List of Governors of Zeylan

The following is a list of Dutch governors of Zeylan. The Dutch arrived on the island of Sri Lanka on 2 May 1639 and parts of the island were incorporated as a Dutch colony by the name of Zeylan on 12 May 1656. The first Dutch Governor, Willem Jacobszoon Coster was appointed on 13 Mar 1640.

Contents

List of Governors (1640–1796)

      Acting Governor

Portrait Name Birth Death Governor From Governor Until Notes
Willem Jacobszoon Coster - 1640 13 March 1640 1 August 1640 No Sovereign
Jan Thyszoon Payart - - 1 August 1640 24 March 1646 No Sovereign
Joan Maetsuyker 14 October 1606 24 January 1678 24 March 1646 26 February 1650 No Sovereign
Jacob van Kittensteyn - - 26 February 1650 11 October 1653 No Sovereign
Adriaan van der Meyden - - 11 October 1653 12 May 1660 No Sovereign
Rijckloff van Goens 1619 1682 12 May 1660 1661 No Sovereign
Adriaan van der Meyden
(2nd time)		 - - 1661 1663 No Sovereign
Rijckloff van Goens
(2nd time)
(Semiannual)		 1619 1682 1663 1663 No Sovereign
Jacob Hustaert - - 27 December 1663 19 November 1664 No Sovereign
Rijckloff van Goens
(3rd time)
(Semiannual)		 1619 1682 19 November 1664 1675 No Sovereign
Ryklof van Goens de jonge - - 1675 1680 No Sovereign
Laurens Peil - - 3 December 1680 19 June 1693 No Sovereign
Thomas van Rhee - - 19 June 1693 29 January 1695 No Sovereign
Paulus van Rhoo - - 29 January 1695 22 February 1697 No Sovereign
Gerrit de Heere 1657 1702 22 February 1697 26 November 1702 No Sovereign
Cornelis Joannes Simonszoon
(or Simonsz)		 - - 11 May 1703 22 November 1707 No Sovereign
Hendrik Bekker - - 22 November 1707 5 December 1716 No Sovereign
Isaak Augustyn Rumpf - - 5 December 1716 21 June 1723 No Sovereign
Arnold Mold
(acting)		 - - 21 June 1723 12 January 1724 No Sovereign
Johannes Hertenberg - - 12 January 1724 19 October 1725 No Sovereign
Jan Paulus Schagen
(acting)		 - - 19 October 1725 16 September 1726 No Sovereign
Petrus Vuyst - 1729 16 September 1726 27 August 1729 No Sovereign
Stephanus Versluys - - 27 August 1729 25 August 1732 No Sovereign
Gualterus Woutersz
(acting)		 - - 25 August 1732 2 December 1732 No Sovereign
Jacob Christian Pielaat
(Commissioner)		 - - 2 December 1732 27 January 1734 No Sovereign
Diederik van Domburg
(or Domburch)		 - 1736 27 January 1734 7 June 1736 No Sovereign
Jan Maccare
(acting)		 - - 7 June 1736 23 July 1736 No Sovereign
Gustaaf Willem baron van Imhoff 8 August 1705 1 November 1750 23 July 1736 12 March 1740 No Sovereign
Willem Maurits Bruyninck - - 12 March 1740 8 January 1742 No Sovereign
Daniel Overbeek - - 8 January 1742 11 May 1743 No Sovereign
Julius Valentyn Stein van Gollenesse - - 11 May 1743 6 May 1751 No Sovereign
Gerard Joan Vreeland - - 6 May 1751 26 February 1752 No Sovereign
Jacob de Jong
(acting)		 - - 26 February 1752 10 September 1752 No Sovereign
Joan Gideon Loten 16 May 1710 25 February 1789 10 September 1752 17 March 1757 No Sovereign
Jan Schreuder - - 17 March 1757 17 September 1762 No Sovereign
Lubbert Jan baron van Eck 1719 1765 17 September 1762 13 May 1765 No Sovereign
Anthony Mooyart
(acting)		 - - 13 May 1765 7 August 1765 No Sovereign
Iman Willem Falck 1736 1785 7 August 1765 5 February 1785 No Sovereign
Edward Hughes
(British Commander)		 1720 1794 8 January 1782 30 August 1782 British military control
Pierre André de Suffren de Saint Tropez
(French Commander)		 1729 1788 30 August 1782 January 1784 French military control
Willem Jacob van de Graaf - 1794 7 February 1785 15 July 1794 No Sovereign
Johan Gerard van Angelbeek 1727 1799 15 July 1794 16 February 1796 No Sovereign

List of Military Governors (1795–1798)

Portrait Name Birth Death Governor From Governor Until Notes
Patrick Alexander Agnew
(in Trincomalee)		 1765 1813 Aug 1795 1 Mar 1796 No Sovereign
James Stewart - - 1 Mar 1796 1 Jan 1797 No Sovereign
Welbore Ellis Doyle 1758 1797 1 Jan 1797 2 Jul 1797 No Sovereign
Peter Bonnevaux c.1752 1797 2 Jul 1797 12 Jul 1797 No Sovereign
Pierre Frédéric de Meuron 1788 1813 12 Jul 1797 12 Oct 1798 No Sovereign

Resident of Zeylan (1796-1798)

Portrait Name Birth Death Resident From Resident Until Notes
Robert Andrews - - 12 Feb 1796 12 Oct 1798 No Sovereign

See also

References

←Governors of Zeylan→
Coster · Payart · Maetsuycker · van Kittensteyn · van der Meyden · van Goens · van der Meyden · van Goens · Hustaert · van Goens · van Goens de jonge · Peil · van Rhee · van Rhoo · de Heere · Simonszoon · Bekker · Rumpf · Mold · Hertenberg · Schagen · Vuyst · Versluys · Woutersz · Pielaat · van Domburg · Maccare · van Imhoff · Bruyninck · Overbeek · van Gollenesse · Vreeland · de Jong · Loten · Schreuder · van Eck · Mooyart · Falck · Hughes · Saint · van de Graaf · van Angelbeek · Agnew* · Stewart* · Doyle* · Bonnevaux* · de Meuron* · Andrews**
Acting, *Military Governors, **Resident of Zeylan.