James Robert Phillips

Acting Consul General Phillips
Born	James Robert Phillips Cumbria England
Died	Ugbine, Benin Rivers
Nationality	British
Occupation	Deputy Commissioner and Consul General
Years active	1891 - 1897
Known for	The Benin Massacre
Notable work	Sheriff and Queen's Advocate of the Gold Coast (1891 - 1896)

James Robert Phillips was born in circa 1864. He was the eldest son of the Archdeacon of Furness, in The Diocese of Carlisle, the Rev. T. Phillips, M.A.

James was educated at Uppingham School, an independent boarding school. He later went to Trinity College Cambridge where he studied law. He took his degree in law about 1887. He served his solicitor’s articles (trained as a solicitor) at Carlisle with the Clerk of Peace for Cumberland (i.e. a law firm), and was in due course admitted a solicitor.

James was very athletic. He played football for the Eden Wanderers’ Football Club for several seasons proving himself a man of strong physique, vigour and resource. He was very well liked by his teammates.

After qualifying as a solicitor, he believed that there might be better opening for him at the colonies. In 1891, he accepted an appointment as a colonial officer on the Gold Coast (present day Ghana) as a Sheriff and Overseer of Prisons. A year later in 1892, he was promoted to the position of Acting Queen's Advocate of the Gold Coast.

In 1896, James went back to England on leave and while visiting friends in Cumberland he expressed himself pleased with his prospects. Whilst still on leave in June 1896, he was appointed Deputy Commissioner and Consul-General for the Niger Coast Protectorate. He was so delighted with this appointment that he wanted to return to Africa immediately but was ordered by the Foreign Office in London to wait in England until he could meet with the current Niger Coast Protectorate Commissioner and Consul-General, Ralph Denham Rayment Moor, who was then en route to England to begin a period of leave. No record exists on where they met or what they discussed. They most probably met in London in September 1896. As he was a lawyer, James had a brief from the Foreign Office to concentrate on the prisons and legal system of the Protectorate. He left for Africa and arrived in the Protectorate on October 24, 1896.

On October 31, 1896, he held a meeting with members of the Benin Rivers trading companies to introduce himself to the traders. This included European Traders of the Royal Niger Company, Itsekiri Chiefs and native traders. Additionally, he wanted to hear directly from them about trading issues they were having.

Because of this meeting and previous discussions with Mr Moor, James Phillips felt that he had ‘gained a very clear picture of the state of affairs’ in the Benin Rivers trading situation. On November 16, 1896, he wrote a letter to the Foreign Office in London stating: “The King of Benin has continued to do everything in his power to stop the people from trading and prevent the Government from opening up the country. By means of his Fetish he has succeeded to a marked degree. He has permanently placed a Juju on (Palm) Kernels, the most profitable product of the country, and the penalty for trading in this produce is death. He has closed the markets and has only occasionally consented to open them in certain places on receipt of presents from the Jakri chiefs. Only however to close them again when he desires more blackmail…I feel so convinced that every means has been successfully tried that I have advised the Jakri chiefs to discontinue their presents.” “I therefore ask for his Lordship’s permission to visit Benin City in February next, to depose and remove the King of Benin and to establish a native council in his place and to take such further steps for the opening up of the country as the occasion may require. I do not anticipate any serious resistance from the people of the country – there is every reason to believe that they would be glad to get rid of their King – but in order to obviate any danger I wish to take up a sufficient armed Force, consisting of 250 troops, two seven-pounder guns, 1 Maxim gun, and 1 Rocket apparatus of the Niger Coast Protectorate Force (NCPF) and a detachment of Lagos Hausas 150 strong, if his Lordship and the Secretary of State for the Colonies will sanction the use of the Colonial Forces to this extent…PS I would add that I have reason to hope that sufficient Ivory may be found in the King’s house to pay the expenses in removing the King from his Stool.”

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