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King Aggrey Essien: The Cape Coast King who challenged the legitimacy of British authority
King Joseph Aggrey Essien of Cape Coast (1809 – 1869)
John Stuart Mills stated that” the only freedom which deserves the name, is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it”.
Nearer home, we never cease to pay honor and homage to the heroes of the Fante Confederation of 1868, the leaders of the Aborigines’ Rights Protection Society of 1897, the statesmen of the Congress of British West Africa of 1920, the “Big Six” of the United Gold Coast Convention of 1948 and the leadership of the Convention People’s Party of 1951, all whom during their respective eras were consistently active, and fought hard enough in their bid to achieve independence for this country.
However, there was one heroic agitator who through inadvertence or otherwise many a writer of Ghana history and the general reader always ignore to show a similar, if not a greater honor – a Cape Coast-born Ghanaian, whose noble efforts preceded those of all the foregoing agitators and who fought single-handedly against British claim to political supremacy in this country.
This hero not often mentioned orally or in books, ranks a golden place among the celebrities of Ghana. He did not choose the “Violent” method, but the “Dialogue” method. Even though, the struggle was tough and difficult in his day, he facilitated and mellowed the tensions for those who came after him. He is also the subject of this sketch about Cape Coast chieftaincy. King Aggrey (Essien) of Cape Coast, who was often styled King Aggrey of Cape Coast and its Dependencies.
Naturally, this would not be very salutary or welcome to anybody in the position of an African chief, especially the coastal type, who had at the time numerous educated Africans ever ready and battle ready to utilize the fruits of their learning and experience for the progress of their native land. It is in this predicament that King Aggrey and his well-educated African advisers found themselves and came to grips with the British authorities, and which eventually made King Aggrey the first martyr of this country’s independence.
King John Aggrey Essien (1809 – 1869)
It is on record that King John Aggrey was the first king in the 19th century to really have challenged the legitimacy of British authority and jurisdiction, organizing systematic protests against the British earned him the accolade as one of the African political martyrs of British imperialism, but not the first king of Cape Coast.
Aggrey was born in Cape Coast in about 1809, his father being King Joseph Aggrey (Burupu) of Cape Coast, one of the signatories of the so-called Bond of 1844. Even in his tender years, he appeared defiant, for he was the type of person who was destined to defy authority whenever he thought fit. There is an interesting story about a speech he made at a banquet on the occasion of his coronation in 1865, when he was installed King of Cape Coast, to the effect that in his early evangelistic association with William De-Graft, he was taken before the Governor Maclean on the complaint of the chiefs, and later cast into prison and publicly flogged for refusing to return to fetish worship.
It was an era of great political unrest and turbulence in the Gold Coast, particularly Cape Coast, and the seat of British administration in the country at the time. His father, King Joseph Aggrey (Burupu) had died in 1851and was succeeded by Kofi Amissa as from that time. Charging with the offense of attempting suicide, King Kofi Amissa came under heavy fire from the people of Cape Coast, who now became more than ever determined to depose him (Order- in Council of 4th April, 1856 and the African Times of 23rd March, 1865).
Also it was established that Kofi Amissa was alleged not to be of royal blood, (Order- in Council of 4th April, 1865), but this move was resisted by the Judicial Assessor who was appointed Chief Justice, Mr. J.C. Fitzpatrick, who stated that that ‘a king could not be destooled without the consent of the Governor, and he refused to recognized the so-called Regent Mr. J.R. Thompson, whom the townsmen meanwhile put in the king’s place. (Ref: Cape Coast Memorial of 5th January, 1865, endorsed in a Dispatch No. 2 of 6th January, 1855 from Governor Connor to Sir G. Grey; Co/ 96/ 83). The Secretary of state, London, that they had appointed Thompson, who was ‘Master-at Arms and Town Magistrate so that he should act as their leader’ in charge of public affairs pro-tempore, until a new king be appointed by us.
Troubles had still not abated when on 21st January, 1856, John Aggrey was elected king, an appointment which was soon ratified by the Governor, Richard Pine. In a Dispatch to the colonial office, His Excellency commented on the new king’s installment as follows: “for the first time in the annals of Cape Coast, without the usual semi-barbaric shouts, yells, clapping of hands and firing muskets “a king was installed in Cape Coast. These were troubles to follow; for if anyone Ghanaian ruler ever gave the British authorities in Africa a hard and difficult time and task it was King John Aggrey of Cape Coast. The importance of Aggrey’s rule is enormous, and cannot be gainsaid. He was a man of great determination and strong feelings against any encroachment on African traditional authority by any foreign ruler, either directly or indirectly.
His activities greatly attracted the support of the educated elite who supported the traditional order and used its institutions to check what they considered the arbitrary expansion of British authority. Shortly after his coronation as King of Oguaa in February 1865, he wrote to the Governor that “in the eye of the law, Cape Coast is not British territory”. He clearly spelt out his objection to cases from his court being sent on appeal to the British courts on the grounds that traditional authority “existed before the Cape Coast Castle itself was erected, and the grounds on which the Castle stands was originally taken from my ancestors at an annual rent”.
In an effort to resist British domination and enforce unity, the Fanti chiefs realized the best way forward was through a coordinated effort; this led to the formation of the Fanti Confederation.
The formation of the Fante confederation was partly due to the treatment meted out to King Aggrey. He bitterly complained of Mr. Conran, a British Administrator, for the lack of respect for his authority as “King of Cape Coast.” In September 1865 he again complained, concerning an attack on the people of Cape Coast by the West Indian garrison of the Castle, during a riot which occurred on September 4. Enraged, Mr. Conran subsequently caused King Aggrey’s arrest and exile to Sierra Leone for trial.
The then British Governor, Richard Pine, tried to get him to agree to the right of appeal from his court to British jurisdiction. He, however, remained defiant insisting that British jurisdiction was confined to British possessions only, and that the British could not interfere in the affairs of Africans.
In one of the letters, that partly reads:
The time has now come for me to record a solemn protest against the perpetual annoyances and insults that you persistently and perseveringly continue to practice on me in my capacity as legally constituted King of Cape Coast….. However much you wish to have me and my people under martial law, you will never have that pleasure……. it is impossible for me to endure your tyranny, annoyances and abuses any longer; nor will I be subject to the disunion that you are daily endeavouring to create amongst my chiefs and elders.
In pursuit of this conviction, he openly expressed his views in several ways, and as a result lost his crown. The reader would appreciate King Aggrey’s stand and lone fight from several angles.
As a spokesman of the African chiefs against British encroachment on their judicial preserves,
As protagonist of self-government,
As a champion of free trade in the Gold Coast,
As an undisputed leader of his people,
As the champion of civil liberties for the African, and
As a patron of the African scholars and their ideals.
A clash between his courts and that of the Governor resulted in some chiefs deserting him, for these chiefs recognized the British authorities as superior to them whilst he (King John Aggrey) saw them as intruders. So many things happened to him but never did he give in or surrendered. He was apprehended, and exile to Sierra Leone, the Home Government, however, appeared uneasy about his deportation as there was apparently no power to try him (Aggrey) in Sierra Leone. In Sierra Leone, he was kept for two years from January, 1867 to March, 1869, when he took ill and hurriedly repatriated by the authority.
Though exiled for trial in Sierra Leone, Aggrey remained defiant until he became very sick in March 1869 and hurriedly repatriated by the British authorities. On his return home, he renounced his claim to Kingship and died later in Cape Coast.
It was the general resentment of British jurisdiction on the coast which strengthened Aggrey’s hand. The local British position was further weakened by the recommendation of a British parliamentary committee in 1865 that the British should withdraw from the Gold Coast. Aggrey knew of the recommendation, because he had sent two commissioners, Joseph Martin and D.L. Carr, to testify before the committee in London.
They, together with Thomas Hughes and other educated Africans, helped the chief in his protests. Before long, it became clear that, the British had not kept their part of the bargain struck in the Bond of 1844. Aggrey and his advisers were demanding self-government.
The British, who were impatient with educated Africans, felt that Aggrey had gone too far. But the British themselves realized that they had no power to proceed with the case. Samuel W. Blackall, Governor-Chief of the British West African settlements, therefore, tried in vain to secure Aggrey’s submission, first by persuasion, and then by threats.
A Worthy Forerunner
King Aggrey is a worthy forerunner and a nationalist who fought fearlessly for the emancipation of his people. He willingly gave himself to the service and foundation of this nation. As we celebrate Ghana and Africa’s anti-colonial struggle, it is imperative that we take a sober reflection at what transpired long before most of us were born. We must cherish the independence we now take for granted. Let us resolve to unite as a nation, do away with divisiveness and celebrate our heroes.
