Henry Tudor Davies
(1816-1863)
16 May 1861

Volume 3, page 247, sitting number 3671.

Born in Bermuda in or about 1816, Henry Tudor Davies was the eldest son of Dr Henry Davies, later of 18 Savile Row, London. He went up to St John’s College, Cambridge, in 1831 (BA, 1836; MA, 1839). He was admitted to the Inner Temple on 8 June 1838 and was called to the Bar in 1841.

On 8 July 1856 ‘at Midgham Chapel, Thatcham, Berkshire, Henry Tudor Davies, of the Inner Temple, Esq., [married] Georgiana Frances, eldest daughter of Samuel Smith, Esq., of 17, Hyde Park-gardens, and Charman Dean, Broadwater, Sussex, and granddaughter of William Rothery, Esq. of Stratford-place’ (Morning Advertiser, 12 July 1856).

The marriage produced two sons and two daughters. Three of these children were born in China. 

According to an announcement in The Sun (15 July 1856), ‘The Queen has been pleased to appoint […] Henry Tudor Davies, Esq., to be Chief Magistrate for the Colony of Hong Kong.’ He arrived in the colony and took up his duties in January 1857. Later that year he was appointed a Member of the Legislative County of Hong Kong (Morning Post, 19 August 1857). In February 1861 he arrived home aboard the Imperatrix for a period of leave.

The couple appear on the 1861 census staying at 3 Bentinck Street in Marylebone with three children and five servants. For his profession Henry gave ‘Barrister not in practice, Commissioner of Customs at Shanghai – on leave.’

Henry Tudor Davies, Commissioner of Chinese Customs at Shanghai, died of cholera at Shanghai on 13 July 1863. He was 48 years old. Only twelve hours before his death his wife had given birth to a daughter (The Evening Freeman, 12 September 1863). His estate was valued at £4000. The abstract of his will describes him as ‘Henry Tudor Davies formerly of 16 Devonshire-street Portland-place in the County of Middlesex but late of Shanghae [sic] in China, Commissioner of Chinese Maritime Customs.’ The sole executrix was his widow, Georgina Frances Davies of 10 Stratford Place, Oxford Street.

Less than a month later, on 3 August 1864, their eldest son, also Henry Tudor Davies, died at ‘the house of his mother 5 Melbury Terrace, Dorset Square’ in Marylebone. He was seven years old (The Times, 17 August 1864).