Sri Lanka
Sinhalese Genealogy Families
MS Simon de Silva – Family 3889
MS
Simon de Silva (1885–1958)
of Gintota & East Africa
Royal Jeweller to the HH The Sultan of Zanzibar
in the early 1900s
Mutuwa Sarukkalige Simon de Silva
was
an astute businessman, a well-known landed proprietor, a
pioneer industrialist & a benevolent philanthropist
from Gintota. His family name
Sarukkalige is an ancient Karawa ancestral name that
reflects a strong historical association with naval
warriors, seafarers and coastguards.
(The Karava people of Sri Lanka, 17 April 2024, The "Sarukkali" Ancestral Name of Karava
families)
Early Life in East
Africa
Born at Gintota in 1885, Simon de Silva ventured
overseas early in his life and established
business enterprises in Zanzibar, Nyasaland (Malawi) and other
East African countries. His career as a jeweller and
businessman is mentioned in many East African trade journals
of the era. Of special mention is his company in Zanzibar
which had the distinction of being manufacturing jewellers by
appointment to H.H. the Sultan of Zanzibar in 1919 and his
company in Blantyre, Nyasaland (now commercial hub of Malawi),
that dealt in a large variety of diamond and gem-set
engagement rings, necklets and brooches and ebony and ivory
carving. Extracts of some of
these entries are reproduced below. One of his
advertisements appearing in the Handbook of Nyasaland is
reproduced below:
Family members have recalled that Simon de Silva owned gem &
jewellery business establishments not only in Zanzibar and
Blantyre, but also in Mozambique & Madagascar.
His business enterprises employed a large number of people, including
Ceylonese. He was closely associated with the Sultan of
Zanzibar & was awarded
a medal by King George the Fifth for his outstanding
business ventures, his contributions to cultural activities
and his social services for the local community. An entry in
the Nyasaland Government Gazette - Volume 47 - Page 51 shows
that his business was still in operation in 1940, managed by
William de Silva, MS Edward de Silva, Arnolis RTB, WM Ermanis
de Silva etc. Unfortunately, some of the records were lost
when the 2004 tsunami affected the ancestral home, but it is
believed that his oversea business was in operation from about
1915 to 1945. Documented evidence confirms that Simon de Silva
was a successful and highly regarded jeweller &
businessman in East Africa. It may be added that there were
other Ceylonese jewellers in East Africa at this time, &
some of them were : HHM De Silva & Co., B Singho Appu
& Co, DB Ranti de Silva & Bros. etc.
In addition to being a successful businessman,
Simon de Silva was a much-loved and respected employer who won
the confidence and appreciation of the large number of people
who worked for him. This is evidenced by the silver tray and
tea set that was presented to him by his employees in 1917 in
Zanzibar as a testimony of their gratitude and esteem for his
great ability and virtues. The tea set now in the possession of his daughter,
Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr Lalitha de Silva, domiciled in
the UK, is shown below together with the names of the
employees.
“This Tea Set is presented to Mr MS Simon de
Silva as a testimony of Gratitude & Esteem for his great
Ability & Virtues by his employees. 27.1.1917. Zanzibar”
Names
of employees: M Girigoris, SK Gorge, K Richard, B Charles, TA
Abeynayake, M Hendrick, BP Methew, SK Charles, JA James, DB
Davith Hamy, KA Peris Hamy, LB. Davith Hamy, AM Ube Hamy
Extracts from East African Trade Journals
1) The South and East
African Year Book & Guide - Volume 38
books.google.lk › books
1919 · ýSnippet view
FOUND INSIDE
By Special Appointment
to HH THE SULTAN OF ZANZIBAR . MS SIMON DE SILVA ... BLANTYRE, NYASALAND
. RICHARD & Co., MAIN ROAD, ZANZIBAR P.O. BOX 109
... DE SILVA &
BROTHERS SOLE PROPRIETOR: DB RANTI DE SILVA, ACACIA
AVENUE ...
2) A
Handbook of Nyasaland - Page xxviii
books.google.lk
› books
Nyasaland,
ýStephen Samuel Murray · 1922 · ýSnippet view
FOUND INSIDE – PAGE XXVIII
... Zanzibar . M. S. Simon de Silva &
Co., MANUFACTURING JEWELLERS, BLANTYRE, IVORY CARVERS, and
Dealers in Ebony, Curiosities, Brassware, :: and Ceylon Hand -
made Lace . :: A large variety of Diamond and Gem - Set
ENGAGEMENT RINGS ...
books.google.lk › books
1922
FOUND
INSIDE – PAGE 302
The Directory of East
Africa, Uganda & Zanzibar. EDUCATION.
In Zanzibar Towr
1. GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS Government ... De Lord, ARP ཏ ༢ Ismailia Library 50 De Silva, HHM.
20 De Silva, MS, Simon &
Co. 10 De Sousa,
A. C.
3) Nyasaland Government Gazette - Volume 47 - Page 51
books.google.lk › books
Nyasaland · 1940
FOUND
INSIDE – PAGE 51
... Blantyre PH
Fernandes, PO Box 13, Blantyre Remedios
Fernandes,
P.O. Box 13, Blantyre Manuel
Francis
... De Silva,
c / o M. S. Simon
de Silva and Co., PO Box 57, Blantyre William De Silva, PO Box
57, Blantyre ...
4) Meier's Adreßbuch der
Exporteure und Importeure
books.google.lk › books
[Anonymus AC02806168] · 1925
FOUND
INSIDE – PAGE 47
... Silva, Ltd., P. O. B.
496 John Orr & Co., POB 17 Eduardo Silva & Co
... Blantyre Barclays
Bank
(D,C. & O.) (5) Standard Bank of South Africa Ltd
... MS Simon da
Silva & Coy. (9, 42) Amarsi Vithaldas (3, 6,
41) Limbe ...
Simon de Silva was also a landed proprietor. He
owned rubber estates, coconut plantations and rental
properties at Gintota and at other locations in the Galle
District. With competing commitments overseas and at home, he
travelled from East Africa to Ceylon many times during his
business career to attend to
personal, property and other matters in Ceylon. His earliest
visit back home would have been for his marriage to
Nandawathie Wickramasooriya from an illustrious family at
Kataluwa in 1917.
Matriarch
of the Family
It also appears that
he was back in Ceylon in 1923 as shown by the Register of
Voters for the Legislative Council Election for the Southern
Province in 1923. His name appears in the Register alongside
the name of Mutuwa Sarukkalige William de Silva who is likely
to have been his brother. Having voting rights in Ceylon in
the early 1920s is a noteworthy distinction because only
people who had literacy or owned sufficient property and
income were eligible to vote, which amounted to just 4% of the
population at the time.( Sri Lanka: The Untold
Story, Chapter 5: Political polarization on communal lines, By
KT Rajasingham).
An Extract from the Supplement to
the Ceylon Government Gazette PART I. No. 7,328 — FRIDAY, MAY
18, 1923.
REGISTER OF VOTERS FOR
THE SOUTHERN PROVINCE.
Prepared under “ The Ceylon (Legislative Council) Order in
Council, 1920.” GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION, contains the
following entries :
520 De Silva, Mutuwa Sarukkalige 254, Gintota, Galle
William
521 De Silva, Mutuwa Sarukkalige 254, Gintota, Galle
Simon
Simon
de Silva’s family had been an affluent family at Gintota well
before 1923. William de Silva’s name is mentioned in 1915 in
relation to the last will and testament of Mutuwa Sarukkalige
Baron de Silva, deceased, of Gintota. An order issued by the
District Court of Galle in relation to this matter is
reproduced below:
MS
Baron de Silva was William de Silva's father. It is
interesting to note that two of those who have submitted
affidavits were the sons of KC Juanis de Silva who lived at
No. 255 & of AWP Don Davit de Silva who
lived at No. 264, both of whom were wealthy and leading
businessmen of the country.
Simon
de Silva had sufficient wealth even as early as 1910 to build a spacious mansion
named 'Siri Giri', on Galle Rd, at the turn-off to the
Gintota Railway Station, the premises of which extended up to the Galle - Colombo
railway line.
His
neighbours on either side were K.C.
Juanis de Silva towards Colombo, & AWP Don
Davit de Silva, towards Galle & he maintained
close links with both families. Simon de Silva owned a horse-drawn carriage which
he maintained right up to 1948 at a time when most people of means
could afford only bullock-drawn buggy carts.
Later Years
Simon
de Silva returned to Ceylon in his later years and opened a
factory almost opposite his home, at Gintota, to manufacture
soap for sale and distribution in the Southern Province. It
was a significant industrial enterprise and is listed in
Ferguson’s Ceylon Directory 1944 and 1946. (Ferguson’s
Ceylon Directory 1944 p 387 [Ferguson’s Ceylon Directory 1946
p 366]
Simon
de Silva and his wife were benefactors of the
Gangathilaka Temple & other temples in the area. On two occasions, they offered alms
to one hundred Buddhist monks at their spacious home at
Gintota. They also helped the
less fortunate people in the area.
Simon de Silva died at Gintota in 1958.
Ancestral Home
Unfortunately,
Simon de Silva’s house was one of the houses that
was affected by the December 2004 tsunami
during which many mementos including photos were lost. A photo of the tsunami affected
house & a description appears in the "Preliminary
Survey of Tsunami-affected Monuments and Sites in the
Maritime Region of Sri Lanka /Part Five: An Archaeological
Survey of Tsunami Affected Historic Structures in the
Municipality of Galle, Sri Lanka."
The
photo & the description are reproduced below:
Tsunami affected
Ancestral House – 2005
Simon de Silva
Family
Family Chart
1 MS Simon de Silva
(1885-1958) of Gintota + Nandawathie Wickremasuriya of
Kathaluwa
1.1 Gnana
(1920-2010) + HL Ratnapala d. 1994
1.1.1 Lilamani
1.1.2 Geetha (Canberra)
1.2 Maithripala
(MSM) d. 2006 + Helen Ekanayake
1.3 Sirima d.
2006 + WM Weerakoon
1.3.1 Saman (Sydney)
1.3.2 Sandya
1.3.3 Ajith
1.4 Sumana d. 2011+
Reggie Siriwardena d. 2004
1.4.1 Amal
1.5 Piyaseeli d. 2005
1.6 Kusuma d. 2017
1.7 Indrapala d. 2025
1.8 Dr Lalitha + Gemunu Weerasinghe
(UK)
1.8.1 Ruwani (UK)
Simon de Silva and his wife had eight children,
two sons and six daughters. The eldest Gnana de Silva was born
in 1920 and the youngest Lalitha de Silva was born in 1940.
They were all educated at St. Aloysius College, Galle, &
Sacred Heart Convent, Galle. His horse-drawn carriage was used
to take the children to school. The money he invested in his
children’s education helped them achieve high academic
distinction. Two of his daughters, Gnana and Sumana attained
bachelor degrees in the 1940s at a time when girls’ higher education was rare in
Ceylon.
Sacred
Heart
Convent Galle History, Highlights of the European Sisters Era,
January 30, 2023 refers to the girls in the de Silva family
from Gintota as a group of sisters who studied at the Convent
as follows:
de
Silva
family from Gintota
Girls
in the family were Gnana, Sirima, Sumana, Piyaseeli, Kusuma
& Lalitha. All of them studied at the Convent, &
Gnana, Sirima,Sumana, Piyaseeli & Kusuma taught at the
Convent for varying periods. Lalitha qualified as a Doctor.
1.1
Gnana, (BA Lond.), b. 1920 d. 2010,
Gnana was a former
student and graduate teacher of Sacred Heart Convent, Galle.
She was a very popular teacher of the school and taught
students like Orlene De Silva, Amelia De Silva, Nancy
Rathnavibushana, and Malini Senanayake who later became
stalwarts of the school, supporting it with long-term
commitment through good and bad times alike. After her
marriage to HL Ratnapala, School Principal, she moved to the
public school system and taught English, Pali and History. She
worked tirelessly till her retirement in 1980, holding free
extra classes for her students to ensure they achieved good
results at the GCE OL and AL Examinations. She is remembered
with love and gratitude by her students as an excellent,
gentle and patient teacher. They
had
two children, Lilamani & Geetha.
Gnana
as a Graduate Teacher at Sacred Heart Convent, Galle.
1.2
Maithripala (MSM), MICE (UK), MIStructE(UK), d. 2006
Simon
de Silva’s older son, MSM de Silva,, a brilliant Chartered Civil &
Stuctural Engineer, who qualified in the UK, made a name for
himself among the engineering community and also nationally, as a pioneer in the construction of
earth dams during the period 1953 to 1982. He was associated
with most of the major development projects undertaken by
the state, including the Galoya, Udawalawe & Mahaweli
Projects, representing either public sector institutions or
private sector construction companies in senior engineering,
managerial & consultancy positions. He was also the 1st
General Manager of the State Development & Construction
Corporation from Nov. 1971 to Dec. 1973. Over 50 years ago,
Engineer CCT Fernando & he together established
Engineering Consultants Ltd. (ECL), which today is a
multi-disciplinary consulting company. He was Technical Adviser, Ministry of
Planning and Economic Affairs from 1973 to 1977 and
Technical Secretary, River Valleys Development Board from
1977 to 1982.
Gamini Seneviratne, the then
Additional Secretary at the Finance Ministry handling the
Accelerated Mahaweli Project, in an article titled Vignettes
of the Public Service-The Reservoirs, published on May 10,
2009, refers to the role of MSM as follows: “The big
reservoirs were constructed by foreign firms, i.e., apart from
Ulhitiya, constructed by the RVDB, incidentally providing MSM
de Silva, that vishvakarma among our civil engineers, an
opportunity to demonstrate the efficiency of our public sector
in this area vis a vis our private sector: the CDE fell way
behind with Ratkinda thereby delaying by a year or more the
transfer of water from the Mahaweli to the Maduru Oya basin.
MSM got that done.”
He
married Helen Ekanayake & had no children.
Some
of his articles in the public domain are :
Water shortage problems of Uva Wellassa in the South ; Water
Resources of the South, Water Resources for Anuradhapura &
Kurunegala; Samanalawewa: An Enormous Blunder; Rainfall : An
Erratic Phenomenon; Kukule Ganga Hydropower Project
Gnana, Lalitha,
Sumana, Piyaseeli. their mother, niece Geetha and
Kusuma 1973
Former Nursery School Teacher of Sacred Heart
Convent, Galle, married WM Weerakoon. They had three
children, Saman, Sandya and Ajith.
1.4 Sumana (BA Lond.), d.
2011.
Former Teacher of Sacred
Heart Convent, Galle, moved to the public school system and
later to Musaeus College. Married Reggie Siriwardena, d. 2004.
They had a son, Amal.
Sumana, known to her friends as Sue, passed away
on August 19, 2011 at the age of eighty-five. Born in Gintota,
Galle she was a brilliant product of Sacred Heart Convent,
Galle. She brought credit to her school at the OL examination
by winning the all-island Pali prize. Her performance at the
London Matriculation exam was outstanding. She attended Ananda
College, to complete her higher studies in Pali, Sinhala and
English. She obtained the BA Degree from the University of
London and was one of the few candidates in Sri Lanka to offer
this combination of languages at the degree level. She got her
first teaching appointment at Sacred Heart Convent, Galle.
She married Regi Siriwardena d. 2004 her English
Lecturer at Ananda College, in 1949. He was a University Academic, Journalist, Literary Critic, Script-Writer, Translator, Poet,
and Playwright. She spent the next few years being a housewife
and mother. The love she had for languages motivated her to
study French in her spare time at the Alliance Francaise de
Ceylan and once again she excelled. She translated a
well-known French children’s book into Sinhalese.
1.5 Piyaseeli, d
2005. Remained a spinster.
1.6 Kusuma, BSc (Cey),
GradDip (Ed), d. 2017.
Former Teacher of Sacred Heart
Convent, Galle, later moved to Mahamaya Vidyalaya, Kandy,
and to Sanghamitta Vidyalaya, Galle, where she served as Head
Teacher, Science. Remained a spinster.
1.7 Indrapala, BSc (Cey), d.
2025.
Former
Teacher of Kalutara Balika Vidyalaya, remained a bachelor.
1.8 Lalitha
MBBS (Ceylon), FRC (Psych) UK, DPM UK
Worked
as a Consultant Psychiatrist and a Specialist in Eating
Disorders in
the U.K. She worked in a large Health Service Trust in
Berkshire and also had a private practice in Harley Street,
London. During her career, she made major contributions to the
health service in the UK in academic, advisory, managerial and
clinical roles, and was awarded a silver award for her
exceptional services .
See
her career details below
Lalitha MBBS (Cey), left her medical career in
Sri Lanka and moved to the UK after her marriage to Gemunu
Weerasinghe, a resident of the UK. She obtained MRC(PSY) and
D.P.M in the U.K and was awarded the fellowships of FRC(PSY)
and FRSM by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Royal
Society of Medicine. Lalitha made major contributions to the
health service in the UK in academic, advisory, managerial and
clinical roles,
Lalitha
was
a Senior Tutor for medical students and junior doctors, and
set up from scratch a training programme for junior
psychiatrists. She was a Senior Examiner for the Final
Specialist Examination in Psychiatry and was a Regional
Advisor for Continuing Professional Development of senior
psychiatrists. She also published papers in international
journals and gave national and international presentations.
Lalitha
served
in a Regional Advisory role for doctors in the Oxford region,
in a Senior Advisory role for the British Medical Association,
and in a Senior Advisory and Assessor role for the Nursing and
Midwifery Council.
Lalitha
served
as the Departmental Head and Clinical Director for a large
public health care trust, and as the Medical Director for a
private psychiatric hospital for many years.
Lalitha
was
the first female medical specialist in Eating Disorders in the
Uk, and set up a comprehensive service from scratch for one
million people in Berkshire, the first non-academic specialist
unit in the UK. Through government-sponsored working parties
and committees, she also contributed significantly to the
development of regional and national services for eating
disorders.
Lalitha
won
a silver award for her exceptional services in the UK.
L.
Geetha, Lalitha,
Sumana Piyaseeli, their mother, Gnana & nephew Amal
R. Sandya
(niece), Lalitha,Piyaseeli.Sirima and their mother
Memories of Family Members
Family
members have fond memories of Simon de Silva and his family .
1) Lalitha’s memories of her father
When
I was born as the youngest child of the family, my father,
Simon de Silva, who had established several successful
business enterprises in East Africa dealing in gold, silver,
gems and ivory, had returned home to look after his domestic
assets. Although he had left East Africa, I can still recall
clearly the many stories he told us about his time there and
about his travel back and forth between East Africa and home.
One
of his fondest memories was his close association with the
Sultan of Zanzibar, who invited him to his palace very often.
On the Sultan’s recommendation, he was awarded a gold medal by
King George the Fifth for his outstanding business ventures, his
contributions to cultural activities and his social services
for the local community. He proudly showed us the medal many
times and told us he was only permitted to wear it if he was
meeting officers appointed by Royalty, and that he wore it
once when he had to be present in Court. Unfortunately, the
medal was pinned to his coat when he died and was lost in
the cremation.
He
also told us other interesting stories about his stay in
Africa – about mangoes which were very big and tasty, how he
celebrated the New Year and Wesak, and how he helped the local
community. He also mentioned how he used to take jewellery to
cruise ships to sell them. Among his many stories of travel by
sea, an amusing one is how he left for Africa on the ship’s
deck but returned home first class.
My
father was a knowledgeable person. He was very well informed
about international politics and current events. He used to
talk to us about the Titanic and the Korean War. He was also
interested in health and was keen for us to eat healthy food.
He encouraged us to eat boiled cabbage for dinner in addition
to other curries and also made us take cod liver oil to
maintain good health. Every evening, he would drink a cup of
hibiscus tea made from fresh flowers.
My
father was an open-minded person who liked to adopt food from
other cultures. He showed us how to make sandwiches, and
omelette at a time when they were barely known in Sri Lanka.
He also made puhul dosi, milk toffee and maldive fish which
involved quite an elaborate process.
With
an innovative mind, creative ideas and an adventurous spirit,
my father was a true entrepreneur. With his inborn business
acumen to take calculated risks and create value, he started
soap manufacturing as a new business after returning home from
East Africa. He set up a soap factory at Gintota just across
from his house and his soap manufacturing business became a
great success. Visitors to the factory recall how he used to
show them around explaining things in English. Having studied
at Mahinda College, Galle, up to 16 years of age, he was
fluent in both speaking and writing English.
Being
the youngest child in a family of eight, I was only a teenager
when my father passed away. However, his creativity and his
love of trying out new things left a lasting and unforgettable
impact on me, making me create new systems and innovate new
ways of doing things throughout my medical career.
L.
Kusuma, Piyaseeli,
Lalitha and husband Gemunu
R. Sirima her husband
Weerakoon and her daughter Sandya and grand daughter Thakshila
2) Geetha’s memories of her grandfather’s
family
I
have only faint memories of my maternal grandfather, Simon de
Silva. My only clear memory of him is his funeral, which was
an impressive event attended by a large number of people.
However, what remains ingrained in my mind to this day are my
memories of my maternal grandmother,
Nandawathie Wickramasooriya. Hailing from an illustrious
family at Kataluwa in the Galle District, my grandmother was
an intriguing character - resilient, persevering, sensible,
fearless, and strong - and I remember her as the hub of the
family. She was firm but kind; thrifty but generous;
formidable but comforting; practical but warm-hearted. In
short, she was ‘Mother Courage’ to us all. I also have clear
memories of the rest of the family with their distinctive
personalities. I remember Sirima as the fire brand, MSM
(Merl) as the daredevil, Sumana (Sue) as the trend
setter, Piyaseeli as the dove, Kusuma as the rationalist,
Indrapala (Ivan) as the entertainer and Lalitha as
the baby and the pet of the family. In spite of these
differences, they were a united family and were there for one
another whenever help was needed.
In
the 1950s, when my sister and I were growing up in Galle, my
mother, Gnana, used to visit her family at Gintota every
weekend. We would go there on Saturday morning and return home
in the evening and sometimes stayed there overnight too. The
sprawling house with its two sunlit courtyards, terracotta
tiled floors, beautiful ebony and marble furniture, and
various fancy curios from Africa is still vivid in my memory.
I can still remember the two yards on either side of the house
– the larger one called ‘Loku Watta’ bordered by ‘Juanis
Mudalali’s’ house and the smaller one called ‘Punchi Watta’
bordered by the Railway Station Road. There were plenty of
nooks and crannies in the house to play hide and seek and
plenty of spots in the big yard for imaginative play. Falling
asleep at night to the gentle sound of the waves lapping in
the distance is still a soothing memory I cherish to this day.
The daily offering of alms to the Buddha in the fragrant
shrine room, the annual alms-giving at the house on
grandfather’s death anniversary, and getting up before dawn to
make offerings to the colourful Katina Procession are some
regular activities inseparably associated with my
grandfather’s house and his family.
Gnana, her mother
& daughters, Lilamani and Geetha
Today,
my grandmother and most of the family have passed away and the
splendid house my grandfather built is no more, but my
memories are still fresh and alive as if things happened just
yesterday.
Sources:
Lalitha de Silva, Geetha Premaratne, KK
de Silva