List of British Residents of Perak

This is a list of the British Residents of Malay State of Perak, British Malaya.[1] The position of Resident was an administrative post. By the terms of the Pangkor Treaty, the Resident was an adviser to His Highness Sultan of Perak whose decisions were binding in all matters in administration except for Malay customs and religion. The British Resident post is also equivalent with today's Menteri Besar post, where he was the chairman of the Perak State Council and the Sultan was the Lord President of the Council. The official residence for the Resident was at the Residency Hill, Taiping. Other residences were also available in Kuala Kangsar and Ipoh. After World War II, the position of British Resident was replaced by a British Adviser. Eventually, when Malaya achieved Independence, the British Adviser post was abolished.

British Resident Portrait Honour Entered office Left office
1. James Wheeler Woodford Birch none 4 November 1874 2 November 1875
2. Sir Frank Athelstane Swettenham GCMG, CH 5 November 1875 March 1876
3. James Guthrie Davidson none 11 April 1876 31 March 1877
4. Sir Hugh Low GCMG, KCMG, CMG 1 April 1877 31 May 1889
5. Sir Frank Athelstane Swettenham GCMG, CH 1 June 1889 30 June 1896
6. Sir William Hood Treacher KCMG 1 July 1896 12 December 1901
7. Sir John Pickersgill Rodger KCMG, CMG 13 December 1901 9 February 1904
8. Sir Ernest Woodford Birch KCMG, CMG 10 February 1904 5 March 1911
9. Sir Henry Conway Belfield KCMG, CMG, JP 6 March 1911 15 December 1911
10. Oliver Marks 15 December 1911 9 August 1912
11. Colonel William James Parke Hume CMG 9 August 1912 12 August 1912
12. Sir Reginald George Watson CMG 12 August 1912 17 September 1919
13. Sir William George Maxwell (acting to 19 December 1919) KBE, CMG 17 September 1919 12 September 1920
14. Colonel William James Parke Hume (acting for Maxwell to 12 September 1921) CMG 29 June 1920 13 July 1921
15. Sir Cecil William Chase Parr CMG, OBE 14 July 1921 20 December 1925
16. Oswald Francis Gerard Stonor 20 December 1925 6 June 1927
17. Henry Wagstaffe Thomson 6 June 1927 1929
18. Charles Walter Hamilton Cochrane CMG 1929 1930
19. Bertram Walter Elles none 1931 1932
20. Sir Geoffrey Edmund Cator CMG 1933 1939
21. Marcus Rex CMG 1939 1941
22. Arthur Vincent Aston CMG, MC 1946 1948
23. James Innes Miller 1948 1951
24. Edwin Cyril Geddes Barrett (acting to Blelloch) CMG 1953 1954
25. Dato’ Ian Blelloch CMG 1951 1956

References