Magdalene Walawwa Negombo

 Magdalene Walawwa in Negombo

The Magdalene walawwa

Located adjacent to Main Street and near the Railway Station Road in the heart of Negombo town, the residence initially known as "Magdalene House"  later referred to as Magdalene Walawwa and Rajapakse Walawwa was constructed around the year 1860. The original owner was Mudaliyar and Justice of the Peace John de Silva Rajapakse. After him, the property remained within his lineage up to the present day.At the time around 1860, John de Silva Rajapakse was only about 19 years old; therefore, it is likely that the original house was built on his behalf by his father.The house was named "Magdalene House" in memory of Mary Magdalene Abeysekera, the wife of Mudaliyar John de Silva, who was married to him in 1861. Mary Magdalene Abeysekera was the grand daughter of the Moohandiram of Negombo, Francis Mendis Abeysekera.It can be assumed that the completion of the construction and their marriage took place around the same time.

The term Walawwa or Bungalow refers to residences that are over a hundred years old or even older, and the construction of such houses reveals an important historical background, both socially and economically, that must be explored through research.In Sri Lanka, the old houses that were built can primarily be categorized into four major social classes:

• Residences of the aristocracy (Radala) who held official positions at King's palace from the era of the Kandyan Kingdom.
  Some of these aristocrats later also held positions under British colonial rule.
  Examples include:

  • Paṇabokke
  • Meedeniya
  • Nugawela

• Residences of low country Mudaliyars and Muhandirams, and colonial administrators under British rule.
  Examples include:

  • Obeyesekere
  • Bandaranaike
  • Daraniyagala
  • Ilangakoon

• Residences of the landed gentry class who prospered under British rule through businesses such as arrack rent business and mining.
  Examples include:

  • Senanayake
  • Paulis Silva
  • de Soysa lineage
  • Attygalle

• Families associated with the Department of Mahabadda Cinnamon trade monopoly, which was involved in the cinnamon trade.
  Examples include:

• Many Walawwa families around Balapitiya and Ahungalla
• The Kappina Walawwa lineage
• The lineage of Mudaliyar John de Silva Rajapaksa
• The Mirando lineage 

Let us now examine the social and economic background that provided the foundation for the construction of this house by Mudaliyar John de Silva Rajapakse, who belonged to the fourth group mentioned above.

Since the period of Portuguese rule, the cinnamon trade in Sri Lanka began with the extraction of wild-growing cinnamon and its export to European countries. To manage this trade, the Mahabadda Department was established as a state institution, operating under an official known as the Captain of the Mahabadda.
Although the Dutch, who took control of Sri Lanka in the 17th century, initially also utilized wild cinnamon for trade, they later made more organized efforts to develop the cinnamon industry.
They established government-owned cinnamon plantations first in areas like Maradana, Kurunduwatta, Kadirana, and Katunayake.
The Dutch continued to maintain the Mahabadda Department as an institution that managed the cinnamon trade and generated revenue for the crown.
Alongside this system, a local aristocratic class associated with the cinnamon trade emerged.
Most of them lived in areas around Balapitiya and Ahungalla, and highly fertile cinnamon plantations existed in parts of today's Kalutara and Galle districts, including Kosgoda, Wellithara, Madampe, Rathgama, Dadalla, Magalla, and Lanumodara.
Villages surrounding these plantations were home to service providers connected to the cinnamon trade.
From the time of the Dutch rule, the families most prominently associated with the cinnamon trade as Mudaliyars (chiefs) included the Miranda, de Soysa Rajapakse, de Abrew Rajapakse, Mendis Wickramanayake, and de Silva Rajapakse lineages.

After the Dutch, the British too made cinnamon cultivation a major source of revenue.

By 1815, the government had obtained 205,164 pounds of cinnamon from 11,426 acres of government managed plantations.

From 4,106 acres at Kadirane alone, 49,487 pounds of cinnamon were harvested, and from 1,598 acres at Ekala, 32,542 pounds were obtained.The cinnamon plantations that once stretched from Ekala to Katunayake were later converted first into coconut plantations and subsequently, over time, transformed into residential areas, commercial and industrial zones, airports, and military camps.
The high quality of cinnamon grown around Negombo also received international recognition.
Kadirané and Katunayake cinnamon plantations contributed a notable share to Sri Lanka’s overall cinnamon trade at the time.

Presently, lands where the Katunayake Airport and Air Force bases are located were once major cinnamon estates.
These included:

• The Kadirane Estate (1000 acres of cinnamon and coconut) owned by Tudor Rajapaksa of the Balapitiya Maha Kappina Walawwa lineage and later donated for the Airport and Air force bases.
• The cinnamon estates in the Kadirane area owned by the Magdalene Walawwa,
• And the Ooluambalama Estate (approximately 800 acres of cinnamon and coconut) owned by Richard Adrian Mirando, a pioneering Buddhist leader who was shot and killed by the British during the 1915 Sinhala-Muslim riots.

The surrounding villages Katunayake, Heenatiyana, Unnaruwa, Yatiyana, Dewamottawa, Peellawatta, Andiambalama, and Katiyala were home to workers and service providers for the Kadirané and Katunayake cinnamon zones.
Today, descendants of those early inhabitants still live in these villages.

an old photograph of cinnamon ccultivation 

Before Cinnamon Gardens in Colombo became the popular residential area for Sri Lanka’s high aristocracy, the homes of noble families involved in the southern cinnamon trade were mainly located in the Mutuwal area and its surroundings.

This was likely because their trade transactions were carried out through the Colombo harbor and administrative matters were centered around Colombo at that time.During that period, the area now known as Cinnamon Gardens was still a cinnamon plantation.

The "Rajapakse Walawwa" owned by Augustine de Silva Samaraweera Rajapakse, the father of John de Silva, and the "Karalu Walawwa" belonging to Maha Vidane Mudaliyar Samson Rajapakse of the Balapitiya Maha Kappina Walawwa lineage, were both located in this area.

John de Silva’s grandfather, Simeon de Silva Samaraweera Rajapakse, was a Mudaliyar from Naotunna in Galle.
It is possible that he or his son, Augustine Rajapaksa, built residences in Colombo
Given that the nearest prosperous city to their Kadirane and Averiyawatta cinnamon plantations was Negombo, it is likely that the Rajapakse family from Galle transitioned from Galle to Negombo via Colombo.

From around 1840, through various Land Ordinances, the British government acquired many local lands.
However, coconut plantations in areas like Negombo, Kuliyapitiya, Kurunegala, and Chilaw were later purchased by this aristocratic class, as well as by a newly emerging bourgeoisie class, who accumulated wealth through arrack distilling, graphite mining, and similar enterprises during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Mudaliyar John De Silva Rajapakse 

John de Silva Wijegoonaratne Samaraweera Rajapakse was born in 1841 at the Rajapaksa Walawwa in Mutuwal, Colombo, and was educated at St. Thomas' College, Colombo.His father was Augustine de Silva Samaraweera Rajapakse, and his mother was Celestine Abeysekera, daughter of Simon Mendis Abeysekera.After completing his education, he entered government service and served as a Sharoff Mudaliyar at the Kurunegala and Negombo Kachcheris.

Maintaining close ties with the British administration, he served for 22 years in government service.Upon retiring in 1892, he was elected to the Negombo Municipal Council for 12 years and served on the Negombo District Road Committee and for three years on the Colombo District Road Committee.Additionally, he managed his cinnamon, coconut, and paddy estates, and served as an English-speaking juror at the Negombo Court.

Among his properties were the Koshena and Andiyagara estates  totaling 475 acres  located in the southern Pitigala Korale, as well as the Horahena and Lilliedale estates in the Negombo District.

Gazette notice of appointment Mudaliyar J.D.S Rajapakse to the District Road Committee 

The eldest son of John de Silva and Magdalene was Gate Mudaliyar Edmund Rajapakse.another son, Wilfred Martin Rajapakse, served as a lawyer at the Negombo Court, and Walter Benjamin Rajapakse became a landowner and planter.Their daughter Agnes Jemima Rajapakse married Fred de Soysa, a lawyer and notary in Colombo.Their second daughter, Frances Lily Rajapaksa, married Gate Mudaliyar Tudor Dedric Nataniel De Abrew Wijegoonaratne Samaraweera Rajapakse of the Balapitiya Maha Kappina Walawwa family.The youngest daughter, Lucy Grace Rajapakse, married John Edward de Soysa son of Edward de Soysa, a Colombo Muhandiram  in 1903.Lucy Grace lived at the "Graceliene" House, which currently use as the headquarters of the Negombo Co-operative Society.

Gate Mudaliyar Tudor Rajapakse of Balapitiya Maha Kappina Walawwa

 Gate Mudaliyar A.E Rajapakse(1866-1937)JP,UPM,OBE 

After the Death  of Mudaliyar John de Silva Rajapakse, this Walawwa was inherited by his eldest son, Gate Mudaliyar Alexander Edmund de Silva Wijegunaratne Samarawira Rajapakse.

He was born in Colombo in 1866 and received his education at Wesley College and Royal College, Colombo.
Thereafter, he pursued further studies in agriculture at the Ceylon Agricultural College for three years, where he was regarded as the only graduate who successfully completed the institution’s full curriculum at the time.
Beginning his professional life as a planter on his father’s Horahena Estate, he conducted extensive research on fertilizers suitable for agricultural plantations in various parts of Ceylon, particularly coconut estates. His research was later published as a monograph printed by Fruedenberg & Company in Colombo.
By the early 1900s, he annually purchased artificial fertilizers worth Rs. 10,000 for his own estates and a similar amount for his father's estates.
Among his property holdings were the Amandoluwa and Hebilbaddara estates in the Negombo District, the Bathgampola and Tabbowa estates in the Chilaw District, the Irabadagama estate and several smaller properties in the Kurunegala District, in addition to being the chief manager of the Kadirana Estate (cultivating cinnamon and coconut)  a thousand-acre property belonging to his cousin Gate Mudaliyar Tudor Rajapakse.
He also managed other notable plantations on lease such as Katukenda Watta in Negombo, and Kekiriskanda and Kohilawagura estates (tea and coconut plantations) in the southern province.
By 1927, A.E. Rajapakse had become the owner of 1,664 acres of land.
He produced copra from his land in Kadirana and exported cinnamon to England under his renowned brand name "S.A.D.R KADIRANA".
His agricultural products earned him gold and silver medals and certificates both locally and internationally. Notably, he was awarded gold medals for cinnamon and cinnamon oil at the Saint Louis Exhibition in 1904 and at the Agricultural and Botanical Exhibition organized by the Ceylon Agricultural Society in June 1906.
In 1903, British Governor Sir West Ridgeway conferred on him the title of Muhandiram, and in 1906, Governor Henry Blake elevated him to the title of Mudaliyar of the Governors Gate.
A.E. Rajapakse married Alexandra Alice Engeltina, daughter of Muhandiram John Alexander Mendis Gunasekera, in 1889, and they had two children a son named John Eric Percival and a daughter named Leela Mildred.

Tombstone of Mudaliyar's wife at Mangnokkahena cemetery 

In 1922, A.E. Rajapakse was appointed as the first Mayor of the Negombo Municipal Council, a position he held twice.

In 1932, he was also appointed as the first Chairman of the Ceylon Municipal Councils Conference.
In the 1931 State Council election, held under the Donoughmore Commission constitutional reforms, he was elected to represent the Negombo constituency.

The inauguration commemorative plaque located at the Rajapaksa Urban Park in Negombo

In 1936, he contested once again and was re-elected to the Second State Council, where he served on the Land and Agriculture Committee.
The Rajapakse Urban Park, located near Colombo Road in Negombo, was a donation made by Mudaliyar A.E. Rajapake.
The six-acre land donated in memory of his father Mudaliyar John De Silva was developed into a park and formally opened in 1941 by Sir Andrew Caldecott, the then Governor of Ceylon.
The initial land for the Mangnokkaena Cemetery in Negombo was also donated by the Rajapakse family.

On November 25, 1924, under the leadership of Father Paul M. Alex and Gate Mudaliyar A.E. Rajapakse, the Negombo Co-operative Movement was launched at the Old Catholic Church on Negombo Grand Street, and it continued to grow under the contribution of his son-in-law, A.N.D.A. Abeysinghe, who rendered significant service to the cooperative sector in Negombo.
In particular,  Abeysinghe donated the "Graceliene" House now of great commercial value to be used as the headquarters of the Negombo Co-operative Society.

The "Graceliene" House

W.M Rajapakse Family 

Wilfred Martin Wijegoonaratne Samaraweera Rajapakse, the second son of Mudaliyar John de Silva Rajapakse, was born in 1868 in Colombo and received his education at Royal College, Colombo.

He later studied law under the politician Frederick Dornhorst and qualified as a Notary Public, being admitted as a District Court Advocate in 1890 and as a Supreme Court Advocate in 1894.
Practicing law primarily at the Negombo Court, he also served as a District Judge and as a Police Magistrate.
He was a member of the Ceylon Agricultural Society and resided at the "Retreat" residence in Negombo.
In 1892, he married Catherine Mendis, and he owned several estates in the Negombo District including Potthode Estate and Walhapitiya Estate as well as the Bandirippuwa Estate in the Chilaw District.

The "Retreat" House in Negombo 

The Magdalene Walawwa originally stood on a land area of 2 acres and 22 perches.

Over time, portions of the estate were separated including land for Rajapakse Broadway , the Bank of Ceylon, and several shops leaving the current building and remaining land.
Originally, the estate stretched from the railway station road to the edge of the present-day Bank of Ceylon premises, with an entrance located near the Sigiri Hardware store, where two old, large gate pillars can still be seen.
From 1860, Magdalene Walawwa was a single-storied house comprising several rooms connected by a long veranda.
Following the conferment of the "Gate Mudaliyar" title on Alexander Edmund Rajapaksa in 1906, an upper floor was added, transforming the house into a two-storied residence, and it was thereafter renamed "Magdalene Wasala Walawwa."
The addition of the upper floor significantly altered the original appearance of the house, giving it a distinctly British architectural style.
Alexander Edmund Rajapakse also owned one of the first Ford Lincoln motor cars in Ceylon, and a stable for horses was located at one side of Magdalene Walawwa.

Inside of Magdalene walawwa 

After Gate Mudaliyar Alexander Edmund Rajapakse, ownership of the house passed to his daughter, Leela Mildred Rajapakse, who married Nicholas Alexander d’Abrew Abeysinghe of the Ahungalla Galwehera Kurunduwatta Walawwa lineage.

"Kurunduwatta Walawwa"

A.N.D.A Abesinghe(1894-1963)JP,UM,OBE,CBE

Alexander Nicholas De Abrew Abeysinghe, born in 1894 to Gate Mudaliyar Alexander De Abrew Abeysinghe and Louisa de Mendis Weerasinghe, married Leela Mildred Rajapakse in 1915.

He was elected to the Negombo Municipal Council from the Kundavila ward in 1949, and in 1950, became the first Mayor of the newly established Negombo Municipal Council.
He was later honored with the titles of Justice of the Peace (JP) and Unofficial Magistrate (UM), and was awarded the British honors O.B.E. (Order of the British Empire) and C.B.E. (Commander of the British Empire).
Representing the Negombo constituency, he was elected to Parliament in 1952 and served as a Member of Parliament until 1956.
He also donated land for the development of the Abeysinghapura housing scheme in Negombo.
During the period when the Abeysinghe couple resided in this house, the front section, visible from Main Street in Negombo, was annexed to the Walawwa.

Brigadier A.E.R Abesinghe

They had one son, Alexander Edmund Rajapaksa Abeysinghe, born in 1926, who served as a Brigadier in the Sri Lanka Volunteer Force and also held the position of Deputy Commandant.
He passed away in 2018.
After his death, ownership of this approximately 160-year-old Walawwa transferred to a branch of the Rajapakse family.

Sources –

• Ceylon in the Jubilee Year – John Ferguson (1887)
• Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon (TCIC) – Arnold Wright (1907), pp. 696, 697, 701, 702
• Nobodies to Somebodies: The Rise of the Colonial Bourgeoisie in Sri Lanka – Kumari Jayawardena (2000)
• Ceylon Government Gazette No. 5272 – 1894
• Wasala Walawwa: An Ancestral Home in Negombo – A.D.A. Rajapakse (Daily News, 13th October 2004)
• The Economic History of Sri Lanka During the British Colonial Period (1796–1948) – Professor Ukkubanda Karunananda