The following narrative is taken from the Facebook page of Karava People of Ceylon and documents the family of Gate Mudaliyar, L C De Fonseka.
This family tree needs further research as I have not been able to find a connection with the Kalutara or Panadura De Fonseka lines.
Gate Mudaliyar, L C De Fonseka Wijeyewickkrame Tillekeratne Samarakkody (1840 – 1907)
Louis Charles was born in Colombo in 1840 and his parents were Louis de Fonseka Samarakkody, Clerk and Commutation Assessor, Colombo Kachcheri and Francina, daughter of Paules de Livera Weerakon, Mohandiram of Hapitigam Korale.
Louis Charles’ grandfather was Andris de Fonseka, the Dutch period Atapattu Mohandirain of Colombo. He had married the sister of Don Abraham Dissenaike, the second Mudaliyar of Hewagam Korale. Their elder son, Mudaliyar Carolis de Fonseka Tillekeratne Samarakkody had helped the British Government during the 1818 Kandyan Rebellion and been honoured by Governor Robert Brownrigg with a gold medal and the “Tillekeratne” name.
Louis Charles’ great-grandfather was Johan de Fonseka Samarasundere Seneviratne Samarakkody, Mudaliyar of Hewagam Korale under the Dutch administration. The home town of Welivita Sri Saranankara Sangaraja of Kandy who was also implicated in the royal assassination attempt of 1760 is nearby
Johan de Fonseka’s ancestor was Samarakkody Adigar of Udagampaha referred to in King Kirti Sri Rajasinha’s Sannasa of Saka era 1675 (A.D. 1750). He was a relative of the Leuke, who was the Disawa of Hathara Korale from 1740-1751. This Samarakkody, Adigar was beheaded in 1760 for the failed plot to assassinate Kirti Sri Rajasinha. His son has escaped to the Dutch territory and appears to have been received with open arms and immediately given a Mudaliyar role as he was from a leading martial family. His “Seneviratne” title too indicates that military connection.
The above pedigree is directly from Arnold Wright’s Twentieth century Impressions of Ceylon.(pages 531 & 532). It is, as given by Louis Charles de Fonseka himself in 1906 and published during his lifetime. The de Fonseka military chiefs were from the powerful Karava de Fonseka family of Kalutara, Kandy and Jaffna.
The Karavas were the hereditary martial race of Sri Lanka. They were specialised in traditional warfare, brave, and after encountering the Portuguese, they had also familiarised themselves with cannons, guns and other European methods of warfare. As such, the military positions of Adigar, Mudaliyar, Muhandiram etc. were held by the Karavas. The natives in the interior were unsuited for warfare but were very useful for transporting food, weapons and ammunition, cooking, cleaning and as militia.
“Samara” means “War” in Sinhala and the Samarakkody name of this branch signifies the martial history of the family. But from the late 1800s, British administrators gave names such as Samarawickrama, Samarasinghe, Samaranayaka and even Samarasundara to their loyal non martial employees. The history of those names naturally don’t go beyond the late 1800s.
Louis Charles’ prized possessions had included the Jubilee gold medal received by him in 1897 from Governor West Ridgeway, and the gold medal received by his uncle Carolis de Fonseka in 1815.
The following Family Tree shows that the above Karava are the ancestors of several families that go as ‘Govigama’ now.
They don’t seem to appreciate the warrior significance of the name “Samarakkody” and seem to think it came from a Monk’s flag (Sramana Kodiya !).
Source: TCIC pgs. 531-2, Open Source Media.
Entry in the book 20th Century Impressions of Ceylon
In the Saka year 1675, corresponding to A.D. 1750, in an account given of King Kirti Sri Rajasinha, of Kandy, translated by Paul E. Peiris, N.A.C.C.S., barrister-at-law, appears the record of the return of the embassy which the king had sent to Siam, and amongst the officers delegated to meet these ambassadors figures the name of Samarakkody, the Uda-gampaha Adigar, from whom the subject of this sketch is descended. The Adigar’s descendant was Johan de Fonseka Samarasundere Seneviratne Samarakkody, who was the Mudaliyar of Hewagam Korale under the Dutch administration. His eldest son, Paulis, was Mohandiram in the same Korale, and his second son, Andris, who married the sister of Don Abraham Dissenaike, second Mudaliyar of Hewagam Korale, was Atapattu Mohandiram of Colombo in the same government. Louis, grandson of Johan de Fonseka Samarakkody, was attached to the Colombo Kachcheri as Clerk and Commutation Assessor. He married Francina, daughter of Paules de Livera Weerakon, Mohandiram of Hapitigam Korale, and their son, Louis Charles de Fonseka Wijeyewickkrame Tillekeratne Samarakkody, whose name heads this sketch, was born at Colombo in 1840. He received his education at Colombo Academy and St. Thomas’s College, and entered the Government service in 1861, attached to the Court of Requests, Colombo, as sworn Translator. He also served in the Colombo Kachcheri, and became Mohandiram of Alutkuru Korale, South, and then was appointed Mudaliyar of the Kegalla Kachcheri. He was President of six Village Tribunals in three different Korales, and was appointed Mudaliyar of the Governor’s Gate in 1883. Twelve years later he retired from Government employ, after thirty-eight years of continuous service. In 1871 he married Cornelia Fredrica, the daughter of Jacobus Dionysius de Silva Siriwardene, Atapattu Mohandiram of Colombo (whose grandfather, David de Silva Siriwardene, was Mudaliyar of Rayigam Korale, and whose father, Simon de Silva Siriwardene, was Maha Mudaliyar). Of the sons of this marriage, Charles Henry Augustus is Mudaliyar of Pasdun Korale East; Charles Peter, a Mohandiram of the Governor’s Gate, is a planter, who is married to Anne Kathereen, daughter of John Nicholas Dissenaike Tillekeratne, Mudaliyar of Matara; Charles Edwin is a Proctor of the District Court of Colombo ; and Charles William is a senior student of Wesley College, Colombo. Mr. Samarakkody has three daughters—Charlotte Henrietta, Mary Elizabeth, and Jane Cicilia. Amongst his family possessions, Mr. Samarakkody treasures a gold medal given to his uncle Carolis de Fonseka Tillekeratne Samarakkody, Mudaliyar, by Governor Sir Robert Brownrigg in 1818 for his meritorious services to the British Government during the Kandyan rebellion, and a Jubilee gold medal presented to him by Governor Sir West Ridge-way. He resides at “Lovedale,” Jampettah Street, Colombo.
LC De Fonseka Family Line
- Johan de Fonseka Samarasundere Seneviratne Samarakkody,
Mudaliyar of Hewagam Korale under the Dutch administration.- Paulis de Fonseka, Muhandiram Hewagam Korale
- Andris de Fonseka, Atapattu Mohandirain of Colombo md UNKNOWN (sister of Don Abraham Dissenaike, the second Mudaliyar of Hewagam Korale)
- Mudaliyar Carolis de Fonseka Tillekeratne Samarakkody (helped the British Government during the 1818 Kandyan Rebellion and been honoured by Governor Robert Brownrigg with a gold medal and the “Tillekeratne” name)
- Louis de Fonseka Samarakkody (Clerk and Commutation Assessor, Colombo Kachcheri) married Francina de Livera Weerakoon, daughter of Paules de Livera Weerakoon, Mohandiram of Hapitigam Korale,
- Louise Charles De Fonseka Wijeyewickkrame Tillekeratne Samarakkody (1840 – 1907), appointed Mudaliyar of the Governor’s Gate in 1883, Mohandiram of Alutkuru Korale South, Mudaliyar of the Kegalla Kachcheri, married Cornelia Fredrica, the daughter of Jacobus Dionysius de Silva Siriwardene, Atapattu Mohandiram of Colombo, resided at ‘Lovedale’, Jampettah Street, Colombo)
- Charles Henry Augustus De Fonseka W.T.S, Mudaliyar of Pasdun Korale East
- Charles Peter De Fonseka W.T.S, planter and Mohandiram of the Governor’s Gate, married to Anne Kathereen, daughter of John Nicholas Dissenaike Tillekeratne, Mudaliyar of Matara
- Charles Edwin De Fonseka W.T.S, Proctor of the District Court of Colombo
- Charles William De Fonseka W.T.S, who was a student at Wesley College in 1906.
- Charlotte Henrietta De Fonseka W.T.S
- Mary Elizabeth De Fonseka W.T.S
- Jane Cecilia De Fonseka W.T.S.
- Louise Charles De Fonseka Wijeyewickkrame Tillekeratne Samarakkody (1840 – 1907), appointed Mudaliyar of the Governor’s Gate in 1883, Mohandiram of Alutkuru Korale South, Mudaliyar of the Kegalla Kachcheri, married Cornelia Fredrica, the daughter of Jacobus Dionysius de Silva Siriwardene, Atapattu Mohandiram of Colombo, resided at ‘Lovedale’, Jampettah Street, Colombo)
Source: Twentieth century Impressions of Ceylon – Arnold Wright (pages 531 & 532) & Karava People of Ceylon Facebook page.