LEWIS HARCOURT

Ever wondered how the name Port Harcourt came about? 

One disturbing thing that individuals in the contemporary world don't know is that most historic towns were named after historic people. So, today we would go back in time and find out how the name "Port Harcourt" came about.

Port Harcourt

Port Harcourt, capital of Rivers State in southern Nigeria, is named after Lewis Vernon Harcourt, 1st Viscount Harcourt. When the port was established in 1912, there was much controversy about the name it should receive. In August 1913, the Governor-General of Nigeria, Sir Frederick Lugard wrote to Harcourt, then Secretary of State for the Colonies, that "in the absence of any convenient local name, I would respectfully ask your permission to call this Port Harcourt". The Secretary of State replied, "It gives me pleasure to accede to your suggestion that my name should be associated with the new Port. Wasn’t that simple?

The man who the new port was named after, had never stepped foot on the new port or the soil of the Niger-Area, and he never did.

Early life and education

Harcourt was born at Nuneham Courtenay, Oxfordshire, the only surviving son of politician Sir William Vernon Harcourt and his first wife, Theresa Lister. He was originally christened with the name Reginald, in honour of his father's university friend Reginald Cholmondeley, but when George Cornewall Lewis died just over two months after, he was rechristened with the name Lewis. He never knew his mother, who died only a day after giving birth to him. His elder brother, Julian Harcourt, had died the previous year. He was educated at Eton.

He inherited the lordships of the manor of Stanton Harcourt, Nuneham Courtenay, North Hinksey, Coggs, Northmoor and Shifford in Oxfordshire

Accusations of sexual impropriety

Lewis Harcourt was reportedly attracted to both sexes. He reportedly attempted to sexually assault Dorothy Brett, the daughter of Viscount Esher, when she was about 15. Dorothy Brett wrote of him that "It is so tiresome that Loulou is such an old roué. He is as bad with boys as with girls... he is simply a sex maniac. It isn't that he is in love. It is just ungovernable sex desire for both sexes". He was also accused of sexual impropriety by Edward James, young Etonian who grew up to become a great collector of surrealist and other contemporary art. However, none of these accusations became public knowledge during his lifetime.

Is it not rather disturbing and a thing of concern that one of our greatest state capitals was named after someone who never set soil on the area and one who was accused of sexual impropriety?

Let’s hear your thought in the comment section.

Compiled by: Udo_Best