Other Definitions
burgher (dict)
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BurgherBurgher from the european Middle Ages can mean a freeman of a burgh or borough; or any inhabitant of a borough, a person who lives in town. Also a member of the middle class such as in bourgeois, not of the upper (manor lord) or lower (serf farmer) class.
Burgher is the name of a Eurasian people and, less commonly, a Creole language based on Portuguese. In Sri Lanka the term is used to identify people of this community. English is the mother tongue of the Burghers of Sri Lanka. See Portuguese Creole. For the most part, the Burgher people of Sri Lanka are the Eurasian descendents of Portuguese, Dutch and British colonists from the 17th to 20th centuries. Burghers were legally defined by law in 1883, by the then Chief Justice of Ceylon, Sir Richard Ottley, given before the Commission which was appointed in connection with the stablishment of a legislative Coincil in Ceylon. It was decided that in order to be defined as a Burgher, one's father had to have been born in Sri Lanka, with at least one European ancestor on one's direct paternal side, regardless of the ethnic origin of one's mother, or what other ethnic groups may be found on the father's side. Most Burghers are Christian, the majority being Catholics or Presbyterians. Because of how a Burgher is legally defined, Burghers always have European surnames (mostly of Portuguese, Dutch and British origin, although it is not uncommon to also find German, Flemish, or even French surnames). Burghers are not physically homogeneous. You can have a blond, fair-skinned Burgher, as well as a Burgher with a very dark complexion and black hair. Fair-skinned and dark-skinned children can even appear as brother and sister in the same family of the same parents. Burghers share a common culture rather than a common ethnicity. While the older generations of Burghers tried to dismiss the obvious Asian side of their ancestry, many younger Burghers today highly value this variety in their heritage. History The Portuguese arrived in what was then known by outsiders as Ceylon, in 1505. Since there were no women in the Portuguese navy, the Portuguese sailors married local Sinhalese women. This practice was encouraged by the Portuguese, not only in Ceylon, but also in other Portuguese colonies, such as Macau in China and Malacca in Malaysia. Their mestio children were often called 'micos' (from the Portuguese word for 'mechanic'). When the Dutch took over in 1653, they expelled all the Portuguese. However, they permitted stateless persons of Portuguese-Jewish descent, and of mixed Portuguese-Sinhalese ancestry to stay. As a result, Burghers with Portuguese names are likely to be of either Jewish or mixed Portuguese-Sinhalese ancestry. During the Dutch period, all Dutch colonial operations were overseen by the V.O.C. ('Vereenigde Ost-Indische Compagnie'). Virtually all Burghers from this period were employees of the VOC. The VOC employed not only Dutch nationals, but also enlisted men from Belgium, Friesland, Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Austria. It is therefore not unusual to find ancestors from these countries in many Burgher family trees. It was during the Dutch period that the term 'Burgher' was first coined to denote people of mixed European, and European-Asian descent. It comes from the Dutch word 'Burger', meaning 'citizen' or 'resident'. People of mixed ancestry were not allowed citizenship of the country of their European fathers, nor of their Asian mothers, so a compromise was found whereby they would be citizens ('Burghers') of the towns of their birth. When the British took over in 1796, many Dutch people chose to leave. However, a significant number chose to stay, mostly those of mixed descent. One condition of their being allowed to stay, was that they had to sign a Treaty of Capitulation to the British. Many Burghers can find their ancestors' names in this treaty. At the time of the British conquest, there were about 900 Burgher families residing in Ceylon, concentrated in Colombo, Galle, Matara and Jaffna. Until the early 1900's, as well as English, many Burghers also spoke a form of Portuguese Creole, even those of Dutch descent. It is now only spoken in parts of the coastal towns of Trincomalee and Batticaloa. Most of its vocabulary is from Portuguese, but its grammar is based on that of Tamil and Sinhalese. In the late 1950's and early 1960's, many Burghers left the island and emigrated to Australia (where there is an area of Melbourne known as 'Little Ceylon'), the USA and Great Britain.
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