Introduction
Robert Bourke, 5th Earl of Mayo, and his wife Anne Charlotte welcomed a son named Richard on February 21, 1822. At Dublin’s Trinity College, he finished his study. After completing his education, he took a long trip across Russia. In 1852, 1858, and lastly in 1866, the 6th Earl of Mayo was named Chief Secretary for Ireland. When he was chosen to serve as the fourth Viceroy of India in 1869, locals began to address him as Lord Mayo.
Significant Events During His Tenure
Affairs In Afghanistan
Lord Mayo continued his predecessor’s policy of Masterly inaction. He hosted a Durbar in Sher Ali’s honour and welcomed him to Ambala as the Amin of Kabul.
Mayo College
In order to provide young Rajput princes with an education, Mayo College was founded in Ajmer in 1875. Its first Principal was Colonel Sir Oliver St. John.
India’s First Census (1871)
On Mayo’s direction, the first census of India was conducted in 1871.
- Under the leadership of William Wilson Hunter, he set up the Statistical Survey of India, which “produced a printed account of each district, town, and village, carefully compiled upon local inquiry, disclosing the entire economic and social facts in the life of the people.”
- Since the Ain-i-Akbari, this work has been the most thorough.
Indian Evidence Act 1872
Lord Mayo was interested in prison improvements, particularly the Andaman Islands’ convict settlements.
- The Indian Evidence Act, which was passed in 1872, was the most significant legal change during his reign.
- The rules of evidence prior to this legislation were based on the customary legal structures of various social groupings and communities.
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Conclusion
The Andaman Islands’ recently found swallowtail butterfly, Papilio mayo, was given his honourable name. He is most recognised in India for the educational institutions he created and the infrastructure projects he directed.
