George Byng, 7th Viscount Torrington


George Byng, 7th Viscount Torrington, was a British colonial administrator and courtier.

Origins

Torrington was the son of Vice-Admiral George Byng, 6th Viscount Torrington.

Career

He succeeded his father in the viscountcy in 1831 at the age of eighteen. In 1847 he was appointed Governor of Ceylon, a post he held until 1850. There he is known for his harsh suppression of the 1848 civil uprising. He later served as a Permanent Lord-in-waiting to Albert, Prince Consort from 1853 to 1859 and to Queen Victoria from 1859 to 1884.
He was the companion of Andalusia Molesworth after she became a widow. When she died she left her fortune to Byng's nephew and heir as she was estranged from her ex-husband's family.

Death and burial

He died in April 1884, aged 71 and was buried in the churchyard of St. Lawrence's Church, Mereworth, Kent.

Succession

He was succeeded in the viscountcy by his nephew George Byng, 8th Viscount Torrington.