Scotland and Singapore

The Scots have been an influential presence in Singapore ever since Raffles reached the shoreline in 1819. Major General William Farquhar, a Scot, was tasked with helping Raffles find a settlement on Singapore island and was appointed the first British Resident and Commandant of Singapore from 1819 to 1823.

Major Farquhar helped negotiate the provisional agreement of 30 January 1819 with the local chieftain Temmengong Abdul Rahman of Johore; and the more formal Singapore Treaty of 6 February 1819, which Raffles signed with the Temmengong and His Highness the Sultan Hussein Mohammed Shah, confirming the right for the British to set up a trading post.

On 7 February 1819, Raffles appointed Farquhar as Singapore's first resident to develop the colony according to the plan Raffles had drawn up. Farquhar was left to manage the colony when Raffles left – an absence lasting four years.

Although the first Scottish man to influence Singapore has long gone, there are other more permanent reminders of Scottish influence that are still here and in constant use. One of Singapore's oldest bridges, and first suspension bridge, is Glasgow-built Cavenagh Bridge. It crosses the lower reaches of the Singapore River towards the Fullerton Hotel and was opened in 1870 to commemorate Singapore's new Crown Colony status within the Straits Settlements.

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Colourful Shophouses, Singapore - Image courtesy of singaporemaven.com