Record groups of Department of Nationa Archives

Chief Secretary’s Office

Identity area

Type of entity

Corporate body

Authorized form of name

Chief Secretary’s Office

Parallel form(s) of name

Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules

Other form(s) of name

Identifiers for corporate bodies

Description area

Dates of existence

1798-1948

History

Chief Secretary's office was established in 1798 with the appointment of Hugh Cleghorn as the first chief secretary of the colony on 25 May 1798 by a dispatch of the Director of the East India Company to Fredrick North, Governor of Ceylon. The appointment was made by the Crown.
With the recommendation of the Colebrooke-Cameron Commission of 1833 the designation of chief secretary was changed to the colonial secretary and P. Anstruther was appointed as the first colonial secretary on 1st May 1833. His function was to take the governor's orders and all matters connected with the executive duties of the government. He was the chief administrator of the colony, under the guidance of the governor.
Once again the designation was changed to chief secretary under the Donoughmore constitution and B. H. Bolldillon resumed duties as chief secretary on 7th July 1931. The subject pertaining to defence, external affairs and the public services were directly under the supervision of the chief secretary.
The Soulbury commission, recommended the abolition of this post in 1947.

Places

Legal status

Functions, occupations and activities

Mandates/sources of authority

Internal structures/genealogy

General context

Relationships area

Control area

Description identifier

LK-NA/CSO

Institution identifier

LK-NA

Rules and/or conventions used

ISAAR

Status

Final

Level of detail

Dates of creation, revision and deletion

Language(s)

  • English

Script(s)

  • Latin

Sources

Maintenance notes