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Home / IAS Preparation / Lord Mayo Viceroy Of India

Lord Mayo (Viceroy of India) - Early Life And His Contributions.

Last Updated on Jul 12, 2024
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Lord Mayo served as the 4th Viceroy Of India from 12 January 1869 to 8 February 1872. He was the 6th Earl of Mayo, an Irish statesman and was also known as Richard Southwell Bourke. He began the decentralization of finance and followed a non-interventionist foreign policy, and in 1982, he was assassinated in the Andaman Islands.

Lord Mayo is one of the most important topics for the UPSC IAS Examination. It covers a significant part of the Medieval History subject in the UPSC GS Paper 1 Syllabus and current events of international importance in UPSC prelims. 

In this article, we shall study in detail about historical contributions and assassination of Lord Mayo, viceroy of India.

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Background Of Lord Mayo (Richard Southwell Bourke)

Lord Mayo, also named Richard Southwell Bourke before coming to India, was born in Dublin, Ireland. On February 21, 1822, he was the 6th Earl of Mayo and married Anne Charlotte Bourke.

Educational background of Lord Mayo

  • Lord Mayo completed his studies at Dublin’s Trinity College.
  • After completing his education, he travelled widely throughout Russia.
  • His trips would provide him with invaluable information to apply later in his work.

The political background of Lord Mayo

  • Lord Mayo served the British Parliament from 1847 to 1868 from the British Conservative Party.
  • He represented several constituencies as a member of Parliament, including Kildare, Coleraine, and Cockermouth.
  • He served thrice as Chief Secretary of Ireland in 1852, 1858, and 1866.
  • In 1869, he was appointed as the fourth Viceroy of India and given the title of Lord Mayo.

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Lord Mayo, Viceroy of India

One of the most significant terms for the Indian government was that of Lord Mayo. During his time, a lot of new initiatives and events took place. He was awarded the title of Lord Mayo and appointed as India's fourth viceroy. On June 9th, 1871, he established the Revenue, Agriculture, and Commerce Departments and the Land-improvement Act. To balance the budget, he decreased spending on the military and other civil administrations, imposed a salt tax, and raised income taxes.

Highways, railroads, postal systems, and canals all underwent major expansion as part of the infrastructure development for the Indian subcontinent. He implemented the state control of public works strategy to expand such projects.

He was particularly interested in the Andaman Islands' convicts and persecutors. He created a codified legal framework for this. He improved the troops' living circumstances to lower the death rate. He continued to follow his predecessor's strategy of Masterly inactivity in matters about Afghanistan. He was the head of the Indian Statistical Survey. He was in charge of establishing the State Railway system. He was adamant that Indians should receive primary education.

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Contributions Of Lord Mayo
  • Lord Mayo made numerous significant contributions to India's socioeconomic and politico-administrative growth.
  • In 1871, he gave the first census of India.
  • The Statistical Survey of India, which "gave a written record of each district, town, and hamlet," was overseen by him.
  • It was skillfully crafted in response to local inquiries and presented the complete economic and social truths affecting people's lives.
  • Financial decentralisation, implemented in 1870 due to a resolution, is one of Mayo's most important accomplishments.
  • He gave the provinces the authority to control and levy local taxes to fund their budgets.
  • The passage of the Indian Evidence Act in 1872 was Lord Mayo's administration's most significant legal reform.
  • The legislation removed the inequalities and established consistent laws for all Indians.
  • Historically, caste, community, and ethnicity influenced how the legal system was divided and applied.
  • To educate Indian princes in politics, he founded Mayo College in Ajmer in 1875, followed by Rajkot College in Kathiawar.

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Assasination Of Lord Mayo by Sher Ali Afridi
  • In 1872, Lord Mayo was killed by Afghani Sher Ali Afridi, a former British convicted soldier, in Port Blair, Andaman Islands.
  • Sher Ali Afridi planned to assassinate two white higher authorities, the Superintendent and Viceroy Lord Mayo, in retaliation for his sentence, which he believed was harsher than he deserved.
  • He waited all day and only found a chance to murder the Viceroy in the evening.
  • He used a knife when Lord Mayo was reviewing the convict camp.
  • Mayo’s body was carried to Ireland to his residence at Palmerstown House.
  • Sher Ali Afridi was executed on March 11, 1872.
  • Following his assassination, there were increased instances of establishing an Intelligence Bureau in India.
  • So, the fugitives or anyone else regarded as a subversive element by British colonial authorities would be caught.

Key Points on Lord Mayo
  • He was the 4th Viceroy of India, whose tenure was initiated on 12 January 1869 and ended on 8 February 1872.
  • He was the 6th Earl of Mayo and an Irish statesman named Richard Southwell Bourke.
  • He had a long political and administrative background before coming to India.
  • He decentralized the financial resources at the provincial level in the 1870s.
  • He made many legislative reforms, including the Indian Evidence Act of 1872, the Land Improvement Act, and prison reforms.
  • He decreases government spending on military and civil affairs.

Conclusion

The newly discovered butterfly in Andaman Island has been named the Swallowtail butterfly Papilio Mayo. A butterfly is named after him as he was assassinated in the Andaman Islands. He is recognised in India for his infrastructural projects, financial decentralization and legislative reforms. He also conducted the 1st census of India in 1871. Before coming to India, he served in the British Parliament from 1847 to 1868 as Chief Secretary of Ireland.

We hope that all your doubts regarding the Lord Mayo will be cleared after going through this article. You can download the Testbook App now to check out various other topics relevant to the UPSC IAS Exam.

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Lord Mayo FAQs

Lord Mayo served as the 4th Viceroy of India from 12 January 1869 to 8 February 1872. He was the 6th Earl of Mayo, an Irish statesman, known as Richard Southwell Bourke before coming to India. He began the decentralization of finance at a provincial level in the 1870s.

Lord Mayo was a Member of Parliament from the British Conservative Party from 1847 to 1868. He represented several constituencies including Kildare, Coleraine, and Cockermouth. He was Chief Secretary of Ireland three times. In 1869, he was appointed as the fourth Viceroy of India.

In 1872, he was stabbed by Sher Ali Afridi, a former British convicted soldier from Afghanistan. He used a knife, not bombs while Lord Mayo was reviewing the convict camp in Port Blair, Andaman Islands.

Lord Mayo was stabbed by Afghani Sher Ali Afridi, a former British convicted soldier, in Port Blair, Andaman Islands. Sher Ali Afridi planned to assassinate Viceroy Lord Mayo, in retaliation for his sentence, which he believed was harsher than he deserved.

Lord Northbrook succeeded Lord Mayo. He served as the Viceroy of India between 1872 to 1876. His deposition of Gaikwad of Baroda in 1875, the visit of the Prince of Wales to India, the Bihar Famine, and the Kuka Movement in Punjab were major events during his reign.
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