Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Maitland, GCB, GCH (1759–1824) was a British soldier and colonial governor. He also served as a Member of Parliament for Haddington from 1790–96, 1802–06 and 1812–13. He was made a Privy Councillor on 23 November 1803. He was the third son of James Maitland, 7th Earl of Lauderdale and younger brother of James Maitland, 8th Earl of Lauderdale.
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Maitland was commissioned into the Edinburgh Light Horse, shortly after his birth, but did not take up his commission until he joined the 78th Foot as a Captain in 1778. He transferred to the 72nd Foot, and then to the 62nd Foot as a Major in 1790. He was promoted Lieutenant-Colonel in 1794 and Colonel and Brigadier-General in 1798.
Whilst he was assigned to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) as the governor during the period of 1805–1811, Maitland was attracted to a place at "Galkissa" (Mount Lavinia) and decided to construct his palace there.
During this time, Maitland fell in love with a half-caste dancing girl named Lovina who had been born to Portuguese and Sinhalese parents. During the construction, the governor gave instructions for the construction of a secret tunnel to Lovina's house which was located close to the governor's palace. One end of the tunnel was inside the well of Lovina's house and the other end was in a wine cellar inside the governor's palace. When the governor came to reside there, he would often use the tunnel to meet Lovina.[1][2]
Maitland left Ceylon in 1811 and transferred to Malta, where he lived and died as a bachelor. There he was known as "King Tom" by the Maltese. He also served as governor of Corfu during the British administration of the island.
After some time in 1920, the tunnel was sealed up and the Sinhalese village that surrounded the Governor’s mansion developed into a modern city. Later the city of "Galkissa" was renamed "Mount Lavinia" in honour of Lovina.
The bicentenary celebration of the Mount Lavinia Hotel was held in 2005. Some of Sir Thomas Maitland's relatives living in the UK attended the ceremony.[3]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Frederick North |
Governor of Ceylon 1805–1811 |
Succeeded by John Wilson, acting |
| Preceded by Sir Hildebrand Oakes (Civil Commissioner) |
Governor of Malta 1813–1824 |
Succeeded by The Marquess of Hastings |
| New title | Lord High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands 1815–1823 |
Succeeded by Sir Frederick Adam |
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
| Preceded by William Fullarton |
Member of Parliament for the Haddington Burghs 1790–1796 |
Succeeded by Robert Baird |
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by Robert Baird |
Member of Parliament for the Haddington Burghs 1802–1805 |
Succeeded by John Dalrymple |
| Preceded by Sir George Warrender, Bt |
Member of Parliament for the Haddington Burghs 1812–1813 |
Succeeded by Anthony Maitland |
| Military offices | ||
| New regiment | Colonel of the 10th West India Regiment 1798–1802 |
Regiment disbanded |
| Colonel of the 5th Garrison Battalion 1803–1805 |
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| Colonel of the 3rd Garrison Battalion 1805–1807 |
Succeeded by The Lord Forbes |
|
| Preceded by Oliver Nicolls |
Colonel of the 4th West India Regiment 1807–1811 |
Succeeded by Sir James Leith |
| Preceded by Henry Edward Fox |
Colonel of the 10th Regiment of Foot 1811–1824 |
Succeeded by Sir John Lambert |
| Honorary titles | ||
| New title | Grand Master of the Order of St Michael and St George 1818–1824 |
Succeeded by The Duke of Cambridge |
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