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John CLUNIES-ROSS

John CLUNIES-ROSS

Male 1786 - 1854  (67 years)

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  • Name John CLUNIES-ROSS 
    Born 23 Aug 1786  Weisdale, Shetland Islands, Scotland Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    _UID 483C8169706B4E4981D802109E79B5485FBE 
    Died 1854  Cocos Keeling Islands Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Person ID I16974  YoungFamily
    Last Modified 29 Dec 2018 

    Father George CLUNESS,   b. 1758, Guddon, Gossabrough, East Yell, Shetland Islands, Scotland Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 2 Nov 1810  (Age 52 years) 
    Mother Elizabeth ROSS 
    Married Jan 1786  Tingwall, Shetland Islands, Scotland Find all individuals with events at this location 
    _UID 04EC7B35E119454288CB97A7F8BB5CEFB074 
    Family ID F4022  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Elizabeth DYMOKE,   b. 1795, Alverstoke, Southamptonshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 1853  (Age 58 years) 
    Married 5 Nov 1820  Alverstoke, Southamptonshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location 
    _UID 15AA0C49DE0134438D2459C71DBA9281251D 
    Children 
     1. Elizabeth CLUNIES-ROSS,   b. 18 Sep 1821, London, Middlesex, England Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Aft 1849  (Age > 29 years)
     2. John George CLUNIES-ROSS,   b. 23 Apr 1823, London, Middlesex, England Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 8 Jun 1871, Cocos Keeling Islands Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 48 years)
     3. Alexander CLUNIES-ROSS,   b. 1824/1827,   d. Aft 1851  (Age > 25 years)
     4. Charles CLUNIES-ROSS,   b. Bef 1827,   d. Bef 1847  (Age < 20 years)
     5. Harriet CLUNIES-ROSS,   b. Abt 1827
     6. Jane CLUNIES-ROSS,   b. Aft 1827
     7. James CLUNIES-ROSS,   b. 1827/1835,   d. Bef 1871  (Age < 35 years)
    Last Modified 15 May 2022 
    Family ID F5174  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Notes 
    • The Cococos Islands are about 200 km west-southwest of Christmas Island, which is due south off the south coast of Sumatra in Indonesia.

      We would like to thank Linda Hargreaves for much of the information in these biographies. If you have more information to add then please let us know. E-mail us at : madrascollege.enquiries@fife.gov.uk
      If you are interested in the Clunies Ross family history then Linda Hargreaves (the great-grand-niece of these four Madras FPs) is keeping records of the history of the family. E-mail her at: anutylinda@hotmail.com

      The Clunies Ross Family
      Charles (~1845-1910)
      Edwin (~1847-1888)
      Alfred (~1851-1903)
      Alexander (1858- ? )


      THE COCOS (KEELING) ISLANDS were named after sighting of the group by Captain William Keeling in 1609. On the 6th December 1825 Captain John Clunies Ross, when on a short stop over on the Islands, cleared an area on Direction and Horsburgh Island and planted cereal and vegetable crops. At the time, Captain Ross was sailing a trading vessel called the Borneo for Alexander Hare's trading company. It wasn't until the following year that a settlement was established by Alexander Hare. With him, he brought a crew of mainly Sumatran and Javanese seamen and women of various nationalities. John Clunies Ross then settled himself on the South Island and was determined to establish a good reputation in trading; Hare on the other hand led a colourful, free and easy life. He desired and sought obscurity and his behaviour, according to Clunies Ross, became unbalanced. Both Hare and Clunies Ross put forward claims for ownership of the Islands. However in 1831 Hare left and died soon after in Batavia. From then on the people of Cocos planted coconut trees from which they extracted the oil to sell and trade as Copra.

      So it was that John Clunies Ross, born in Weisdale,Shetland Islands, became the owner of a large Copra farm on a remote island in the Indian Ocean. His Malay workers addressed him as 'Tuan' (equivalent to 'sir') and it was this term that has wrongly been translated as 'King'. This was the start of the myth of the 'Monarchs of Cocos', a myth that has persisted ever since. John died in 1854 and his son, John George, took over the running of the islands. He was referred to as 'Tuan pandai" (clever or learned) by the Malays. He died in 1872. George, the eldest son of John George, ran the islands from 1872-1910. Four of John George's other sons, namely Charles, Edwin, Alfred and Alexander, were all educated at Madras College, St Andrews, Scotland

      Charles Clunies Ross
      (~1845 - 1910)
      Charles was born about 1845 on the Cocos Islands. He attended Madras College and subsequently St Andrew's University. In 1869 he started working for his father at Cocos. He married his cousin Emily Clunies-Ross in 1871 and had a family of 6 children.

      In 1885 Charle's brother 'King' George sailed his newly finished schooner the 'John George Clunies Ross' to England he left Charles in charge of the Islands. It was during this time that E.W. Birch visited the islands to write the government report. He wrote of Charles - "He is a strong, active man, and like his brothers Edwin and Alfred, was a great football player, boxer, and fencer in his younger days. He was brought up to Engineering. He is a hardworking and astute man"

      Charles left Cocos in 1902 with his family and went to live in Singapore, where he died in 1910.

      Edwin Clunies Ross
      (~1847 - 1888)

      In 1885
      Edwin was born about 1847 on Cocos. Like his older brother Charles he attended Madras College and then St Andrews University. He subsequently worked in Batavia at the Chartered Mercantile Bank there and spent his holidays at Cocos. He married his cousin Harriett at Cocos in 1876 and thereafter appears in the annual census as resident there. They had a family of 7 children. He died at Cocos in 1888.

      Alfred Clunies Ross
      (~1851 - 1903)

      In 1871 playing for Scotland against England in the first ever Rugby International. View the Whole Team Photo

      In 1885 back in Cocos
      Alfred was born around 1851 on Cocos. After attending Madras College he then studied medicine in Edinburgh and during 1873 worked at St George's Hospital in London.. E.W. Birch in his government report around 1885 wrote of Alfred: "He was a medical student but did not graduate. He lives at the Cocos and is the doctor of the place. He is a bachelor, an exceedingly well-informed man, talks well on most subjects, and is very popular with the natives. He is an excellent carpenter." He married his cousin Ellen at Cocos in 1886 and they had 5 children.

      The "St Andrews Gazette" records a cricket match played between St Andrews University and Madras College in March 1864 (Madras won by 21 runs) and mentions "the very clever hitting and fielding of Affie Ross, a lively and smart little fellow, to all appearances not yet reached his teens". He is also recorded playing a football fixture on 9th January, 1869 at the Baxter Park, Dundee against Aberdeen University. He is there referred to as Alf Ross and his brother Alex Ross was also in the team. Alfred was also an excellent Rugby Football player. During his stay in Edinburgh he played in the very first Rugby Football International between Scotland and England. The Rugby Football Union was newly formed and the first fixture they arranged was a match on 27th March 1871 at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh, between Scotland and England. Alfred was in the Scottish XX team that day. The result was a victory for Scotland.. He subsequently played for the Wasps (1874-80) during his time in London.

      In 1888 Alfred went to work in North Borneo. In 1901 he became seriously ill and moved to Singapore. He returned to Cocos to recuperate in 1902 but died in 1903.

      Alexander Clunies Ross
      (1858 - ? )
      Alexander was born in 1858 on Cocos. He was educated at Madras College and subsequently became a student in Edinburgh studying navigation. He returned to the Cocos Islands around 1876 and in 1879 he married Salpia. E.W. Birch in his government report around 1885 wrote of Alfred: "He was brought up as a sailor. He is married and has two little girls. They all live at the Cocos. He is in charge of the boats, sails, etc.". His family finally numbered 4 children.

      In 1889 Alexander sailed to Christmas Island with his brother Andrew to start a settlement there. It is not known when he died.

      He is also recorded playing a football fixture on 9th January, 1869 at the Baxter Park, Dundee against Aberdeen University. He is there referred to as Alex Ross and his brother Alf Ross was also in the team.

      [Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20100302225214/http://www.madras.fife.sch.uk/archive/fpbiographies/cluniesross.html]

      Family: John George CLUNIES-ROSS / S’pia DA-IAPONG (F19572)


      Child 1 | Male
      + George CLUNIES-ROSS

      Born 20 Jun 1842 Cocos Keeling Islands Find all individuals with events at this location
      Died 7 Jul 1910 Ventnor, IOW, UK Find all individuals with events at this location
      Buried
      Spouse Inin MALARAT | F19737
      Married Abt 1872

      Child 2 | Female
      Isabella CLUNIES-ROSS

      Born 10 May 1844 Cocos Keeling Islands Find all individuals with events at this location
      Died UNKNOWN
      Buried
      Spouse Captain John BAYNTON | F120296
      Married Aft 1871

      Child 3 | Male
      Charles CLUNIES-ROSS

      Born 1845
      Died 21 Sep 1910 Singapore Find all individuals with events at this location
      Buried
      Spouse Emily | F120298
      Married

      Child 4 | Male
      + Edwin CLUNIES-ROSS

      Born 1847 Cocos Keeling Islands Find all individuals with events at this location
      Died 2 Apr 1888 Cocos Keeling Islands Find all individuals with events at this location
      Buried
      Spouse Harriet | F120299
      Married

      Child 5 | Female
      Eliza CLUNIES-ROSS

      Born 20 Jun 1849
      Died Abt 1913
      Buried
      Spouse W. W. L. HIRST | F120300
      Married

      Child 6 | Male
      Laurence CLUNIES-ROSS

      Born 1850
      Died 1858
      Buried

      Child 7 | Male
      + Alfred CLUNIES-ROSS

      Born 1851 Cocos Keeling Islands Find all individuals with events at this location
      Died 28 Feb 1903 Cocos Keeling Islands Find all individuals with events at this location
      Buried
      Spouse Ellen | F76649
      Married

      Child 8 | Male
      Alexander CLUNIES-ROSS

      Born 30 Jan 1858 Cocos Keeling Islands Find all individuals with events at this location
      Died Aft 1891
      Buried
      Spouse Salpia | F120301
      Married

      Child 9 | Male
      + Andrew Ferguson CLUNIES-ROSS

      Born 1859 Cocos Keeling Islands Find all individuals with events at this location
      Died 25 Dec 1915 Picton, NZL Find all individuals with events at this location
      Buried Picton Cemetery, Picton, NZL Find all individuals with events at this location
      Spouse Laura LINDSAY | F73510
      Married 9 Aug 1885

      Child 10 | Male
      + John Duncan CLUNIES-ROSS

      Born 25 Feb 1860 Cocos Keeling Islands Find all individuals with events at this location
      Died 7 Jan 1930 Blenheim, NZL Find all individuals with events at this location
      Buried
      Spouse Annie MCCALLUM | F120297