James Edward Corea | |
|---|---|
 Gate Mudaliyar of Chilaw | |
| Born | 2 December 1865 |
| Died | 1955 Chilaw |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Education | Colombo |
| Occupation | In charge of the rural police of Pitigal Korale North |
| Title | Gate Mudaliyar |
| Spouse | Frances Eleanor Terentia née Ameresekera |
| Children | Drayton, Melita Avilda Terentia, Edward Stanley Tarrant, James Clifford Aelian, Ouida, Acland, Edward, Ariel, Letitia, Leslie |
| Parent | Johannes Christoffel |
Gate Mudaliyar James Edward Corea was a Ceylonese colonial-era headman.
Corea was born in Chilaw, on the west coast of Sri Lanka, on 2 December 1865. His father was Johannes Christoffel Corea who was a Mudaliyar of the Chilaw District.
In the 1870s Corea was educated at one of the leading educational institutions in the country, the Colombo Academy. In 1888 he married Frances Eleanor Terentia, daughter of D. C. Ameresekera, Proctor of the Supreme Court, Kurunegala and they had ten children. They came from an Anglican Christian background.
Roper Lethbridge in 'The Golden Book of India'; a genealogical and biographical dictionary of the ruling princes, chiefs, nobles, and other personages, titled or decorated, of the Indian empire, with an appendix for Ceylon, written in 1900, mentions James Edward Corea: 'COREA, Abhayaratna Gunasekara Wi-kramasundara Wijayasekere, James Edward, Gate Mudaliyar; born 1866.
His father was Mudaliyar Johannes Christopher Corea, Mudaliyar of Chilaw, who was son of Mudaliyar Abraham Corea, brother of Mudaliyar Simon Corea.' [1]
J.E.Corea was a member of the Corea Family who grew in influence as a result of being wealthy land owners. The Sri Lankan author, Kumari Jayawardena, writing about the Coreas observed: 'Unconnected to the liquor trade but making their money on plantation ventures was the Corea Family of Chilaw, an influential govigama group with a history going back to Portuguese rule when they were warriors to Sinhala kings. During Dutch and British rule, members of the family were officials serving the state in various ways and rewarded with titles.' [2]
The writer Kumari Jayawardena goes on to state that: 'While being professionals and political activists, the Coreas were also important landowners.' [3]
James Edward was a direct descendant of King Dominicus Corea, [4] who was also known as Edirille Rala. He was crowned King of Kotte and Sitawaka. His coronation was arranged by Vimala Dharma Suriya, King of Kandy, in 1596. Dominicus Corea often switching allegiances fought for all the opponents [5] and finally changed sides and fought the Portuguese Army, he was captured and executed in Colombo on 14 July 1596. [6]
Dominicus Corea was hailed as a 'war hero' in the Mahavamsa, the ancient chronicles of Sri Lanka. [7]
James Edward Corea owned vast coconut estates and paddy fields in and around the Chilaw area. Arnold Wright, writing in 1907 in his book Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon, noted: "James Edward Corea Abhayaratna Vijayasekera Mudaliyar Pitigal Korale, North Chilaw was educated at Colombo Academy (now Royal College, Colombo), and entered Government Service in 1887."
He was attached to the Provincial Road Committee at Kurunegala. He was appointed to the District Roads Committee in 1888 in Chilaw and in 1899 he became Mudaliyar of Pitigal Korale North. Also he was inspector of coaches and inquirer into crimes of the Chilaw District and in charge of the Rural Police of Pitigal Korale North. He was the chairman of the Village Committee and also the president of the Council of Irrigation. Also he owned extensive estates being a landed proprietor and planter. He owned Karrukkuwa, Tittakada and Tambagalle coconut estates in Chilaw district as well as large tracts of paddy lands. He was also a member of the Agricultural and Horticultural Society. ' [8]
Recognising his influence in the world of trade and commerce on the island, the Governor of Ceylon appointed James Edward Corea, a Gate Mudaliyar of Ceylon. [9] Mudaliyar was a colonial title & office in Sri Lanka. When the British governed the island of Ceylon, they re-introduced the 'Mudaliyar Class,' first set up by the Portuguese and then the Dutch colonial rulers. All these appointments were made by the Governor of Ceylon. The Governor delegated special duties to Gate Mudaliyar J.E. Corea.
When Mahatma Gandhi, the 'Father of India,' visited Ceylon for the first time in 1927, he travelled to Chilaw and met with the Corea Family including Gate Mudaliyar J.E.Corea. Gandhi was hosted in a Corea home called 'Sigiriya,' in Chilaw. [10]
The family organised a huge banquet for Gandhi who had been invited to Chilaw by J.E.Corea's kinsemen, Charles Edgar Corea and Victor Corea, leading figures in the independence movement. Both brothers were elected members of the Legislative Council of Ceylon. They also founded the Chilaw Association and the Ceylon National Congress. Gandhi stayed for several days in Chilaw at the request of the Corea family.[ citation needed ]
One of the sons of J.E.Corea, J.C.A. Corea who was born in 1904 in Chilaw, created education history on the island, when he was appointed the first ever Sri Lankan Principal of the Royal College, Colombo, by the Government of Sri Lanka. [11] Mudaliyar Corea died in the 1950s in Chilaw, Sri Lanka.[ citation needed ]
Corea may refer to:
Vernon Corea was a pioneer radio broadcaster with 45 years of public service broadcasting both in Sri Lanka and the UK. He joined Radio Ceylon, South Asia's oldest radio station, in 1956 and later the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. During his time he presented some of the most popular radio shows in South Asia, including The Maliban Show, Dial-a-Disc, Holiday Choice, Two For the Money, Take It Or Leave It, Saturday Stars, To Each His Own, Kiddies Corner, and Old Folks at Home. He was well known not only in Sri Lanka, but right across the Indian Sub-Continent from the late 1950s to the 1970s – this was in the heyday of Radio Ceylon, the oldest radio station in South Asia.
Hector Vernon Ivan Seneviratne Corea was a priest of the Church of Ceylon.
Dominicus Corea also known as Domingos Corea and Edirille Rala, was the son of Don Jeronimo Corea and Anna Corea. Don Jeronimo Corea was also known as Mudaliyar Vikramasinha, Commander-in-Chief of King Mayadunne's army. Jeronimo Corea was executed by King Mayadunne's son, Rajasinghe. Dominicus Corea was born in Colombo in 1565. At that time, the Portuguese had colonised Ceylon, and his parents converted to Catholicism.
Mudaliyar was a Ceylonese colonial title during Portuguese and British rule of the island. Stemming from the native headman system, the title was usually hereditary, made to wealthy influential families loyal to the British Crown.
Ernest Corea was a Sri Lankan journalist and a diplomat noted for his work to maintain a free and independent press and for negotiations involving Sri Lanka's development programs.
Chilaw is a city in Puttalam District, North Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is governed by an urban council, whereas the outskirts are governed by a pradeshiya sabha of the same name. The town is located 80 kilometers away from Colombo via Negombo.
Charles Edgar Corea (1866-1946) was a politician and a prominent freedom fighter of Sri Lanka.
James Clifford Aelian Corea was a Sri Lankan educationist. He was the former Principal of Royal College Colombo.
The Edirimanne Corea Family Union (ECFU) is a group set up to 'foster interaction' among the members of the powerful Corea family in the island of Sri Lanka. The Corea family is one of the leading families of Sri Lanka. They trace their ancestry to Dominicus Corea also known as Edirille Rala who was crowned King of Kotte and Sitawaka in Sri Lanka - Dominicus Corea was born in Colombo in 1565.
James Alfred Ernest Corea was a Sri Lankan public official. He was born in 1870. His father was Charles Edward Bandaranaike Corea who was a Proctor of the Supreme Court. His mother was Henrietta Seneviratne. J.A.E Corea's father died in 1872 when his youngest son Victor was just one. His wife Henrietta was a widow from the age of 21.
Charles Edward Bandaranaike Corea was a Sri Lankan lawyer.
Charles Edward Victor Seneviratne Corea was a Sri Lankan lawyer, legislator, politician, civil rights activist, and anti-colonial nationalist. As a lawyer, Corea was an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka and unofficial member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon. As a politician, he was a founding member of the Ceylon National Congress, the Founding President of the Ceylon Labour Union, and an executive member of Ceylon Labour Party, all parties focused on promoting Sri Lankan independence amidst British colonial rule in Ceylon. He is widely credited for resisting the Poll Tax in Ceylon. Corea is a descendant of King Dominicus Corea of Kotte.
Charles Alfred Ernest Corea was a Sri Lankan lawyer. He was a Proctor of the Supreme Court. His father was Dr. James Alfred Ernest Corea, the prominent physician of Chilaw who was the brother of Sri Lankan freedom fighters Charles Edgar Corea and Victor Corea.
Srikumaradas Charles Shirley Corea was a Sri Lankan politician. He was the 9th Speaker of the Parliament and a Member of Parliament, representing Chilaw. He was a member of the United National Party of Sri Lanka.
Harindra Jayantha Corea was a Sri Lankan politician and Member of Parliament, who represented Chilaw. He was member of the United National Party of Sri Lanka. His parents were Sir Claude Corea who was renowned politician and diplomat and Lady Karmini Corea. Sir Claude was Minister of Labour in the State Council of Ceylon led by DS Senanayake, and was appointed the first ever Representative of Ceylon to the UK and was also Ceylon's first Ambassador in the United States. Harindra Corea was the brother of Nihal Corea and Chandra Corea. The family home was situated in Alfred House Gardens in Colombo.
Mahatma Gandhi the 'Father of the Nation of India,' paid a historic visit to Ceylon in 1927. On his first and only visit to the island, he was invited to Chilaw by the famed freedom fighters of Sri Lanka, Charles Edgar Corea and his brother Victor Corea. In addition to Chilaw, Mahatma Gandhi had visited Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Jaffna, Nuwara Eliya, Matale, Badulla, Bandarawela, Hatton and Point Pedro during his three-week-long visit to Sri Lanka and made many speeches to Sri Lankan audiences. During his stay in Ceylon he also visited the schools established by the Buddhist Theosophical Society in Ceylon namely Ananda College in Colombo, Mahinda College in Galle and Dharmaraja College in Kandy.
Mohandiram James Alfred Corea was a Ceylonese colonial-era headman. He was the Muhandiram of Madampe an area in the Chilaw District of Sri Lanka.
Madampe is a town situated in the Puttalam District, of North Western Province, Sri Lanka. Madampe is a town with historical importance which was ruled by king Thaniwallbha according to the history. There are two areas: Old town and New town which is also known as Silva town. Old town is located on Colombo - Negombo - Chilaw main road. The new town is located on Kuliyapitiya road. The old town area is mainly occupied by Muslim community and consists of many shops. Town areas are occupied by commercial users: several super markets, shops, hardware stores, restaurants and other public institutions. Middle income class residential users are mostly occupied. The road network is well developed.
Gate Mudaliyar Jeronis de Soysa was a pioneering Ceylonese entrepreneur and philanthropist. He was a pioneer coffee planter and an industrialist who became the wealthiest Ceylonese of the 19th century by establishing the largest native commercial enterprise of the era. He was instrumental in the establishment of the first Ceylonese bank and is often referred to as a father of private enterprise in British Ceylon. He was the first Mudaliyar to be elevated in recognition of his philanthropy.