Fort Margherita in Kuching.
The Stained Glass Window dedicated to the people of Sarawak in St Leonard’s Church.
The St Leonard’s Church in Sheepstor, UK.
he joined the army, but following his military career, he was later so inspired by the naval adventurers of the British East India Company, notably Stamford Raffles, founder of Singapore, that he used the substantial inheritance his father had left him to purchase a 142-ton topsail schooner called The Royalist, equipped with canons and other weaponry. It became in effect a private war ship and was accorded the same rights as the Royal Navy. James Brooke arrived in Sarawak
on the Royalist in 1838 and was soon enlisted by the then Sultan (of Brunei) to quell rebellion from the indigenous people and to fight against piracy. Brooke and his well- armed ship easily suppressed the uprising and in gratitude, the Sultan granted him the title of Rajah to the
42 FENGSHUIWORLD | JUNE 2014
The Sarawak Stained Glass Window in St Leonard’s Church depicting the flora and fauna of Sarawak and The Brookes’ insignia
fiefdom of Sarawak on 18th August 1842. James Brooke’s adventures read like Indiana Jones episodes, but he brought peace and order to Sarawak. He was succeeded by his nephew Charles Brooke, who in turn was followed by his son Vyner Brooke. Te latter is credited with introducing political reform in Sarawak. Te Brookes were not conquerors
of Sarawak in the traditional sense. Tey saw themselves as Protectors, keeping the State’s indigenous wealth safe from western capitalist exploitation. In the words of Rajah James
Brooke, “Sarawak belongs to the Malays, the Sea Dayaks (Ibans), the Land Dayaks (Bidayuhs), the Kayans and other tribes, not to us. It is for them that we labour, not ourselves.” Following the Japanese occupation
from 1941 till 1945, Vyner Brooke ceded Sarawak to the British Crown Colony in 1946. Sarawak became a colony of Britain until it joined Malaysia in 1963.
FROM SARAWAK TO SHEEPSTOR Fast forward forty years, I now live in England and I discover that the three White Rajahs of Sarawak are buried in a small village called Sheepstor in a remote part of Devon in Dartmoor. James Brooke settled in this village after his retirement in Sarawak and forged a close relationship with the local community. He helped to raise funds to restore the parish church and made known his wish to be buried in the churchyard. He died in 1868 and was buried there, thus starting a tradition of each subsequent ruling
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