List of British Residents of Perak


This is a list of the British Residents of Malay State of Perak, British Malaya. 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 ResidentPortraitHonourEntered officeLeft office
1. James Wheeler Woodford Birchnone4 November 18742 November 1875
2. Sir Frank Athelstane SwettenhamGCMG, CH5 November 1875March 1876
3. James Guthrie Davidsonnone11 April 187631 March 1877
4. Sir Hugh LowGCMG, KCMG, CMG1 April 187731 May 1889
5. Sir Frank Athelstane SwettenhamGCMG, CH1 June 188930 June 1896
6. Sir William Hood TreacherKCMG1 July 189612 December 1901
7. Sir John Pickersgill RodgerKCMG, CMG13 December 19019 February 1904
8. Sir Ernest Woodford BirchKCMG, CMG10 February 19045 March 1911
9. Sir Henry Conway BelfieldKCMG, CMG, JP6 March 191115 December 1911
10. Oliver Marks15 December 19119 August 1912
11. Colonel William James Parke HumeCMG9 August 191212 August 1912
12. Sir Reginald George WatsonCMG12 August 191217 September 1919
13. Sir William George Maxwell KBE, CMG17 September 191912 September 1920
14. Colonel William James Parke Hume CMG29 June 192013 July 1921
15. Sir Cecil William Chase ParrCMG, OBE14 July 192120 December 1925
16. Oswald Francis Gerard Stonor20 December 19256 June 1927
17. Henry Wagstaffe Thomson6 June 19271929
18. Charles Walter Hamilton CochraneCMG19291930
19. Bertram Walter Elles19311932
20. Sir Geoffrey Edmund CatorCMG19331939
21. Marcus RexCMG19391941

British AdviserPortraitHonourEntered officeLeft office
22. Arthur Vincent AstonCMG, MC19461948
23. James Innes Miller19481951
24. Edwin Cyril Geddes Barrett CMG19531954
25. Dato’ Ian BlellochCMG19511956