Charles Lennox Richardson facts for kids
Charles Lennox Richardson (born 1833, died 1862) was a British businessman. He lived in Shanghai, China, but was killed in Japan. This happened during a famous event called the Namamugi Incident. His middle name is sometimes spelled Lenox.
A Businessman's Journey
Charles Richardson was born in London, England, in 1833. When he was 20, he moved to Shanghai, China. He hoped to make a lot of money in the trading business there.
By 1862, Richardson decided it was time to retire. He was on his way back home to England. On his journey, he made a stop in Yokohama, Japan. Yokohama was a special "treaty port" where foreigners were allowed to trade.
The Namamugi Incident
In September 1862, Richardson met an old friend from Shanghai, Woodthorpe Charles Clarke. They decided to go on a sightseeing trip. They were joined by another businessman, William Marshall, and his sister-in-law, Margaret Watson Borradaile.
They rode their horses towards a temple called Kawasaki Daishi. They were traveling on a very important road called the Tōkaidō. This road was like a main highway in Japan.
While riding through a village called Namamugi, they met a large group of people. This group belonged to a powerful Japanese leader named Shimazu Hisamitsu. He was a daimyō, which means a powerful lord.
Richardson rode his horse too close to Shimazu's special carrying chair, called a palanquin. Because of this, the daimyōs bodyguards attacked him. Marshall and Clarke were also badly hurt. Richardson fell from his horse and was killed.
The British government was very upset about this incident. They demanded that Shimazu pay for what happened. When he refused, the British navy attacked the city of Kagoshima. This led to a short fight called the Anglo-Satsuma War the next year.
Where He Was Buried
After his death, a doctor named William Willis examined Richardson. Willis had come to Japan with the British mission in 1861.
Charles Richardson was buried in a special spot near the Yokohama Foreign Cemetery. Later, his friends Marshall and Clarke were buried nearby.
See also
- Namamugi Incident
- Anglo-Satsuma War
- Anglo-Japanese relations
- Sakoku
- List of Westerners who visited Japan before 1868
