders of Moratuwa during the Kotte KingdomTwentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon, by Arnold Wright, pp. 650, 667-9 (Lloyd's Greater Britain Publishing Company) The Date of Buddha's Death and Ceylon Chronology, By John M. Senaveratna, p.193 (Asian Educational Services, India) A Tribute to my Father : DR. KINGSLEY DE SILVA DEVA ADITYA on his 100th BIRTH ANNIVERSARY, By Niranjan de Silva Deva Aditya (MEP) The Island (Sri Lanka)Retrieved 15 December 2014NIRANJAN WINS AGAIN MAKING HISTORY WITH AN INCREASED SHARE OF THE VOTE WHILE THE TORY PARTY COLLAPSES COMING THIRD (LankaWeb) Retrieved 15 December 2014 and was a successful wholesaler and exporter of arrack.Extracts from 'Nobodies to Somebodies - The Rise of the Colonial Bourgeoisie in Sri Lanka', Kumari Jayawardena, (Social Scientists' Association and Sanjiva Books). Life and times of Charles Henry de Soysa, by Surath Peiris. Retrieved on 1 December 2014 A compromise was made to solemnise the marriage according to the rites of the Roman Catholic Church and the wedding was held on 4 February 1863 at the Chevalier walauwa, Moratuwa Save oldest mansion in Moratuwa from the Police, Ravi Perera The Island (Sri Lanka) Retrieved 23 December 2014
Trade and Industry De Soysa was a pioneering tea planter which was usually the preserve of Europeans., Colombo International Tea Convention Website, Retrieved 5 December 2014Ceylonese Participation in Tea Cultivation, by Maxwell Fernando: History of Ceylon Tea Website, Retrieved 5 December 2014In the Shadows of the Tropics: Climate, Race and Biopower in Nineteenth Century Ceylon, by James S Duncan, p.38 (Ashgate) When the coffee crash occurred in 1869 many European planters went back home. However, De Soysas' investments were not only in coffee, which enabled him to survive the coffee crisis and expand his plantations further. De Soysa planted tea in the former coffee estates and it fetched record prices at the Colombo and London auctions. Guru Oya, Marigold, Hantana and others, established in 1870, were among the earliest tea plantations of the country.Guru Oya, Dumbara: History of Ceylon Tea Website, Retrieved 5 December 2014Marigold, Maturatta: History of Ceylon Tea Website, Retrieved 5 December 2014Hantana, Galaha: History of Ceylon Tea Website, Retrieved 5 December 2014
De Soysa also cultivated citronella, coconut, cinnamon, rice, rubber, cocoa and cotton in seven of the nine provinces of the Island. His other investments included transportation, graphite mining, coffee, coir and oil mills, tea factories and the import-export trade.Architecture and Nationalism in Sri Lanka: The Trouser Under the Cloth By Anoma Pieris, p.65-81 & 83 (Routledge) A Bean Two Leaves and a Bud, Chapter 12 - The de Soysa Family by Ed Rowlands. Retrieved 5 December 2014A RICH UNICOM FAMILY HISTORY COMES AS NO SURPRISE, Unicom Tea Website. Retrieved 5 December 2014 Built in 1870, the Wolfendhal and Diyatalawa mills were some of the earliest steam mills of Ceylon and his fibre mill was the largest in the world.Nobodies to Somebodies: The Rise of the Colonial Bourgeoisie in Sri Lanka, Kumari Jayawardena, pp. 152 & 369 (Zed) C. H. de Soysa Exports was the first company registered by a Ceylon national. He constructed commercial buildings at Galle Face, Colpetty, Fort and Pettah and the De Soysa building in Slave Island, Colombo.Extract from Seaports of India and Ceylon, edited by Allister Macmillan, p. 437 (Asian Educational Services). YMCA: Down memory lane , Daily FT, Retrieved 5 December The residential property he owned became the most sought after residential areas in latter times.Now a showcase of fabulous mansions by Padma Edirisinghe, Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka), Retrieved 10 December 2014Mansions of Kolluptiya, Colombo in the early twentieth century Retrieved 10 December 2014
De Soysa was also the first Ceylonese banker and he was instrumental in establishing the Bank of Kandy at Dalada veediya and Pettah, Colombo in 1860. Engeltine Cottage in Kandy: The Intertwining of Three Families — Pieris, Sangakkara and Krishnapillai, by Michael Roberts. Retrieved 5 December 2014 He was the first Ceylonese member of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.Centenary birth anniversary of first Lankan-born CCC Chairman falls today , The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Website, Retrieved 30 May 2015 De Soysa undertook measures to improve and diversify agricultural productivity in the country by experimenting with farming methods and promoting agricultural innovations. He adopted measures to compete directly in the international market and encouraged other local entrepreneurs to do so. When the 'nobodies' made their mark Sunday Times Retrieved 10 December 2014 He introduced emerging technologies and setup incentives for his employees including pensions at a time when such a system was yet to be formally adopted by governments and institutions.
Royal banquet
De Soysa was accorded the unique privilege of being invited to hold a reception on behalf of the people of Ceylon for Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh who was the first member of British Royalty to visit the Island. This he did in royal style at his palatial mansion in Colombo Bagatelle walauwa, (later renamed Alfred House) which had been specially reconstructed for the occasion in a sprawling park of 120 acres.Bagatelle Road – will it be gone with the wind? by Dr. A.R.B. Amerasinghe Sunday Times Retrieved 10 December 2014 De Soysa entertained the Prince where the crockery and cutlery of the banquet was made of gold and studded with gems and pearls.The day the Queen came to Queen's Road, recalls Stephen Prins Sunday Times Plus. Retrieved 10 December 2014 De Soysa extended the invitation to the elites as well as the commoners from all communities. Consequent to this event H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh hosted a reception to the De Soysas (at Queen's House, Colombo) and conferred the title of Gate Mudaliyar (Wasala Mudaliyar) on Susew de Soysa and of Justice of the Peace for the Island on Charles Henry de Soysa (the latter had declined the title of Mudaliyar).
Philanthropy
Health De Soysa initiated measures to reduce the infant mortality rate by creating a supply of trained Sinhalese midwives. He later became the first person in Asia to gift a maternity hospital; the De Soysa Lying-In-Home at Borella, which was once his childhood residence. The original buildings of the Ceylon Medical College gifted by him and his uncle Mudliyar Susew de Soysa were also declared open on the same day by the Governor Sir James Robert Longden on 9 December 1879.Ceylon in 1893: Describing the Progress of the Island Since 1803 , by John Ferguson p.30 (Observer Press)