The D'Andrado Manuscripts
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Introduction

The de Andrado papers (volume No. 3210, Dutch records) are an interesting collection of legal and administrative documents of the 17th and early 18th centuries, which illustrate the various stages of a long conflict between the Judiciary and the Executive.

They consist of deeds and certificates affecting land, dating back to the early years of Dutch rule - petitions and declarations submitted to Court, extracts from the Judgment Roll, copies of writs and summonses, counter petitions, minutes by the Governor and reports from executive and judicial officers. These various papers were collected into a single file and deposited in the Secretariat for ease of reference by contemporary litigants.

The facts in the case are briefly as follows. Bras de Andrado had promised his future son-in-law Thomas Pieris, Junior Surgeon, a dowry of Rix - dollars 400 and had remitted in cash, jewellery or in land, the bulk of this amount. But a quarrel seems to have broken out between the two families (a notable feature of the case is the implacable hostility between the Andrados and the Pierises) and Bras refused to pay over the small balance of the dowry money still due, even though threatened with legal penalties.

Vs

The case, Bras de Andrado Vs Louise Pieris, father of Thomas Pieris.

Pieris sued him for the recovery of the money. But, though he obtained a decree against Bras he still could not force him to pay. Finally, various properties belonging to Bras were seized and auctioned by Disava Schot, in satisfaction of this and certain other claims. Most of the lands confiscated in this way were parveni properties, a fact well known to Bras who was so sure that they could never be taken from him whatever the circumstances, that he looked upon their sale and transfer to others with indifference, if not sardonic amusement.

The main interest of the book lies in the action of the Judiciary in declaring null and void the orders of a Governor de Heere, as carried out by Disava Schot and the extra ordinary strictness with which the sanctity of parveni lands was upheld.

Other elements of interest are the character of Bras de Andrado, often vilified without justification in the heat of legal exchanges, and the social customs among his kinsmen of the Fonseka family and others.

J. H. O. Paulusz

References :

Government Archives No:

Register of the documents, enumerated below which have been brought, on the orders of His Excellency the Governor Hendrik Becker, to the Secretariat, by the Hon'ble Captain da Costa, to be registered and preserved there, viz:

  -  Images of the original Dutch records could be found within the following documents. Please follow the link to read the English translation and then to view the images.

Colombo, the 4th May, A. D. 1709.

The foregoing documents have been deposited here in the Secretariat, by Captain Hon. Gregorius da Costa in order that parties who might require them could make use thereof ; and His Honour accordingly hereby relinquishes responsibility for them.

                                                                                Colombo, on the date as above.
                                                                                Signed: Francoys Thivart. Sworn Clerk.

PART II

Annexes & Extracts from various Works & Files :
These form no part of Vol. 3210

Note by the Editor:

The d'Andrado papers and other references pertaining to that family had been brought together and translated by Mr. J. H. 0. Paulusz,, who was the Government Archivist, from 1940 to 1958. Since its translation, the papers had been lying with a member of that family, Mr. F. B. de S. J. Wijenayake of Colombo, who very kindly, brought it to my notice.

In perusing the papers, given to me by Mr. Wijenayake, I found them to be most interesting, not only as Illustrating a conflict between the Judiciary and the Executive, but also as documents providing illustrative information on personalities, their land holdings, the nature of land documents, like deeds, grants and gifts, the operation of judicial procedures, and also as material yielding a cursory glance into the society of the period.

Thus, although the documentation seems inconclusive, and the other evidence too, may sometimes seem disjointed, yet it was decided to publish them for the per Se, interest, they yield, as well as for the illustrative value they provide, of documents that are available at the Archives, for research in genealogy, social history and other fields of study.

Mr. Paulusz, who is presently in Abergele, Wales, has written to say that he had carried out this work during the War under varying disabilities. He states that the subject would have been given fuller editorial treatment if he could have consulted the Jakarta records, then under Japanese occupation He, further says, that even later, severe restrictions had been laid by the Soekarno regime, on access for the repository, so that no thorough search had been possible there. This explanatory note by Mr. Paulusz, throws further light on material that would be available elsewhere, for studies in the Dutch Period' of Sri Lankan history.

Readers are also referred to the published Catalogues of Jurriaanse and Mottau for information on the Administrative Records of the Dutch period (1640-1796), available at the Sri Lanka Archives.

© Copyright Department of National Archives, Sri Lanka.
    Reproduced with the permission of the Director, Department of National Archives.