Charles Henry Darling

Sir Charles Henry Darling KCB (19 February 1809 – 25 January 1870) was a British colonial governor.

He was born at Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, the son of Major-General Henry Darling and nephew of General Sir Ralph Darling.

He was educated at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst and served in the military in Barbados, the Windward Islands, and Jamaica with the 57th Foot. He started his colonial service while in Jamaica and became Lieutenant-Governor of St. Lucia in 1847. He became Lieutenant-Governor of the Cape Colony in South Africa in 1851. He became Governor of Newfoundland in 1855.

Darling supported the British suggestions granting the French more fishing rights in waters of Newfoundland between Cape St. John and Cape Ray to the total disagreement of the Newfoundland government which ultimately lead to the end of his term in office.

Darling became governor and captain-chief of Jamaica in 1857 then governor of Victoria, Australia from 1863 to 1866.

Married firstly on 2 May 1835 to Anne Wilhelmina Dalzell (born 18 July 1813 – died 16 October 1837). They had a son, died in infancy. He married, secondly, at Christ Church, Barbados, on 14 December 1839 to Mary Ann Nurse (who died of yellow fever in St Lucia on 6 November 1848). Married, thirdly, at Ilfracombe, North Devon on 10 December 1851 to Elizabeth Isabella Caroline Salter (born circa 1820 – died 10 December 1900).

Charles Henry Darling died at Lansdown Crescent, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, aged 60.