Ceylon: A Scottish Colony?

Abstract

This chapter critically examines the evidence for the depiction of Ceylon as a ‘Scotch colony’ and suggests why this characterisation was propagated. Three specific issues are addressed: the Scottish presence in Ceylon; the success and influence of Scots in Ceylon’s planting enterprise; and the Scottish sense of ethnicity. It moves beyond a focus on coffee to also incorporate the role of Scots in Ceylon’s tea economy with a brief case study of James Taylor, the ‘father of Ceylon tea’. The overall analysis is situated within debates about Britishness, the diverse ethnicities of the four nations, and issues relating to ethnocentrism and exceptionalism.