Suffolk House, Penang - Colonel Bannerman

Colonel Bannerman, Governor of Penang 1817 to 1819, stayed at the Suffolk House from 1818 to 1819, and was reported to have been visited by Stamford Raffles in the House in 1818– prior to Raffles founding of Singapore in 1819. Bannerman was the Father-in Law of William Edward Philip who built the house. He was quite resistant to Raffles establishing Singapore as another British colony and has not assisted Raffles in reinforcing the garrison of Singapore with sepoys from Penang, in a potential conflict with the Dutch whilst the latter was claiming Singapore for the British. However, he relented later due to Lord Hastings ( Governor General of India 1813 -1823)prompting. Times of Malaya cir.1800s