Anthony Gomes

Anthony Gomes: catechist turned capitalist

In the eighteenth century Lankan lives became bound up with Dutch colonialism in unexpected ways. The Dutch Reformed churchWhen the Dutch came to Sri Lanka, they brought their church with them. This Protestant institution was known as the ‘Dutch Reformed Church’. It built churches in cities and villages all over the island, these also functioned as protestant schools, led by often local schoolmasters. In these schools children were taught reading and writing in their vernacular, on the basis of Reformed texts. and the legal courts could function as stepping stones for individuals and families to secure status and property and to accumulate wealth. Following Anthony Gomes’ life course we see how this washerman from Kollupitiya reinvented himself after each setback in life. And how he turned from catechist into capitalist.

Anthony's school of life

June, 25^th 1751. 21-year-old Sinhalese Anthony Gomes stepped into the damp meeting room of the Wolvendaal Church in Colombo. Young Anthony cleared his throat, and asked the council members what could be a career-defining question: ‘Would you perhaps appoint me as the replacement native catechistA specific teaching function within the Dutch church. This term was used in the 18 century to distinguish lecturers in the church who were of Lankan decent. Catechists taught the fundamentals of the Christian faith to adults and children, supported the ministers in their work as pastoral leaders and in church services. of the midday services in the Reformed Church?’ Waiting for the Church Council’s answer, we can imagine Anthony standing there in front of them, murmuring behind the table in the background. In seconds that seemed to last hours, he might have looked back on all the moments that led to this crossroads in his young life.

Detail of 18th century map of Colombo. Seen from the southeast. Below the fort on the ocean side is the ‘washer’s quarter’, where Anthony grew up. The peninsula in Beira Lake is already called ‘Slave Quarters’, later to be Slave Island. Dutch National Archives, The Hague.

The youth of a whiz kid

Born in 1733 and raised in the village of Kollupitiya just south of Colombo, Anthony was the oldest son of a family of eight children. His father Frans Gomes was an indigenous chief of the washer caste, and Anthony enjoyed early life as member of a relatively well-to-do family, with several plots of land. Being part of a Christian
Sinhalese family, Anthony had been baptised in the local Dutch church, specifically for the washer caste. Years later, he went back to that church building to receive a proper education. He still recalled that crucial moment in December 1743, when Christian minister Wermelskircher visited his school to and subjected Anthony and the other pupils to an examination. As a bright student Anthony stood out, and was chosen to follow Wermelskircher to the Seminary of Colombo as a boarding student, amidst the chaos, caused by the passing of his mother and the fraught relationship with his father’s second wife Bastiana.

With his relative low caste background, Anthony might have felt somewhat out of place next to his 24 fellow students at the SeminaryThe Dutch wanted each school to have a well-educated schoolmaster, and therefore started Seminaries – advanced schools – near Jaffna and in Colombo. They were mainly aimed at sons of the Lankan elites, in order to train them in Dutch government, religion and culture. Graduates could also go on to become e.g. Protestant ministers by studying in the Netherlands, or clerks in service of the VOC. that were recruited from well-to-do indigenous families, often from the circles of chiefs and interpreters. It had been quite an accomplishment for the boys to learn not only to read, write and speak Dutch, but also read Greek and Latin. Anthony had been engrossed in Classical authors such as Tacitus or Plato, and had learned about the history of that far away Dutch Republic. His studiousness had again attracted the attention of the ReverendTitle for an ordained minister in the Christian church, in Dutch ‘dominee’. Here specifically related to those ministers part of the Dutch Reformed Church. These – male – spiritual leaders were the only ones allowed to baptise and consecrate marriages. Wermelskircher, who chose him as his personal clerk.

Location of the former seminary in Colombo. The Dutch Period Museum in Prince Street, Pettah, Colombo.

Falling out of grace

With his training barely complete, Anthony stumbled once again upon an opportunity. One of his teachers in the SeminaryThe Dutch wanted each school to have a well-educated schoolmaster, and therefore started Seminaries – advanced schools – near Jaffna and in Colombo. They were mainly aimed at sons of the Lankan elites, in order to train them in Dutch government, religion and culture. Graduates could also go on to become e.g. Protestant ministers by studying in the Netherlands, or clerks in service of the VOC., Nicolaas Fernando, was old and had been sick for quite some time now. Anthony had already filled in for him several times during midday services, lecturing and assisting with the formalities of baptismChristian ritual in which a person is either sprinkled with water or going under water completely in order to be officially recognised as a part of the church, and spiritually marked by God. For adults baptism often is paired with a confession of their own personal faith. When children get baptised, often before their first birthday, their parents promise to raise the child in a Christian way. and marriage. Anthony wanted more than that: a formal recognition as replacement catechist by the Church Council could mean the start of his career. It was an opening to even bigger and better paid jobs within the Church, or otherwise the Dutch government in Sri Lanka. So here he was, standing in front of the Church Council to ask for this replacement job. “Mr. Gomes?” The murmuring had finally stopped, and Anthony looked up. “We are pleased to inform you that we will suggest you as replacement catechist to the government, congratulations”.

Celebrations aside however, barely a couple of years after his appointment as catechist, Anthony’s career at the Dutch Reformed ChurchWhen the Dutch came to Sri Lanka, they brought their church with them. This Protestant institution was known as the ‘Dutch Reformed Church’. It built churches in cities and villages all over the island, these also functioned as protestant schools, led by often local schoolmasters. In these schools children were taught reading and writing in their vernacular, on the basis of Reformed texts. seemed over before it had even started. After losing his mother at a young age, Anthony had to let go of his father as well, in September 1753. Subsequently, as oldest son, Anthony got stuck in a nasty family feud with his stepmother Bastiana over his father’s inheritance.

Anthony would even drag his stepmother before the Colombo court of justiceType of appellate court in Dutch-controlled Asia. In Sri Lanka, Galle, Jaffna and Colombo each had their own court of justice, with the one in Colombo considered the highest. These courts dealt with both civil and criminal cases. The councilmembers were exclusively European, and almost always high-ranking political figures in the Company structure. for thievery, accusing her of holding back part of their inheritance. Things got out of hand, and church reports mention that in September 1754 Anthony even abducted the niece of his stepmother. Pending further enquiry into this case, Anthony was excommunicated by the church. Occupied with the court proceedings, and increasingly involved in trading in arrack as a side job, Anthony asked to be relieved of his duties as catechist in 1755. Even though Anthony and his siblings stepped out of the courtroom as victors almost a year later, his reputation as trustworthy catechist within the Church was damaged beyond repair.

Kollupitiya Railway Station, located in the area where Anthony grew up.

Anthony’s twist

If this would be the end of Anthony Gomes’ story, it can on the one hand be read as that of a talented young man, who consciously took the opportunities offered by Dutch institutions to further his own interest and that of his family. Anthony was a gifted student, who was trusted by the highest Dutch religious officials on the island, went to their schools and was given job opportunities. On the other hand, this part of his life offers us tragic glimpse into what happened if that contact with the church soured. After a complicated court case, his consequent excommunication after an abduction story and his resignation from the position of catechist, Anthony seemingly fell out of favor.

This was, however, not the end of his story. Just like he overcame tragedy and loss early in his life, Anthony was able to emerge from these personal and professional crises. He formed a successful partnership with his younger stepbrother Louis, son of Bastiana. From 1771 onwards they leased the expensive rights to tax the taverns in Colombo Fort for fourteen years in a row, an unparalleled feat in those days. And significantly, while his failure to hold onto a promising career in the Church must have stuck with him as a painful memory, Anthony kept looking back proudly on his time at the SeminaryThe Dutch wanted each school to have a well-educated schoolmaster, and therefore started Seminaries – advanced schools – near Jaffna and in Colombo. They were mainly aimed at sons of the Lankan elites, in order to train them in Dutch government, religion and culture. Graduates could also go on to become e.g. Protestant ministers by studying in the Netherlands, or clerks in service of the VOC., signing referring in each and every one of those leases to himself as ‘Anthonij Gomes, former teacher’.